Grassley
Direct
I
spoke
with
Jerry
Dietz
of
KCSI
Radio
in
Red
Oak
and
Eric
Vansickle
of
Waverly
Newspapers
about
North
Korea,
repealing
and
replacing
Obamacare,
averting
a
government
shutdown,
Governor
Branstad’s
hearing
to
be
U.S.
ambassador
to
China
and
school
lunch
programs.
Q&A:
Ambassadors
and
Foreign
Affairs
Q.
Do
you
expect
Governor
Branstad
to
be
confirmed
as
the
next
U.S.
ambassador
to
China?
Q.
What
role
does
Congress
have
in
foreign
affairs?
Q.
What
are
some
of
the
ways
your
office
interacts
with
the
State
Department
and
foreign
embassies?
Quick
Links
Governor
Branstad
had
his
nomination
hearing
before
the
Senate
Foreign
Relations
Committee.
I
was
honored
to
introduce him,
along
with
Senator
Ernst.
Iowans
have
long
known
and
benefited
from
the
relationship
Governor
Branstad
has
with
the
people
of
China.
I
have
every
confidence
that
he
will
represent
the
United
States
well
and
excel
as
an
ambassador
just
as
he
has
throughout
his
career.
The
Judiciary
Committee,
which
I
chair,
held
an FBI
oversight
hearing to
shine
a
light
on
the
nation’s
chief
federal
law
enforcement
agency.
FBI
Director
James
Comey
fielded
questions
on
many
topics,
including
the
FBI’s
handling
of
investigations
into
Secretary
Clinton’s
email
server,
Russian
meddling
in
U.S.
elections
and
leaks
of
classified
information
by
its
employees.
The
FBI’s
effectiveness
depends
on
the
trust
of
American
people.
To
maintain
that
trust,
we
need
a
better
understanding
of
the
FBI’s
treatment
of
some
of
its
recent
high
profile
and
politically
charged
investigations.
The
House
of
Representatives passed a
health
care
bill
in
response
to
Obamacare's
failures.
House
passage
gives
the
Senate
the
opportunity
to
write
a
bill.
Obamacare
isn’t
working
for
people,
as recent
developments in
Iowa
emphasize.
I’ve
been
talking
with
Iowans
about
all
of
the
considerations
to
take
into
account.
Their
insight
is
important
as
the
Senate
works
on
a
bill
that
helps
make
health
care
more
affordable
and
accessible
for
Iowans
and
other
Americans.
Mexico
and
the
United
States
have
reached
an
impasse
on
sugar
imports. I
urged
the
Department
of
Commerce
to
ensure
that
the
consequences
of
the dispute
are
contained
to
sugar
and
do
not
affect
other
U.S.
trade
interests,
such
as
corn
or
high
fructose
corn
syrup. The
U.S.
corn
refining
industry
supports
nearly
260,000
jobs,
many
of
which
could
be
jeopardized
by
the
loss
of
market
access
to
Mexico.
I
reintroduced
bipartisan
legislation
to
help
states
meet
the
needs
of
children
in
both
the
child
welfare
and
juvenile
justice
systems.
Child
welfare
and
juvenile
justice
experts
need
to
work
together
to
keep
vulnerable
youth
safe,
off
the
streets
and
away
from
crime.
I introduced bipartisan
legislation
to
give
Medicaid
and
Medicare
Part
D
providers
access
to
more
comprehensive
information
on
prescription
drugs.
It’s
in
the
patients’
best
interest
for
doctors
to
make
the
most
informed
decisions
about
what
prescription
drugs
work
best.
Post
of
the
Week
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