News Releases

President's pension proposal Sen. Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Committee on Finance, has been drafting legislation to tighten up protections for retirement plan participants in light of the Enron Corp.'s collapse. He hopes to introduce his legislation as early as next week. The Committee on Finance has jurisdiction over retirement savings plans...

Grassley Joins Effort to Seek Data on Agency Support of Enron ? Sen. Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Committee on Finance, today co-signed letters to three government agencies seeking information on any actions they took in support of the Enron Corp. The letters to the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Overseas Private Investment...

Implementation of Anti-Money Laundering Provisions of the USA Patriot Act Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak this morning on an interest that we all share. This committee and this Congress passed important legislation last year to deal with terrorist money laundering. Our interest now is about getting...

Grassley Announces Federal Judgeship Application Deadline ? Sen. Chuck Grassley today said that Iowans who are interested in applying for a federal judgeship in the Northern District of Iowa should submit their applications by Feb. 15. President Bush is expected to nominate an individual to serve as United States District Judge for the Northern District of...

Grassley Seeks Details of Hart Building Health Complaints ? Sen. Chuck Grassley today sent the following letter to the Senate sergeant at arms regarding complaints of ill health effects from the anthrax clean-up of the Hart Senate Office Building and handling irradiated mail. January 30, 2002 Mr. Alfonso E. Lenhardt Senate Sergeant at Arms Suite S-151 The...

Grassley Hires New Health Policy Director ? Sen. Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Committee on Finance, has hired a health care policy veteran to serve as his health policy director. Grassley has hired Linda Fishman, a senior policy advisor to the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Fishman was a member of the professional...

Grassley Praises President's Priorities --- Sen. Chuck Grassley expressed support for the agenda presented by President Bush tonight during his State of the Union address. "The President was both reassuring and realistic about the war. I think Iowans appreciate his candor. We need to be resolute in fighting terrorism. This fight will continue a long time...

Grassley React to State of the Union Address ? Sen. Chuck Grassley issued the following comment regarding the State of the Union message delivered tonight by President Bush. "The President's calls for unity and bipartisanship ring with sincerity. They're backed up with results from his first year in office. He showed he can make good on his promises with...

Word On: Trade Promotion Authority   Q: What is Trade Promotion Authority (TPA)? A: The Constitution grants Congress the authority to broker trade agreements involving international commerce. The Constitution also grants the President the authority to speak with foreign nations on behalf of the American people. So, the very nature of our Constitution...

Lessons to Learn from Enron’s Collapse   When the nation’s seventh-largest company files the largest business bankruptcy proceedings in U.S. history, shockwaves are bound to reverberate through economic, political, financial and legal circles. But to the shareholders, workers and retirees who invested faithfully in the Enron Corp. stock, such a...

Statement of Sen. Chuck Grassley - Budget Committee Hearing With today's announcement that the federal government is once again facing near-term budget deficits, we're going to hear a lot of talk from the critics about the need to postpone or even repeal last year's bipartisan tax cut. The critics say we should revisit the tax cut for two reasons. First,...

Senate Committee Considers Iowa Judicial Nominees Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing for Melloy, Gritzner ? Sen. Chuck Grassley today said that the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to consider federal judicial nominees Michael Melloy of Cedar Rapids and James Gritzner of West Des Moines. In July 2001, President Bush nominated Melloy to serve as...

Grassley, Baucus Seek Disclosure of Enron Tax Records ? Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley today asked Enron Corp. to publicly disclose all company tax records, including those related to Enron's affiliated companies or partnerships. The text of today's letter transmitted to Enron Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey...

Farm Bill for 21st Century   As a farmer-lawmaker, it’s always refreshing for me to meet with Iowa farmers in their hometown communities and talk "shop." With federal farm policy up for renewal this year, Iowa farmers and the state’s entire economy have a lot at stake with what gets included or excluded in the nation’s farm program.   During the...

Word On: The National Writing Project   Q: What is the National Writing Project? A: A nonprofit, educational organization based in California, the National Writing Project launched a teacher-to-teacher training initiative in 1974 with the intent of creating a nationwide network of instructors committed to quality writing instruction from kindergarten...

Farm Bill for 21st Century   As a farmer-lawmaker, it’s always refreshing for me to meet with Iowa farmers in their hometown communities and talk "shop." With federal farm policy up for renewal this year, Iowa farmers and the state’s entire economy have a lot at stake with what gets included or excluded in the nation’s farm program.   During the...

Grassley Works to Protect Livestock Growers from Unfair, Deceptive Practices Senator's Amendment Will Close Loophole in Packers and Stockyards Act ? Sen. Chuck Grassley today said that the Senate adopted an amendment to the farm bill he offered with Sen. Tom Harkin to provide protections to farmers who raise livestock under production contracts. "Today's...

Grassley Seeks Funding for National Guard Anti-Drug Program -- Sen. Chuck Grassley, co-chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, today urged the Office of National Drug Control Policy to find necessary funding to continue the National Guard counter-drug program. The program is facing a $40 million budget shortfall. Grassley's letter...

Grassley: Enron News Underscores Need for Tax Shelter Legislation ? Sen. Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Committee on Finance, today said revelations that Enron might have used tax-haven subsidiaries to avoid taxes and hide its financial debts underscore the need for tax shelter legislation. For several months, Grassley has been the lead Republican in...

Grassley Looks Forward to Senate Debate on His Farm Bill Amendment Senator Works to Keep Payments Aimed at Family-sized Farmers ? Sen. Chuck Grassley today released a summary of his payment limitations amendment to the farm bill. Debate on the farm bill is expected to proceed soon after Congress returns from the holiday recess. Grassley was to offer the...