News Releases

Grassley: Department of Defense Spending Bill Passes Senate - The United States Senate today passed the annual spending bill for defense related projects. Sen. Chuck Grassley said that a number of Iowa projects will benefit from the fiscal 2004 Defense Appropriations bill. "It's important that we passed this bill. The Defense Appropriations bill will help...

Grassley Seeks Answers on Nature Conservancy Donations, Deals ? Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, with the committee' ranking member, Sen. Max Baucus, has asked The Nature Conservancy a series of detailed questions about the group's practices. Prompted by an extensive newspaper examination, Grassley said his concerns include the tax...

Grassley: Department of Defense Spending Bill Passes Senate - The United States Senate today passed the annual spending bill for defense related projects. Sen. Chuck Grassley said that a number of Iowa projects will benefit from the fiscal 2004 Defense Appropriations bill. "It's important that we passed this bill. The Defense Appropriations bill will help...

Grassley Works to Improve Nursing Home Quality of Care ? Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, today released a new report analyzing progress in improving the quality of care in the nation's nursing homes. Grassley, a long-time advocate of nursing home improvements, pledged to take a series of steps designed to continue momentum toward...

Grassley Praises Committee Passage of Trade Agreement Bills ? Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, today praised the unanimous committee approval of legislation implementing the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement and the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. Committee passage, coupled with Judiciary Committee passage, clears the way for...

Grassley: Funding for Iowa Projects Included in Agriculture Spending Bill ? Sen. Chuck Grassley today said that the spending bill passed out of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee included several Iowa projects, including full funding for the Value-Added Grants program and the Conservation Security Program. Grassley commended the subcommittee for...

Grassley Announces Grants to 12 Iowa Fire Departments ? Sen. Chuck Grassley announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded a total of $506,321 to 12 fire departments in Iowa through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. Fire Operations and Fire Safety grants have been awarded to the fire departments in Bancroft,...

Grassley: Study to Use ICN for USDA Data Facility Included in Agriculture Spending Bill ? Sen. Chuck Grassley today said that $500,000 to study the feasibility of using the Iowa Communications Network (ICN) for a "back-up" U.S. Department of Agriculture data facility and a future site for data-mining operations associated with food safety has been included...

Grassley Asks for Full Scrutiny of Smithfield Acquisition of Farmland ? Sen. Chuck Grassley today expressed grave concerns about news that Smithfield will purchase Farmland Foods. In a letter sent today, Grassley asked the Antitrust Division at the Department of Justice "to carefully scrutinize this proposal and consider the projected impact on independent...

Word On: U.S. Savings Bonds   Q: Why is the U.S. Treasury converting traditional savings bonds into paperless, electronic accounts? A: Times have changed since President Franklin D. Roosevelt placed the first order for a $500 Series E Savings Bond in a radio broadcast on April 30, 1941. With the advances in electronic banking and widespread Internet...

Senate Passes Military Construction Appropriations Bill Several Iowa Projects Included Totaling More Than $10 million ? Sen. Chuck Grassley today said that the Senate has included several Iowa projects in the Military Construction Appropriations Bill that was passed by the full Senate Friday morning. Grassley said $6.091 million for the Sioux City Air...

Grassley Encourages Iowans to Call-In, Email Questions and Comments ? Sen. Chuck Grassley today announced that his monthly call-in show will air on Thursday, July 17, from 7:00-7:30 p.m. (Central Time). "Ask Your Senator" will be broadcast live from Washington, DC, and can be seen on local cable TV stations in Iowa. The show also is streamlined over the...

Grassley, Baucus Express Concern About E.U. Attempts to Undermine Prior Trade Accords ? Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, and Sen. Max Baucus, ranking member, today expressed concern about several European Union proposals to undermine existing terms and mandates on the geographic origin of goods. The text of the senators' letter to...

Grassley Urges Key World Trade Official to Liberalize Agricultural Trade Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, today urged Stuart Harbinson, chairman of the World Trade Organization's negotiating group on agriculture, to advance a much more aggressive liberalization agenda on agricultural trade at the WTO than presented so far. "This is...

Grassley Urges Dedication of Proposed Nursing Home Dollars to Resident Care Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, is urging the Health and Human Services Department to direct nursing homes to use a proposed $6.9 billion federal windfall over 10 years to improve direct patient care. Grassley also will convene and chair a hearing next...

Ranger Bob Jackson Rehired Sen. Chuck Grassley issued the following statement regarding a settlement between Iowan Ranger Bob Jackson and the National Park Service that will allow Ranger Jackson to continue working as a back-country ranger at Yellowstone National Park. Grassley recently sent a letter to the Director of the National Park Service outlining a...

Grassley Announces Hearing on Tax Policy, International Competitiveness Description: Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, recognizes that the international competitiveness of U.S. companies is under increasing pressure in an era of expanding global markets, falling trade barriers, and technological innovations that melt away...

Grassley Concerned About Office of Civil Rights at Department of Agriculture 20250Dear Secretary Veneman: As you know, I attended the nomination hearing of your new Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Mr. Vernon Parker. I stated during the hearing that I would like to witness Assistant Secretary Parker have success in overcoming USDA's problems and assist...

Grassley Advances Bill to Secure Children's Health Care Money for Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, has won Senate passage of his legislation to ensure that Iowa keeps a share of its unspent State Children's Health Insurance Program funds for health insurance for low-income children. The Grassley legislation would ensure that...

Grassley Re-introduces Bill to Help People Pay for Long-term Care Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, has re-introduced his bipartisan legislation to help Americans pay for the high costs of long-term care -- nursing home stays, assisted living, home health aides, and other services -- that easily can exceed retirement budgets. "More...