When an Iowa family gathered around the Thanksgiving table in November, the conversation between a retired farmer and a young attorney in the family evolved into a discussion about death and taxes.
A time-sensitive predicament in federal tax policy seems to turn a philosophical observation often attributed to Mark Twain on its head: “the only two certainties...
Q. What’s being done to make sure the biggest dollar tax increase in history doesn’t happen on January 1?
A. Congressional leaders have not made it a priority to prevent an across-the-board tax increase, including on small business where 70 percent of jobs are created. That’s why I’ve joined an effort to say that other matters should be set aside until this...
Q. What type of misconduct have you uncovered at the Defense Department?
A. I first began conducting oversight at the Defense Department when I found the Pentagon throwing ridiculous amounts of money around to pay for things like a $435 hammer, $659 ash trays in Air Force Planes and $750 toilet seats in those same aircraft. I also recently released a report...
As Americans count their blessings during this season of thanksgiving, many of us can be thankful to gather around the holiday table with multiple generations of family and friends. More Americans are enjoying greater longevity and an improved quality of life well beyond retirement.
In 21st century America, the bar of expectation has been raised for each...
Q. When did Thanksgiving become an official federal holiday?
A. Congress established Thanksgiving as an official federal holiday in 1870. It was one of the first five federal holidays. However, it wasn’t until 1941 that Congress specified the fourth Thursday in November as the official date. Until then, it was up to the President to make a Thanksgiving...
Q. What is National Adoption Day?
A. National Adoption Day is a day when many adoptions of children in foster care are finalized, and families who adopt are celebrated. Over 30,000 children have been officially adopted on National Adoption Day since the first one was held in 2000. That year, there were nine adoption events held in the U.S. Last year, there...
Q. What is Veterans Day?
A. World War I ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. However, the fighting had stopped – pending the treaty – on November 11, 1918, “at the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month.”
President Wilson declared November 11 Armistice Day, saying, “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice...
Q. Does the U.S. have a problem with abuse of over-the-counter and prescription medicines?
A. Over-the-counter and prescription medicines save lives and aid in healthy living. Unfortunately, there are a growing number of cases of children and adults abusing prescription drugs to get high or to lose weight. Abuse of prescription drugs is the nation's fastest...
Q. Why did you co-sponsor a Senate resolution designating October 30, 2010 as a day of remembrance for nuclear weapons program workers?
A. Since World War II, hundreds of thousands of Americans, many who assembled and disassembled nuclear weapons, have helped develop a nuclear arsenal to protect our country. Many of these men and women paid a high price for...
Q. What is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month?
A. October has been National Breast Cancer Awareness Month since 1985. During October, many organizations, such as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the American Cancer Society, hold rallies, walks, and other events to raise breast cancer awareness and funds to fight breast cancer.
Q. Has...
The health of the U.S. economy typically serves as a good yardstick to gauge the public’s approval or disapproval towards Washington. This year, the public’s distaste for Washington’s appetite to tax, spend and borrow our way back to prosperity exposes a major disconnect between the political leadership and the grassroots.
Inch by inch, Washington’s cure for...
Q. I hear about tax increases that will come if the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts aren’t renewed by the end of the year. Who benefitted from those tax cuts?
A. The 2001 tax relief bill gets a lot of attention for the marginal tax rate cuts. Those cuts gave every income tax paying family in Iowa a tax break. In addition, the 2001 tax cuts created the first-ever...
Lately it would seem the public’s discontent with the federal government’s spending spree is growing proportionately to the $13 trillion national debt.
The leadership in Washington has acted as if government spending can solve the nation’s unemployment, health care, housing, energy and banking problems.
After offering $700 billion in tax dollars to bail out...
Q. What is the new IRS form 1099 reporting requirement that small businesses have to report any expense over $600?
A. During the health care debate of a year ago, I highlighted the cost of various proposals on small businesses, both in terms of their ability to provide health care to their employees and the regulatory burden imposed on them by the new health...
Q. What is the REINS Act?
A. The Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny, or REINS, Act would require Congress to give final approval to major, new federal regulations before those regulations can take effect. The new bill responds to concerns of the growing regulatory burden and the negative impact it can have on job creation. The uncertainty of...
The massive recall stemming from food-borne illnesses traced back to salmonella-contaminated eggs alarmed consumers and elevated concerns about the U.S. food safety regime.
Two of Iowa’s leading egg producers issued the voluntary recall after investigations traced the contaminated eggs to their henhouses.
The incident unfairly tarnishes the hard-earned...
Q. Earlier this week, the Senate passed the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act, which contains a number of small business tax relief provisions. Where did these provisions come from?
A. In 2009, I introduced the Small Business Tax Relief Act, the CREATE Jobs Act, and the Small Business Penalty Relief Act. Most of the small business tax relief provisions...
Q. In the next month, the Senate is expected to consider whether to prevent a number of tax increases that will occur on January 1, 2011, unless Congress acts to stop these tax increases. One of the increases the President is proposing is an increase of the tax rates for the top two tax brackets. Should Congress act to prevent these looming small business...
Q. What are Constitution Day and Citizenship Day?
A. Constitution Day is celebrated on September 17, because the Constitution of the United States was signed on September 17, 1787. Constitution Day is also Citizenship Day, a day that recognizes all who have become U.S. citizens, whether by birth or immigration.
Originally, U.S. citizenship was celebrated on...
Q. Will the reforms created by the new health care reform law be easy to implement?
A. No. Implementation of the federal programs in health care reform will require the creation of dozens of new entities, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. Some of these will be new offices created within existing federal departments or agencies....
