Grassley Direct
On my weekly "Capitol Hill Report," I spoke with Darin Svenson of KDEC in Decorah and Jacob Hall of the Iowa Standard in Sioux Center about the USMCA, drug pricing and the crisis at the southern border.
Q&A: Salute to Whistleblowers
Q. Why does Congress recognize National Whistleblower Appreciation Day on July 30?
Q. What drives your commitment to strengthen whistleblower protections?
Quick Links
As leaders of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Wyden and I have been committed to addressing the issue of rising prescription drug prices. That's why we introduced the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act (PDPRA) of 2019. The cost of many prescription drugs is too high. Without action, we’re on an unsustainable path for taxpayers, seniors and all Americans. According to the Congressional Budget Office, our bill will save taxpayers more than $100 billion, lower Medicare beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket costs by $27 billion and premiums by $5 billion. This week, I shepherded this legislation through the Senate Finance Committee. It passed on a bipartisan 19-9 vote. Watch my opening statement from the Senate Finance Committee hearing on the PDPRA and read more in my op-ed here.
The Department of Homeland Security recently published a rule in the Federal Register which will finally bring some needed reforms to the EB-5 green card program. Congress initially intended for the EB-5 program to help spur investment in rural and high unemployment areas when it was established in 1990. Unfortunately, since that time, big moneyed interests have been able to gerrymander EB-5 targeted employment areas in a way that redirected investment away from our rural and economically depressed communities and toward major development projects in Manhattan and other large cities. I applaud President Trump and his team for standing up to them. I’m happy to say that, with the publication of this rule, the little guys in rural America finally got a win in the EB-5 program.
With Senator Leahy of Vermont, I re-introduced the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act. Violations of our antitrust laws hurt consumers, often in the form of less choice and higher prices. This legislation incentivizes private sector employees to disclose criminal violations by protecting them from retaliation in the workplace after coming forward with information. It also can be a deterrent to those who are thinking about committing fraud in the future. Just as whistleblower protections for government employees help root out waste, fraud and abuse, they can also help prevent misconduct in the private sector.
Post of the Week
 My 2nd session of college interns from Iowa. They are learning govt thru experience this summer
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