Thanksgiving Message

As we gather with friends, family and loved ones on Thanksgiving Day, we give thanks to the brave men and women who keep our country and our communities safe, both at home and abroad, many who cannot be with their families today. Their sacrifices have afforded us the blessings of freedom, safety and security. 

And, on a day of plenty, it can be easy to take for granted the food we enjoy, but let’s not forget the hardworking farmers in Iowa and across the country who help fill our pantries and tables with affordable, healthy and abundant food today and every day. 

Our country has been bestowed with immeasurable blessings, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to serve Iowans in the United States Senate.

Q&A: Supporting Small Business

Q.  Why do you make it a priority to support small business?
Q.  What is Small Business Saturday?
Q.  At the federal level, what policies are you working on to help small businesses grow?

Quick Links

This week I joined other members of Iowa's congressional delegation in urging the President-elect to scrap the Waters of the U.S. rule. In our letter we said, "This misguided WOTUS rule is an economic assault on small business, manufacturing and agriculture, and threatens the very livelihood of our fellow Iowans. These industries are the backbone of this country, especially in rural America."

Weeks ago, I scheduled a Judiciary Committee hearing to explore the potential settlement between the Department of Justice and the EpiPen maker Mylan for hundreds of millions of dollars in overcharges to taxpayers for EpiPens. Last week, the Department of Justice and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services declined the invitation to voluntarily testify about this potential settlement. Now, following the poor lead of those federal agencies, Mylan has declined to testify at this hearing. It's a shame government agencies and the company are ducking accountability under a voluntary process, but, one way or another, I intend to get answers for patients and taxpayers.

This week I expressed concerns about how the current Administration left Americans in the dark about a plan to admit into the United States an unknown number of refugees whom Australia refused to admit. The Administration never disclosed to Congress that it was negotiating this deal with Australia, even though it was legally required to do so. I wrote a letter with the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee to the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to get to the bottom of the issue.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced its final Renewable Fuel Standard volume obligations for 2017 and biomass-based diesel volume for 2018. This announcement spells good news for Iowa, and in particular corn ethanol producers. While more work needs to be done to increase levels for biodiesel, this is the first time that the EPA has reached statutory levels for ethanol. This progress is a tribute to Iowa's clean energy leadership. I will continue to work to further build on this progress.

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