Grassley Direct

I spoke with TJ Dunphy of KSIB radio in Creston and Terri Queck Matzi of Successful Farming about Kevin and Avonte’s Law, a bill to aid caregivers in locating missing individuals with autism and Alzheimer’s, tax reform’s effect on farmers, the individual mandate tax, funding for infrastructure projects, the North American Free Trade Agreement and the hold on the nomination of Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey for a top post at USDA.  

Q&A: Federal Judiciary

Q. How is the federal judiciary unique from the legislative and executive branches of government?
Q. How is the pace of confirmations in this Congress measuring up to previous years?

Quick Links

A bipartisan group of my colleagues and I wrote to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross asking the Administration to evaluate how changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement would affect agriculture. Mexico is the largest importer of Iowa corn, but the agreement is bigger than that. If manufacturing is the focal point of the discussions, agriculture could be hurt. 

The Environmental Protection Agency rejected a proposal to change the point of obligation, which would have undermined the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard. Changing the point of obligation from refiners to blenders, marketers or retailers would have financially burdened small businesses all across the country. This is the right policy conclusion and I’m glad to see it happen. This decision puts the issue to bed and is good news for Iowa and rural America. 

Senator Ernst and I sought information on how the Department of Veterans Affairs would take corrective actions after a report detailed unauthorized waiting lists outside of the VA patient tracking system for some mental health appointments that date back to 2006. It's important for veterans and taxpayers to know what disciplinary measures are being applied. We asked the VA to keep us informed on its plans to ensure this situation will not reoccur and the scope of its investigation into older wait lists.  

The bond between parent and child doesn’t end at the age of 18 or when a young adult begins living on their own. No matter their age, all children desire and deserve the same thing: a loving, permanent family and a place to call home. There are unfair stereotypes that affect teens in foster care and addressing these misconceptions is critical to understanding the importance of adoption. Our focus should be on placing foster youth in permanent, loving homes. An op-ed I wrote, which debunks myths about adopting teen foster youth, can be read here.

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