Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ashley Hinson says she’s lobbying House Speaker Mike Johnson to reconvene the House before the election to address rising fuel prices.
“I texted him yesterday and put the extra pressure on. I think we should be in Washington, D.C.,” Hinson said during a news conference in Des Moines. “I think it was a mistake for them to cancel session. Every option should be on the table and we should be in Washington working to provide that relief right now and I stand ready to jump on a plane as soon as they make that decision.”
Hinson, who has served in the U.S. House since 2021, has called for a temporary suspension of federal taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel as well as creation of a Diesel Relief Fund for farmers and truckers. Hinson has opposed House Resolutions to limit President Trump’s authority to continue military action in Iran and Hinson said her call for a return to Washington does not include a call for another War Powers Resolution.
“We don’t need another resolution on the House floor,” Hinson said. “We need a resolution to end the war as quickly as possible and the president can do that and I trust also our US military, the best fighting force in the world, to make sure we put every option on the table to get that done, but it needs to come to an immediate and successful end.”
Josh Turek, the Democrat running for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat, said the war in Iran and tariffs have probably hurt Iowa more than any other state.
“I’m just hearing over and over and over folks telling me: ‘I can’t afford to keep gas in my tank,’” Turek said during an event in Des Moines, “or when we’re with farmers, particularly as we’re in harvest time, telling me they can’t afford diesel.”
Last week Turek proposed suspending the federal tax on motor fuels as well as an embargo on U.S. produced diesel.
Hinson on Friday told reporters she knows “Iowans are frustrated and I am frustrated,” as she released a list of ideas for reducing expenses for things like fertilizer and prescription drugs. “I know the challenges that Iowa families are facing right now, from the gas to groceries to child care Iowans are getting squeezed by high prices. It’s why there’s more to do. I’ve been incredibly frustrated that for too long politicians on both sides of the aisle don’t seem to resonate with the struggles that everyday Iowans are facing while continuing to play to games in Washington, D.C.,” Hinson said. “I know Iowans are frustrated and I am frustrated.”
Hinson’s calling for enforcement of anti-trust laws and prosecution of price gouging by fertilizer companies. Hinson also says federal law should be changed so tax-free 529 accounts being used to save for college expenses could also be used for child care expenses.
