23 Jan 2012

Questionable contact over LightSquared

By Grassley Press

Monday, January 23, 2012

Grassley Pursues Details of Questionable Contact Related to LightSquared

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today asked the principal behind the LightSquared wireless project to explain a questionable contact to Grassley's office that intimated benefits for Grassley if he softened his inquiry of government approval of the project.

Grassley wrote to Philip Falcone of Harbinger Capital Partners, expressing concern that two separate incidents implied a desire to have Grassley "pull punches" in his investigation.  Grassley said he "won't be a part of that."  One contact came in an email from Falcone to Grassley's office, saying that since LightSquared is already in the political "arena," it could be made a "win" for Grassley, LightSquared, and the consumer.

The second contact was from someone who intimated that he represented LightSquared in a call to Grassley's staff.  The individual, Todd Ruelle, said he "only gets paid if this deal goes through" and hinted that if LightSquared were allowed to proceed, Grassley's home state of Iowa could get a "call center."   Grassley's office advised Ruelle not to contact the office further and called the Senate ethics committee regarding the contact.

Ruelle also was named in emails made public through a separate inquiry.  In the emails, Ruelle corresponded with Fox News Channel bookers over making arrangements for a Falcone appearance.  After Ruelle forwarded these e-mails to a government official, the government official asked Ruelle to cease communicating with him.

Grassley wrote to Falcone, asking him to explain whether he and/or LightSquared have a relationship with Ruelle and if so, to provide details.

Since last April, Grassley has been reviewing why the Federal Communications Commission rushed approval of the LightSquared project without adequately exploring what turned out to be  widespread concerns of interference with the Global Positioning System devices widely used by the military, first responders, aviation, precision agriculture, and consumer navigation.

The text of Grassley's letter to Falcone is available here.  The attachments are available here, here and here.

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23 Jan 2012

Grassley: Iowa Students Earn Admission to West Point and Naval Academy

By Grassley Press

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley said today that Aloysius Richard TeKippe of Earlham has been selected for admission to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, and Matt Truninger of Clinton has been selected for admission to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, for the 2012-2013 school year.

TeKipee will graduate in May from Earlham High School.  He is the son of Krista and Ron TeKippe.  Truninger graduated in 2009 from Northeast Middle/High School in Goose Lake.  He is the son of Gina and Mark Truninger.

"Admission to the service academies is highly competitive and a great honor," Grassley said.  "Young people like Aloysius TeKippe and Matt Truninger work very hard to earn this kind of opportunity, and I join many others, no doubt, in wishing them well and expressing appreciation for their commitment to serving our nation."

TeKippe and Truninger were among the Iowans Grassley nominated this year for  appointments.  Information about seeking a nomination is posted at http://grassley.senate.gov/info/academy_nominations.cfm.

For more than 200 years, the U.S. service academies have educated and trained the best and the brightest to lead and command the U.S. armed forces.

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19 Jan 2012

Grassley on PIPA

By Grassley Press

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley released the following statement regarding the Senate's Protect IP Act.

"It's critical we protect the intellectual property rights of our businesses and fight online infringement, but at the same time, we can't do harm to the internet, the Constitution, or the ability of businesses to grow and innovate.   Internet piracy is illegal, and we need to find a way that works for all sides.  The current Protect IP Act needs more due diligence, analysis, and substantial changes.  As it stands right now, I can't support the bill moving forward next week."
19 Jan 2012

Keystone pipeline

By Grassley Press
Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Senator Chuck Grassley commented on the President's decision today to stop the international Keystone XL pipeline project.  This project was approved in 2010 by the Canadian National Energy Board.  The Keystone pipeline would transport 830,000 barrels of crude oil a day and help to counteract both insufficient domestic oil supplies and reduce dependence on less reliable foreign sources.  It's been under review by the Obama administration for more than three years.

Senator Grassley's comment:

"President Obama's decision is stunning for how it favors extreme environmentalism over job creation and an energy partnership with a friendly neighbor, a relationship that could reduce America's dependence on volatile foreign energy sources, including Venezuela, Libya and OPEC.  His decision disregards the fact that unemployment in the United States remains at record high levels, and consumers face the possibility of $5 gas this summer.

"The reality that President Obama has flat out rejected the priorities of grass-roots Americans for job creation and energy production that's close to home means Congress needs to act.  Whether or not the U.S. approves the Keystone pipeline project, the oil will be produced, and if it doesn't come here, China likely will get it.  So, it's impossible to see how President Obama could deny that the Keystone pipeline project is in the national interest."

18 Jan 2012

SEC inspector general departure, need for another good inspector general

By Grassley Press

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today made the following comment on the announcement that David Kotz, inspector general of the Securities and Exchange Commission, is leaving his position.  Grassley has worked with whistleblowers and conducted other oversight of the agency to help ensure it fulfills its mission of protecting the investing public.

"The SEC needs another good inspector general.  The agency has a big job and faces ongoing challenges to stay on top of fraud.  It's had some high-profile problems, including missing the Madoff scheme and weak ethics enforcement, as in the David Becker situation.  David Kotz produced strong, conclusive reports, even as critics claimed he was too aggressive.  An aggressive, independent inspector general is best for the agency in the long run, even if that's uncomfortable for management.  The SEC leaders would be smart to value those qualities and search carefully for candidates who won't pull punches.  Go-along-to-get-along just doesn't get the job done.  You need someone who tells it like it is."
16 Jan 2012

Grassley meetings in Iowa to continue this week

By Grassley Press

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley has meetings scheduled with Iowans in 16 counties next week.

Beginning on Monday, Grassley will be in Centerville, Albia, Chariton, Corydon, Garden Grove, Mt. Ayr, Creston, Osceola, Winterset, Greenfield, Panora, Grimes, Grand Junction, Boone, Ames, and Le Grand.

Already this month, he has traveled to 20 counties for dialogue with Iowans.  Grassley has held at least one meeting in each of Iowa's 99 counties every year since he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980.

"I look forward to these meetings to hear directly from Iowans and to have the dialogue that's so important to the process of representative government.  This process is a two-way street.  I go to people to answer questions and listen to comments, and they come out and participate in the discussion," Grassley said.

Grassley encourages Iowans to communicate with him on a regular basis.  In turn, he plans regular, face-to-face meetings in Iowa and with Iowans in Washington, and he responds to every letter, email and phone call from Iowans.  Grassley also communicates via Facebook, Twitter and at http://grassley.senate.gov.

Below is more information about this month's meetings.  The town meetings are open to the public.  Local hosts should be contacted regarding other meetings.  Grassley will be available for interviews with local reporters for 15 minutes after every meeting.

Earlier this month, Grassley held meetings in Riceville, Charles City, New Hampton, Waverly, Waterloo, Clarion, Dakota City, Algona, Forest City, Garner, Hampton, Mason City, Manly, Osage, Calmar, West Union, Independence, Manchester, Vinton, and Gladbrook.

 

Monday, January 16

5-6 p.m.

Appanoose County Weekly Meal at Faith United Methodist Church, Q&A with Attendees

23851 Highway 5 South in Centerville 

 

Tuesday, January 17

7:30-8:30 a.m.

Monroe County Town Meeting

Albia Area Chamber of Commerce

18 South Main Street in Albia

 

10:15-11:15 a.m.

Lucas County Town Meeting

Carpenter Hall

1215 Court Street in Chariton

 

12-1 p.m.

Wayne County Town Meeting

Wayne County Courthouse

100 North Lafayette in Corydon

 

2-3 p.m.

Speak to Government Class

Mormon Trail Jr./Sr. High School

502 East Main Street in Garden Grove

 

4:30-5:30 p.m.

Ringgold County Town Meeting

Jamie's Coffee Mill & Deli

118 West Adams Street in Mt. Ayr

 

Wednesday, January 18

7:30-8:30 a.m.

Union County Town Meeting

City Hall/Restored Depot, City Council Chambers

116 West Adams Street in Creston

 

9:45-10:45 a.m.

Q&A with Students

Clarke County High School

800 North Jackson in Osceola

 

12-1 p.m.

Madison County Town Meeting

Winterset Public Library, Meeting Room

123 North 2nd Street in Winterset

 

2-3 p.m.

Adair County Town Meeting

Andrews Memorial Adair County Health & Fitness Center, Meeting Room

202 North Townline Road in Greenfield

 

4:15-5:15 p.m.

Guthrie County Town Meeting

Panora Community Center

115 West Main Street in Panora

 

Thursday, January 19

8-9 a.m.

Q&A with Students

Dallas Center-Grimes Middle School

1400 Vine Street in Grimes

 

10:30-11:30 a.m.

Greene County Town Meeting

Grand Junction Community Center

212 Main Street in Grand Junction

 

12:30-1:30 p.m.

Boone County Town Meeting

Boone County Historical Center

602 Story Street in Boone

 

2:30-3:30 p.m.

Tour Facility and Q&A with Employees

Becker Underwood

801 Dayton Avenue in Ames

 

5-6 p.m.

Marshall County Town Meeting

Le Grand Area Community Center

206 North Vine Street in Le Grand

 

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13 Jan 2012

Inspector General Office Gutted Under New Law

By Grassley Press

Enzi, Grassley and Collins Request Transfer of Funds to Avoid Shutdown of Agency Inspector General

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined with several other senators today to request that the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) be able to transfer additional funds to avoid a shutdown of the Office of Inspector General (IG) after a law passed last year gutted funding for the office.  Senator Enzi was joined by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ranking Member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), Ranking Member on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

"We have been informed by the Office of the Inspector General that this cut will result in a reduction of more than 75 percent of full time personnel in the next several weeks," the senators wrote. "Consequently, the office ... will be substantially limited in performing the three statutorily required audits, and will have to discontinue all ongoing investigations of waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer resources."

The need for a functioning IG has been illustrated by recent problems at the agency that include President Obama's 2009 firing of the last Inspector General after the office found waste, duplication, ineffective spending, and repeated violations of the grant rules for several programs funded by the CNCS.  According to the two most recent semi-annual reports, the CNCS Office of the Inspector General identified more than $959,000 in questionable costs and more than $581,000 in funding that could be used more efficiently.  The office identified more than $4 million in potential funds to be recovered from individuals and grantee organizations found to have engaged in fraud, waste and abuse. The IG also assisted the Justice Department in investigating several criminal matters, including obtaining a guilty plea in a conspiracy to steal more than $325,000 in federal grant funds from American Samoa.

You can read the full letter here.
10 Jan 2012

Immigration Services has Work to do in Changing "Get to Yes" Culture

By Grassley Press

Monday, January 9, 2012

Senator Chuck Grassley today said that a report he requested from the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General's office confirmed the accounts he heard from whistleblowers about the undue pressure placed on Immigration Service Officers to approve immigration benefits.  The report was released today, and a copy of the report can be found here.

Today's statement below is followed by a comment Grassley released on Friday in response to a draft copy of the report.  Grassley's request to the Inspector General, as well as letters to Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano can be found here.

"The report clearly shows that the immigration service has a lot of work to do to get rid of the 'Get to yes' culture that has pervaded the agency in recent years. The fact that a quarter of the immigration service officers felt pressure to approve questionable applications, and 90 percent of respondents felt they didn't have sufficient time to complete interviews of those who seek benefits, certainly warrants significant changes be made immediately.

"What's most disappointing in this final report is the agency's decision to turn a blind eye to several very good recommendations from the Inspector General.  For example, it only makes sense that policies be established to make sure there is a legitimate and fair process when a manager intervenes in a benefits case.  Director Mayorkas should reconsider the department's initial response to some of the recommendations and create an environment that ensures a thorough and complete analysis of all applications."

Here's Grassley's statement from Friday.

"Whistleblowers have been complaining for several years that leadership in Washington, D.C. and immediate supervisors were placing inappropriate pressure on immigration adjudicators to simply find a way to approve benefits.  This 'Get to yes' attitude doesn't serve the American people who expect a thorough and complete analysis.  When a quarter of the immigration service officers felt pressure to approve questionable applications, and 90 percent of respondents felt they didn't have sufficient time to complete interviews of those who seek benefits, there are serious and widespread problems that need to be addressed by the department.  This comes down to the safety and security of the American people, which should not be compromised by any means.

"The Inspector General took to heart the concerns he heard from Immigration Service Officers, and he made some serious and thoughtful recommendations.  I'm particularly interested in the implementation of recommendations by the Inspector General to develop standards to permit more time for an adjudicator's review of case files, develop a policy to establish limitations for managers and attorneys when they intervene in the adjudication of specific cases, and issue policy that ends any informal appeals process and the special review of denied cases.  These get at the heart of the whistleblowers' allegations, and would go a long way to changing the 'Get to yes' culture that prevails at the agency."
10 Jan 2012

Q&A on Admission to the U.S. Service Academies

By Grassley Press

with U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley

 

Q:        How do young Americans get a place at the U.S. service academies?

A:         Starting more than 200 years ago, the U.S. service academies have educated and trained the best and the brightest to lead and command the Armed Forces in service to the nation.  The young Americans who want to serve our country and win places at the service academies are remarkable for their accomplishments and leadership.  A rigorous selection process ensures that candidates for officers' training arrive with superior scholastic, athletic and leadership skills that will help preserve freedom and secure our American way of life for generations to come.

 

Admissions are highly competitive to the Military Academy in West Point, NY; the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD; the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO; the Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT; and the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY.  Applicants to all of these service academies except the Coast Guard require a nomination to the school, and those can be made by U.S. senators, representatives, the President and the Vice President.  Coast Guard applicants compete without by-state quotas.

 

Q:        How does your nomination process work?

A:         As a U.S. senator representing Iowa, I select ten Iowa students to nominate for each vacancy at the Military, Naval and Air Force academies, in accordance with the number of vacancies made available each year.  I'm also able to nominate ten Iowans each year to the Merchant Marine Academy.  Appointments to this academy are allocated in proportion to the state's representation in Congress.  Iowa currently has access to four vacancies each year for the Merchant Marine Academy.

 

I encourage students to begin the process of applying for a congressional nomination in the spring of their junior year of high school and to consider applying to all of the service academies.  Applicants also should apply directly to the academy and ask that a pre-candidate file be opened on their behalf.

 

Iowans can take pride in the 57 nominees whom I recommended at the end of last year for consideration of appointments to the U.S. service academies.  Their collective attributes and achievements are an impressive reflection on the state of Iowa.  Already, from this group, a Coralville student has been offered an appointment to West Point and a Boone student has earned a place at the Naval Academy.

 

The Army, Naval and Air Force academies are part of the Department of Defense.  The Merchant Marine Academy is part of the Department of Transportation.  And the Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security.  Students at the academies are on active duty in the armed services from the day they enter and are commissioned as officers upon graduation.  Graduates of the Merchant Marine Academy hold Coast Guard licenses for six years and are commissioned into the Navy Reserve.  They also may cross commission into any other branch of the service.

 

Q:        What are the basic criteria?

A:         Candidates should rank in the top half of their high school class in a college preparatory curriculum.  Candidates should have ACT scores of 25-36 in math and science and 22-36 in English.  They should have demonstrated leadership in and outside of school, with outstanding records of extracurricular activities and/or job experience.  Candidates need to have completed the physical requirements described by the academies.  Those seeking my support must be legal residents of Iowa or dependents of members of the military who are Iowa residents.  Applicants must be U.S. citizens, unmarried with no children or legal obligation for a child, and at least age 17 but not older than 23 years.  Go to the link posted in Info for Iowans at http://www.grassley.senate.gov and send a copy of the completed material to:  The Office of Senator Chuck Grassley, 150 1st Avenue NE, Suite 325, Cedar Rapids, Iowa  52401.  Questions can be answered at (319) 363-6832.

 

Monday, January 9, 2012

10 Jan 2012

Pressure Placed on Immigration Adjudicators to Approve Immigration Benefits

By Grassley Press

Friday, January 6, 2012

Senator Chuck Grassley today said that a draft copy of a report he requested from the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General's office confirmed the accounts he heard from whistleblowers about the undue pressure placed on Immigration Service Officers to approve immigration benefits.

Here is Grassley's statement.  A copy of Grassley's request to the Inspector General, as well as letters to Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano can be found here.

"Whistleblowers have been complaining for several years that leadership in Washington, D.C. and immediate supervisors were placing inappropriate pressure on immigration adjudicators to simply find a way to approve benefits.  This 'Get to yes' attitude doesn't serve the American people who expect a thorough and complete analysis.  When a quarter of the immigration service officers felt pressure to approve questionable applications, and 90 percent of respondents felt they didn't have sufficient time to complete interviews of those who seek benefits, there are serious and widespread problems that need to be addressed by the department.  This comes down to the safety and security of the American people, which should not be compromised by any means.

"The Inspector General took to heart the concerns he heard from Immigration Service Officers, and he made some serious and thoughtful recommendations.  I'm particularly interested in the implementation of recommendations by the Inspector General to develop standards to permit more time for an adjudicator's review of case files, develop a policy to establish limitations for managers and attorneys when they intervene in the adjudication of specific cases, and issue policy that ends any informal appeals process and the special review of denied cases.  These get at the heart of the whistleblowers' allegations, and would go a long way to changing the 'Get to yes' culture that prevails at the agency."

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