(Radio Iowa) – Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says the “America First” movement is no longer a rallying cry, it’s a governing agenda.  “We really have changed course in our country and it is pretty simple. It’s because President Trump is back in the White House and, let’s face it, America is back, aren’t we?” Hinson said, to cheers. Hinson held her 5th annual B-B-Q Bash fundraiser this weekend in Cedar Rapids.

Hinson was reelected to a third term in the U.S. House last November and has indicated she’ll seek reelection in 2026. “We have not come this far to only go this far and I think we have a lot of work left to do, so we need to make sure that the president is able to complete the full four years of wins,” Hinson said. “We need to make sure that we have a Republican congress in order to do that.” Hinson says she’ll fight alongside Trump to secure the border and deport illegal aliens and she favors ending birthright citizenship for children of parents who are in the country illegally.

Hinson is co-sponsoring a bill that would double prison sentences for anyone convicted of attacking Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. “We want to make sure that they are put away for a very, very long time,” Hinson said, to applause. “…I didn’t run for office to roll over. I think you know that about me. Right now I’m not afraid to pick a fight. I might do it with a smile, but if anybody thinks I’m too nice to do this job, they don’t know we well enough. I have fought to secure the border and deport these violent criminals who never should have been here in the first place.”

Hinson represents the second congressional district, which includes Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque and Mason City. Four Democrats say they’ll compete for their party’s nomination in the second district. They are State Representative Lindsay James of Dubuque; pastor Clint Twedt-Ball of Cedar Rapids; Kathy Dolter of Dubuque, the former dean of nursing at Kirkwood Community College; and former Pine Lake State Park manager Don Primus.