Defense Department Spending Watchdog Lacks Bite

Every federal agency has an inspector general whose job is to audit agency spending to ensure that tax money is spent as intended, in a way that gets the most bang for the taxpayers' buck. The Defense Department is notorious for spending with a free hand. I got involved in Pentagon oversight in the 1980s, when several of us uncovered $750 toilet seats and $695 ashtrays for military aircraft. Those excesses gave rise to whistleblower... Read more

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Keeping Integrity in the Farm Program

This week I introduced bipartisan legislation that would put a hard cap and other safeguards on payments farmers can receive from the federal farm program. The goal is to preserve the safety net that is so important for agriculture and, in turn, the abundant and affordable food supply the rest of us depend on. The farm program was not designed to help big farmers get bigger, but it’s veered off course. Today, 10 percent of the biggest farmers collect nearly... Read more

 

Helping Iowans on the Missouri River

Iowans know too well the devastation that flooding causes. This year, Iowans living along the Missouri River face the biggest flood in terms of total water in the last 113 years on the Missouri River, according to experts. Record snowfall, snow melting later than usual, and extremely heavy spring rains have the Missouri River flowing high and fast. Communities from Sioux City to Hamburg are preparing... Read more

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Free Trade Should be Fair Trade

International trade opens new markets for U.S. products and supports good-paying jobs in the United States. Likewise, international trade presents goods and services to U.S. employers and consumers that fuel commerce and choice. I push for new trade agreements, like the pending agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama, to present new opportunities for U.S. farmers, manufacturers, and the services industry, including energy, financial and insurance firms. Trade is supposed to be a two-way street. But sometimes a U.S. company is harmed by the improper actions of trade partners under international rules. A company based in another country might flood the U.S. market with products that are unfairly subsidized by their governments... Read more