Grassley
Direct
I
spoke
with
Lara
Netolicky
of
the
Anamosa
Journal-Eureka
and
AJ
Taylor
of
KIOW
Radio
about
last
week's
hearing
on
mergers
in
the
seed
and
agrochemical
industries,
the
override
of
President
Obama's
veto
of
legislation
to
give
families
of
9-11
victims
their
day
in
court,
estate
tax
changes
and
passage
of
the
Survivors'
Bill
of
Rights.
Q&A:
Mental
Health
Q.
Why
are
you
co-sponsoring
a
bill
to
reform
delivery
of
mental
health
services?
Q.
Why
is
mental
and
behavioral
health
among
members
of
our
Armed
Forces
gaining
urgency
among
the
public
and
policymakers?
Quick
Links
Those
who
endure
heinous
crimes
of
sexual
violence
should
not
face
an
uphill
battle
in
their
pursuit
of
justice.
This
week,
after
months
of
working
with
an
inspiring
young
rape
survivor
and
advocate,
Amanda
Nguyen,
and
championing
this
legislation each
step
of
the
way,
I
led
the
Senate
in
passing
the
Survivors'
Bill
of
Rights.
This
bill,
which
is
on
its
way
to
be
signed
by
the
President,
will
improve
access
to
important
investigative
tools
and
information
for
survivors
of
sexual
assault.
I
gave
a
speech
on
the
Senate
floor
calling
on
the
Army
Corps
of
Engineers
to
improve
the
way
it
evaluates
and
prioritizes
flood
control
projects
after
touring
flooded
areas
of
Eastern
Iowa
over
the
weekend.
Senator
Ernst
and
I
also
sent
a
letter
to
the
Army
Corps
of
Engineers
demanding
answers
on
why
it
has
been
so
slow
to
make
progress
on
completing
flood
mitigation
projects
in
Cedar
Rapids,
frustrating
the
community.
Between
August
23
and
27,
parts
of
Northeastern
Iowa
suffered
severe
storms,
straight-line
winds
and
flooding.
I
sent
a
letter
to
the
President
requesting
that
he
grant
Governor
Branstad's
request
for
a
declaration
of
a
major
disaster
for
those
events.
Yesterday
the
President
issued
that
declaration,
triggering
the
release
of
funds
to
help
Iowans
recover
from
those
damages.
I
was
one
of
three
senators
who
asked
the
Justice
Department
if
it
might
investigate
whether
Mylan
overcharged
taxpayers
on
EpiPens
through
Medicaid.
Earlier,
I
asked
the
Iowa
attorney
general
to
review
whether
Iowa
taxpayers
were
overcharged.
He
told
me
he’s
looking
into
it.
It’s
important
for
companies
that
participate
in
public
health
care
programs
to
follow
the
letter
and
the
spirit
of
the
law.
Otherwise,
taxpayers
lose
out.
It’s
disappointing
when
a
federal
agency
that’s
supposed
to
be
on
the
front
lines
of
fighting
Zika
still
finds
time
to
investigate
and
sideline
a
top
scientist
in
this
area.
Thankfully
the
independent
Office
of
Special
Counsel
announced
that
it
helped
restore
a
scientist
to
his
position
after
his
being
sidelined
for
speaking
out
on
Zika
testing
effectiveness.
Whistleblowers
ought
to
be
encouraged
to
come
forward,
especially
with
something
as
critical
as
a
public
health
threat.
Since
returning
from
the
state
work
period
in
September,
the
Senate
Judiciary
Committee,
which
I
lead,
racked
up
several
legislative
and
judicial
accomplishments
while
continuing
its
work
to
improve
government
transparency
and
oversight.
Read
about
those
accomplishments
on
my
website
or
in
the
committee's
latest
progress
report.
The
Senate
and
House
of
Representatives
overwhelmingly
overrode
a
Presidential
Veto
of
legislation
that
would
give
the
families
and
victims
of
9-11
their
day
in
court
against
foreign
sponsors
of
terrorism.
I'm
an
original
cosponsor
of
the
bill
and
led
it
through
the
Judiciary
Committee
by
a
unanimous
vote.
Post
of
the
Week
|