- Ashley Hinson has requested millions in federal funding for community development projects across Iowa, focusing on infrastructure upgrades, downtown revitalization, flood mitigation, and workforce development (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Gazette).
- Specific projects include $2 million for Ely’s Old Town District renewal, funds for flood control efforts in Cedar Rapids, Guttenberg, and Linn County, and investments in housing, emergency services, and transportation improvements (Globe Gazette, Daily Nonpareil).
- Hinson’s approach emphasizes projects with strong community support, aiming to maximize the transformational impact of targeted federal resources (Gazette).
- She has prioritized infrastructure, child care facilities, workforce training (notably through community college partnerships), and disaster mitigation as essential components for safer, more resilient communities (Gazette).
- Hinson has also actively opposed federal decisions she views as detrimental to her district’s growth, like the proposal to downgrade Dubuque’s metropolitan status (Telegraph Herald).
- A potential vulnerability is the heavy reliance on federal funding approval—many initiatives are contingent on congressional appropriations, which can be unpredictable and politically influenced.
2024: Ashley Hinson Requested $2 Million For City Of Ely Urban Renewal Initiative According to Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, "Hinson requested the money to support the city of Ely in its redevelopment of the Old Town District, including stormwater, sewer water and road improvements. The requests states the investments will aid the city in attracting new businesses downtown while supporting existing ones." [Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (IA), 6/6/24]
2024: Ashley Hinson Requested $2 Million For Ely Urban Renewal Initiative According to Globe Gazette, 'Hinson requested the money to support the city of Ely in its redevelopment of the Old Town District, including stormwater, sewer water and road improvements. The requests states the investments will aid the city in attracting new businesses downtown while supporting existing ones.' [Globe Gazette, 6/6/24]
2024: Ashley Hinson Requested $2 Million For City Of Ely Urban Renewal Initiative According to Daily Nonpareil, "Hinson requested the money to support the city of Ely in its redevelopment of the Old Town District, including stormwater, sewer water and road improvements. The requests states the investments will aid the city in attracting new businesses downtown while supporting existing ones." [Daily Nonpareil, 6/6/24]
March 2021: Hinson Opposed OMB Proposal To Downgrade Dubuque According to Telegraph Herald, "Hinson also caught wind of a federal proposal to downgrade the City of Dubuque's municipal category in the national government's rolls. [...] 'Dubuque is a great place to live, work, and travel and we want to keep it growing,' she tweeted. 'But the Office of Management and Budget put forward a plan that would downgrade Dubuque's designation as a metropolitan area and hurt our local economy.' Hinson's office last week said she would attempt to stop the OMB from making such a change." [Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA), 3/21/21]
2022: Hinson Listed Specific Project Funding Requests For Fiscal 2023 According to Daily Nonpareil, Rep. Ashley Hinson requested funding for various projects, including "$1 million for Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity's Targeted Neighborhood Revitalization in the Church Row and Walnut neighborhoods in Waterloo, $500,000 to construct a new emergency services building in Gilbertville, $1.1 million to create a Smart Automation Certification Alliance Center apprenticeship hub at Hawkeye Community College, [...] $333,200 to Osage Municipal Utilities for fiber-optic build out in Orchard," and several others for infrastructure and educational programs. [Daily Nonpareil, 6/8/22]
2022: Ashley Hinson Requested Community Project Funding For Infrastructure, Workforce, And Flood Mitigation Projects According to Gazette, "Northeast Iowa U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, a Republican who sits on the Appropriations Committee, requested funding for neighborhood revitalization in Waterloo, emergency services facilities in Gilbertville and Independence and flood mitigation projects in Cedar Rapids and Guttenberg, among other requests." [Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 6/8/22]
2022: Hinson Cited Infrastructure, Child Care, And Disaster Mitigation As Priorities According to Gazette, "Her fiscal 2022 requests were for targeted infrastructure investments including Tower Terrace Road in Linn County and a new fire station in Northeast Iowa's Protivin, as well as a Winneshiek County child care center. Those investments 'are going to make a huge investment and change in the community,' she said." [Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 6/8/22]
2022: Hinson Highlighted Flood Coverage Experience To Justify Flood Mitigation Investment According to Gazette, "Referring to her previous career in television news, Hinson said that as someone 'who has been out there, knee-deep in dirty water, covering floods,' she said she knows that investing in Linn County flood mitigation and the UI Flood Center will pay dividends to taxpayers, communities, businesses and homeowners." [Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 6/8/22]
2022: Hinson And Miller-Meeks Jointly Requested $1 Million For UI Flood Center Hydrologic Stations According to Gazette, "She joined Hinson in asking for $1 million for the UI Flood Center because 'having both members submit requests will hopefully increase the likelihood of receiving the necessary funding,' according to her office." [Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 6/8/22]
2022: Hinson Requested Specific Project Funding Amounts For Multiple Iowa Initiatives According to Gazette, Hinson's requests included: "$1 million for Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity's Targeted Neighborhood Revitalization in the Church Row and Walnut neighborhoods in Waterloo; $500,000 to construct a new emergency services building in Gilbertville; $1.1 million to create a Smart Automation Certification Alliance Center apprenticeship hub at Hawkeye Community College; $245,000 for construction and renovation of the Buchanan County Emergency Management operations center in Independence; $3.425 million to Guttenberg for the rehabilitation of ponds constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1970s to assist with flood control, but have become a potential health hazard; $372,000 for upgrades at Northeast Community College's National Education Center for Agricultural Safety; $1 million for improvements at Dubuque's Granger Creek lift station; $7 million to Fayette County to rehabilitate several miles of rural roads with material sourced from soybeans rather than petroleum polymers; $1.725 million to Cedar Rapids for the construction a Fifth Avenue gatewell and pump station; $358,885 to Kirkwood Community College to support its aviation maintenance technician program in partnership with The Eastern Iowa Airport; $7 million for taxiway expansion at The Eastern Iowa Airport; $7 million to Marion for the Alburnett Road extension; $3.5 million for improvements to the Maquoketa wastewater treatment plant; $333,200 to Osage Municipal Utilities for fiber-optic build out in Orchard; (With Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks) $1 million to the University of Iowa Flood Center to improve forecasting ability by installing hydrologic stations in 28 Eastern and Southeastern counties." [Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 6/8/22]
2022: Hinson Stated She Pursued Projects With Community Support To Maximize Impact According to Gazette, "Her goal in asking for community project funding is 'to bring as many targeted resources into the district where they will have the most transformational impact.' She seeks funding only for projects that have community buy-in and support, Hinson said this week." [Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 6/8/22]
2022: Hinson Pointed To Applications Made For Community Colleges Addressing Workforce Needs According to Gazette, "The requests also reflect what she says she hears in community meetings around the district housing, neighborhood revitalization, safety and security and workforce, Hinson said, pointing to the applications she has made for the Hawkeye and Kirkwood community colleges." [Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 6/8/22]