News Releases

Grassley Questions FBI, Customs Seizure of Reporter's Documents ? Sen. Chuck Grassley today demanded information from the FBI and Customs about the seizure of unclassified documents being sent to an Associated Press reporter. In a letter sent to Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller and Bureau of Customs and Border Protection Commissioner...

Grassley Applauds Kick-off of Free Trade Talks With Australia ? Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, today said he was pleased that talks on a U.S.-Australia free trade agreement were under way and applauded the creation of the American-Australian Free Trade Agreement Coalition designed to support the agreement. "There's no...

Social Security and Medicare Trustees' Reports Today the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees released their annual reports on the status of the Social Security and Medicare programs. Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, made the following comment on the reports. "These reports offer a dose of reality about Medicare and...

Celebrate American Agriculture By Senator Chuck Grassley, of Iowa   Ask a friend or neighbor what’s eating them and you’re likely to get an earful about rising gas prices, possible military action in Iraq, the high costs of health care and prescription medicines or the downturn in the U.S. economy. In my most recent town meetings in February, I...

Word On: Cameras in the Courts   Q: What is your "Sunshine in the Courtroom Act?" A: This bipartisan legislation would allow federal trial and appellate judges to permit cameras in the courtroom. Currently 48 states allow some form of audio-video coverage in their courtrooms and at least 37 directly televise trials. What’s good for the states is good...

Army management award Last month, Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, questioned a potential presidential merit award to an Army official who has responsibility over Army credit card programs. Grassley has worked to expose government credit card abuse and mismanagement, particularly in the military, where the volume of credit cards...

Grassley, Kennedy Re-Introduce Bill to Help Disabled Children Health Care Initiative Inspired by Iowa Family ? Sen. Chuck Grassley is continuing his effort with Sen. Ted Kennedy to win passage of legislation to help disabled children. "Medicaid works well for a lot of people," Grassley said. "The problem is some families fall through the cracks. Many...

Senators Seek IRS Response to Enron Revelations 20224Dear Commissioner Wenzel: On February 13, 2003, the Senate Finance Committee received the official report of the investigation by the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) relating to the collapse of the Enron Corporation. The JCT report entitled, "Investigation of Enron Corporation and Related Entities...

Grassley Introduces Tax Incentives for Alternative Energy Sen. Chuck Grassley is continuing his long-standing campaign to foster development of a wide range of alternative energy sources that would benefit Iowa's economy and reduce U.S. dependence on finite, foreign source of energy. "It makes sense to use the tax code to develop renewable energy. Cutting...

Grassley Introduces Tax Incentives for Alternative Energy Sen. Chuck Grassley is continuing his long-standing campaign to foster development of a wide range of alternative energy sources that would benefit Iowa's economy and reduce U.S. dependence on finite, foreign source of energy. "It makes sense to use the tax code to develop renewable energy. Cutting...

Grassley Outlines Steps to Increase Retirement Income Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, today said American workers can take several key steps to increase their retirement savings, while other items require congressional action. "Americans are living longer than ever, but their retirement savings is dropping," Grassley said. "Some...

Word On: World Trade   Q: What does the new trade agreement with Chile mean for Iowa? A: I’m pleased the United States and Chile recently concluded negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement. It’s been nearly a decade since the United States made a commitment to forge a free trade agreement with Chile. And in the meantime, Chile has entered into...

Sowing the Seeds of Hope By Senator Chuck Grassley, of Iowa   The hardships and heartaches that farm families confront during their stewardship of land and livestock too often goes largely unnoticed. The good news is a nonprofit network of support services currently is operating in Iowa and six other Midwestern states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, North...

Grassley Seeks Answers on IRS Audit of Watchdog Group Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, has asked the Internal Revenue Service to explain allegations from a very credible source that the agency may be unfairly auditing a government watchdog group. "I'm chairman of the Senate committee with jurisdiction over the IRS," Grassley said....

Hearing to Examine Keeping Pension Plans Afloat especially small businesses -- offer pension plans to their employees than in decades. Cash-strapped airlines recently have made headlines with underfunded pension plans. The challenge for policymakers is to find ways to encourage employers to offer these pension plans and to make sure bad actors don't game...

Finance Committee to Examine Welfare Reform Successes Description: Many observers agree that welfare reform has been a success, but more needs to be done. Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, will convene a hearing to hear testimony on what has worked so far with the 1996 law and identify areas that need to be improved. The hearing...

Grassley Works to Preserve Japanese Market for U.S. Beef 20008Dear Ambassador Kato: We are writing to you regarding an issue of the highest importance to the beef industry in the United States. Japan is the largest export market for U.S. food and agricultural products. In 2001, the United States exported $1.2 billion worth of beef to Japan alone. This...

Grassley Discusses Immigration Situation in Iowa with Homeland Security Secretary Ridge Iowa Senator Asks for Fully Staffed Des Moines Office and INS Personnel in Quad Cities 20528Dear Secretary Ridge: One year ago, I wrote to Attorney General Ashcroft about the increasing number of aliens who are penetrating the Quad Cities, an area that encompasses three...

Grassley Looks Forward to Senate Confirmation of Trade Nominees ? Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, praised the committee's approval today of the nominations of Charlotte Lane and Daniel Pearson to the International Trade Commission. The nominees now will be sent to the Senate floor for a vote on their confirmation. "I look forward...

Grassley, Baucus Question SEC on Post-Enron Rule-making ? Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, and Sen. Max Baucus, ranking member, have asked the Securities and Exchange Commission whether it plans to revisit a recent decision to allow accounting firms to provide tax consulting services to their audit clients. The senators asked...