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.
Post
of
the
Week
|