Rep. Ashley Hinson likes parts of new stimulus bill

Like her Republican counterparts, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson didn't vote for the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill that was signed into law Thursday, but she said Friday she likes parts of it.

'The public health measure part - that's absolutely what we need right now,” the 1st District representative said on her weekly call with reporters.

Hinson said she also appreciated the $300-per-week increase in unemployment payments and other direct cash infusions to individuals and businesses that continue to be affected by the pandemic's impact on the economy.

'Those are areas I would have supported if it would have truly been a targeted bill,” Hinson said.

But Hinson voted no twice on the bill, once when it first came before the U.S. House and again when it returned after being modified by the Senate.

She continued to hammer school spending in particular, which she unsuccessfully tried to tie to in-person classes.

'I wanted to see some lanes on that,” Hinson said. 'I'm hopeful that this is not how we're going to do business going forward.”

Lobbyist bill

Hinson also introduced a bill Friday with Rep. Bill Foster, an Illinois Democrat, that would ban senior executive branch employees from lobbying for five years after they leave government employment.

The PURE Executive Act also would ban them from lobbying on behalf of foreign agents for life.

'If you're working in the top tier of administration, you should not be using your sensitive knowledge to lobby your political friends,” Hinson said.

Asked if she would extend that ban to members of Congress and congressional staffers, Hinson said she would, noting her bill was 'phase one.”

'That's something I would absolutely look at,” she said. 'Right now, I wanted to focus on the executive branch.”

First amendment

A former television journalist, Hinson was also asked about the trial of Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri, who was acquitted Thursday on misdemeanor charges stemming from a Black Lives Matter protest she was covering last May.

'I support the First Amendment and your right to come out and cover events,” Hinson said. 'That's why I do press calls every week - I believe in transparency. Ultimately, we need to respect the First Amendment.”