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Sep. 16, 2022 5:37 pm, Updated: Sep. 16, 2022 9:25 pm
Two days after co-sponsoring a bill that would ban abortions nationwide after 15 weeks, Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson joined U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to introduce legislation they say will provide support for expecting moms and families.
The legislation combines existing bills with new proposals, including an expansion of the federal child tax credit.
“I believe being pro-life means supporting women during their pregnancy and beyond, and this package builds on my pro-life efforts in Congress, including stillbirth prevention and working to expand maternal health-care services in our rural communities,” Hinson told reporters Friday.
Hinson was among more than 80 U.S. House Republicans — including fellow Iowa GOP House members Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Randy Feenstra — who this week co-sponsored the House version of a bill introduced Tuesday by South Carolina Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham that would create a nationwide ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
The bill would allow for exceptions in cases of incest, rape, or if the woman's life is in danger.
Asked about the timing and whether the new legislation was meant to work in concert with Graham’s proposed abortion ban, Hinson said she had been working with Rubio on the proposal for months.
“I think it’s an important time to lay our claim for why this is our value statement and why we believe this is the answer to help working families keep more of their hard-earned money,” Hinson told reporters Friday.
Hinson is proposing an increase in the federal child tax credit, raising it above the level established last year in the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, which she opposed. Hinson also voted against the Build Better Back Act, which passed the House but died in the Senate, which would have extended the child tax credit through 2022.
Hinson has railed against the social spending package and deficit reduction package, which is paid for with new taxes on large companies and stepped-up IRS enforcement on wealthy individuals and entities.
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She has argued the legislation represents more federal government taxing, spending and overreach that will not constrain inflation.
She told reporters Friday: “I’ve expressed my past support for the Child Tax Credit, so nothing is new in terms of my philosophical belief behind it.”
The American Rescue Plan Act also did not include work requirements, which Hinson’s proposal does.
Under the Hinson-Rubio bill, parents would receive a monthly child allowance of up to $4,500 for children aged 5 and below, and up to $3,500 for children aged 6 to 17. The new child care tax credit would maintain the current phaseout thresholds of $200,000 for single filers and $400,000 for married joint filers.
Expecting parents would also be able to claim the credit, according to Hinson’s office, helping families offset costs for the child during a woman’s pregnancy.
Hinson’s bill also would make the federal adoption tax credit refundable.
She said the package of bills “expands access to important federal resources and grant programs and recognizes the importance of community- and faith-based services, and it empowers parents to raise happy, healthy babies regardless of socio-economic status.”
Other provisions of the bill would:
Democratic state lawmaker Liz Mathis, who is running to challenge Hinson for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District seat in the Nov. 8 election, said Hinson’s claims of seeking to uplift and strengthen Iowa families with her self-described “pro-family proposals” ring hollow, given Hinson’s support “an extreme nationwide ban on abortion” and opposition to bills by House Democrats that sought to make child care more affordable.
Mathis, too, argued Hinson’s proposal allowing workers to trade part of their future Social Security retirement benefits for parental leave after the birth or adoption of a child would undercut Social Security’s benefits and structure, weakening the retirement security it offers workers, making parents “choose between staying home to care for their baby or retirement security.”
Instead, Mathis advocated for a national, comprehensive paid family leave policy.
“Once again, Rep. Hinson is trying to hide her record of working in Washington to hurt Iowa families,” Mathis said.
Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com
Deputy Bureau Chief, The Gazette
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