WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs passed Senator Joni Ernst's (R-Iowa) Stop Secret Spending Act unanimously with bipartisan support to shine a light on billions of dollars of spending that taxpayers are currently being kept in the dark about. Washington is hiding the details about billions of dollars of secret spending deals inconspicuously labeled as "other transact  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: After a report revealed the Biden-Harris administration underbudgeted promises to veterans by $15 billion, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a combat veteran, blasted the White House for handing over $293 million to the Taliban and having no clue how many millions it gave to Chinese labs for risky research. After the Biden-Harris administration lost track of tax dollars being sent to mad scientists in China, Er  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: As the deadline to extend the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) rapidly approaches, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is demanding certainty for consumers, biofuel producers, and retail store owners by requesting the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) keep the program operational. She partnered with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and led three of their colleagues in urging the USDA to ex  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) are pushing for accountability after the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) decided to reinstate the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives' (ATF) position classification authority, even after claims that ATF repeatedly and unlawfully labeled administrative positions as "law enforcement,"costing taxpayers at least $20 million. "Appropriat  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) named Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) a 2024 Clean Energy Champion. Grassley delivered remarks upon receiving the award at a reception celebrating the eighth annual National Clean Energy Week. Grassley accepts 2024 Clean Energy Champion award from CRES President Heather Reams. Download photos from the reception. "Energy security demands an all-the-above   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth, participated in a hearing titled "Providing Small Business Relief from Remote Sales Tax Collection." Grassley in his opening remarks acknowledged challenges small online retailers have faced since South Dakota v. Wayfair. He additionally discussed Iowa's membership in the Strea  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) introduced legislation to detect and halt counterfeit imports. Specifically, the bipartisan bill authorizes Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to share suspected counterfeits' packaging and shipping information with intellectual property rights holders, e-commerce platforms and transportation carriers. The text of their legislation has been inclu  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: Senate Drug Caucus Co-Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and caucus member Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) are seeking to extend through December 31, 2025, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)'s temporary order classifying fentanyl-related drugs as Schedule I. Congress has passed this extension multiple times since 2018; the current order is set to expire on December 31 of this year. "Prior to 2018, it was nea  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: Q: What new option do Americans have to renew their passports? A: The U.S. Department of State announced in September a new service, enabling Americans to renew passports online. This is good news. Americans have enjoyed a robust return to international travel that contributed to a post-pandemic backlog for passport applications and renewals. More Americans have passports than at any time in U.S. histo  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Sen. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, issued the following news release: Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in a letter urging President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to work with Congress to root out abuses in their administration's unaccompanied migrant children program and stop the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)'s cover-up of the crisis. HHS has failed to comply with two out of three Department of Homeland Securit  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following opening statement at a hearing on the economic risks from housing affordability, on Sept. 25, 2024: * * * [Housing affordability] is an issue central for Iowans and all Americans, something they care about deeply. It's very central to what both Republicans and Democrats call the "American Dream." Over the past four years, Americans saw home prices and, particularly, re  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release on Sept. 26, 2024: U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement on reports that Nicolas Maduro has been invited to Mexico's presidential inauguration next week: "For ne  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a lifelong family farmer and a Senate Agriculture Committee member, is urging the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to share with key national security agencies its data on foreign-owned farmland. "USDA is sitting on a treasure trove of data that federal partners could use to help protect American farmers." Download video HERE. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vi  more