Ashley Hinson speaks in support of $1.5 trillion defense funding package

Hegseth, who leads the department, made the $1.5 trillion request — the largest request in U.S. history — earlier in 2026, as the U.S. continues its conflict with Iran. But the defense secretary has faced trouble getting this budget across the finish line, with Politico reporting that some Republicans have expressed skepticism about the Trump administration’s large defense budget proposal, especially ahead of a contentious midterm election.

When asked about the funding proposal after speaking at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox Monday, Hinson spoke about a bipartisan meeting with one of the vice chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to “talk about what the Department of War is going to need going forward across all the branches.”

“Let me say, I support our war fighters in this mission,” Hinson said. I want to make sure that our Iowans who are fighting, anyone who’s fighting, is resourced properly and has what they need. The most important thing is deterrence, not just with the situation with Iran, but other conflicts potentially around the world. So I think a strong military, as the secretary talked about, focusing on readiness, not DEI in the military, is going to continue to be my priority.

There are also concerns about the high price tag of the DOD budget request for people concerned about federal spending or an increased national debt. “I would say both parties are blaming for where we are right now in terms of government spending,” Hinson said, adding that she voted against a $6 trillion budget proposal from former President Joe Biden.

Hinson currently represents Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, but joined the Senate race after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, who currently holds the seat, announced she would not seek reelection. Hinson is running against Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek in the upcoming midterm election.

Political forecasters rate the seat as “leans Republican” — a designation that means while Republicans are predicted to maintain control of the seat, it will be a more competitive race than seen in previous recent election cycles.

Hinson was met with a passionate crowd of  supporters — and some opponents — as she spoke at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox Monday. While a majority of people held up signs supporting her campaign before she spoke, some in the crowd held signs saying “Decent Iowans Support Josh Turek,” and others posing questions to the congresswoman.

During her Soapbox speech, Hinson said Turek was an “absentee legislator,” and criticized him for attending a Democratic fundraising event instead of being present at the Iowa State Fair Monday. Turek has been at the fair previous days, and gave his own soapbox speech Friday.

Hinson said Turek “skipped” the Iowa State Fair Veterans’ Parade earlier Monday, “and he also skipped the vote to fund the Department of Veterans Affairs here in Iowa.”

On Saturday, Turek was asked by reporters about criticisms that he had missed votes at the Iowa State Capitol this year. The Democrat responded that he was spending time “meeting Iowans all over the state” as he ran for U.S. Senate — then competing in a primary against Iowa Sen. Zach Wahls — and said his record showed he was an effective state legislator.

“Something that I’m very very proud of is my my time in the Iowa Legislature — one of the most effective, one of the most bipartisan,” Turek said. “Ashley Hinson has already also missed 193 votes in her six years up in Congress. … Look, when I joined the Iowa Legislature, I was told, ‘you’ll never get a subcommittee, you’ll never get a committee, you’ll certainly never get anything signed by the governor.’ And I went out there and I worked really, really hard behind the scenes –the kind of work that nobody you will see or hear from — to find strange bedfellows, build relationships across the aisle, and I was able to get a lot of policy to the finish line. That’s what’s missing in D.C., that’s exactly the kind of senator that I will be.”

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