Senator Chuck Grassley Scoop : Here's the Scoop!

April 21, 2015

Keeping in Touch

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Grassley Direct

Last week, I spoke with Brian Fancher of KLMJ radio in Hampton and Dale Wegner of the Sac Sun on my Capitol Hill Report. We spoke about a variety of topics including: U.S. Capitol security, the Des Moines Water Works lawsuit, Senate Judiciary Committee work, the Renewable Fuel Standard, the Iran nuclear deal, and Obamacare.
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Q&A: Civil Asset Forfeiture

Asset forfeiture is a crime-fighting tool that enables law enforcement to seize cash or property that’s considered linked to illicit activity. However, it seems that sometimes law enforcement authorities increasingly have used civil asset forfeiture as a funding source for the government with thin regard for civil rights and without enough focus on actual criminal activity. It is time to end seizure for suspicion’s sake and enact reforms that will help restore the proper mission of asset forfeiture laws and rebuild credibility in our law enforcement agencies.
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Working to Secure Iowa’s Judicial Legacy

This year, Chief Judge James E. Gritzner of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa and former Chief Judge Mark W. Bennett of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa take senior status and cap off a combined 37 years of extraordinary public service to our state.

Their vacancies provide a rare opportunity to select new federal judges in Iowa. With broad jurisdiction spanning civil and criminal court cases, the dockets wield extensive influence. In the checks and balances of our system of government, these judges are guardians of the Constitution and the individual rights and liberties it secures... Read more

Good News on Trade Expansion

The vast majority of the world’s consumers don’t live in the United States. Many of those individuals already use products made in the United States. Why not even more products? That’s the premise behind work to open new markets to U.S.-made goods and services.

Iowa farmers, manufacturers and services providers have long known that their corn, soybeans, pork, beef, agricultural equipment, insurance products and much more are successfully exported around the world. Many of them would like the chance to reach new markets as the United States enters trade agreements with other countries... Read more

Survey Paints a Big Picture: Simplify the Tax Code

Most Americans are relieved to see Tax Day fade into the distance. This year another taxing milestone takes a bit longer to reach the rearview mirror. Tax Freedom Day falls on April 24. That’s how long American taxpayers collectively will work into the year to fulfill federal, state and local tax liabilities. That means Americans work 114 days for the government and 251 days for themselves.

The number crunchers at the nonpartisan Tax Foundation say that Americans will work 43 days to pay their income taxes; 26 days for payroll taxes; 15 days for sales and excise taxes; 12 days for corporate income taxes; 11 days for property taxes; and, one week for estate, inheritance and other taxes... Read more

Farm Policy 101: Washington Falls Short

As the spring planting season fetches long days in the tractor, farmers across Iowa already have invested an abundance of time and money in the new crop before sowing the first seed into the ground. Key management decisions are considered before the fieldwork begins. New farm bill programs, production costs, lines of credit, crop rotations, conservation practices, seed varieties and commodity prices factor into the mix.

No matter how many equipment repairs and planted acres a farmer squeezes into his workday, some things are beyond his control. The cyclical nature of supply and demand and the whims of Mother Nature have outsized roles in the success or failure of a farmer’s expectations for the season... Read more