FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

CONTACT: press@iowademocrats.org

Ashley Hinson’s Out-Of-Touch Solution for Family & Medical Leave: Take It Out Of Your 401K

Hinson’s anti-worker agenda on full display when she told struggling Iowa families to “borrow from their 401k” for family and medical leave

DES MOINES — State Rep. Ashley Hinson has a long record of voting against hard-working Iowans in the state legislature — including slashing a minimum wage increase for her constituents and gutting a union’s right to collectively bargain. But last night during the Iowa Press debate, she proved once again just how out-of-touch and extreme her anti-worker agenda is for Iowans.

When asked whether she would support federally-mandated paid family and medical leave for working families, Hinson said no. Instead, she suggested that everyday Iowans should just “borrow from their 401K” in order to afford the bare-minimum time off they need to care for their health and families.

Take a look at what Hinson had to say during last night’s debate:

KAY HENDERSON: Should [family and medical leave] be a mandate at the federal level?

ASHLEY HINSON: Well I don’t think we need a mandate, employers are stepping up to do the right thing but I think we can have partnerships where people can borrow from their 401k for example to be able to take that additional time off and to be able to have that resource available. I think there are a lot of creative solutions that we need to be taking a look at. A mandate again for employers is just an extra burden for them going forward.

“If Ashley Hinson had her way, people would have to raid their retirement funds in order to take the bare-minimum time they need to care for a sick loved one or new baby,” said IDP spokesperson Samantha Kennedy. “In the middle of this economic and public health crisis, we should never be forcing Iowans to make impossible choices between their future and supporting their families. Hinson’s extreme anti-worker agenda was on full display last night, and it’s clearer than ever that she’s more beholden to special interest and the Republican establishment in DC than hard-working Iowans.”