Hinson Takes Credit for Infrastructure Funds She Labeled as ‘Socialist,’ Voted Against

US Rep. Ashley Hinson compared the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to socialism, but that didn’t stop her from taking credit for funds from the legislation that she voted against.

The US Army Corps of Engineers allocated $829.1 million from the infrastructure bill to modernize the lock and dam system on the upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers. The Mississippi River runs alongside a portion of Hinson’s congressional district.

In sharing a press release from her office about the project, Hinson tweeted “BREAKING: We secured $829 million in federal funding to upgrade locks & dams along the Upper Mississippi River.”

BREAKING: We secured $829 million in federal funding to upgrade locks & dams along the Upper Mississippi River. This is game-changing for Iowa’s agriculture industry & our Mississippi River communities! https://t.co/4rql7Y8oft

— Ashley Hinson (@RepAshleyHinson) January 19, 2022

While it is true Hinson has advocated for targeted infrastructure updates on Iowa’s waterways, the Republican freshman legislator not only voted against the infrastructure act that’s funding the Mississippi River project, she slammed it as “Washington Gamesmanship” when it passed.

“Too often in Washington, the potential for important, bipartisan policy is torpedoed by partisan politics,” Hinson said in a Nov. 8 release. “The need to make meaningful investments in our nation’s real infrastructure—roads and bridges, locks and dams, and broadband—was sacrificed to advance a partisan, socialist spending spree.”

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The release came three days after Hinson voted “no” and delivered a floor speech in the US House criticizing the bill. Hinson also compared the infrastructure bill to Marxism in her Nov. 8 press release.

“It’s the biggest leap toward socialism this nation has ever seen—it takes the Marxist ideology that once only existed in textbooks and makes it law in the United States of America,” she said.

Hinson, who is up for reelection in the fall, is being challenged by Democrat Liz Mathis to represent Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. Mathis, an Iowa state senator, called out Hinson’s news release as an attempt to “mislead Iowans.”

“Despite Ashley Hinson’s attempt to claim credit for this much-needed investment, she voted against the bill that made it possible,” Mathis said. “This is yet another example of Ashley Hinson claiming that she supports investments that benefit Iowans, but voting along party lines against their best interests in Washington. Iowa’s 2nd District deserves a representative who will work across the aisle to pass legislation and secure funding that directly benefits the district she represents.”

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Of Iowa’s six federal delegates, only Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley voted in favor of the infrastructure bill.

The Infrastructure act will allocate about $5 billion to Iowa and is expected to create a plethora of good-paying jobs.

According to a White House fact sheet, over five years Iowa will receive $3.4 billion for roads, $638 million for water-quality projects, $432 million for bridge repair and replacement, $302 million for public transportation, $120 million for airports, $100 million for broadband, $51 million for an electric vehicle charging network, and more.

by Ty Rushing
01/19/22

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