WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * As Senate Takes Up Sarah's Law, Ernst Calls to Pass Bill Immediately WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) demanded that the Senate pass the Laken Riley Act and her Sarah's Law to close loopholes in federal law that have caused a regular occurrence of innocent Americans falling victim to crimes committed by illegal immigrants. On January 31, 2016, the night of her college graduation, Sarah Root,  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- The U.S. Department of Education issued the following news release: * * * Biden-Harris Administration Announces Group Discharge for 261,000 Borrowers with Loans from Ashford University The Biden-Harris Administration today announced the approval of a $4.5 billion group discharge for 261,000 borrowers who attended Ashford University, a largely online institution, from March 1, 2009, through April 30, 2020. The approval is in response to a request from the California Depa  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * Capitol Hill Report, 01-15-25 Senator Grassley's weekly Capitol Hill Report can be found HERE. Topics include: Pure Prairie Poultry, PRINTS Act, supporting local law enforcement, updates on Hurricane Helene damage, the presidential inauguration and Grassley's priorities for the Senate Judiciary Committee. *** Original text here: https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/capitol-hill  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: LENEXA, KAN. (JAN. 15, 2025) - Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 Land, Chemical, and Redevelopment Division Director DeAndre Singletary presented a ceremonial check for over $175,000 to the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) at its Curris Business Building in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Singletary was joined by university officials to celebrate UNI's selection for $175,159 in funding th  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * Ernst Launches Inspector General Caucus WASHINGTON - To continue her work as a champion for taxpayers, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is leading a bipartisan group of senators in launching the Inspector General Caucus that will work to ensure the executive branch watchdogs are empowered to properly identify and mitigate waste, fraud, and abuse. Inspectors general (IGs) supplied key details in Senator   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * Ernst Statement After Hegseth Hearing WASHINGTON - Following nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's hearing today, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a combat veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement: "After four years of weakness in the White House, Americans deserve a strong Secretary of Defense," said Senator Joni Ernst. "Our next commander i  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * Ernst Statement on Hostage Deal WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Abraham Accords Caucus co-chair, released the following statement after an announcement that hostages held by Iran-backed Hamas will be released. Ernst has been a fierce advocate for freeing the hostages and kept up the drumbeat to bring them home. "The living nightmare these hostages have been forced to endure for 466 long  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * Ernst Works to Close Migrant Crime Loophole Through Sarah's Law WASHINGTON - As we near the 9 th anniversary of a young Iowan's death at the hands of an illegal immigrant driving drunk, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is continuing her push for Sarah's Law to honor the memory of Sarah Root and close the loophole in federal law that allowed her killer to escape justice when he was released by federal law   more

DES MOINES, Iowa, Jan. 16 -- Iowa Workforce Development issued the following news release: * * * New Opportunity to Boost the Healthcare Workforce in Critical Areas of the State. * * * In last night's Condition of the State address, Governor Kim Reynolds announced a new grant opportunity that addresses Iowa's need to grow its healthcare workforce in communities across the state. Starting today, the Iowa Healthcare Credentialing Grant is open to eligible healthcare employers and is acceptin  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * Grassley Opening Statement on the Nomination of Pam Bondi Prepared Opening Statement by Senator Chuck Grassley Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on "The Nomination of the Honorable Pamela Jo Bondi to be Attorney General of the United States" Wednesday, January 15, 2025 Good morning. I want to welcome everyone to this very important hearing to consider the nomination of former F  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * Grassley, Longtime Champion of the False Claims Act, Urges U.S. Court of Appeals to Uphold Provision to Fight Fraud, Empower Whistleblowers WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and author of legislation that strengthened the False Claims Act, is urging the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the constitutionality of the law's   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- The Department of Housing and Urban Development issued the following news release: * * * HUD Awards Nearly $137 Million in Grants to Increase Affordable Housing and Supportive Services for Seniors and Disabled Persons HUD Awards Nearly $137 Million in Grants to Increase Affordable Housing and Supportive Services for Seniors and Disabled Persons Funding supports the creation and repair of rental homes, provides rental assistance, and connects tenants with vital resour  more

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Jan. 16 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana issued the following news release: The following eleven defendants have been sentenced for their roles in a large methamphetamine trafficking ring: [View table in the link at bottom.] According to court documents, between September 2021 and November 2022, the defendants conspired together to distribute a total of nearly 400 pounds of methamphetamine, and over seven kilograms of fentanyl. Rom  more

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Jan. 16 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa issued the following news release on Jan. 15, 2025: A man who possessed drugs and a gun was sentenced today to 19 years in federal prison. Dylan VanScoyoc, age 29, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 30, 2024 guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance after a prior conviction for a felony drug offense, one count of possession of   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release: * * * Kennedy, Ernst champion Sarah's Law to require ICE to detain illegal aliens who harm Americans WASHINGTON - Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and colleagues in introducing Sarah's Law to help make sure U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detains and removes illegal immigrants who kill or seriously injure Americans. "B  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: * * * Risch, Crapo, Boozman, Cornyn Introduce Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Boozman (R-Ark.), and John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. This legislation would allow individuals with concealed carry privileges in their home state to exercise those rights in any state that p  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document from Economics Daily: * * * * * * There were 2.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023 There were 2.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023 January 15, 2025 Private industry employers reported 2.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023, down 8.4 percent from 2022. Of these, 946,500 involved days away from work. No  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 -- The White House issued the following readout of a meeting on police accountability databases: * * * On Friday, January 10, the Biden-Harris Administration convened state leaders, along with representatives from law enforcement groups and the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST), to continue the work of making our communities safer through good policing. IADLEST operates the National Decertification Index (NDI), a regi  more