Grassley Direct

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



Unsubscribe