Grassley
Direct
I spoke
with
Mike
Peterson
of
KMA
Radio
and
Tom
Cullen
of
the
Storm
Lake
Times
about
the
Army
Corps
of
Engineers'
flawed
evaluation
methods
for
flood
mitigation
projects
in
Iowa,
the
Conservation
Reserve
Program,
EpiPen
costs
and
Mylan's
settlement
for
overcharging
taxpayers,
Secretary
of
Agriculture
Vilsack's
comments
on
the
need
for
state
legislation
addressing
Iowa's
water
quality,
and
the
Survivors'
Bill
of
Rights,
which
codifies
rights
for
sexual
assault victims.
Q&A:
College
Tuition
Q.
What
do
you
tell
Iowans
who
worry
about
student
debt?
Q.
How
else
are
you
working
to
address
college
affordability?
Quick
Links
I
pressed
the
Department
of
Justice
for
details
on
the
reported
$465
million
settlement
with
Mylan
for
overcharges
to
the
taxpayers
for
EpiPens. The
few
details
that
have
come
forward
about
the
settlement,
announced
by
Mylan last
Friday, raise
questions
about
whether
the
taxpayers
are
getting
adequate
compensation
for
the
overcharges
and
whether
steps
are
being
taken
to
prevent
this
from
happening
again.
I
also
outlined
what
I’m
working
on
to
help
drive
down
prescription
drug
costs.
It
appears
that
the
budget
prioritization
process
of
the
Army
Corps
of
Engineers
may
be
biased
against
smaller
cities
and
towns. The
Corps'
methods
have
led
to
the
downgrading
of
flood
control
projects
in
Iowa,
putting
Iowans
and
their
homes
and businesses
at
risk. Senator
Ernst
and
I
wrote
to
the
Corps
demanding
an
explanation
for
this
flawed
policy.
I
called
on
the
Treasury
Department
to
provide
better
oversight
of a
$9.6
billion
program
intended
to
help
homeowners
who
suffered
during
the
housing
crisis. A
recent
audit
showed
that
a
Nevada
state
agency
had
engaged
in
"widespread
waste
and
abuse"
of
the
program,
taking
taxpayer
money
from
the
homeowners
who
actually
needed
it.
Post
of
the
Week
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