Grassley
Direct
I spoke with
several
agricultural
journalists
on
my
weekly
call
about
trade
with
Mexico,
recent
work
visa
legislation,
the
North
American
Free
Trade
Agreement
and
the
1980s
farm
crisis.
Q&A:
Older
Americans
Month
Q.
How
can
public
policy
keep
pace
with
the
demographic
shift
taking
place
in
the
United
States?
Q.
What
measures
are
you
pursuing
to
thwart
abuse,
neglect
and
exploitation
among
older
Americans?
Quick
Links
I
re-introduced
bipartisan
legislation
to
help
rural
hospitals
stay
open while
emphasizing
emergency
room
and
outpatient
care. This
proposal
would
fill
a
pressing
need
and
offer
hospital
services
where
and
when
people
need
them
most.
I’m
concerned
that
a
hastily
developed
Department
of
Energy
study
appears
geared
to
undermine
wind
energy,
which
produces
more
than
a
third
of
Iowa’s
electricity
and
sustains
thousands
of
jobs.
I
wrote
to
Secretary
Rick
Perry
expressing
my
concerns
that
the
study
will
not
be
viewed
as
credible,
relevant
or
worthy
of
valuable
taxpayer
dollars.
The
Senate
unanimously
passed my
bill
to help
families
of
fallen
officers
receive the
survivor
benefits
they've
been
promised.
My
bill
reduces
the
wait
time
many
families
are
facing
just
to
get
a
response
on
their
applications
for
survivor benefits.
This
bipartisan
bill
and
several
other
efforts
to
support
law
enforcement officers
passed
in
the
Senate
during Police
Week,
a
time
to
reflect
on
the
dedicated
service
police
provide
in
our
communities
and
to
remember
those
who
paid
the
ultimate
sacrifice
for
our
safety.
I
led
a
bipartisan
group
of
Judiciary
Committee
leaders
in
calling
on
the
FBI
and
White
House
to
turn
over
records
related
to
former
FBI
Director
James
Comey’s
handling
of
two
politically
charged
investigations.
The
FBI’s
probes
into
Secretary
Clinton’s
email
server
and
Russia’s
attempts
to
influence
our
elections
have
raised
questions
about
the
FBI’s
ability
to
function
independently
of
politics.
While
a
special
counsel
will
be
taking
over
the
Russian
interference
investigation,
the
American
people
still
deserve
a
better
understanding
of
what
happened
to
restore
faith
in
government.
Several
of
my
colleagues
and
I
wrote to
U.S.
Trade
Representative
Robert
Lighthizer
stressing
the
economic
benefits
of
the
North
American
Free
Trade
Agreement. There are
areas
in
which
Americans
would
benefit
from
a
strengthening
and
modernization
of
NAFTA,
but
any
effort
to
abandon
the
agreement
outright
or
impose
unnecessary
restrictions
on
trade
with
our
North
American
partners
would
have
devastating
economic
consequences,
particularly
for
Iowa
agriculture.
If
Medica
leaves
in
October,
94
out
of
99
counties
in
Iowa
will
be
left
with
only
one
choice
for
health
insurance
on
the
individual
market
under
Obamacare.
After
seven
years
of
rising
premiums,
soaring
deductibles
and
climbing
co-payments,
I’m committed
to
fixing
the
damage.
Post
of
the
Week
|