Q: Will Congress keep its good health care even if it passes a bill to change the health care system for everyone else?
A: I don’t support the health care bill passed by the Senate in December because it would mean higher taxes, higher health insurance premiums, more government spending and a raid on Medicare to fund a costly new entitlement program....
Q: What is Red Cross Month?
A: Red Cross Month provides an opportunity to educate citizens and their communities about services provided by the Red Cross to the public. The Red Cross isn’t a government agency. It’s an independent, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is defined by congressional charter to help fulfill the United States’ treaty...
Politicians don’t need to be mind readers these days to keep tabs on the public pulse. While the U.S. economy inches towards recovery, millions of unemployed workers still search for jobs, households cut back on spending, dip into savings or fall deeper into debt and homeowners watch home prices waver. A measurement of consumer confidence sank again in...
by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley
As Americans, we share collective memories of singular moments that shape and define us as a nation. Many people vividly recall where they were the day Neil Armstrong planted the U.S. flag on the moon, JFK was assassinated, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated, the Berlin Wall fell, and when thousands of innocent people...
by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley
As Americans, we share collective memories of singular moments that shape and define us as a nation. Many people vividly recall where they were the day Neil Armstrong planted the U.S. flag on the moon, JFK was assassinated, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated, the Berlin Wall fell, and when thousands of innocent people...
Q: When did the Winter Olympics start?
A: The Nordic Games were the first international multi-sport event specifically for winter sports. The Nordic Games were held in 1901, in Sweden, and organized by a charter member of the International Olympic Committee, General Viktor Gustaf Balck. Balck wanted winter sports added to the Olympics and, in 1908, got four...
Q: Why is transparency in the federal government so important?
A: I’ve worked for years to make the federal government a more accessible and transparent operation. The public’s business ought to be public. So, I had high hopes when President Obama pledged to make his administration more transparent than any other. Unfortunately, this campaign pledge has yet...
Iowans got thumped by a treacherous ice storm in January that tested even the hardiest Midwestern mettle. Entire townships in Western Iowa were left without power as heavy layers of ice and blustery winds pulled down utility lines, stripped massive branches from tree trunks and caused hazardous traveling conditions across the state.
At the rate the winter of...
Q: What internship opportunities do you offer to Iowa students?
A: I strongly encourage and welcome college-age Iowans to intern in my Washington and Iowa offices. Internships are available during the spring and fall semesters and for two six-week summer sessions. Internships are an excellent educational opportunity where students get first-hand exposure to...
Q: What is the State of the Union address?
A: The State of the Union address originated from Article II, Section 3 of the United States Constitution which states that the President, “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information on the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and...
Many Americans look forward to a fresh start with each new calendar year. After weathering troubling times in the last decade, from terrorism attacks to sky-high taxpayer-financed bailouts and stimulus spending, high unemployment rates, catastrophic natural disasters, meltdowns in the mortgage markets, fears of a flu pandemic and runaway federal deficits,...
Q: Why do you conduct oversight of Veterans Affairs (VA)?
A: I regularly conduct pro-active and vigorous congressional oversight of the executive branch of government on behalf of taxpayers and beneficiaries of federal programs, including veterans. I recently received an internal memo from the Department of Veterans Affairs which stated that the wrong filter...
Q: How can Iowans get help in dealing with a problem with the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS?
A: Iowans often come to me with problems they have dealing with federal agencies. As one of Iowa’s U.S. Senators, I work to make sure Iowans get a fair shake from the federal government. To try to help provide taxpayers with better service in dealing with problems...
Q: How can international trade help create jobs?
A: By opening markets through trade liberalizing agreements with countries around the globe, we increase the size of our marketplace. And that fosters greater demand for our goods and services, resulting in increased sales for our producers and service suppliers. Expanding production domestically to fill the...
Q: How can wind energy help create jobs?
A: As I talk with Iowans, there seems to be a recurring theme: they are worried, even scared, about where the country and economy are heading. As the unemployment rate stays at 10 percent nationally and 6.7 percent in Iowa, creating jobs is where the focus of Congress should be. Renewable “green” energy is a win-win...
After a $700 billion bailout that was supposed to keep credit flowing to Main Street, but ended up in Detroit and on Wall Street; a $787 billion stimulus package that was supposed to jump-start the economy but left us with record unemployment; and a $410 billion appropriations bill signed by the President in March, it’s little wonder Iowans are fed up with...
Q: Is it illegal to import goods made by forced labor, including forced child labor, into the United States?
A: Current law prohibits the entry of goods into the United States if they were made from convict labor or forced or indentured labor, including forced or indentured child labor. Even so, the law includes an exception which potentially allows goods to...
Q: What is biodiesel?
A: Biodiesel is a clean-burning renewable fuel alternative to petroleum-based diesel. It’s produced from vegetable oils and animal fats. Since the agricultural products used to produce biodiesel are grown or raised in the United States, it provides jobs and economic opportunities to rural communities while also reducing America’s...
Q: When did Thanksgiving become a federal holiday?
A: Congress approved Thanksgiving as a federal holiday in 1870. It was one of the first five federal holidays. Until 1941, each year the President declared which Thursday Thanksgiving would fall on, usually choosing the last Thursday of the month. In 1941, Congress declared the fourth Thursday in November as...
The federal government has put taxpayers on the hook this year for hundreds of billions of dollars to stimulate the economy and pump up the banking sector and auto industry. The out-of-control spending has mortgaged the future with historic debt and diminished present-day opportunities for economic recovery. In addition, there’s widespread frustration and...
