News Releases

Medicaid lacks oversight Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, today made the following statement in response to the General Accounting Office management study on "high risk" agencies in the executive branch. While Medicare has been on the list since 1991, Medicaid is on the list for the first time for the lack of proper program...

EU agricultural trade proposal Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, today made the following comment on the EU's latest agricultural trade proposal. "I'm disappointed to see the latest version of the European Union's agricultural proposal to the World Trade Organization. When measured against the ambitious, comprehensive United States...

Medicare, Bush Speech in Grand Rapids Sen. Chuck Grassley issued the comment below in response to the President's speech on Medicare today in Michigan. Sen. Grassley is chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance. During the last Congress he led a tripartisan coalition of senators who developed comprehensive legislation to add a prescription drug benefit to...

Grassley to Join U.S.-Chile Free Trade Coalition Launch Director of Caterpillar, Inc. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers serve as the coalition's secretariat. In the six weeks since the negotiations were completed, over 100 companies and business groups have signed on to the coalition, with many more expected to join...

Grassley Wins Latest Round in Fight for Whistleblower Protections 20510The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senators Grassley and Leahy: It was a pleasure meeting with your staff on January 7, 2003, to discuss issues relating to the implementation of the whistleblower provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002....

State of the union address Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, today made the following comment on what he expects from President Bush's state of the union address tomorrow night. "The President's speech agenda writes itself this year. The prospect of war and the slow economy are on everybody's mind. The country needs to hear about...

Grassley Urges Mexico to Drop Investigation of U.S. Pork ? Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, has urged the Mexican government to stop an anti-dumping investigation of U.S. pork products. The text of Grassley's letter to the Mexican economic secretary follows. January 23, 2003 His Excellency Fernando Canales Secretary of...

Treasury Secretary Nomination Hearing Time, Location Change Description: The Finance Committee, under the chairmanship of Sen. Chuck Grassley, will hold a hearing to consider the nomination by President Bush of John Snow to serve as Treasury secretary. Snow will be the sole witness. The hearing is expected to last no longer than one day. A committee vote on...

Medicare and prescription drugs Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, today made the following remarks regarding news reports on the President's plan to strengthen and improve Medicare: "I welcome ideas like the President's on making Medicare a better deal for older Americans. And I appreciate the President elevating the importance of...

Finance Committee to Examine Border Security Description: More than a year after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and as the Department of Homeland Security becomes operational, it is important to evaluate whether the responsible agencies are doing their best to secure the nation's borders. Of particular interest to the Finance Committee is the illegal...

Grassley to Speak on Finance Committee's Trade Agenda Description: Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, will speak to Consumers for World Trade on his plans for the committee's trade agenda, including ongoing bilateral negotiations and the importance of the multilateral process.

Conflict diamonds trade Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, today made the following statement on the need for legislation that will help eliminate conflict diamonds from the legitimate diamond trade. "Trade in conflict diamonds is a serious problem, not just because of the civil conflicts over diamond mines in some African countries,...

Grassley Worried about "Not My Job, Not My Problem" Mentality at FBI ? In a letter to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sen. Chuck Grassley today expressed concern about the continued investigation of Ptech Software Company in Quincy, Massachusetts. Grassley said he was concerned that the FBI may not have done enough to ensure the...

Grassley Alarmed by FBI Involvement in Total Information Awareness Program Dear General Ashcroft: I am writing to you regarding the Total Information Awareness (TIA) Program funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) at the Department of Defense (DoD). It is my understanding that TIA is a program that has been initiated to assist in...

Treasury Secretary Nomination Hearing Set Description: The Finance Committee, under the chairmanship of Sen. Chuck Grassley, will hold a hearing to consider the nomination by President Bush of John Snow to serve as Treasury secretary. Snow is expected to be the sole witness. The hearing is expected to last no longer than one day. A committee vote on the...

Word On: $10 Billion Recovery   Q: How much money has your 1986 anti-fraud amendments helped recover? A: The U.S. Justice Department announced in December that the whistleblower provisions I pushed through 16 years ago to strengthen a Civil War-era anti-fraud law have recovered $1 billion to the U.S. Treasury for the third year in a row. That pushes...

Grassley Advances Payment Fixes for Doctors, Small Hospitals Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, was successful in securing the inclusion of short-term payment increases for doctors and rural and small urban hospitals in the Fiscal Year 2003 omnibus appropriations bill under consideration by the full Senate. Grassley said he intends...

Grassley Advances Continued Funding for Welfare Programs Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, was successful in securing continued funding for welfare programs in the Fiscal Year 2003 omnibus appropriations bill that passed the full Senate last night. Grassley said he intends to pursue re-authorization of the welfare program in the...

trade advisory committee system Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, earlier this week received a letter from United States Trade Representative Ambassador Robert Zoellick outlining steps the Bush administration is taking to revamp the 28-year-old trade advisory committee system so that it is more relevant, effective, and meaningful in...

World Trade Organization ruling on U.S. dumping fines Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, today made the following comment on a World Trade Organization appeals body's ruling that declared illegal a U.S. law giving American companies fines collected from foreign firms they accused of unfair pricing. "I'm disappointed the United States...