On December 18, 2025, Ashley Hinson of Iowa voted for H.R. 498, a ban on Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming care for minors that the administration then imposed by rule in August 2026, and the day before she voted for a bill making that care a federal crime. In May 2025 she had voted for a House version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (roll call 145) that would have barred Medicaid coverage of the care at any age.
In July 2026 Hinson voted for an amendment to write the transgender military ban into law, and in 2021 she voted against the Equality Act; in 2025 Iowa removed gender identity from its state civil rights law.
Ashley Hinson's Votes on Transgender Health Care, the Military Ban and Federal Protections
- Hinson Voted to Bar Medicaid From Covering Gender-Affirming Care for Minors, a Ban the Administration Then Adopted by Rule. On December 18, 2025, Ashley Hinson voted yes on H.R. 498, which passed the House 215 to 201 and would prohibit Federal Medicaid funding for gender transition procedures for minors. On August 11, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule doing the same thing by regulation. KFF counts about 130,000 young trans people with Medicaid or CHIP coverage and reports that dozens of providers have ceased to offer services under federal pressure.
- Hinson Cast One of the Votes for a House Bill That Would Have Barred Medicaid Coverage of Gender-Affirming Care at Any Age, in May 2025. On May 22, 2025, Hinson voted yes on the House version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed 215 to 214, so a switch by her alone would have defeated it. Its section PROHIBITING FEDERAL MEDICAID AND CHIP FUNDING FOR GENDER TRANSITION PROCEDURES applied to adults as well as minors. The Senate dropped that section, but the final law's Medicaid cuts still reach LGBTQ adults, who are twice as likely as non-LGBTQ+ adults to use Medicaid as their main insurance, according to the Williams Institute as cited by them.
- Hinson Voted to Make Gender-Affirming Care for Minors a Federal Crime Punishable by 10 Years in Prison, in December 2025. On December 17, 2025, Hinson voted yes on H.R. 3492, which passed the House 216 to 211. Under it, whoever knowingly chemically castrates a minor shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for up to 10 years, using the bill's term for puberty blockers and hormone treatment. The bill has not become law; if enacted, it would make doctors who provide that care to minors subject to federal prosecution.
- Hinson Voted to Write the Ban on Transgender Troops Into Law, a Position Most Americans Oppose, in July 2026. On July 21, 2026, Hinson voted yes on an amendment to the defense bill that Codifies Executive Order 14183 implements a ban on transgender service members; it failed 212 to 217. Under the order, Transgender service members once again face discharge, and new recruits are turned away, Lambda Legal reports. In a January 2025 Gallup poll, 58% of respondents said they support admitting openly transgender women and men into the U.S. military.
- Hinson Voted Against the Equality Act in 2021. On February 25, 2021, Hinson voted no on H.R. 5, the Equality Act, which passed the House 224 to 206. The bill would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation in areas including public accommodations, housing and credit. It did not become law, and in 2025 Iowa became the first state in the nation to remove civil rights protections from a protected group, dropping gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act's protections in areas like employment, housing, public accommodations and education.
What the Votes Ashley Hinson Cast Mean for LGBTQ Iowans
- Birth certificates. The same 2025 Iowa law removes transgender people’s ability to change the sex designated on their birth certificate after medical treatment, Stateline reported.
- Youth health care. Iowa already Bans best practice medical care for transgender youth, according to the Movement Advancement Project, so transgender minors in Iowa were already cut off from that care before the federal rule.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ashley Hinson on LGBTQ rights
What is Ashley Hinson's record on LGBTQ rights under Trump?
Ashley Hinson of Iowa voted to bar Medicaid from covering gender-affirming care for minors (roll call 362), a ban the administration then adopted by rule, and to make that care a federal crime (roll call 351). She voted to write the ban on transgender troops into law, an amendment that failed, and in 2021 she voted against the Equality Act.
Did Ashley Hinson vote to criminalize gender-affirming care?
Yes. Ashley Hinson voted for H.R. 3492 on December 17, 2025, which would make providing puberty blockers or hormones to a minor a federal crime with prison terms of up to 10 years. The Senate has not taken it up.
How did Ashley Hinson vote on the Equality Act?
Ashley Hinson voted against the Equality Act on February 25, 2021, a bill that would have added sexual orientation and gender identity to federal civil rights protections. Four years later Iowa removed gender identity from its own civil rights law, which makes Iowa the first state in the nation to remove civil rights protections from a group that had them.
Last updated: 2026-10-25