U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democratic candidate Sarah Corkery told business leaders at the Greater Des Moines Partnership on Wednesday that their economic policies would best benefit Iowa’s business community.
Candidates in the 2nd Congressional District each emphasized their commitment to supporting small businesses, but differed on the best economic policy to support Iowa families and businesses. They spoke separately during the organization’s candidate forum series in Des Moines.
On October 16, 2024, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson spoke to business owners and community members at the Greater Des Moines Partnership as part of the organization’s Candidate Forum Series. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Hinson said if re-elected, he would work to extend the 2017 tax law signed by former President Donald Trump, which is set to expire next year.
Hinson said if the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is allowed to expire, the average Iowa household, already struggling with the effects of inflation, will see even less paychecks.
“I think they (tax cuts) are important,” Hinson said. “If we don’t do anything, the average Iowan family is going to see a tax increase. In some cases, I think the median income in my district is just under $70,000, so a family of four… I think that’s equivalent to about seven weeks’ worth of groceries.”
Hinson said the impact of not updating the Trump tax law would exacerbate economic difficulties caused by recent inflation. She told me about talking to a local business owner of a leather and boot shop during a visit to Waukon.
“She was saying, ‘So what should people do first if they don’t have additional resources?’ It’s that disposable income that they spend,” Hinson said. “So it’s a very real thing for our families and small businesses.”
But Corkery told the Des Moines organization that he does not support extending the 2017 tax cuts, saying the measure disproportionately benefits wealthy Americans and large corporations. He said he supports certain areas of the Trump tax law, such as tax cuts for low- and middle-income households, but said an extension of the measure is not necessary to support those parts.
“Mr. Ashley wants to add to Mr. Trump’s tax plan, and I said no,” Corkery said. “I said I need to review them all, but I’ll probably finish them and start something else.”
Corkery calls for higher taxes on the wealthy
Corkery also said that if elected, he would work to simplify the tax system, as well as raise taxes on high-income earners, to help preserve programs like Social Security and Medicaid. He called for raising the income cap on Social Security payments from $170,000 to more than $500,000 and for high-income earners to put more money into the system to keep it afloat.
Sarah Corkery, a Democrat running for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, speaks with business owners and community members at the Greater Des Moines Partnership on October 16, 2024, as part of the organization’s Candidate Forum Series. I talked to him. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
The reason the cap hasn’t been raised in recent years is because lawmakers in Washington, D.C., could be affected, she said.
“So people are making that much more, so they have to pay a little more for it,” Corkery said. “Why not? Because no one can get all your money back that way. The most you will ever get is that cap. I wonder if it’s the same amount of income as the elected officials.
Hinson also spoke Wednesday morning at the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale, where he also hosted a roundtable discussion on the availability of child care in Iowa with Representative Zach Nunn, R-Iowa’s 3rd Congressman. The events in the Des Moines metropolitan area came two days after Hinson and Corkery faced off in an Iowa Press debate Monday night.
Both candidates said they won the debate. Mr. Corkery called the debate “very entertaining,” while Mr. Hinson urged the audience at the Westside Conservative Club to “not waste an hour of their time” watching the debate.
“I can tell you this, there was a clear contrast between our conservative, Republican policies and vision for the country under President Trump and, hopefully, J.D. Vance. If my opponent, Kamala Harris, And I think it would have been very clear what would have been different if President Trump had elected Tim Walz,” Hinson said.
Hinson links economic planning to border security
At the partnership event, Hinson linked his economic policy to the need for border security. She said District 2’s schools and health facilities need to adapt to the growing immigrant population.
“I was working at a medical clinic in a rural county, and we needed to hire three new people to deal with the influx of undocumented Spanish-speaking immigrants into our community, and we needed to get them on Medicaid. They’re trying to get you to take your money,’” Hinson said. “…Another challenge is that in our education system, classrooms are overburdened.”
Corkery did not address immigration, but said more needs to be done to encourage people to move to the state and start families. As a member of Congress, she said she will work to provide more infrastructure funding to Iowa and support legislation that encourages a welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ people, improves water quality and supports maternal health care providers.
She also said improving Iowa means providing more support to local businesses. ”
“For businesses, I think we can do better,” Corkery said. “When businesses are strong, when families are strong, when communities are strong, when the economy is strong. And we have a lot of debt. What’s the best thing we can do to get out of this mess? ?To grow our economy. Grow our economy and increase home ownership.”
