Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) used a Senate debate against Democratic nominee Josh Turek to demand he return taxpayer-funded per diem payments she says he collected while missing more than half of his votes in the Iowa House this year.
“I’m glad, Josh, that you brought up the per diem because there is a program for members of Congress; all members can take advantage of it to take a daily per diem for days we are in session,” Hinson said. “That’s the only day you can actually take it, and I use that. You can use it for a hotel or your apartment.”
“So I think it’s important to note that my opponent, who did not show up to work, still took the full per diem here in Iowa, the same program that exists for lawmakers here,” she continued. “So you took the per diem; you stole from taxpayers. You should refund that money.”
Hinson said Turek missed 58 percent of his votes in the Iowa House this year, including a vote on the Iowa Farm Bill. “I think it’s really important to note that my opponent decided not to show up for work 58 percent of the time this year on policies that could have helped to support Iowans and Iowa farmers, including the Iowa Farm Bill,” she said.
She also tied Turek’s absences to rural health care funding in her district, pointing to Howard County specifically. “My opponent did not show up for the vote to deploy the 50 billion dollars, 200 million plus of that from the Rural Health Transformation Fund here in Iowa,” Hinson said. “Just last week, I was able to do a town hall in Protivin, small community in my district. Howard County, just north of there, is using those rural health transformation fund dollars to recruit not only a nurse midwife but a new PA. They told me that just last week.”
Hinson argued Turek’s record, when he did cast votes, leaned far to the left. “He was one of the most absent, and he was one of the most liberal when he did show up to vote,” she said. “Forty-two percent of the time, if that’s all you’re showing up to vote, you’re not getting a promotion. You’re getting fired. That’s two out of every five days of work.”
She pointed to specific votes, saying Turek “supported policies when he did show up to help support illegal immigrants in this country, letting taxpayer dollars go to benefits for illegals,” and that he “voted to make it easier for politicians to raise your taxes here in Iowa,” referencing a constitutional amendment set to appear on the ballot.
On Medicaid, Hinson defended work requirements included in the Working Families Tax Cut Bill. “What we did was make sure that there are some common sense work requirements, so that people who are gaming the system aren’t getting these benefits, and people who are illegal are not getting these benefits,” she said, adding that Turek “wants to undo the entire Working Families Tax Cut Bill on day one.”
Turek, for his part, challenged Hinson’s accessibility to voters, calling for a requirement that members of Congress hold at least one in-person town hall annually and saying Hinson has not held one since launching her Senate campaign. Hinson disputed the characterization, saying, “I did 47 town halls during my time in Congress, so you all at this table have covered many of them and understand clearly that I am a transparent and accessible representative.”
Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann backed Hinson after the debate. “Josh Turek skipped 58 percent of his votes, and when he did show up, he voted like an East Coast liberal,” Kaufmann said. “This race is about showing up versus skipping out, and results versus rhetoric.”
Senate Leadership Fund Communications Director Chris Gustafson also weighed in, saying, “We’re shocked that Josh Turek actually showed up to the debate tonight, considering he’s skipped 58 percent of his legislative votes this year. Ashley Hinson clearly won this debate and demonstrated why she’s the right candidate to be the next U.S. Senator from Iowa.”
