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.
Post
of
the
Week
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