Grassley Direct
On my weekly "Capitol Hill Report," I spoke with Brian Fancher of KLMJ in Hampton and Erin Sommers of the Pocahontas Record Democrat about Renewable Fuel Standard exemptions and border security on our southern border.
Q&A: Crisis at the Southern Border
Q. How serious is the crisis at the southern border?
Q. What are you doing to protect migrant minors from abuse?
Quick Links
With Senator Ernst, I sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai regarding the agency's role in ensuring the accuracy of broadband maps. According to the FCC 2018 Broadband Deployment Report, more than three in four rural Iowans have access to broadband. The report also indicates that 90.5 percent of all Iowans have access to broadband. While I wish that were the case, the FCC data drastically overstates broadband access throughout our state. It's critical for these maps to be improved so public and private partners alike have access to the accurate data needed to bridge the digital divide.
Defense is the number one responsibility of the federal government. Every year, Congress considers the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), legislation that is critical to national defense, military readiness and support for our service members. Because the Department of Defense (DoD) has a long history of wasteful spending, I introduced several amendments to the fiscal 2020 NDAA legislation that would have increased transparency by requiring the DoD to report to Congress on contracting practices. Though my amendments weren't included in the Senate's NDAA, I urge my colleagues in the House to move similar measures. Read more in my op-ed here.
The Secret Service is uniquely positioned to evaluate and mitigate threats of violence. Their approach can be used in communities across the country to prevent tragedies before they occur. That's why I introduced the bipartisan EAGLES Act, to expand the National Threat Assessment Center’s ability to provide research and training for school administrators, faith leaders, first responders and other community officials to better understand the warning signs of potential threats. I also gave a floor speech on the importance of passing this legislation to ensure more communities are equipped with this information and to keep our communities safe.
Along with Senator Tillis, I introduced the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act. This bill creates a private right of civil action for the victims of sanctuary cities, allowing them to pursue legal action as a result of a violent crime committed by an illegal immigrant. If state and local public officials jeopardize the safety and security of the American people by refusing to comply with federal immigration law, they should be held to account by our citizens when such reckless endangerment leads to more violent crime. We are a nation of laws. Whether you are a citizen, immigrant or even a local government, disregarding those laws should carry consequences.
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