image description

image description

For immediate release: July 16, 2025

Contact: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])


** Hinson & Houchin Champion Women’s Leadership in Congress
------------------------------------------------------------


** “It's the best opportunity in the world to be able to serve your nation and be able to work in this capacity and really effect change.”
------------------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representatives Ashley Hinson ([link removed]) (IA-02) and Erin Houchin ([link removed]) (IN-09) addressed The Ripon Society at a breakfast meeting Tuesday morning, outlining their legislative priorities and committee work. The congresswomen, who serve on the Appropriations and Energy & Commerce committees respectively, also shared strategies for supporting more Republican women in leadership positions.

Hinson, who is currently serving her third term in Congress, kicked off the discussion by sharing what drove her to get involved in the first place.

“I spent four years as a state representative. When I look at my transition to running for Congress, it was really with the goal of helping to focus on issues that would affect my children.”

Houchin, who previously served eight years in the Indiana State Senate and serves as the House Republican Conference Secretary in the 119^th Congress, described herself as a problem solver drawn to big challenges.

“I was motivated to solve problems. If there was a big system gap, I wanted to fix it, and I brought that same energy to Congress. I was compelled to run for office based on the deficit and the long-term debt problem, and really digging in and trying to solve the big problem of making Social Security solvent and getting this country turned around with our debt crisis.”

Both representatives acknowledged the unique challenges women face in politics while highlighting the opportunities for impact. Hinson reflected on proving herself in a male-dominated field and the criticism she has faced for being both a mother and a legislator.

“I'm setting a really, really good example for my children by doing this job and working hard and showing them what it means to be a strong Iowan and a strong American.”

“I had to work harder to prove to myself that I could do all of those things,” she continued “As a woman, you never really know what you're capable of doing until you have to do it, and you just figure it out.”

Despite the challenges, Hinson emphasized the rewards of public service.

“It's the best opportunity in the world to be able to serve your nation and be able to work in this capacity and really effect change. It's a very unique experience, but I think that people want to see more women step up and do. We can do it. You can do it too.”

Houchin, the second highest-ranking woman among House Republicans, then offered encouragement to women considering running for office.

“Women think before they run for Congress that they have to know everything about it before they start. I say you don't have to know everything. You can learn as you go, just like Ashley and I have had to do. If you think it's something you want to do, you can jump in and you can figure it out and you can do well. You do have to have the grit and determination and the resilience and all of those factors in there, but we have that built in.”

“The seats at the table are not finite,” Houchin continued. “If I get to the table, then I should turn around and try to pull up another chair or two or three for a female to come behind me. If we are all doing that and not thinking of each other as competitors, then we will go further.”

The Hawkeye and Hoosier lawmakers then discussed how their midwestern values have shaped their legislative approaches.

“It’s about blocking off the time for family,” said Hinson. “It better informs the policy decisions I make here because I have that always in the back of my head, 'What is an Iowan facing today as they deal with tax policy, as they deal with the no tax on tips, no tax on overtime? How are they trying to fit all these things in and still provide for their families at the same time?' That's helped to drive a lot of the work that I do here.”

According to Houchin, her parents taught her that: “if you can do something for another person, you should do that or, if you can do something for whatever your skill set is, whatever your talent is, you need to utilize that for the betterment of other people. I had to try to see if I could utilize this skill set that I had gained over time in this role. And so that's why I was motivated to do it – if you can give back, you should.”

On the subject of committee work, Hinson shared how she has been able to utilize her role on the House Appropriations Committee to help her fellow Iowans.

“Government funding is a challenging process, but I love being an appropriator. I think we're able to really address a lot of the issues facing our country: government spending and efficiency, the work that the administration is doing right now, and President Trump's priorities.

“Finishing that road or getting the dollars for a maternal healthcare wing so we can have more babies in rural Iowa – that is where we can make a real difference with those hard-earned tax dollars that Iowans are sending in.”

Later on, the pair of legislators fielded a question regarding the lack of Republican women serving as committee Chairs and in other key leadership roles.

“We definitely need to have more women here,” Houchin answered. “For instance, there are three women on the Steering Committee ([link removed]) , which decides who gets what position. So, if we're going to have female Chairs, or other women in leadership then we have to have more representation on places like the Steering Committee. We need to increase our numbers here so that our voices are more solidified within the overall group.”

The Ripon Society is a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 –Ripon, Wisconsin. One of the main goals of The Ripon Society is to promote the ideas and principles that have made America great and contributed to the GOP’s success. These ideas include keeping our nation secure, keeping taxes low and having a federal government that is smaller, smarter and more accountable to the people.

For more information on The Ripon Society, please visit www.riponsociety.org ([link removed]) .

–###–
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]

The Ripon Society is a non-profit corporation organized under the laws of the District of Columbia. It is exempt from federal income taxation pursuant to section 501 (c) (4) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Ripon Society does not make contributions or expenditures to influence elections. In addition, The Ripon Society does not engage in other election activities, including voter registration, voter identification, get-out-the-vote activity, or generic campaign activity, collectively referred to as "federal election activity" in the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. Donations from corporations, organizations or individuals are accepted.

View email in browser ([link removed])
The Ripon Society . 1155 15th St NW Ste 550 . Washington, DC xxxxxx-2713 . USA
update your preferences ([link removed]) or unsubscribe ([link removed])