02 Dec 2015

IRS whistleblower office needs improvements, GAO says; Grassley urges IRS to step up its work there

By Grassley Press

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa drafted the 2006 provisions that improved the IRS whistleblower office to stop tax fraud.  A new report from the non-partisan Government Accountability Office shows the IRS whistleblower office has collected almost $2 billion since 2011 that otherwise would have been lost to fraud.  The report describes several major barriers that might discourage whistleblowers from coming forward.  Grassley made the following comment on the report.

"The IRS commissioner has told me many times that the whistleblower office is an important priority.   The GAO report gives the IRS a list of concrete steps to improve the whistleblower office.  There's a matter for Congress to consider as well.  We all need to make sure the IRS puts out a welcome mat for whistleblowers.  The collection of $2 billion for the federal treasury that otherwise would have been lost to fraud is good news for the taxpayers.  The news would be even better if the IRS stepped up its work."

The GAO report is available here.
01 Dec 2015

Criminal investigations under way over Afghanistan task force

By Grassley Press

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is investigating the compressed natural gas station in Afghanistan that cost the U.S. taxpayers $43 million, as much as $42.5 million more than it should have, and the Pentagon task force that oversaw the construction.  The task force spent $800 million in total on the gas station and other similar projects.  The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction reported on the gas station cost over-run and cited a lack of cooperation from the Pentagon with its auditors.  Grassley is seeking full cooperation from the Pentagon with SIGAR.  SIGAR confirmed to Grassley that it has "several ongoing criminal investigations" related to the task force, called the Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO).  SIGAR cannot discuss the specifics of those investigations.  Grassley made the following comment on this development.

"Everybody responsible for the tremendous waste of U.S. tax dollars on the gas station and any other projects ought to be held accountable.  That includes any warranted criminal cases.  I expect the Pentagon to cooperate fully with the inspector general and with my office in all inquiries involving the task force.  With the poor track record reported on the auditing side, there's reason to be skeptical on the level  of cooperation with the inspector general on the criminal side."
30 Nov 2015

Criminal Immigrant Removal Policies Hearing Scheduled in Judiciary Committee

By Grassley Press

NOTICE OF COMMITTEE HEARING

The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing entitled "Oversight of the Administration's Criminal Alien Removal Policies" for Wednesday, December 2 at 2:30 p.m., in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

By order of the Chairman.
24 Nov 2015

News from Senator Grassley's Office Nov 24, 2015

By Grassley Press

Obama Administration Allegedly Releasing Unaccompanied Minors into Criminals' Custody

Feds Allegedly Paired Migrant Children with Human Traffickers, Child Molesters

 

WASHINGTON - Federal authorities responsible for vetting potential guardians of children who enter the country without an adult have been placing some with convicted criminals, according to whistleblower claims.  The whistleblower, who is familiar with the vetting process, alleges that at least 3,400 sponsors out of a sample of 29,000 listed in a government database have criminal histories that include domestic violence, homicide, child molestation, sexual assault and human trafficking.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) are seeking details on the review practices for potential sponsors of unaccompanied children, as well as corrective procedures once it has determined that a child has been placed with a convicted criminal sponsor. In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services, the Senators are also asking for statistical information regarding criminal convictions of the sponsors of migrant children.

The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement is responsible for coordinating the screening of potential sponsors for exploitation, abuse, or other safety concerns. However, the background checks are allegedly often inadequate, leaving children in the custody of potentially dangerous individuals.  Earlier this year federal agents arrested human smugglers who reportedly posed as sponsors to force at least six Guatemalan boys to work 12 hours a day on an Ohio egg farm.

The whistleblower brought the claims to the Judiciary Committee's attention after raising concerns with supervisors reportedly yielded no immediate corrective actions.

Grassley began asking questions more than a year ago about the process for vetting the people unaccompanied minors have been released to.  These questions continue to take on urgency as unaccompanied children arrive at the southern border in record numbers in recent months.

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Grassley to Hold Hearing on the Impact of Trade Secret Theft on American Competiveness

November 24, 2015

NOTICE OF COMMITTEE HEARING

The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing entitled "Protecting Trade Secrets: the Impact of Trade Secret Theft on American Competitiveness and Potential Solutions to Remedy This Harm" for Wednesday, December 2 at 10:00 a.m., in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

By order of the Chairman.

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"Lincoln's Law" Slows Washington's Gravy Train by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley

Iowans working six ways to Sunday to make ends meet have 18 trillion reasons to resent Washington's appetite for overspending. The soaring $18 trillion national debt reflects disregard for the taxpaying public, especially younger generations who will be saddled with a crushing tax burden to pay for unbridled Big Government.

But what really gets under the American taxpayer's skin is wasteful spending and taxes lost to fraud. There's no question about it. When the size and scope of the government grow, so do opportunities for improper payments, duplicative programs, fraud and mismanagement.

President Abraham Lincoln realized that when the federal spigot is opened for business, greed and corruption trumped patriotism when Civil War-era defense contractors siphoned off war dollars for shoddy goods and services sold to the Union Army. That's when our 16th president signed into law an anti-fraud tool to help root out unpatriotic war profiteers. The False Claims Act, also known as Lincoln's Law, allowed a private citizen to file a claim on behalf of the government for fraud.

Now it doesn't matter if it's the 19th century or the 21st, coming forward with information of alleged fraud isn't easy. It means a whistleblower is going out on a limb, putting one's livelihood and career on the line. That's why Lincoln's Law included "qui tam" provisions that offered financial incentives to provide that a citizen may share in a portion of the recovery. Bilking the government under any circumstance is morally corrupt, particularly when defense dollars assigned to U.S. Armed Forces and national security interests are squandered.

However, during World War II, the "qui tam" provisions were watered down significantly, abruptly reducing the incentives for private citizens to step forward. For four decades, Lincoln's Law collected dust on the prosecutorial shelf and arguably wrongdoers collected untold billions of tax dollars.

Throughout my service in the United States Senate, I've conducted aggressive oversight of federal spending.  From housing, transportation, welfare, health care, agriculture and defense, the revenue stream that runs through the federal bureaucracy has, unfortunately, long been considered a gravy train for unscrupulous wrongdoers. It struck me during my oversight of the Pentagon's books. The U.S. Treasury would benefit from a dose of Honest Abe. So, I worked on Capitol Hill to secure bipartisan updates to the "qui tam" whistleblower provisions that increased civil penalties and the citizen's share of recovered tax dollars lost to fraud.

Since my 1986 amendments were adopted to the False Claims Act, the U.S. Treasury has recovered $44 billion and counting. The Department of Justice says it is the nation's most effective anti-fraud weapon in its arsenal, particularly considering its widespread impact to suppress fraud and deter wrongdoers from risking criminal sentences, financial settlements and civil penalties in the first place.

Like Lincoln's Law, my whistleblower updates targeted fraud to protect the integrity of the nation's defense and military spending. Since then, the False Claims Act has cast a much wider net, capturing widespread fraud in the nation's health care, banking and financial services sectors. And I've worked to build and strengthen even more legislative and prosecutorial tools to beef up the government's ability to gut fraud throughout the bureaucracy, including:

·         whistleblower protections that prevent employers from muzzling employees with "non-disclosure agreements" that seek to gag workers from reporting wrongdoing;

·         stronger protections for programs in the IRS and SEC to encourage workers to report high-dollar tax evasion and wrongdoing in the banking and financial sectors; and,

·         passage of the 2009 Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act that targets mortgage and securities fraud.

Whistleblowers shouldn't be wronged for trying to make things right. That's why I launched the Whistleblower Protection Caucus in the U.S. Senate. We can pass legislation until the cows come home, but if we don't ride herd and scrutinize the enforcement and execution of these laws, rustlers will continue to feed at the public trough.

Taxpayers are fed up with their hard-earned tax dollars paying for a $43 million natural gas station in Afghanistan, for example. Or when mismanaged bureaucracies send farm payments to deceased farmers, deny services and benefits to veterans or put federal workers on extended paid administrative leave for months on end.  The American people deserve better. That's why I'll continue championing the work of whistleblowers who help put a nail in the coffin of bureaucratic misconduct and make wrongdoers pay for pilfering the federal government's coffers.

Cronyism, corruption and incompetence deepen mistrust and widen the credibility gap between the American people and the federal government. That's why I work so hard to derail Washington's gravy train. Let's save the gravy for the Thanksgiving turkey and mashed potatoes.

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24 Nov 2015

Remaining Vigilant Against Terrorist Attacks

By Grassley Press

Prepared Floor Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee

Remaining Vigilant Against Terrorist Attacks

Delivered Thursday, November 19, 2015

Madam President, because of what happened in Paris last week, many speeches are going to be given on the floor of the Senate about terrorism.  But it's too bad that we only seem to talk about the dangers of terrorism when an attack occurs - either here in the United States, or elsewhere - that brings the issue to our attention.  Even though we may not see the effects of terrorism on a daily basis, we should remember that terrorism poses a constant danger.  Because somewhere right now, there are people thinking about killing Americans simply because of who we are and what we believe.

So I rise today, first to again express my sympathies to the people of Paris and all those affected by Friday's (Nov. 13) terrible attacks by radical Islamic terrorists there.  On behalf of the people of Iowa, I continue to stand with the people of France.

Unfortunately, the attacks last Friday (Nov. 13) should not have been a surprise.  Radical Islamic terrorists have been waging war against the United States and our allies for years.  In 1972, 11 Israeli athletes were massacred during the Munich Olympics.  In 1983, 241 U.S. Marines and other service personnel were killed in Beirut by a truck bomb.  In 1985, an American was murdered on a hijacked TWA plane there as well.  That same year, an American in a wheelchair was thrown overboard into the Mediterranean by terrorists who had hijacked a cruise ship, the Achille Lauro.  Not long afterward, in 1993, Al-Qaeda made its first attempt to bring down the Twin Towers with another truck bomb.  In 1996, an attack on the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia killed 19 American soldiers.  In 1998, attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killed over 200 people, including 12 Americans.  And in 2000, the attack on the U.S.S. Cole killed 17 American sailors.

Now, all of those attacks happened before 9/11.  And since 9/11, attacks have continued to occur all around the world - from the train bombings in Madrid in 2004, to the suicide bombings in London in 2005, to the senseless slaughter in the streets of Mumbai in 2008.  My focus today, however, is on the United States homeland.

Terrorists have continued to try to attack us here on many occasions since 9/11.  Some of these attacks have succeeded.  Most of them have failed.  Some of them have involved direct coordination with terrorist leaders abroad.  And some have been committed by "lone wolves," inspired by terrorists overseas or the views.  But these threats are ongoing, and we must be vigilant to guard against them.  We know we will face them again.

Several prominent terrorist attacks in the United States since 9/11 come to mind.  We all remember the carnage at the Boston Marathon in April 2013, where two brothers detonated bombs at the finish line that killed an eight-year old boy and two others and injured hundreds more.  Although the brothers did not appear to have direct ties with terrorist organizations, they were motivated by radical Islamic beliefs.

We also remember the November 2009 shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, where 13 people were killed and several dozen others were wounded.  Incredibly, the Obama administration refused to categorize this as a terrorist attack.  This was in spite of the fact that the shooter had traded emails with then-senior Al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki.  The shooter also later identified his extremist beliefs as the basis for his attack.

But these tragedies only continued the pattern followed by radical Islamic terrorists since Al-Qaeda hijacked and crashed airplanes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon that fateful day in 2001.  Soon after 9/11, for example, British citizen Richard Reid attempted to detonate explosives packed in his shoes while on a flight to Miami in December 2001.  He had previously trained at Al-Qaeda terrorist camps in Afghanistan.  Thankfully he failed, but this attempted attack put us on notice that these terrorists were not finished after 9/11.

More attacks and plots followed, perhaps less well remembered after the passage of time.  But they still demonstrate the ongoing threat we face.

In July 2002, an Egyptian shot and killed two Israelis and wounded four others at the Los Angeles International Airport.   Although the FBI did not find evidence linking the shooter to a terrorist group, the agency concluded the shooting was an act of terrorism.

In March 2006, another radical Islamic terrorist injured six people when he drove his vehicle into a group of pedestrians at the University of North Carolina. The attacker claimed to have conducted the attack in order to avenge the killing of Muslims around the world by the U.S. government.

Another example is the "Fort Dix Six" plot in May 2007.  In that case, six men planned to kill American soldiers at a military base in New Jersey, but were arrested before they could do so.  The men were inspired by Jihadi videos.

In June 2009, a terrorist shot two recruiters at a military center in Little Rock, Arkansas.  One of the recruiters was killed and the other was seriously wounded.  The shooter told the judge in his case that he was a soldier of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Later in 2009, three radical Islamic terrorists were arrested just before they were able to conduct suicide attacks in New York City.  One of these terrorists drove all the way from his home in Colorado to strike the New York City subway system with homemade explosives hidden inside of backpacks.  He later admitted in court that he was trained by Al-Qaeda to be part of a "martyrdom operation."  He further confessed that Al-Qaeda officials ordered these suicide attacks from Pakistan.

Also in 2009, on Christmas Day, a terrorist often referred to as the "underwear bomber" attempted to blow up a bomb concealed in his underclothes while on a flight over Detroit.  Several days later, Al-Qaeda affiliates in Yemen and Saudi Arabia claimed responsibility for the attack.

In May 2010, a terrorist tried to set off a car bomb in the middle of Times Square in New York City.  He was arrested while attempting to flee the country on a flight to the Middle East.  This bomber was trained and financed by the Pakistani Taliban.

More recently, the threat from radical Islamic extremism has sprung from the chaos in Syria.  By now, we are all familiar with ISIS, or the Islamic State.  Last year, we witnessed the horror of ISIS's brutal and barbaric beheading of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and aid worker Peter Kassig in Syria.

But as FBI Director Comey explained to the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year, ISIS presents a new type of Islamic extremist organization.   For one thing, ISIS exploits social media to promote its terrorist agenda and encourage people within the United States to commit terrorist attacks.  As Director Comey explained, ISIS's propaganda machine is like a devil on someone's shoulder, saying "'kill, kill, kill," and "if you can't come to Syria, kill somebody where you are.  Kill somebody in uniform.  Kill anybody."

ISIS's deadly message of terror is having a profound effect here in our country.  Over the last year, the government has stopped numerous individuals in the United States who tried to travel to Syria to fight for ISIS.  According to Director Comey, over 200 Americans have traveled, or attempted to travel, to Syria for this purpose.  I fear that such individuals who successfully return home could re-create the Paris attacks here in our country, given the training, indoctrination, and battlefield experience they have received abroad.  The Washington Post reported on November 16th that 66 men and women in the United States have been charged with crimes associated with ISIS, including both attempting to travel to Syria to join ISIS and planning attacks here.

But beyond ISIS's recruitment of Americans to fight in Syria, the Paris attacks demonstrate the extreme danger the group now poses here in North America.  Look what's occurred just over the past year or so.  In October 2014, a radical Islamic terrorist who could not obtain a passport to travel to Syria shot up the Parliament in Canada, killing a Canadian soldier on duty at the Canadian National War Memorial.  The next day, a self-radicalized Muslim convert attacked four police officers on the streets of New York City with a hatchet after watching ISIS internet propaganda.

In January of this year, the FBI arrested a man in Ohio for plotting to attack the U.S. Capitol with pipe bombs and guns.  The man also allegedly expressed a desire to support ISIS, and he had posted videos and messages on social media supporting violent attacks by radical Islamic terrorists.

Later, in May of this year, two Islamic terrorists drove from Arizona to Garland, Texas to attack a conference center during an art exhibit.  The center was hosting an exhibition of cartoons depicting the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.  The pair shot and injured a security guard before being killed by a police officer.  ISIS subsequently claimed responsibility for that attack.

In June 2015, law enforcement officers in Massachusetts shot and killed a knife-wielding member of a group of ISIS supporters who were plotting attacks here in the United States.  Two other alleged terrorists were arrested and are being prosecuted.

Just this month, an American was arrested in Ohio for supporting ISIS.  He allegedly posted online detailed personal information - including their addresses - of 100 U.S. military members.  He had then allegedly called on fellow terrorists to kill these military personnel in their homes and communities.

Most chilling of all is the video released earlier this week. On Monday, ISIS released a video warning countries against participating in air strikes in Syria.  The video claimed that ISIS would attack these countries just as it attacked France last Friday (Nov. 13).  The video specifically threatened to attack Washington, D.C.

According to the New York Times just this morning, "at least three dozen people in the United States suspected of ties to the Islamic State were under heavy electronic or physical surveillance even before the Paris attacks."

So it is all too obvious that we will continue to face attacks from radical Islamic terrorists in the future.  To help remind us both of that certainty and that we must prepare for it, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a long list of terrorist attacks on the United States that I prepared from public sources.  The list may not include each and every attack by these terrorists here, but it does include a wide variety of attempted and planned attacks against our citizens.  Because of space limitations on materials submitted for the Record, a more complete and annotated list can be found on my website.  That list also includes a separate list of individuals prosecuted in the United States for attempting to leave the country to fight for ISIS.

These lists include successful attacks that harmed Americans, as well as unsuccessful attacks that did not - often thanks to law enforcement's efforts.  What is common to all the attacks is that they were undertaken by terrorists who coordinated with radical Islamist extremists, were inspired by them, or who shared their views.  The listed attacks should serve as a reminder that we must always be vigilant.  We must never forget that radical Islamic extremists are waging war against us.  And so we must always be prepared to fight this battle and to defend against their attacks.

I am grateful this Thanksgiving season for the people in this country who do the difficult work of protecting us from terrorists every day.  We must continually strengthen our country's ability to win this war.  We must ensure that our military and Special Forces have the ability to take the fight to the terrorists overseas, wherever they are lurking.  We must ensure that our intelligence agencies have the tools needed to identify terrorists and their plots, while preserving the civil liberties that make our country special.  And we must ensure that law enforcement is able to use the lawful tools provided by Congress, consistent with the Constitution and approved by the courts, to help stop terrorist attacks.

I yield the floor.

23 Nov 2015

News from Senator Grassley's Office Nov 23, 2015

By Grassley Press

Grassley Explores Whether Pentagon Retaliated Against Colonel Who Questioned $800 Million Afghanistan Task Force Records

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is seeking answers on allegations from an Army colonel that the Pentagon is slow-walking his performance review because he questioned the lack of accountability at the $800 million task force that oversaw an excessively expensive $43 million natural gas filling station in Afghanistan.  Grassley wrote to Defense Secretary Ash Carter about Army Colonel John C. Hope.

"Being long overdue, (the evaluation) has placed his next assignment in jeopardy, leaving him in limbo," Grassley wrote to Carter.  "He alleges he is being deliberately 'slow rolled' by his 'raters.'  ... Would you please look into this and find out why Colonel Hope's (evaluation) has not been completed?  I respectfully ask that you provide a deadline for completing that task and providing Colonel Hope with a new set of orders for his next assignment.  Your assistance is necessary in this case."

Grassley wrote that Hope believes he's been singled out for retaliation and retribution for speaking out about a lack of accountability at the task force.  He's been told he performed poorly at the task force, in contrast to four previous job reviews recommending a promotion to brigadier general.

"If the Pentagon is retaliating against someone for speaking out on poor accountability and wasteful spending, that's unacceptable," Grassley said.  "It's detrimental to the individual and to the taxpayers."

The now-defunct Task Force for Stability and Business Operations spent $800 million in carrying out its mission to facilitate economic development in Afghanistan.  The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) faced impeded access to task force documents in reviewing the gas station cost over-run.

Grassley has asked the Defense Department to give him all records related to task force activities pertaining to Afghanistan, from January 1, 2009, through March 31, 2015; and all records concerning the task force from April 1, 2015, to the date of his request, including all records pertaining to SIGAR's requests for information regarding the task force, and all records discussing SIGAR reports, letters, or statements about the task force.

Grassley has pressed the Defense Department to cooperate with SIGAR by releasing all documents, names of staff involved and reasons for placing severe restrictions on information behind the construction of the natural gas filling station.

He plans to seek a Department of Defense inspector general audit of the $800 million task force expenditures and will ask fellow senators to join the request.

-30-

Grassley, McCain Urge Greater Importation of Prescription Drugs from Other Countries

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. John McCain of Arizona have urged the secretary of Health and Human Services to use her full authority to increase the importation of prescription drugs from Canada and other countries for the benefit of U.S. consumers.  Their action comes as the agency  held a drug pricing forum on Friday and amid revelations of drug pricing excesses in the United States.

"As public concern over rising costs of prescription drugs continues, there is a need to reduce the financial burden that prescription drugs are placing on Americans,"  Grassley and McCain wrote to Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell.  "Given the priority that voters place on addressing the high cost of prescription drugs, we believe that it is time Congress and the Administration work together to take concrete steps to address pricing abuses."

Grassley and McCain described the significant statutory authority given to the secretary to increase the importation of prescription drugs under certain conditions, such as certification that the imported drug would be safe and reduce U.S. consumer prices.  They urged importation under certain circumstances, including significant and unexplained increases in price and that the drug is produced in another country by the name brand manufacturer that initially developed the drug or by a well-known generic manufacturer that commonly sells pharmaceutical products in the United States.

Grassley and McCain asked the secretary to outline whether she needs additional statutory authority to undertake prescription drug importation to protect American consumers.

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Grassley-Cosponsored NOAA Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Legislation Clears Commerce Committee

WASHINGTON - The Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Act to improve NOAA's response to harassment or abuse in the workplace. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley helped craft key provisions of the version that won committee approval.  The reforms follow whistleblower accounts of inadequate procedures to assist victims of abuse at NOAA.

"Victims of sexual abuse and harassment should not be forced to endure insufficient reporting and support programs in the midst of recovering from their experiences.  This bill ensures that victims have reliable access to advocates who can provide a safe place and needed guidance in a difficult time.  I applaud the Senate Commerce Committee for recognizing the need for these important reforms to protect and empower victims of abuse and harassment at NOAA," Grassley said.

The bill would require NOAA to develop policies to protect its approximately 12,000 employees.  Among its major provisions, the bill calls for:

·         Specified procedures for reporting incidents, including those occurring after business hours, at sea, or in other remote geographically isolated locations;

·         Availability of advocates to aid victims through the reporting and adjudication process;

·         Protection for the rights of accusers and the accused, including changes of duty station; and

·         Yearly reporting on the status of efforts to implement the new policies.

Whistleblowers called attention to the inadequate reporting procedures late last year when disclosing that they had been sexually abused and harassed while conducting research on behalf of universities aboard NOAA research vessels.  Their reports prompted Grassley and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune to raise concerns with the Department of Commerce Inspector General.  They also questioned the effectiveness of the current reporting system that directs victims to disclose misconduct through the chain of command, which may include the alleged perpetrator.

The bipartisan National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Act (S. 2206) was introduced on October 26, 2015, by Dan Sullivan of (R-Alaska) with Grassley and four other bipartisan cosponsors. The bill now awaits further consideration by the full Senate.

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Q&A: Syrian Refugees With U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley

 

Q: Why is it important to take every precaution when considering whether to resettle thousands of Syrian refugees in the United States?

A:  Americans have a generous, compassionate spirit that is reflected in service and philanthropy, such as toy and clothing drives, food pantries and homeless shelters in communities across the country. This shared sense of humanity also is reflected by U.S. asylum policies. The United States has a long history of extending and expanding resettlement programs for those seeking sanctuary from religious persecution, ethnic cleansing and humanitarian crises. Every year, for the past few years, the United States has offered safe haven for 70,000 refugees from around the world. Iowa, in particular, has a remarkable legacy that goes back to Governor Ray's starting a resettlement program in 1975 for thousands of refugees fleeing Southeast Asia. Since passage of the Refugee Act of 1980, refugees seeking asylum in the United States must meet a legal standard of "well-founded fear of persecution" to qualify for resettlement. The Obama administration is misplacing priorities by insisting on expanding Syrian refugee resettlement, especially considering a Syrian passport was reportedly found near the body of one of the Paris attackers.

America mourns for those who lost their lives and their loved ones in the brutal massacre in Paris. America still heals from the tremendous sorrow and loss inflicted by the 9/11 terror attacks. Like America, the City of Light will find its way out of the darkness. We stand in solidarity with our friends and allies around the world. Together we must work to extinguish violent extremism that breeds terrorism and threatens life as we know it. That is why we cannot allow America's welcome mat to be turned into a door mat for radicalized Islamic extremists who are hard-wired to kill innocent people and destroy our way of life. Unless and until the United States can figure out a stringent screening process to prevent terrorists from masquerading as refugees to infiltrate our neighborhoods and communities, President Obama needs to listen to the concerns voiced by more than half the nation's governors, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle on both sides of Capitol Hill and the American people from across the entire country. So far, it doesn't appear the president is listening. That's why I am working to put at least a temporary halt on the implementation of the president's plan to resettle at least 10,000 Syrian refugees into this country until our intelligence and national security agencies can certify the vetting process will keep out terrorists. Don't forget, the U.S. paused our refugee admissions program after 9/11 to re-evaluate and upgrade security processes. At this moment, we need reasonable responses to address widespread uncertainty, not rash disregard of national security.

Q: How does this differ from the "boat people" resettlement four decades ago?

A: America's humanitarian principles haven't changed. The times have changed. Remember, Iowa was the first state to open a government resettlement agency when it welcomed the Tai Dam into our communities and took in thousands of refugees from Southeast Asia. Over the years, Iowa has resettled other refugees facing persecution in their home countries, including Bosnia, Sudan and Burma. Refugee resettlements in Iowa faced barriers back then and face challenges still today. There's no question that considerable language and cultural barriers significantly impact transitions for refugees into local communities, in neighborhoods, schools and workplaces. Resettlement strains social services and takes broad, coordinated efforts from a wide variety of government agencies, faith-based organizations and volunteers to work.

Notwithstanding the challenges with transportation and housing and the burdens on local schools, hospitals and other public services, the refugee resettlement in America should not be an avenue for terrorists to sneak in and do us harm. Like it or not, the reality of the 21st century differs significantly from just a generation ago. Today we are facing a reign of terror that recruits and radicalizes Islamic extremists to inflict violence and spread fear across civilized society. The atrocities of the 20th century were rooted in tyrannical government regimes, such as Nazism and Communism, led by the likes of Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, who oppressed freedom and murdered millions of innocent people. Today, extremists are trying to poison peace and prosperity by orchestrating acts of terror on unsuspecting victims and venues to spread widespread fear. Today's battlefields are vastly different than 20th century conflicts. We are talking about people who have made no bones about it. Their goal is to kill Americans. From drones, to suicide bombers and hijacked airliners, the targets and times have changed. No doubt, America's leadership is needed to purge terror and make the world a safe place for our children and grandchildren. It will require bold, strategic plans with a broad coalition of our friends and allies that reaches across military, intelligence, diplomatic, financial and humanitarian channels.

However, a relatively simple way for the Obama administration to put national security first is by calling a time-out on the Syrian refugee resettlement program. The president already underestimated ISIS once before, dismissing the extremist militant group as a JV team. Now look where we are seven years into his Middle East foreign policy. Considering the misguided Iran deal, the effort to relocate detainees from Guantanamo Bay to U.S. soil and calls for resettling up to 10,000 Syrian refugees, it's no wonder Americans are questioning what else the president is miscalculating. When it comes to the safety of the American people and protecting our way of life - a way of life that generations of men and women in the Armed Forces have sacrificed life and limb to defend and uphold - the federal government has a fundamental constitutional duty to first protect national security and the sovereignty of the United States.
20 Nov 2015

News from Senator Grassley's Office Nov 19-20, 2015

By Grassley Press

Grassley to Receive Award in Cedar Falls for Work to Protect Seniors

WASHINGTON?Sen. Chuck Grassley will receive the Guardian of Seniors' Rights award from the 60 Plus Association on Friday, November 20, for his work to create financial stability for seniors through tax reform.

The 60 Plus Association will present Grassley with the award at Western Home Communities in Cedar Falls.  Following the award presentation, Grassley will meet with Western Home Communities employees and answer questions.

"I'm honored to receive this award.  I've worked in the Senate to advance retirement security, going back to my work as chairman of the Aging Committee, continuing as Finance Committee chairman, where I led the committee's work on enacted provisions that improved qualified retirement accounts.  This included increasing and indexing to inflation the amounts that can be contributed to IRAs and employer defined contribution plans, such 401(k)s, as well as allowing individuals over the age of 50 to make 'catch-up' contributions to increase their retirement income security.  The catch-up provisions were designed to be especially helpful to women, whose time out of the workforce affected their employment-based retirement savings.  Pro-savings and pro-growth tax policy continue to be a high priority for me as a lawmaker. Going forward, the right kind of comprehensive tax reform would increase financial security for everyone by keeping tax rates low and fair and giving certainty to the tax code from year to year, so taxpayers know what to expect and can budget accordingly," Grassley said.  

Sen. Chuck Grassley today made the following comment on President Obama's nomination of Swati Dandekar of Marion, Iowa, as United States Executive Director, Asian Development Bank, with the Rank of Ambassador.  The White House announced the nomination today.

"Swati Dandekar has served Iowa in many ways over a long period of time and demonstrated a gift for building relationships that lead to productive dialogue and initiatives.  I've no doubt she will take on this new responsibility with the same sort of dedication and resourcefulness.  The President has made a good decision in selecting Swati Dandekar to represent the United States in this capacity."

Iowan receives White House nomination for Asian Development Bank

From the White House:

Swati A. Dandekar, Nominee for United States Executive Director, Asian Development Bank, with the Rank of Ambassador

Swati A. Dandekar is a former Iowa state legislator and member of the Iowa Utilities Board.  Ms. Dandekar served on the Iowa Utilities Board from 2011 to 2013.  Prior to joining the Utilities Board, Ms. Dandekar served in the Iowa State Senate from 2009 to 2011 and in the Iowa State House of Representatives from 2002 to 2008.  From 2000 to 2003, she was a member of the Vision Iowa Board of Directors.  Ms. Dandekar also served on the Linn-Mar Community School District Board of Education from 1996 to 2002 and was a member of the Iowa Association of School Boards from 2000 to 2002.  Ms. Dandekar received a B.S. from Nagpur University and a Post-Graduate Diploma from Bombay University.

Setting the Record Straight on Sourcing for State Department Inquiries

Nov. 20, 2015

Democratic staff for the Senate minority leader and Democratic operatives appear to be circulating a false, misleading timeline with reporters suggesting incorrectly that a former staffer for Sen. Chuck Grassley is the "confidential source" for one of many Grassley inquiries into State Department personnel practices.  The former Grassley staffer was not the source.  The source, in fact, was well-known to bipartisan, bicameral staff who met with him jointly, along with Grassley staff.  Redacted emails showing the extent of knowledge of the source's identity and attempts to schedule a joint interview with him are available here.  A comment from Grassley's office in response to comment from staff for the Senate minority leader about "fishy" coincidences regarding the former Grassley staffer follows.

"What's 'fishy' is that the minority leader is engaging in vague implications rather than gathering the facts directly from his colleagues.  Senator Grassley has been seeking answers from the State Department on its use of the Special Government Employee designation since June 2013.   The Special Government Employee designation is an exception to criminal conflict of interest statutes and can be used as a means of avoiding conflict of interest rules that normally apply.  How that specific designation has been used by the department is a matter of public interest, and the laws at issue are within the jurisdiction of the Judiciary Committee.

"Senator Grassley has pressed the State Department for complete responses and added inquiries as new information came to light, such as whether the use of private email interferes with Freedom of Information Act compliance.  FOIA is also in the Judiciary Committee's jurisdiction, and the flood of FOIA litigation created by former Secretary Clinton's unusual email arrangement demands the attention of the committee and the State Department's Office of Inspector General.

"The information in Senator Grassley's July 30, 2015, letter was based on a confidential source who is well-known to staff for senior Democrats in the House and the Senate, not from a former Grassley staffer. If the minority leader wants to know where the information came from, there is no need for public speculation.  He merely needs to speak to staff for Ranking Member Leahy or Ranking Member Cummings because their staff members were present for the meeting with the source.  The source's attorney was also present.  The attorney happens to be a former staffer for Senator Feinstein.  So there's no mystery.  Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill know exactly where the initial information came from, and they also know that it was later corroborated by documents provided by the State Department itself.

"Senator Grassley's relationship with the State Department inspector general's office is no different than that of any other inspector general's office.  He respects their independence, supports their work, and appropriately seeks information from them to assist in his oversight of the executive branch.

"Regarding State Department nominees, the Senate recently confirmed 652 State Department nominees, including 20 who had been subject to Grassley holds.  Senator Grassley retains his hold on only three nominees over the State Department's stonewalling of his inquiries since June 2013.  He was forced to escalate his holds to an under secretary nominee over the agency's poor responsiveness.   Senator Grassley has been completely transparent about his holds and the reason for them."

Grassley's Nov. 19 statement on his holds on State Department nominees is available here.  His previous hold statements are available here and here.  Grassley's response to the Senate minority leader's floor speech about his inquiry is available here.

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19 Nov 2015

Grassley escalates State Department nominee holds over agency's inadequate responses to inquiries

By Grassley Press

Grassley Escalates Holds on State Department Nominees Over Agency's Inadequate Responsiveness to Inquiries

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, is escalating his holds on State Department nominees over the State Department's continued failure to respond in a timely, reasonable manner to numerous inquiries beginning in June 2013.   Grassley has added a hold on the nomination of Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., to be an Under Secretary of State (Political Affairs).  Grassley maintains his hold on two other nominees and released his hold on 20 Foreign Service Officer nominees.

"The continued intransigence and lack of cooperation make it clear that the Department did not care enough about their Foreign Service Officer candidates to 'get in gear' and begin to produce responses to my oversight letters.  Accordingly, I have released my hold on these officer candidates and have escalated to Mr. Shannon," Grassley said in his floor statement in placing the latest hold.  "The Department of State's refusal to fully cooperate with my investigations is unacceptable.   As I have noted before on the floor of the Senate, the Department continues to promise results but there has been very little or no follow-through.  The Department's good faith will be measured in documents delivered and witnesses provided.  ... the Department must recognize that it has an ongoing obligation to respond to Congressional inquiries in a timely and reasonable manner."

Grassley detailed the numerous inquiries he has made to the State Department since June 2013.  The topics include the State Department's use of the Special Government Employee program and private email use that raises concern about the proper handling of classified information, as well as compliance with the Freedom of Information Act, which is the Judiciary Committee's exclusive jurisdiction in the Senate; federal archiving law compliance; and several State Department Inspector General and whistleblower reports that suggest that the State Department does not hold its own employees accountable for human trafficking and prostitution violations.

In addition to Shannon, Grassley maintains his holds on the nominations of Brian James Egan as Legal Adviser and David Malcolm Robinson to be assistant secretary for Conflict and Stabilization Operations and Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization.

Last week, the Senate confirmed 632 State Department nominees, a number vastly larger than the number subject to Grassley's holds.

Grassley's statement for the Senate record on his new hold is available here.

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19 Nov 2015

News from Senator Grassley's Office Nov 18, 2015

By Grassley Press

Kirk Leads Bipartisan Group of Senators in Introducing VA Patient Protection Act

S. 2291 Forces VA to Address Reports of Patient Abuse, Punish Those Who Retaliate Against Whistleblowers

Bill Protects VA Employees Who Protect Veterans

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) today announced the introduction of the bipartisan VA Patient Protection Act (S. 2291) to force the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to address reports of abuse of veteran patients and to punish VA managers who ignore, intimidate and retaliate against whistleblowers. The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee (SVAC) today held a hearing on S. 2291 several other VA reform bills.

"This bill protects our veterans by protecting those who care for them," Senator Kirk said. "By giving whistleblowers like Germaine Clarno and Dr. Lisa Nee a voice, we can end the VA's culture of corruption and make sure our veterans are never again treated like second-class citizens."

"This bipartisan bill provides critical protection to whistleblowers who uncover wrongdoing-- misconduct that often victimizes veterans and squanders taxpayer dollars," said SVAC Ranking Member Blumenthal. "All too often VA managers have sought to intimidate or punish public servants who disclose important information about health care delays, fraudulent record-keeping or other issues. Whistleblowers literally speak truth to power, and need and deserve protection against reprisal or retaliation."

"Whistleblowers are heroes," Senator Grassley said. "They ought to be celebrated, not ignored, sidelined or fired.  Whistleblowers were critical in exposing the VA scandals, and they're critical to fixing what's wrong at the agency. The independent Office of Special Counsel has vindicated many VA whistleblowers so far. Our bill will protect the employees who are going out on a limb to make the agency work for veterans."

"Our veterans deserve to have confidence that VA hospital staff have no one but the patient's best interest in mind when they spot a problem, and VA employees shouldn't have to fear retaliation for standing up and advocating for the veterans they serve," said Senator Gillibrand. "This legislation would help ensure VA employees who stand up for veterans don't have to fear punishment and retaliation for doing what's right for their patients."

"As the events at the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Wisconsin have illustrated, when VA whistleblowers are punished for reporting wrongdoing, it can dramatically affect the care provided to our nation's veterans," Senator Johnson said. "There must be zero tolerance within the VA for whistleblower retaliation. The transparency and information that whistleblowers provide is essential to ensuring the highest quality of care for the finest among us."

"More must be done to change the status quo. We must work to build a VA that embraces, rather than retaliates against, whistleblowers who want to improve the system," Senator Baldwin said. "We need to ensure that whistleblowers are empowered and this bipartisan reform legislation will hold the VA managers accountable for unacceptable retaliation and intimidation. Most importantly, it will improve the VA so veterans can get the care and services they need and deserve."

In order to address the challenges faced by VA employees who stand up for veterans, and to punish the managers who retaliate against whistleblowers, the VA Patient Protection Act:

  • Punishes retaliation. After the first offense of retaliation, a supervisor will receive a minimum 12-day suspension. On the second offense, they will be fired.

  • Holds supervisors accountable. Supervisors' performance ratings will be tied to how they respond to and deal with whistleblower reports and complaints.

  • Protects whistleblowers. The Whistleblower Protection Act will be expanded to prevent retaliation against VA doctors and nurses through performance reports. All VA employees will receive training about their rights as whistleblowers.

  • Ensures complaints are handled properly. Mirroring the Marine Corps Request Mast, employees who report misconduct can go to the next level supervisor if their immediate supervisor fails to properly handle their complaint. Establishing a formal complaint process ensures there is a paper trail to hold the VA accountable.

Since the VA scandal broke last year, Senator Kirk has heard from current and former workers at the Edward Hines, Jr., VA Hospital in Illinois about practices that harm veterans. These whistleblowers - including Germaine Clarno, a social worker at Hines and president of the AFGE Local 781, and Dr. Lisa Nee, a former Hines cardiologist who experienced retaliation from VA officials after reporting a backlog of hundreds of unread echocardiogram tests and unnecessary surgeries - have faced retaliation and intimidation from VA officials, and their calls to improve care for veterans have been ignored.

As chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon/VA), Senator Kirk recently held a field hearing in Chicago in which Clarno and Dr. Nee testified about the retaliation, patient abuse and manipulated scheduling practices at Hines VA.

Reports of systemic misconduct and retaliation against whistleblowers are common across the nation, including:

  • Dr. Katherine Mitchell, who first broke the VA wait list scandal, testified before the Senate MilCon/VA Appropriations Subcommittee about how she disclosed improper staffing in the emergency department and secret waitlists at the Phoenix VA. Management retaliated against Dr. Mitchell by removing her as the emergency department director.

  • A doctor at Hines VA fraudulently inflated his productivity by entering service codes for work he did not perform - an allegation substantiated by the VA's Office of Medical Inspection - but is still employed at Hines and has not been disciplined.

  • After a VA employee in Louisiana discovered secret wait lists and filed complaints with the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG), the OIG failed to investigate the wait lists, but sent criminal investigators to investigate the whistleblower by looking into how he obtained the wait lists, confiscating computer equipment and asking him to submit to a lie detector test.

  • Instead of investigating reports of a Puerto Rico VA hospital director's misconduct, the VA sought to remove the employee who reported the misconduct. When the privacy officer concluded the whistleblower had not made an unauthorized disclosure, the VA sought to remove her as well.

  • A VA employee in Wisconsin who reported improper disclosures of veterans' health information was fired for sending an email - to report the misconduct - that contained personal information about a veteran.

  • A nurse at a VA in Delaware who disclosed improper treatment of opiate addiction faced retaliation in the form of a 14-day suspension for minor allegations of misconduct.

  • A VA employee in Wisconsin filed for whistleblower protection after being asked to falsify attendance records. Two weeks later, he resigned citing harassment and further disclosed problems with opioid over-prescription.

###

International Adoption Hearing Highlights Concerns of Families

WASHINGTON - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley today said that many families are rightly confused and frustrated with the adoption situations in several countries around the world.

Members of the Judiciary Committee listened to emotional testimony during a committee hearing about the difficulties families are having adopting children internationally.  Grassley held the hearing in honor of National Adoption Month and to raise awareness about these families' situations.  Dr. Rick Wilkerson from Spencer, Iowa, testified at the hearing.  He discussed his family's experience adopting a child from Haiti following the country's earthquake in 2010.  The Wilkerson family has adopted several children both domestically and internationally.

"American families have opened their hearts and homes to children from around the world, but despite the successes and the positive impacts of international adoption, there are also challenges.  There have been barriers for some families as other countries face internal conflicts and struggles," Grassley said.  "These children make families even stronger.  So highlighting the difficulties they are encountering and promoting good public policy in this area is in the country's best interest."

In today's hearing, Grassley highlighted the struggles that more than 400 families are currently facing in bringing home children from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  The adoptions have been finalized by the home country as well as the United States, yet, despite the fact that the parents must provide financially and emotionally for their children who are physically in the Congo, they cannot bring them home.  Grassley has contacted the State Department regarding the matter on behalf of the Iowa families.  He has written repeatedly to Congolese officials to do everything possible to resolve the issue.

After today's committee hearing, Grassley and other members of the Senate met with the Congolese ambassador to the United States to discuss the adoption issue and a way forward for these families, all of whom simply need immigration travel documents from the Congolese government to bring home the children.

Grassley has championed several policy initiatives that help families overcome some of the roadblocks that make it difficult to bring a child into a permanent home.  His work includes the expansion of the federal adoption tax credit, which is now permanent and indexed to inflation, as well as authorship of several pieces of legislation that improve the ability of children to secure permanent homes.

Grassley is also the co-founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Caucus on Foster Youth which works to raise public awareness and educate policymakers about the challenges facing foster youth, especially those who age out of the system with no long-term support structure in place.

 

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19 Nov 2015

Iowan Testifying at Grassley Judiciary Committee Hearing on International Adoption

By Grassley Press

Opening Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa

Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee

Hearing on "National Adoption Month: Stories of Success and

Meeting the Challenges of International Adoptions"

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

The family is the foundation of American society. For millions of Americans, the season of Thanksgiving gives us an opportunity to count our blessings and give thanks for hearth and home. The safety, stability and security of a permanent, loving home reinforces a strong foundation of support to last a lifetime.

But not every child gets to experience these benefits. Millions of children around the world are orphans, without parents or a family to support them. Not only do they lack families, many are subjected to life in subpar state orphanage systems hazarding their health and development. They will never know what it is like to have a loving family, sibling rivalry, or the confidence that comes with family support.

Despite the efforts of host countries to find extended family members or domestic adoptions for their children, there are still thousands of children who need help.  Next Thursday, approximately 6,000 children from around the world will celebrate Thanksgiving in America for the first time. This month, they will experience all the bounty and opportunity America has to offer, in addition to the permanence of a new family.

Today, in the spirit of National Adoption Month, we want to celebrate American families who have opened their hearts and homes to children around the world.  America leads the world in foreign adoptions. Not long ago in 2004, our families welcomed over twenty thousand foreign children into their homes.

As every parent knows, raising children is hard work. Today, we can reflect on the incredible rewards of our continuing efforts to reform and improve the adoption process. We will get to hear from families how adoption has changed their lives and the lives of their children. It is a great privilege to see that our efforts to overcome barriers to adoption have such direct and lasting impact on the people we serve.

We'll hear from an Iowan today who has had an immeasurable impact on children at home and abroad. Dr. Rick Wilkerson has adopted three foster kids, a fourth child from Cambodia and a fifth one from Haiti.  After visiting Haiti, Dr. Wilkerson started a non-profit organization dedicated to giving back and supporting orphans in that country.

Yet, despite the successes and the positive impacts, there are also challenges.  There have been barriers for some families as countries face internal conflicts and struggles.  Today, we'll hear the heartbreak of one adoption that was disrupted because of Russia's suspension of international adoptions.

We'll also hear about the struggles that over 400 families are currently facing in bringing home children from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Families are rightly confused and frustrated with the situation in the Congo.  Their adoptions have been finalized by the home country as well as the United States.  Yet, despite the fact that the parents must provide financially and emotionally for their children who are physically in the Congo, they cannot bring them home.  They love these children.  They are committed to protecting them, providing for them, and bringing them home.  But, their hands are tied until the Congo resolves their internal issues and moves forward.

I want to welcome Assistant Secretary Bond today to give the perspective of the Department of State.  I hope we'll hear how our diplomatic corps is working with Russia, the Congo and other countries where international adoptions are stalled.  Assistant Secretary Bond will also shed light on the strategies the State Department is undertaking to improve the adoption process and be an advocate for children and families.

Strong families make America strong. That's why public policies that promote strong families rest squarely in the national interest.  Permanent, loving homes equip the next generation with the tools for self-sufficiency, to go out and succeed in the workforce, volunteer in service to others, join the ranks of the military or pursue public service. Although it can't guarantee happiness and prosperity, the prospects of raising the next generation to embrace the rights and responsibilities of citizenship are much brighter for children who are able to count a forever family among their year-round blessings at the Thanksgiving table.

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