Iowans are earning more, paying less after Trump’s return
Rep. Ashley Hinson
Des Moines Register
January 27, 2026
When President Donald Trump comes to town today, two things are guaranteed: The president will share how his administration is rebuilding an economy for working Americans ― and the usual chorus on the left will immediately twist the truth.
In Congress, I’ve had a front-row seat to enacting the America First agenda. So, before the noise starts, here are the facts straight from someone who’s been fighting for workers and families alongside President Trump:
When the president returned to the Oval Office just over a year ago, his administration ― backed by conservative majorities in Congress ― moved quickly to reverse policies that were hurting workers’ paychecks and making everyday life more expensive.
Families were being squeezed by high taxes. Workers were watching inflation eat away at their wages. American jobs and industries were being pushed aside while foreign competitors got ahead.
Working Americans deserved better ― and that’s exactly what this administration set out to deliver.
But Americans in 2024 sent Republicans to Washington with a clear mandate: Lower costs, raise wages, and restore opportunity for people who work hard and play by the rules. Under President Trump’s leadership, America is back on the right track. The results are undeniable.
The president delivered the Working Families Tax Cuts, delivering the largest middle-class tax relief in modern American history ― putting more money back into workers’ pockets and saving nearly 6 million jobs in the process.
He delivered on his promises for no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security.
Lower energy costs are giving families breathing room again. Gas prices are at five-year lows, as prices have fallen below $3 across 43 states, including here at home in Iowa.
Tax relief and cuts to needless government red tape allowed workers and small businesses to grow ― fueling private-sector job growth. Real earnings are up more than $1,100 annually, and blue-collar wage growth saw its strongest increase in more than a half-century.
Inflation is at just 2.4% ― down 70% from its Biden-era peak, meaning paychecks finally go further at the grocery store, the gas pump, and the pharmacy counter.
Of course, there’s still work to be done to make America more affordable for working families.
We need to keep cutting taxes for workers, eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse that drive up costs, protect Social Security and Medicare, lower health insurance premiums and prescription drug prices, and stand up for Iowa’s farmers and rural communities.
We’ve come a long way in just one year ― but the fight is only getting started.
With President Trump back in the Oval Office and strong conservative majorities behind him, we have a once-in-a-generation chance to finish the job and rebuild a country that works for every Iowan.
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