Friend,

The crisis at our border is out of control and must be addressed. In August alone, there were 203,597 illegal immigrant encounters at the border and there have been approximately 3.1 million illegal immigrant encounters at the border since President Biden took office, matching the population of Iowa.

From June 2022 to July 2022, fentanyl seizures increased 200% at the border, bringing the amount of fentanyl seized at the border this fiscal year to over 10,000 pounds. To put that 10,000 pounds into perspective, a lethal dose of fentanyl is about 10 to 15 grains of table salt.

Fentanyl-related overdoses are the leading cause of death for adults in the US today. And now, cartels are targeting our kids with rainbow-colored and flavored fentanyl pills. These deadly drugs look like skittles or sweet tarts, and in some cases even taste like candy. That’s why I joined my colleagues in introducing the Protecting Kids from Candy-Flavored Drugs Act. This bill will increase penalties for manufacturing or distributing fentanyl that is marketed as a candy or a beverage. 

The fentanyl overdose crisis, fueled by our open border, is tearing families and communities apart. I won’t sit on the sidelines -- I will continue working to crack down on fentanyl and advocating to secure our Southern Border to keep our kids and communities safe. 

Read on below for more information about my work for Iowans this week!

This week, I joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of my colleagues to designate September 19^th as National Stillbirth Prevention Day. There are 23,500 babies stillborn every year, and that’s 23,500 too many. I am dedicated to expanding maternal health care and promoting innovative solutions to prevent stillbirths and support expecting moms. I am thankful for the women who joined me in Washington, DC, this week to share their stories and for their advocacy to prevent stillbirths and help more women have healthy pregnancies and babies. 

Loved welcoming the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight to DC on Tuesday and honoring the service of our incredible veterans. We are forever indebted to those who served and sacrificed for our country!

I had a productive conversation with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers while they were in DC. I heard more about how inflation and supply chain disruptions are impacting their operations – we have to get our economy back on track.

I met with leadership from Kirkwood Community College and Iowa Central Community College yesterday to discuss their plans for this academic year and their efforts to build our workforce in Iowa. I’ve visited every single community college in our district and I’ll continue promoting the exceptional educational programs our community colleges have to offer.

This week, I joined Mornings with Maria to discuss the Biden Administration's failure to secure the Southern Border and the need to rein in government spending to combat inflation. Watch the full interview below:

My team joined the welcome home ceremony for the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight!

This week, my team attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the His Hands Free Clinic in Cedar Rapids, a great clinic in our community that provides health and dental care to those without insurance. They celebrated surpassing their capital goal, allowing them to move into an expanded facility and renovate to meet their needs!

📰 Radio Iowa: Hinson proposes sizable hike in federal child tax credit

📰 The Gazette: Hinson joins Rubio in proposing a raise in federal child tax credit