![]()
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson speaks with members of the press after a
tour of a downtown redevelopment project in Ely on Sept. 10.
Savannah Blake/The Gazette
Iowa U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson is calling for an “immediate end” to the war with Iran and urging Congress to return to Washington to address soaring fuel costs, even as she continues to oppose congressional efforts to force President Donald Trump to halt U.S. military involvement.
Hinson, the Republican nominee in Iowa’s closely watched open U.S. Senate race, said this week that Iowans should not have to bear the economic costs of the nearly seven-month conflict, which has contributed to sharply higher gasoline and record diesel prices.
“Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran,” Hinson said Monday on social media. “We need to use every option at our disposal to provide some relief from high prices.”
Hinson called for temporarily suspending the federal gas tax, pausing diesel exports, expanding the availability of E15 gasoline, reinstating a $1-per-gallon biodiesel tax credit and establishing a diesel relief program for farmers and truckers. She added that “the war needs to be brought to a successful and immediate end.”
On Tuesday, Hinson stepped up pressure on House leaders to reconvene Congress.
“The House should return to DC immediately to work to pause diesel exports, suspend the gas tax, fully unleash E15 and biodiesel, and work on a diesel relief program for truckers and farmers,” Hinson posted on X. “Americans need relief, and I’ll work with anyone to deliver.”
The national average price for diesel climbed above $6.50 per gallon this week, a record, while Iowa diesel prices reached about $6.31 per gallon. Regular gasoline in Iowa was about $4.34 per gallon Wednesday, compared with $2.92 a year earlier, according to AAA data.
Hinson’s call for the conflict to end comes after she repeatedly voted against resolutions that sought to restrict Trump’s ability to continue military operations in Iran. Most recently, Hinson voted last week against a War Powers resolution directing Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities, while fellow Iowa Republican Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn supported the measure.
Asked Wednesday how she reconciles those votes with her call for an immediate end to the war, Hinson said Congress does not need another vote on presidential war powers.
“I don't think we need another resolution on the floor,” Hinson told The Gazette. “I think we just need a resolution to the war, and the president needs to do that. And I think he obviously met with Iranian leaders just within the last couple of hours, right? The last 24 hours or so. I know he is trying to bring this conflict to an end.”
Hinson said she is hearing from Iowans who are being squeezed by rising costs and argued Congress can pursue measures to lower fuel prices while Trump seeks to end the conflict.
“That's why I've been calling for us to go back to Washington, D.C. to work on these issues, because I think that time is of the essence,” she said. “And, again, I think both of those things can happen at the same time. We can be working on solutions, and we need the president to bring this to a decisive and successful end.”
Pressed on what specifically she wants Trump to do differently, Hinson did not identify a specific new military or diplomatic step. Instead, she pointed to Iran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear program and urged Trump to maintain pressure on Tehran while bringing the conflict to an end.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday at the United Nations that Iran would not give up its nuclear program — which it maintains is for civilian purposes — under military or economic pressure, but left the door open for diplomacy with the United States.
“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and that to me was a blaring signal, loud and clear, that they want to have a nuclear weapon, which is dangerous for the entire world,” Hinson said. “So I hope the president heard that as well and is taking that to heart.”
Trump has likewise said Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon while his administration continues negotiations with Tehran. U.S. and Iranian officials held indirect talks Tuesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, and Trump said afterward he believed a settlement could be reached.
Hinson pointed to Congress’ passage of a sanctions package targeting Russia that included a five-year extension of existing sanctions on Iran. Trump signed the measure into law Friday.
“So we are trying to take action to make sure we're applying that maximum pressure, and I hope the president does whatever is necessary soon to bring this to a close,” Hinson said.
Trump, meanwhile, has publicly downplayed concerns about higher fuel costs. During a campaign stop in North Carolina last week, he described higher prices as “a very inexpensive price to pay for what we’ve done” in Iran. At the United Nations on Tuesday, Trump said he faced a “big decision” between reaching an agreement with Iran or escalating the conflict.
Hinson’s position comes as a number of Republican candidates have called for a quicker conclusion to the war amid voter concerns over fuel prices and the cost of living. Recent polling has also shown Trump’s approval rating in Iowa sits underwater. A Civiqs rolling tracker cited had him at 35% approval and 55% disapproval in the state.
![]()
Iowa Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek speaks during
an event on Social Security, hosted by Turek’s campaign, on Sept. 9
at Scottish Rite Park senior living community in Des Moines.
Erin Murphy/The Gazette
Hinson faces Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek in the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. A Marist poll released Tuesday found Turek at 50% and Hinson at 42% among registered Iowa voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Turek has criticized Hinson for calling for an end to the conflict after voting against congressional efforts to restrict it. He also noted that several elements of Hinson’s fuel-cost plan overlap with proposals he announced earlier, including pausing diesel exports and temporarily suspending the federal gas tax.
Hinson said Wednesday she has contacted House leadership to press lawmakers to return to Washington before the election.
“I don't think they should have canceled session this week and next. We should be in Washington, D.C., and working on these things,” Hinson said. “And I stand ready to get on a plane tomorrow if they call us back into session.”
