News Releases

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...

Grassley Helps Increase Funding for Education ? Sen. Chuck Grassley today on the floor of the U.S. Senate worked to increase funding for education during debate of the fiscal 2003 spending bill. Grassley voted to increase funding for education by $5 billion. The money can be used for k-12, special education, or higher education. "One of the most important...

IRS' electronic filing initiative Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, today made the following comment on the IRS' new electronic filing initiative. "I'm glad to see the IRS has seen the light on one of the most common criticisms of electronic filing -- that it's too expensive -- and is advancing an effort that should provide free...

Grassley Announces Disaster Assistance Available to 12 Iowa Counties ?Sen. Chuck Grassley today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 12 Iowa counties as eligible to receive disaster assistance for losses caused by severe storms, hail and high winds that occurred last year on Sept. 30 and continuing. Three counties were designated...

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 under consideration by the full Senate. Grassley said he intends to pursue re-authorization of the welfare program in the...

Grassley Resumes Finance Committee Chairmanship Sen. Chuck Grassley last night officially became chairman of the Committee on Finance, the result of Senate approval of an organizing resolution naming committee leaders. "This is a big responsibility, and I'm honored to have it," Grassley said. "The Finance Committee has jurisdiction over taxes, trade,...