Grassley Asks for Details on Justification for Costly Anhydrous Ammonia Rule

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley is sending a letter to Labor Department Secretary Tom Perez about a rule governing anhydrous ammonia retailers.

The letter is in response to a revised regulation where the Labor Department and OSHA re-interpreted a statute governing aspects of process safety of facilities after an ammonium nitrate explosion in West, Texas.  Previously, the department's interpretation of the same rule had exempted retail sellers of anhydrous ammonia.

The new interpretation eliminates that exemption and could force thousands of anhydrous retailers to spend nearly $30,000 to come into compliance with the new requirements.

"With anhydrous ammonia application being a seasonal occurrence, it will be difficult for small retailers who supply farmers to absorb those costs, and some may be forced to stop selling anhydrous," Grassley said.  "Safety measures are very important and should absolutely be a top priority, but eliminating the retail exemption may be a knee jerk reaction to a granular form of nitrogen, which is very different from the anhydrous ammonia used by farmers."

Grassley's letter requests more information about how the Labor Department came to the conclusion that the retail exemption should be eliminated.

A signed copy of Grassley's letter can be found here

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Drug Caucus to Hold Hearing on Drug Trafficking Across the Southwest Border, Oversight of U.S Counterdrug Assistance to Mexico

WASHINGTON -- The Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, led by Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, will hold a hearing entitled, "Drug Trafficking Across the Southwest Border and Oversight of U.S Counterdrug Assistance to Mexico."

Date/time: Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015 at 10 a.m. EST

Location: 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.

Description: The hearing will focus on the increase in illicit narcotics crossing the Southwest border, the cartels profiting from this activity, and the nature and effectiveness of U.S. counternarcotics assistance to Mexico in reducing this flow, combatting corruption, and strengthening the rule of law.  The following witnesses have confirmed that they will testify:

• Mr. Michael Botticelli, Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Washington, D.C.

• Ambassador William Brownfield, Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Washington, D.C.

• Mr. Jack Riley, Acting Deputy Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration, Washington, D.C.

• Todd Owen, Assistant Commissioner Office of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Washington, D.C.

 

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Senator Grassley on Veterans and Their Service

 The video is available here.

My message today is recognizing and thanking the nation's 21 million veterans.

Iowa is home to more than 226,000 of these patriots who answered the call to serve in the Armed Forces.

As a nation, we owe them a debt of gratitude.

We also owe them a responsive, competent Department of Veterans Affairs.

That means continuing to root out employee misconduct and a culture of corruption within the VA so that veterans receive the benefits and services they deserve.

I'm looking at paid administrative leave at the VA, where employees are paid to stay home.

I'm also supporting legislation by Senator Marco Rubio to give the VA Secretary the tools he says he needs to eliminate poor performing employees.

And I'm working on legislation with Senator Mark Kirk to empower good employees by protecting whistleblowers like the ones that exposed the waiting list scandal.

Good treatment of veterans includes better mental health care.

Congress this year passed a bill I cosponsored, The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, that will help.

Congress also approved reforms to the Veterans Choice Program that allow more veterans to qualify to receive health care from non-VA health care providers in their local communities.

The VA is resisting efforts to implement the program as Congress intended, and I support legislation to bring the agency in line.

My six state offices stand ready to help Iowans with veterans matters.  I've also set up a fellowship as my liaison to veterans all over the state.  Don Bailey is the first to serve in this capacity.

His email address is VeteransFellow_Grassley@grassley.senate.gov.

As I say to Iowa veterans I meet during my county meetings and those from the Honor Flights in Washington, D.C.: You shall not be forsaken, nor forgotten.

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Prepared Floor Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa

Special Government Employees and Clinton Email Investigation

November 10, 2015

Mr. President, oversight of the Executive Branch by the Congress is as old as our Constitution and it is a critical role.

I believe oversight leads to better government, better laws and saves the taxpayers money.

That is why I work very hard at oversight.

I went after the Reagan Defense Department for wasteful spending in the '80s.

I held up Department of Justice nominees during the Bush Administration to get my oversight letters answered, just as I am doing now with the Department of State.

And I voted in support of giving the Judiciary Committee the authority to issue subpoenas regarding its inquiry into the firing of US Attorneys during the Bush Administration.

My belief in and exercise of the oversight role by Congress is long standing and non-partisan.

Yesterday the Senate minority leader said that my investigation into the Department of State's use of special government employee designations and how Secretary Clinton's private email arrangement interfered with Freedom of Information Act compliance is political.

This simply is not so.

This investigation involves many things, but it does not involve politics.

My investigation into the potential abuse of the special government employee designations and Secretary Clinton's use of a personal email server and the potential spillage of classified information is not political, it is evidence based.

Unfortunately, the Department has been largely uncooperative since June of 2013.

The Department's lack of cooperation has caused me to place 22 holds on its nominees.

And to correct the senior senator from Nevada, my holds do not include 600 Foreign Service officers and do not include individuals from Iowa.

But with respect to my pending requests to the Department of State, I am still waiting for a full production of documents from my June 2013 oversight request.

That is two and a half years and the State department has still not produced the materials I have requested.

The Department has implemented several clever strategies to delay the process.

The Department routinely assigns new employees to handle different requests.

Each time a new person is assigned we get the same excuses why they cannot deliver on requests - "I'm new so I don't know who to talk to and where to find the documents."

For years, the Department has delayed in productions, each time with more excuses.

For instance, the Department still refuses to answer whether or not Secretary Clinton's private server was approved.

The Department has failed to provide emails for Department personnel communicating about Secretary Clinton's private server that we have strong reason to believe exist.

The Department took over two months to schedule a single interview with a former employee.

The Department has refused for over two months to provide instructions it gave to Clinton attorney David Kendall to secure the thumb drives that contained classified information - even though the Department was quoted in the news as providing those instructions.

The Department has failed to provide travel reimbursements and leave documents for its employees.

And on August 5 of this year, I requested classification non-disclosure forms for Secretary Clinton, Huma Abedin, and Cheryl Mills.

On November 5, the Department produced those documents to a FOIA requestor but not to the Committee.

And while the Department provided the documents to that requestor, Department employees told my staff they had been unable to find those documents.

Not only has the Judiciary Committee experienced unacceptable Department of State delays in receiving information, others inside and outside of the government have experienced delays as well.

The Associated Press sued the State Department over the failure to satisfy repeated document requests under the Freedom of Information Act related to these same issues.

One of these requests dates back five years ago.

Judge Richard Leon of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the judge responsible for this case, scolded the State Department for its failure to produce documents on time:

"Now, any person should be able to review that in one day ? one day. Even the least ambitious bureaucrat could do this."

Let there be no mistake about this investigation.

This investigation is centered on the Freedom of Information Act, a law that is within the Judiciary Committee's jurisdiction.

This investigation is centered on potential abuse of the special government employee designation that allows government employees to be paid by outside employers, in this case hundreds of thousands of dollars by a consulting firm run by a former Clinton Administration employee.

This investigation is centered on potential violations of the Federal Records Act and holding government officials accountable for their actions.

This investigation is centered on whether public officials properly handled classified information.

Nobody is above the law.

Senior government officials and regular employees should get equal treatment under the law, and that treatment should be fair and objective.  It should not depend on what your position is.

When it looks like the treatment is different, we have to figure out what is going on.

For example, it looks like other government employees are subject to very different treatment when accused of mishandling classified information.

Army Lieutenant Colonel Jason Amerine, a decorated war hero, contacted Congress to try to warn about bureaucratic problems with U.S. hostage recovery efforts, problems that he believed were putting lives at risk.

He was accused of improperly transmitting classified information to Congress in the process.

This war hero was removed from his job; was escorted out of the Pentagon; had his clearances suspended; had his scheduled retirement delayed indefinitely; was fingerprinted and had a mugshot taken; was threatened with a court-martial; and was subject to an extensive investigation.

After almost a year of being investigated, the Army decided not to court-martial Lieutenant Colonel Amerine.

Instead he was awarded the Legion of Merit for "exceptionally meritorious service" and finally allowed to retire.

But look at how differently he, a war hero, was treated when accused of mishandling classified information compared to Secretary Clinton and her associates.  Where was the minority leader in trying to help this war hero from these attacks from the Administration?

Nowhere to be seen is the answer to that.

It's apparent that some have a selective memory when it comes to putting value on oversight and investigations.

But, I do not.

I have been consistent in my oversight role my entire career investigating Republicans and Democrats.

My oversight and investigations unit is involved in many investigations.  The vast majority of them have nothing to do with Secretary Clinton.

Looking out for the public interest isn't a waste of time, and I'll keep at it regardless of misguided attacks on my motivations or mischaracterizations of my work.

I will continue this investigation because the American people have a right to the truth and government officials have an obligation to answer to We the People.

I yield the floor.

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Iowa's plan phases in Medicaid efforts over two years for the most vulnerable Medicaid patients

 

(WASHINGTON, D.C.)  - Today Gov. Terry Branstad met with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell in Washington, DC.  In the encouraging meeting they discussed Iowa's Medicaid modernization plan aimed at improving quality, access, and health care outcomes and creating a more predictable and sustainable Medicaid program that begins January 1, 2016.  Specifically, Gov. Branstad outlined how Iowa has learned from the more than two dozen other states using this approach and how Iowa will begin a two-year phase-in starting January 1, 2016.

"We began Iowa's Medicaid modernization plans in January 2015 and will be phasing in services over a two-year time period.  I appreciate the mutual interest in improving patient outcomes that HHS and the State of Iowa share," said Branstad.  "I also appreciate the collaboration we have had in the past with federal officials including the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, which has increased the healthcare coverage in our state, and look forward to implementing our patient-centered Medicaid plan beginning on January 1, 2016."

Iowa has learned best practices from 30 other states who have taken steps to modernize Medicaid.  Iowa's phased-in approach ensures a smooth transition starting on day one for all Medicaid patients.  For the first two years, Medicaid patients who receive long-term care services and supports (LTSS) can keep those same services without any change.  Those services include HCBS (Home Community Based Services) waiver services, nursing facilities, and Intermediate Care Facilities for the Intellectually Disabled.

The measures outlined ensure patients have the option to keep the same services they receive today through the Medicaid modernization transition.  To protect doctors and Medicaid providers, they can sign up with as many Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) as they wish and MCOs cannot restrict enrollment for doctors and providers.  Additionally, doctors and providers who sign up with a plan are protected from reimbursement cuts and cannot be paid less than current Medicaid rates.

Phase-in measures protecting patients include :

• For the first 3 months, all existing Medicaid authorizations will be honored by the MCOs.

• For the first 6 months, Medicaid patients can keep their current physical & behavioral health providers (primary care, hospitals, specialists etc.) and case managers even if they're out-of-network.

• For the first 2 years, the most vulnerable Medicaid population patients can keep their current long-term services including nursing facilities, HCBS waivers, ICF/ID's (Intermediate Care Facilities for the Intellectually Disabled) services, home health services, community mental health center services, and substance use disorder treatment services even if they're out-of-network.

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Hereditary Disease Foundation's "Celebration of Discovery" Benefit and Symposium Raises $1.2 Million to Fight Huntington's Disease and Other Brain Disorders

Leslie Gehry Brenner Prize for Innovation in Science Presented

Accolades for Dr. Nancy S. Wexler -- Gene Hunter, Scientist and Humanist

New York, NY (November 10, 2015) -- The Hereditary Disease Foundation (HDF), dedicated to finding cures and treatments for Huntington's disease and other devastating brain disorders, held a "Celebration of Discovery" Symposium and Dinner last night at the Metropolitan Club in New York.  The event was attended by approximately 200 internationally renowned scientists, artists and members of the business and civic community.  All are joined in their commitment to eradicating Huntington's disease and other life-shattering disorders, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's Disease ( ALS ). 

The evening was a special tribute to Dr. Nancy S. Wexler, who celebrated her 70^th birthday and marked an extraordinary career in science as a gene hunter, scientist and humanist devoted to bringing hope and healing to families affected by Huntington's disease.  Dr. Wexler was serenaded during dinner by Howard McGillin, who is best known for his record-setting performance in the title role of "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway.   

The "Celebration of Discovery" Symposium and Dinner raised $1.2 million for the Hereditary Disease Foundation's $4,000,000 capital campaign to support its cutting edge, scientific research.

Dr. Wexler, who is president of the Hereditary Disease Foundation, said, "My dream is to have a magic pill that we can give to people who are carrying the abnormal Huntington's
gene.  We're not there yet.  There is much still to be done.  Thanks to an extraordinary $1 million
grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation and the generosity of other supporters, we are now hunting for genes that can push Huntington's out of the normal lifespan, moving the age of onset to 95, 100, or older.  It's within our grasp."

The evening began with a Symposium focusing on genes, the brain and recent transformative advances in science.  Participants were Dr. Robert B. Darnell, President, CEO, and Scientific Director of the New York Genome Center and the Heilbrunn Professor at Rockefeller University; Dr. Beverly L. Davidson, the Arthur V. Meigs Chair in Pediatrics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Dr. X. William Yang, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  The moderator was Robert Bazell, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University and former chief science and health correspondent for NBC News.  

The Hereditary Disease Foundation recognizes transformative research with its Leslie Gehry Brenner Prize for Innovation in Science, created by founding trustee and sea-change architect Frank Gehry. Frank, with his wife Berta, created this award to honor the memory of Frank's daughter Leslie Gehry Brenner who died in 2008 of cancer.

The 2014-2015 Prize was presented to Dr. William Yang for his work using the human Huntington's disease gene to create innovative strategies towards developing new therapies and cures. The 2015-2016 Prize was awarded to Dr. Beverly Davidson for her breakthrough work in developing safe and effective gene silencing strategies - turning "off" the Huntington's disease gene - for the treatment of Huntington's disease. 

The Hereditary Disease Foundation
The Hereditary Disease Foundation is dedicated to finding cures and treatments for Huntington's disease, and other devastating brain disorders that impact millions of people in the United States and worldwide.  Established in 1968, the Hereditary Disease Foundation facilitates collaborative and innovative scientific research to further the understanding of Huntington's disease, a genetic disorder that strikes in early to mid-adulthood, destroying brain cells, and bringing on severe and progressive declines in personality, cognitive ability, and mobility.  It was work organized by the Foundation that led to the discovery of the genetic marker for Huntington's disease in 1983.  The Foundation organized and funded a decade-long international collaboration of over 100 scientists who discovered the gene that causes Huntington's in 1993.  This work played an important role in the development of the Human Genome Project.  As a disease caused by a mistake in a single gene, Huntington's disease is an ideal model for other brain disorders.  Progress toward treatments and cures for Huntington's disease can help in finding ways to treat other illnesses with more complex genetics, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS). 
For more information: http://hdfoundation.org

Dr. Nancy S. Wexler
Dr. Nancy S. Wexler is Higgins Professor of Neuropsychology at Columbia University and President of the Hereditary Disease Foundation.  Dr. Wexler's life has been haunted by Huntington's disease.  She saw her mother and other members of her family die from the catastrophic brain disease.  This haunting spurred her into action at an early age and at a time when women research scientists were not common in the United States.  Her work has taken her from tiny villages in Venezuela, where large numbers of families are impacted by Huntington's disease, to other areas of the globe and back to New York where she and the Hereditary Disease Foundation's scientific team work tirelessly to eliminate Huntington's.