Grassley Direct
On my weekly "Capitol Hill Report," I spoke with Ed Funston of KILR in Estherville and Seth Boyes of the Iowa Standard in Sioux Center about immigration and the increase of meth in Iowa.
Q&A: Rural Broadband
Q. What progress has been made to narrow the digital divide in America?
Q. What concerns do you have about the FCC’s report on broadband access in Iowa?
Quick Links
I sent a letter to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan requesting details on the immigration history of a man who was previously deported from the United States in 2010 and 2011 and has now been accused of killing a mother and her two children at their home in Des Moines. It's crucial we understand how someone who'd been twice deported from this country was able to re-enter for at least a third time and commit such an act of senseless violence. This case demonstrates yet again the need for Congress to take action to more effectively secure our border and keep dangerous criminals from so easily entering the United States.
American farmers, workers and businesses stand to benefit greatly from the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Passing USMCA will help alleviate some of that uncertainty for the years ahead by providing stable export markets for American corn, soybeans, pork and dairy, to name just a few examples. Currently, 86,500 Iowans depend on agricultural exports to Canada and Mexico, adding $10.3 billion dollars to our state’s economy. It’s also important to remember that USMCA is better than NAFTA by nearly every standard, including labor and environment. So I hope discussions between House Democrats and Ambassador Lighthizer is an exercise in getting to ‘yes.’ I also gave a speech on the Senate floor highlighting the urgency to pass this agreement.
I had the opportunity to administer the oath of office at the swearing-in ceremony for Andrew Saul, the new Commissioner of Social Security. Commissioner Saul has a strong background and brings a lot of experience to his new position. There is bipartisan agreement on at least a few things regarding Social Security moving forward. Wait times on the phone are too long, disability hearing backlogs are too large, work needs to be done to improve the computer systems and payment accuracy needs improvement. I look forward to working with Commissioner Saul to ensure the administrations programs work better for the beneficiaries. Check out my instagram post here.
If you want to jump-start your career, receive hands-on professional experience and make connections that will help you get to where you want to go in life, I encourage you to consider applying to my internship program. For nearly four decades, I’ve welcomed approximately 1,000 students into my Senate offices in Iowa and Washington, D.C. as interns. The future of this nation will soon be in the hands of the next generation. My internship program aims to inspire, teach and prepare our future leaders for the challenges ahead. Read more in my op-ed here.
Post of the Week
Met w former foster youth interning on Capitol Hill this summer. I learned more about their experiences and policy recommendations for improving child welfare. I founded the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth 10 yrs ago to hear from youth directly on what they think should be fixed.
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