Ashley Hinson does not support ‘nuclear option’ to end government shutdown

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ashley Hinson told reporters last week she does not support the “nuclear option” of removing the filibuster in order to reopen the federal government, saying that doing so could allow Democrats to “pack the courts” and take more seats when the pendulum swings the other way.

Des Moines Register’s Stephen Gruber-Miller recently reported that Hinson’s primary opponent for U.S. Senator of Iowa, Jim Carlin, said he would support the nuclear option to bypass the Senate filibuster and pass a government funding bill with a simple majority of 51 votes rather than a super majority of 60 votes.

“So what I’m focused on is making sure we do get the government back open,” Hinson said to Newton News on Oct. 24 during a stop in Jasper County. “And we have had bipartisan support to do that, so I think we will get there. I think the Democrats are definitely playing politics with this shutdown.”

The congresswoman also pointed to recent comments made by House Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, who said government shutdowns are terrible and negatively affect families and that Democrats take the responsibility of a shutdown very seriously, but it is “one of the few leverage times we have.”

Currently, Republicans hold a trifecta in the federal government with President Donald Trump in the White House and majorities in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. However, a lack of a supermajority allows the minority party in the Senate to force a filibuster.

Health care and the extension of expiring health insurance subsidies have been the primary focus for Democrats opposing the government spending bill. Hinson called Clark’s comments “absolutely disgusting” but added Democrats need to come to the table and they can reach agreement after the government is open.

“House Republicans and Republicans across the board care about the cost of healthcare,” Hinson said. “We want to make sure that it comes down. We want to make it affordable and accessible. And we can have that conversation if we get the government back open. And I think we can do that in a bipartisan way.”