Rep. Ashley Hinson to host in-person town hall Thursday

Republican Iowa U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson will host an in-person town hall at 9 a.m. Thursday in Mason City.

Hinson, of Marion, announced the public town hall in her weekly email newsletter sent out by her office Friday. She said she will provide an update on her work in Congress and answer questions. The meeting will be held at the North Iowa Area Community College community auditorium, 500 College Dr., Mason City.

“Hearing from Iowans is the most important part of my job. I look forward to hosting a town hall in Mason City on Thursday to hear from you,” Hinson wrote in her newsletter.

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The meeting comes amid heated confrontations and protests over President Donald Trump's policies and executive orders. Members of Congress are back home in their districts for a two-week recess, and many Republican so far have heeded the advice of party leadership to skip in-person public forums.

Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, during a Fort Madison town hall last week, faced frustrated constituents who expressed ire over the Trump administration’s efforts to slash spending and shrink the federal workforce, as well the administration’s handling of the deportation of migrants and defiance of court orders.

Grassley was pressed on the status of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was wrongly deported to El Salvador, and repeatedly urged to stand up to Trump and push back against the executive branch, according to news reports.

Hinson has said she intends to continue hosting in-person public town halls across Northeast Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District yet this Congress. Thursday would be the first in-person town hall she’s held since the new Congress.

She hosted a telephone town hall earlier this month, where Iowans raised concerns over record-high egg prices, sweeping reciprocal tariffs on U.S. imports and cuts to the Social Security Administration.

Hinson emphasized her commitment to cutting wasteful federal spending, securing the border and supporting Trump's policies, including extending tax cuts set to expire this year that Trump had approved in 2017 during his first term.

The Republican incumbent said she’s done 42 in-person town halls since taking office in 2021. So far this year, Hinson has made 37 visits covering 20 counties despite being in session for 12 out of the 16 weeks this Congress, according to her office.

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