On July 3, 2025, Ashley Hinson voted for final passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which adds to Social Security's costs and moves the retirement fund's projected depletion to the fourth quarter of 2032.
Hinson praised the Department of Government Efficiency as the administration pushed out more than 8,000 Social Security workers. At an October 2026 debate she said she is open to phasing in an increase in the age for Social Security, a change 74% of registered voters oppose in a Reagan Institute survey.
Ashley Hinson's Votes and Statements on Social Security
- Hinson Voted for a Law That Moves Social Security's Shortfall Earlier, in 2025. On July 3, 2025, Ashley Hinson voted for final passage of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed 218 to 214, after voting for the House version on May 22. By lowering the income tax on benefits, part of which is credited to the trust funds, the law adds to Social Security's costs: Social Security's chief actuary estimated that the law increases the program's net cost by $168.6 billion from 2025 through 2034. The retirement trust fund is now projected to run short in the fourth quarter of 2032, three months earlier than previously expected, at which point current law means retirees face an automatic 22% benefit cut unless Congress acts.
- Hinson Praised DOGE While It Cut Social Security Staff, in 2025 and 2026. In February 2025, as the Department of Government Efficiency began its cuts, Hinson said: "I think that this is exactly what the federal government needs." At an April 2025 town hall in Mason City she said "I think the point of DOGE is to make sure those services are available" to Americans, and in March 2026 she said of its work: "It is absolutely critical that we continue that work." In 15 months the administration pushed out more than 8,000 Social Security Administration (SSA) workers, and Iowa lost 32 Social Security staff, 13%, from January 2025 to April 2026. The Decorah field office in northeast Iowa closed when the last staff member at the office retired, as the administration cut the federal workforce as part of its DOGE efforts, KCRG reported.
- Hinson Said She Is Open to Raising the Social Security Age, Which 74% of Voters Oppose. At the October 7, 2026 Senate debate, CNN reported, Hinson suggested she is open to phasing in an increase in the age for collecting Social Security, saying: "If you’re 20 years old, it’s a very different conversation than if you’re at retirement age." She took the same position in December 2020, when The Gazette reported she was "open” to changing the retirement age and said: "But I think we need to be looking at the age of workers." A Reagan Institute survey reported by Fox Business in May 2026 found raising the retirement age had 26% support to 74% opposition among registered voters. Hinson herself said in 2020 that that may not be a popular position.
- Hinson Promised to Protect Social Security After the Decorah Office Closed for Lack of Staff. On June 10, 2026, when the Decorah office reopened, Hinson said: "I will keep fighting to protect Social Security for all of our Iowa seniors." The office had been closed more than 6 months due to no staff during the staff cuts she praised, and Iowa's Social Security staff on duty fell from 250 in January 2025 to 220 in February 2026, according to the Congressional Research Service.
What the Social Security Cuts Ashley Hinson Praised and Voted For Mean for Iowa
- Who relies on it. 701,239 Iowans received Social Security in December 2024, including 71,406 disabled workers; in Iowa's 2nd District, 187,890 people received benefits, 18,584 of them disabled workers. The law's senior deduction applies only to a taxpayer who has attained age 65 before the close of the taxable year, so those disabled workers cannot claim it.
- Projected cut at insolvency. If Congress does not act before the retirement fund runs short, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget projects an average cut of $504 a month for about 600,000 Iowans.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ashley Hinson on Social Security
What is Ashley Hinson's record on Social Security under Trump?
Ashley Hinson voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Social Security's chief actuary found adds to the program's costs and which moves the retirement fund's projected shortfall to late 2032. She praised the Department of Government Efficiency as it cut Social Security staff, and Iowa lost 13% of its Social Security staff from January 2025 to April 2026.
Does Ashley Hinson want to raise the Social Security retirement age?
Ashley Hinson has said she is open to it, most recently at the October 7, 2026 Senate debate, and she has held that position since at least December 2020, when she said she might be "roasted on both sides for saying that" she was willing to be open to it.
Does the senior deduction Ashley Hinson voted for help people on Social Security disability?
No. The deduction in the law Ashley Hinson voted for on July 3, 2025 applies only to people who have reached 65, so the 71,406 disabled workers on Social Security in Iowa cannot claim it, and the deduction ends after 2028.
Why did the Social Security office in Decorah close?
The Decorah office in Ashley Hinson's district had no staff after its last employee retired, during the staff cuts Hinson praised, and while it was closed some Decorah residents had driven 90 miles in each direction to get help at other offices, the Iowa Independent reported. It reopened in June 2026.
Last updated: 2026-10-25