by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley

Among the objectives named in the preamble of the Constitution, the Founders specified one of the primary responsibilities of governance for the newly formed republic is to provide for the nation's common defense.  For more than two centuries, the United States of America has protected its borders, people, international commerce and national security backed up by a civilian controlled military funded by the taxpaying public.

Our system of checks and balances works to keep the military under civilian control.  The Constitution specifies the president serves as commander in chief.  The people's branch appropriates and the executive branch spends money to provide for the Armed Services.  This dual authority works to ensure the military serves, not subverts, we the people.

Since our nation's founding, policymakers have debated the merits of the size, scope and strategy of the nation's military. Between the White House and Congress, presidents and lawmakers have used the strength of the U.S. military to maintain peace, protect and defend the blessings of freedom and provide for national security.

Generations of Americans owe a debt of gratitude to those who have served in the Armed Forces, putting their lives on the line and often separating from their families to serve, defend and protect.

Although the U.S. military serves a critical role in upholding the nation's common defense, lawmakers should not issue blank checks to the Department of Defense.  In fact, my longstanding crusade to protect the taxpaying public has exposed serious financial mismanagement at the Pentagon that undermines military readiness and exposes cultural, systemic flaws that weaken this critical institution of the federal government.

Protecting the taxpaying public and providing for the nation's common defense are not mutually exclusive.  Too many people in Washington think that throwing more money at something will solve the world's problems.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

As Congress works to dial back the spending spigot that has created a $17 trillion national debt, I am working to hold the line on overspending.  As keepers of the public purse, lawmakers need to demand more accountability for each tax dollar, including defense spending. Although no one thinks the across-the-board sequester was the smartest way to hold spending to the level Congress agreed to live under, I reject the notion that there are no parts of the federal budget that can be cut and the only solution is to ditch the spending caps that have forced Uncle Sam to borrow and spend less of taxpayers' money.

For those who ballyhoo that the sky will fall if the Pentagon's budget is trimmed further, I would direct their attention to the apparent shenanigans of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS).  What's worse, the independent watchdog at the Pentagon may have schemed with DFAS and turned a blind eye to problems with the agency's financial statements to snow policymakers and the public.

One of my earliest crusades against government waste started at the Pentagon.  At that time, a Pentagon maverick reported serious fiscal mismanagement and an astonishing waste of tax dollars.  Remember the $500 hammers and $7,600 coffee pots?  It's been a few years since I drove my orange Chevette to the Pentagon from Capitol Hill to track down answers about bloated defense budgets.  Thanks to the courage and pursuit of the truth from a civil servant at the Defense Department, we succeeded in exposing fantasy financials that front-loaded the budget with massive, unaffordable programs.  At the time, the Pentagon was flushing tax money down the drain with $700 toilet seats.  His testimony at a joint congressional hearing helped lead to a freeze on the defense budget build-up at the height of the farm crisis in the mid-80s, sparing taxpayers billions of dollars.  Ever since, I've championed all means necessary through oversight and legislation to hold the Pentagon accountable for the money it spends to uphold the nation's common defense.

As Abe Lincoln discovered during the Civil War, there's no shortage of profiteers who troll federal spending for financial gain.  Or in the case of the DFAS, allegedly fudging the numbers to mislead policymakers and protect its funding stream.  It takes a tireless commitment to prevent the taxpaying public from getting fleeced. Sometimes it feels like paddling upstream, especially as the federal government has a record of using antiquated systems to track spending and prevent fraud.

Rooting out waste, fraud and abuse is hard enough even with proper auditing tools.  So if integrity at the auditing shop in the Inspector General's office is up for grabs, policymakers would have better luck finding a needle in an Iowa haystack than getting accurate numbers to make the right spending decisions.  If this episode is a reflection of widespread "financial delusions" the DFAS conducts throughout the Pentagon, then Congress needs to tighten, not loosen, the purse strings until the Department of Defense can right its fiscal ship.

Washington, D.C - Congressman Dave Loebsack today announced that his office is now accepting applications from Iowa college students to participate in a Congressional internship program in his Washington, D.C. office. The internship program is open to undergraduate students and recent graduates, regardless of major.

"As a former teacher, I have seen the benefits that internships can provide by giving students a firsthand look into the government process," said Loebsack. "I encourage all hardworking, motivated students and recent graduates to apply."

Interns will have the opportunity to learn about the legislative process and the federal government by working closely with the legislative, communications and constituent services staff members. Interested candidates should email their cover letter, resume, a short writing sample and a letter of recommendation to LoebsackInternship@mail.house.gov.

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DES MOINES -Today, the Branstad Administration announced its secretive decision to close the Iowa Juvenile Home and outsource the services the Juvenile Home provides to some of Iowa's most troubled youth.

"We are shocked to hear the Governor's office has taken this course of action. Many groups have been working together to solve the issues at the Iowa Juvenile Home. Not only is this a sad day for the workers, but it is a sad day for the Iowa's troubled youth displaced because of the Governor's actions," said AFSCME Iowa Council 61 President Danny Homan.

"The troubled youth at the Juvenile Home deserved a truly open decision making process that sought a dialogue with all Iowans, including legislators. The students at the Juvenile Home deserved an honest and public discussion about how the students will receive assistance in the future. Governor Branstad's closed door decision making process failed to live up to these principles and the Governor's pledge for transparency in state government," added Homan.

Juvenile Home employees have and continue to be willing partners in addressing the failures of management policies at the Juvenile Home.

"Our members and our union will continue to advocate for troubled youth and for the state's responsibility to see them through their difficult times," said Homan.

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New Round of Funding to Spur Housing Construction and Preservation, Support 2,400 Jobs in Communities Across Illinois

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today announced more than 1,470 affordable apartments will be created or preserved for working families, seniors and people with disabilities in communities across the state. Today's announcement is part of the Governor's agenda to ensure quality affordable housing for working families, seniors and people with disabilities across Illinois.

"Easing the cost of housing for hard-working families, seniors and people with disabilities is a priority in Illinois," Governor Quinn said. "We must do everything we can to both increase and preserve quality affordable housing to help working families achieve housing stability and create thousands of jobs."

Financing for the apartments was approved from two sources - the federal low-income housing tax credit (Housing Credit) and the Illinois Housing Development Authority's (IHDA) Preservation Now program. A new round of Housing Credit financing will support the construction and rehabilitation of 1,021 units in 16 developments in the areas of Chicago, Metro East, Springfield and Peoria. Under the state's Preservation Now program, more than 450 units of affordable housing for hard-working families and seniors will be preserved in six developments located in Southern Illinois, Peoria and the Quad Cities. This combined financing will support an estimated 2,400 jobs statewide and local real estate tax and revenue will be generated to spur economic activity. Under Governor Quinn, the IHDA has financed the creation and preservation of more than 17,800 rental homes statewide.

As the state's housing finance agency, the IHDA allocates the federal Housing Credits through a competitive process to finance qualified affordable housing developments. With the recent approval of the IHDA board, developers will now seek private investment for the new developments. Work to build new housing or rehabilitate existing multifamily developments will generate construction and post-construction jobs. Construction is expected to begin by next spring.

In 1986, Congress created the federal tax credit program to spur the development of affordable housing. It is widely considered the most productive affordable housing financing tool in the nation. The sale of federal housing credits to private investors generates equity, and this equity reduces the need for the developer to borrow money for the new development. This savings results in lower rents.

This was the second round of funding under the Preservation Now program, which Governor Quinn launched this year. Last month, the IHDA approved financing to preserve an additional 600 affordable rental units for seniors and people with disabilities in Chicago and Peoria, creating more than an estimated 500 jobs. Approximately $245 million in project-based rental subsidy will be preserved over the next 20 years as a result of Preservation Now, which provides funding through the Illinois Affordable Housing Trust Fund and other resources. Trust Fund revenue is generated from half of the state real estate transfer fee.

"Governor Quinn is a strong advocate for leveraging public-private partnerships to meet the affordable housing needs of the state's low- to moderate-income residents," IHDA Executive Director Mary R. Kenney said. "The Housing Credit and Governor Quinn's Preservation Now program effectively safeguard the affordability of these developments for decades."

To qualify for the affordable units, residents must earn at or below 60 percent of the area median income (AMI), or $35,340 in the Chicago area, $32,280 in the Springfield area, or $33,240 in Madison County for a two-person household.

Developments approved for financing include :

·         Nehemiah Homes in Springfield - A new construction family development of 30 rental single-family homes will be built on various sites in Springfield's Eastside neighborhood. Developed by the Calvary Mission Baptist Church, this is the third phase of the Nehemiah Homes development initiated to provide decent affordable housing after storms ravaged the area.

·         Aurora Impact Initiative in Aurora - Forty units of vacant single-family homes will be acquired and rehabilitated to return to the market as rental housing in Aurora. All units will receive rental assistance through the Aurora Housing Authority.

·         Wisdom Village of Oak Street - An abandoned building and unused tennis courts on Chicago's Near North Side will be replaced with a 106-unit new construction mixed-income development for seniors.

·         Bloomington-Normal Scattered Site - In the Bloomington-Normal area, 26 vacant single-family homes will be acquired and rehabilitated to return to the market as rental homes. Work will include upgrades to add more energy-efficient features.

·         May Apartments in Edwardsville - An existing independent living development serving seniors and people with disabilities will be rehabilitated, and a new wing will be built in Edwardsville - creating and preserving 70 affordable apartments.

·         Shawnee Village in Marion - The 120-unit Shawnee Village for working families and seniors in Marion will be equipped with new flooring, roof and HVAC replacements, energy efficient appliance and lighting upgrades.

·         Sandburg Village Apartments in Galesburg - New flooring, windows, roof and HVAC replacements, energy efficient appliance and lighting upgrades will be added to the 128-unit Sandburg Village Apartments in Galesburg.

For a full list of approved developments, please visit www.ihda.org/about/news.

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