Grassley Direct

I spoke with Mike Peterson of KMA radio in Shenandoah and Gordon Wolf of the Denison Bulletin and Review about health care legislation, the Iowa stopgap measure and the Renewable Fuel Standard. 

Q&A: Grassley Law Targets "Crime of the 21st Century"

Q. How will your legislation help curb financial exploitation of older Americans?
Q. How widespread and costly are financial crimes against older Americans?
Q. How can families protect loved ones from financial exploitation?

Quick Links

Several of my colleagues and I received assurances from EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt that the agency will not follow through on a proposal that would have undermined the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard. Renewable energies like biofuels are the backbone of so many local economies across the Midwest. This is good news for Iowa and the entire country, which is made stronger by the many jobs, increased energy independence and cleaner air that renewable sources of energy like biofuels provide. 

Senator Jon Tester of Montana and I are the only two farmers currently serving in the Senate. We wrote to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue expressing our vehement disagreement with the USDA’s withdrawal of two rules related to the Packers and Stockyards Act. The industry has consolidated for decades into its current structure that enables a handful of companies to have extraordinary market power. This rule would ensure a better functioning marketplace for farmers.

Local media reported unauthorized waiting lists outside the VA patient tracking system for some mental health appointments in Omaha. It’s important for veterans and taxpayers to know what role these lists played, how they impacted access to care and what corrective actions and disciplinary measures were applied to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

A report shows a number of Afghan military trainees in the United States went absent without leaveand a number are still missing. This is bad for national security, bad for Afghan military readiness and bad for U.S. taxpayers. The U.S. government has to do a better job, especially the agencies fulfilling the number one responsibility of the federal government of protecting the homeland. That’s why I’m writing to press the relevant agencies for answers.

Recent patterns of foreign investment in the United States have raised concerns that overseas competitors are pursuing investments to make strategic gains in the U.S. market or to benefit their own domestic industries. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio and I introduced bipartisan legislation to review foreign investments in the United States to ensure they are in the long-term economic interests of the United States.

I have long worked to stop the abuse and waste of taxpayer money. At my urging, the Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program is reviewing state agency spending on travel, conference attendance and other administrative waste from the Hardest Hit Fund, a $9.6 billion program that began in 2010 to help homeowners who suffered during the housing crisis. 

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