$16 Muffins Paid for by Taxpayers

The Justice Department this week showed just why the American people get cynical about their federal government. An audit of several conferences organized by the Justice Department showed lavish amounts of taxpayer money spent on items such as $16 muffins (yes, that’s apiece), $10 cookies and $8 coffee. Altogether, the report found that the department spent 121 million taxpayer dollars on conferences between 2007 and 2009. The expenditures this audit found are simply... Read more

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Did the U.S. Attorney’s Office, ATF Case Agent Attempt to Obstruct Congressional Inquiry?

Secret recordings released over the last week corroborated details about coordination between the U.S. Attorney’s office in Phoenix and the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) case agent in answering questions from my congressional investigation of Operation Fast and Furious. Both the U.S. Attorney’s office and the ATF were intimately involved in the botched gun operation. It started as an ATF case, but later... Read more

 

Internships for Iowans

If you’re a college-age Iowan, or have one in your life, you might take a minute to watch the video produced this summer by interns who worked in my office in Washington, D.C. These young people took an opportunity to learn more about government with a Senate internship. Their enthusiasm and interest in public policy and the way our system of government works bodes well for America’s representative democracy. I encourage all young Iowans to apply for internships in my office regardless of their area... Read more

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Continued Help for Families in Hardship

This week, Congress took action to continue helping families overcome drug use or other problems and reunite as a family. All over the country, families affected by substance abuse benefit from a grant program targeted to help them get through difficult times and keep their families together. The community experts approved to receive the grants work to tailor programs that meet their area’s needs. A program targeted to children affected by their parents’ methamphetamine abuse in rural Iowa might not work in urban Chicago. The Finance Committee, which oversees the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, gave unanimous approval to my proposal to continue the regional partnership grants that... Read more