Face-to-Face Meetings

Sitting in a coffee shop in my hometown of New Hartford years ago, I overhead a comment about a politician coming to town followed by a remark that it must mean it’s election time. Right there I made a decision. If I ever had the opportunity to serve Iowans in elected office, I would come around regularly, not just at election time. I’ve had that opportunity, and while representing Iowans in the United States Senate since 1980, I’ve held a face-to-face... Read more

---

Senate Continues Debate on Farm and Nutrition Bill

The United States Senate will likely complete this week the debate on the 2013 farm and nutrition bill. Iowans may wonder why I call it the farm and nutrition bill. That’s because, despite the perception, very little of the funding in what we most commonly call the farm bill is geared toward farmers. In fact, 80 percent of the money authorized in the bill is for nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps)... Read more

Chinese Company Bets on Major U.S. Meat Business

Last week, Smithfield Foods, the largest producer of pork in the country, announced that the company would be acquired by Shuanghui International, a Chinese-based food company. I’ve led efforts in Congress to keep agricultural markets competitive for market participants and consumers. So, there are three areas I’ll be looking at when analyzing this deal. My first concern is how the acquisition will affect... Read more

---

Bringing the IRS to Account

At my 10 town meetings in northwest Iowa last week, two questions came up regularly: What is going on at the IRS, and will Congress be able to fix whatever led the agency to target tax-exempt groups over their political views? My answer: Congress has the constitutional responsibility to perform checks and balances on the executive branch, and Congress has to do its job here. I’ve already written to the IRS and will continue to seek answers from the IRS and the Administration about the targeting.  The IRS must enforce tax laws fairly and uniformly.  All taxpayers should pay what they owe, not a penny more, not a penny less.  Tax exemption is a privilege, not a right, because any tax-exempt group that doesn’t pay taxes enjoys that special... Read more