News Releases

Grassley Announces Nearly $500,000 for Iowa Outdoor Recreation Projects ? Sen. Chuck Grassley today announced that five outdoor recreation projects in Iowa will receive $493,656 in matching grants from the National Park Service. The funding is designed to help state and local governments acquire and develop quality outdoor recreation areas. The money comes...

Education Accelerates Earning Power   Earning potential goes hand in hand with education. Dot-com millionaires aside, the surest ticket to prosperity in the either the Old or New Economy starts with a good education. From a high school diploma to technical training and a college degree, a person’s life-time earning power rises exponentially with each...

Nomination of Senator John Ashcroft to U.S. Attorney General Mr. Chairman, I'd like to voice my support for the nomination of John Ashcroft to become the next Attorney General of the United States. Despite the well-publicized, well-financed attempts orchestrated by outside groups to smear his good name, I'm confident that Senator Ashcroft will survive this...

Finance Committee Hearing on the Nomination of Robert O. Zoellick I want to welcome my colleagues to my first hearing as chairman of the Finance Committee and the first of what I expect will be a series of discussions on the U.S. trade agenda. Today, we will review President Bush's nomination of Robert Zoellick to be the United States Trade Representative....

President Bush's "Immediate Helping Hand" Initiative Sen. Grassley issued the following comment today: "It's very helpful that the President has sent to Capitol Hill his proposal to quickly establish a prescription drug program for low-income seniors. It is an important signal of his commitment to Medicare beneficiaries and his proposal will keep the...

Comment on Expiration of Waiting Period for Tyson-IBP Review Sen. Chuck Grassley today issued the following response to news that the waiting period for regulatory review of Tyson Foods' acquisition of IBP has expired: "I pushed the Justice Department to vigorously review the Tyson-IBP purchase from all angles and consult with the Agriculture Department....

President Bush's "Immediate Helping Hand" Initiative Sen. Grassley issued the following comment today: "It's very helpful that the President has sent to Capitol Hill his proposal to quickly establish a prescription drug program for low-income seniors. It is an important signal of his commitment to Medicare beneficiaries and his proposal will keep the...

Word On: AMT   Q: What is the Alternative Minimum Tax? A: Virtually no one disputes the federal tax code is far too complex. Perhaps one of the biggest headaches in our tax laws is the Alternative Minimum Tax. An obscure provision initially passed three decades ago and updated in 1986, the AMT was written to ensure wealthy Americans wouldn’t get off...

Senate Budget Committee Hearing with Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan Chairman Greenspan, it is my belief that your successful management of the economy can be summed up with one word ? confidence ? the confidence that financial markets and businesses have in your efforts at the Federal Reserve. Unfortunately, that confidence is missing when it comes...

Hearing Scheduled on United States Trade Representative Event: Confirmation Hearing Date/Time: Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2001, at 10 a.m. Location: 106 Dirksen Senate Office Building Description: Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Finance Committee, will convene a hearing to consider the nomination by President Bush of Robert Zoellick as United States trade...

Grassley Continues Work for Farmers, Now Off the Agriculture Committee ? Sen. Chuck Grassley said today that he will not have an opportunity to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee during the 107th Congress. Grassley will not have his Agriculture Committee assignment this year because of a rule change restricting the ability of chairman of major...

Vote to confirm Gov. Tommy Thompson Last Thursday, the Committee on Finance held a hearing on the nomination of Gov. Tommy Thompson as secretary of Health and Human Services. Sen. Chuck Grassley, committee chairman, made the following comments in advance of the Senate's expected approval of Thompson: "Gov. Thompson is a problem-solver, focused on improving...

Grassley Takes Reins of Senate Finance Committee Iowa Senator Plans to Focus on Tax, Trade and Retirement Issues Sen. Chuck Grassley this week assumes chairmanship of the influential Senate Finance Committee, where he will guide matters affecting the "quality of life" in America through an evenly divided committee. The Senate earlier this month approved a...

Grassley Works to Make College Education More Affordable Via Tax Code ? Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, today announced two legislative steps to make higher education more affordable via the tax code. "Technical expertise and college degrees are at a premium in today's super-charged workplaces," Grassley said. "The tax code...

Bush Education Blueprint Sen. Chuck Grassley issued the following comment regarding the education plan announced today by President George W. Bush: "I want President Bush to know he can count on support in Congress. To maintain our competitive edge in the global marketplace, America must have a well-educated work force. "For example, this week I'm...

Grassley Announces $16.9 Million for VA Medical Facilities in Iowa ? Sen. Chuck Grassley announced today that Iowa veterans medical facilities will benefit from the $16.9 million in supplemental funds released to Network 14 for health care services. "This is good news for Iowa veterans," Grassley said. "These funds are needed in order to continue providing...

Floor Statement on Drug-Free America Act of 2001?Jan. 22, 2001 Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the "Drug-Free America Act of 2001." As many of my colleagues know, drug use by the children in our country continues to be a serious concern of mine. The "Drug-Free America Act" offers a series of initiatives that I believe will support efforts across...

Word On: Nutrition   Q: What is the USDA’s new nutrition resource all about? A: Too bad Americans aren’t able to trim surplus pounds as effortlessly as Washington dips into the surplus dollars taxpayers are sending to the federal Treasury. It’s a well-known fact that obesity is on the rise in the United States. As much as half of the U.S. adult...

An Elixer for the Economy   Thanks in large measure to the sure and steady hand calling the shots at the Federal Reserve, the nation's monetary policy helped spur record economic growth in the last decade. Paired with smart fiscal stewardship – some long overdue belt tightening in Washington – Uncle Sam kissed 30 years of deficit spending good-bye and...

Paul O'Neill nomination Today the Senate approved the nomination of Paul O'Neill to serve as Treasury Secretary under President George W. Bush. Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, which held O'Neill's nomination hearing, made the following comment on the O'Neill vote. "Paul O'Neill has my confidence for a lot of reasons. He realizes...