Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley

Finance Committee Markup of John Koskinen to be IRS Commissioner

December 13, 2013

This committee meeting breaks long-standing precedent of bipartisanship that has largely characterized how this Committee has operated.  During my tenure as either Chairman or ranking member this Committee always sought to process nominees of either party on an evenhanded and bipartisan basis.

Unfortunately, the breakdown of the rules and tradition of the Senate that recently culminated in the use of the nuclear option by Majority leader Reid has been allowed to infect the workings of this Committee.

Ranking Member Hatch, with the support of his fellow Republican committee members, requested the markup of Mr. Koskinen wait until the Committee could finish its ongoing investigation of the IRS targeting scandal.  This request was NOT a delaying tactic.  In fact, Ranking Member Hatch expressed his support for the nominee at a hearing held a little over 48 hours ago.

The ranking member made a good faith request concerning important business of this Committee.  The ranking member's sincerely held view was that it would be better for the Committee to complete the committee's bipartisan investigation into the IRS targeting scandal before moving forward.  The ranking member and I don't doubt that Mr. Koskinen fully intends to keep his promises to do all he can to assist the investigation.

The ranking member's concern, a concern I share, is about opposition he may face from within the IRS and outside of it, particularly if the investigation leads to the larger Treasury Department.

The ranking member's request is not without precedent in this Committee.  A similar request was made while I was Chairman of the Committee and every attempt was made to honor that request.

Unfortunately this has not been the case with Mr. Koskinen's nomination.  His nomination has been rushed through the Committee with lightning speed.  Mr. Koskinen's hearing was held just over 48 hours ago.  This has resulted in members having little time to follow-up with the nominee concerning questions asked of him at the hearing.

Traditionally, members of the Committee are given ample time to submit questions for the record.  This allows members to follow up on responses to questions given by the nominee during the hearing and engage in some agency oversight. Usually this committee provides at least 24 hours or longer in which to submit questions for the record.  However, for Mr. Koskinen members had at most 6 hours to submit questions for the nominee.  Given that members and their staff keep busy schedules, members were hard pressed to meet the 5 p.m. deadline that was imposed.

For such an important nomination as IRS Commissioner whose role has vastly increased because of Affordable Care Act one would expect more time for questions, not less.

Rushing this nomination through the committee has reduced the quality of the oversight Members are able to exercise.  In less than 24 hours, Mr. Koskinen was NOT able to adequately respond to written questions for the record for myself and other Members.  The answers I received back reflect this.  Many answers look as though someone copied and pasted a form response and just filled in blanks to reflect the question being asked.

I think Mr. Koskinen is very capable.  I would have appreciated him taking the time to provide thorough and substantive answers to my questions.  Instead I received promises to look at reports or learn about issues in the future.  In the past, this Committee expected nominees to answer questions before they were confirmed, but the majority will accept evidence that the nominee merely read the question.

I hope the way this nomination was handled is not evidence of how this Committee will proceed in the future.  That would be a tragedy for a Committee that has a rich tradition of bipartisanship and collegiality among members.

It's hard to stick to a low-calorie diet day after day to lose weight, but new research shows you don't have to, says Dr. Susie Rockway, a veteran nutritional and biochemical expert in the U.S. health industry.

"Recent studies show you can lose 10 to 30 pounds in eight weeks through alternate-day fasting," she says. "Every other day, dieters in the study ate only lunch - no breakfast or dinner - between noon and 2 p.m. The following day, they could eat whatever they wanted. Not only did they not 'gorge' as expected on the feed days, most had an easier time sticking with it."

Dieting is as much about the mind as it is about the body, and most people have a difficult time staying with any sort of very strict regimen, says Sebastien Hebbelinck, a 20-year-plus veteran of the nutraceutical industry.

In the alternate day fast studies conducted by Dr. Krista Varady of the University of Illinois at Chicago, participants on average consumed only 110 percent of their energy needs on feed days, Rockway says. Lunch on fast days was 400 to 500 calories for women and 500 to 600 calories for men.

Hebbelinck, the CEO of Apax Business Development, which produces the water-soluble fat-binding supplement Lineatabs (sold at GNC and www.lineatabs.com), offers these other suggestions for indulging your taste buds while losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight.

• Eat your bigger meals earlier in the day. Avoiding large meals at dinnertime is effective in helping to lose weight, particularly abdominal fat. In fact, another fasting study -- presented at this year's American Diabetes Association conference - showed that dieters who ate big meals at breakfast and lunch and skipped dinner lost more weight than participants who ate six small meals a day.

• Don't belly up to the buffet bar. Whether it's a cheat meal or a cheat day, throw all those studies out the window if you gorge on huge quantities of food. Eat controlled portions of healthy, nutritious foods. You can enjoy a nice lunch with a glass of wine and even a dessert, but don't go back for seconds and don't order the Decadent Chocolate-for-Four if you have no plans to share!

Rockway adds the following tips based on her nutritional and biochemical expertise.

• Include plenty of fiber and water (stay hydrated!). Unlike most nutrients in foods, we don't absorb fiber. It passes through our digestive tract, and if it's soluble fiber, it can help us feel full since it forms viscous gels. High-fiber foods include legumes, beans, avocados, nuts, whole fruits (versus juice), and whole-grain foods such as whole wheat spaghetti. On a cheat day, you may splurge on    a higher fat hamburger or fries, which case this is the perfect time to take a fiber-rich fat-binding supplement such as Lineatabs before the meal to help prevent some of the excess fats from being absorbed. Rockway likes Lineatabs because, unlike other fat-binding supplements, it dissolves in water and is consumed as a beverage, making the fiber soluble in the stomach and immediately available to bind to fats. It then forms a viscous fiber in the small intestines to form a barrier to reduce absorption. AND you get the fluid your body needs!!

• Healthy eating: Plan meals that are higher in lean protein and lower in simple carbohydrates. This will help you avoid a sugar spike that will leave you feeling hungry soon afterward. It also stabilizes your insulin levels, and protein foods are the most satiating.  If you are satisfied after you eat, you will be less likely to snack later. Some great high-protein choices include turkey or chicken  breast, pork loin chop, tuna and salmon and whey protein shakes. Avoid foods high in simple carbs, such as syrups, soft drinks and jams.

About Dr. Susie Rockway, Ph.D., C.N.S. & Sebastien Hebbelinck

Dr. Susie Rockway, Ph.D., C.N.S., is a veteran nutritional and biochemical expert and decades-long health industry expert. Rockway has worked for multiple companies in executive capacities, including as an executive director of product development, a director of research, and a manager for science developing health and wellness products, where she communicated nutrition and new science updates to consumers. She has also designed testing strategies for clinical efficacy studies.

Sebastien Hebbelinck is an internationally recognized business entrepreneur who has been active in the nutraceutical industry for more than two decades. He is the founder and CEO of Apax Business Development, a 21-year-old company that has experienced major success in Europe with the dietary supplement Lineatabs (sold at GNC and www.lineatabs.com). The product contains Solusitan, an all-natural fat-binding complex contained in an innovative delivery system that dissolves in water, making it immediately available in the stomach to bind with fat molecules in food.

Homecoming set for Dec. 14 for Peoria-based National Guard unit

PEORIA, IL (12/13/2013)(readMedia)-- Approximately 60 Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers who served in Afghanistan with 2nd Battalion of the 238th General Support Aviation Battalion in Peoria will return home tomorrow with a homecoming ceremony at 12 p.m., Dec. 14 at the Army Aviation Support Facility #3, 2323 S. Airport Road in Peoria.

The unit was mobilized in January and deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The aviation unit includes members from across Illinois.

While deployed, the 238th flew CH-47 Chinook helicopters for heavy helicopter air movement and air assault missions. It was also in charge of re-supply operations and aviation maintenance support. The unit moved personnel and cargo across the battlefield to decisive points at critical times.

The company flew more than 3,100 combat hours, moving more than 14,000 people and three million pounds of cargo during its rotation.

"I cannot speak highly enough of this company and its Soldiers," said Maj. Clarence Pulcher of Morton, Ill., commander of the 238th. "We executed all of our missions without fail and without a single serious accident."

Pulcher highlighted his maintenance section's performance after several of the unit's aircraft were damaged by a hailstorm in April, just weeks after the unit arrived in Afghanistan.

"It was a hailstorm of biblical proportion dropping anywhere from pea-sized to baseball-sized hail," Pulcher said. "Living most of my life in Southern Illinois, tornado alley, I have never seen anything like it."

Pulcher said his maintenance teams worked around the clock to get the Chinooks airborne within two weeks.

News media attending the event should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the ceremony. For more information call the Public Affairs Office at 217-761-3569 or email us at ng.il.ilarng.list.staff-pao@mail.mil.

Media and others attending the ceremony should prepare for inclement weather and be flexible for any last minute time adjustments.