Every year or two, Congress has to decide whether to continue more than 50 tax provisions that aren’t permanent law. The so-called tax extenders package is under consideration for the last weeks of the congressional session this year. One of the provisions most often in the headlines is the wind energy production tax credit. That’s...
In an end-of-the-year legislative effort, Congress passed, and the President signed into law, my bipartisan legislation that ensures 1.5 million satellite television consumers won’t be deprived of the news they rely on and the television programming they enjoy.
The issue at hand was a law, the Satellite Home Viewer Act, which needed to be reauthorized...
By U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley
There’s no place like home. During this season of thanksgiving, celebrating life’s blessings with family and friends offers Americans a time-treasured ritual observed for generations. Gathering at the table for food and fellowship, we continue customs set forth during colonial times. From our treasured fortunes of...
by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley
The eleventh day of the eleventh month is designated as Veterans Day.
Communities across the nation celebrate and pay tribute to hometown heroes, too many of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Thanks to the sons and daughters who put their boots on the ground on the battlefield, Americans...
Q: What are the five essential freedoms of the First Amendment? A: During the ordinary grind of everyday life, Americans may become complacent about the core principles of our democracy that guarantee our individual rights. These central freedoms set us apart from...
One of the most disturbing pieces of news out of the IRS lately is identity theft-related tax refund fraud. This crime is growing, with $5.2 billion lost to fraudulent tax returns in 2013, according to the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Identity theft is devastating for victims. You don’t have to look far for firsthand...
The Ebola virus outbreak has wreaked havoc on several West African countries and has threatened the United States. During this time, there have been numerous questions as to how the virus can be stopped from becoming more of a danger to the American people. The United States has federal government agencies and military personnel helping the...
The old saying is, there’s strength in numbers. The federal government workforce is so large that thousands of employees are allowed to stay home and get paid to do nothing, sometimes for months or even years at a time.
These employees are able to hide in plain sight due to a practice called paid administrative leave.
Agencies put employees on paid...
Q: What is National Save for Retirement Week?A: Hard-working families who are hard-pressed to pay the bills and make ends meet may feel that putting away money for retirement is a luxury they can’t afford. The reality is that Americans can’t afford not to save, plan and...
by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley
Parents of adolescents need to have “the talk” with their students, sooner rather than later. Not the talk about the birds and the bees. The talk about tuition and fees. From diapers to diplomas, parents know that kids will be ready to spread their wings in the blink of an eye. Leaving the nest will...
by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley Underemployment is up. Wage growth is down. Job openings are up. Hiring is down. Student debt is up. Job optimism is down. Consumer debt is up. The personal savings rate is down. Federal regulations are up. Consumer confidence is down. What’s up with the...
Q: Does designating October as National Breast Cancer Awareness month make a difference?A: Yes, especially if the three-decades-strong effort to rally public awareness compels even one of our loved ones to learn about the risk factors...
Q: Why should Iowans be concerned about disposing of unneeded medicines?A: A growing misuse of prescription pain relievers is on the rise in towns big and small in communities across America. People who abuse prescription drugs often obtain them through a friend or...
Ethanol and biodiesel are important to Iowa’s economy and U.S. energy independence. It’s frustrating when a powerful agency and top executive branch leaders in Washington, D.C., don’t seem to get it.
Midwestern farmers and biofuels makers are watching for the Environmental Protection Agency’s final decision on the Renewable Fuel Standard, which sets...
The Declaration of Independence states that everyone is endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights that governments are created to protect. The Constitution was adopted to secure the blessings of liberty to Americans. The Bill of Rights was adopted to adequately protect individual freedoms from government power. Other parts of the...
Over the last several years we’ve learned of serious abuse and fraud within the federal government program that provides visas for students who want to study in the United States. It’s become clear that the program is being exploited to gain entry into the United States, and that reforms need to be passed by Congress and implemented.
I’ve been a...
Heading off to college triggers a range of emotions for students and their families. For students, turning the page on life’s next chapter elicits a mix of pride, excitement, and uncertainty.
It’s not an easy transition for parents, either, no matter if campus is across town or a day’s travel away. Parents naturally worry about their children but...
with U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley
Q: What is ISIS?A: A radical group of Islamic extremists operating from the Middle East, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, ISIL or Islamic State), is escalating its terrorist insurgency throughout the volatile region. ISIS...
with U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley
Q: What is ALS?A: Some people may know the neurodegenerative disease by another name, Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. To the tens of thousands of American families impacted by this progressive,...
Heading off to college triggers a range of emotions for students and their families. For those moving to campus, lugging boxes from the parking lot to the dorm adds to the knot of anxiety that won’t seem to go away. And for every student, turning the page on life’s next chapter elicits a mix of pride, excitement and...
