Quilts of the Civil War Becky Wright, Presenter

Sunday, June 12, 2:00 p.m.

Sounds too good to be true, but come Thursday, June 9 at 6:30 pm, Fireside Winery will serve up a dinner buffet complete with assorted salads, shrimp scampi, bacon wrapped pork loin in a plum sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans with almonds and a mixed berry stack for dessert.

The Old Creamery Theatre will take to the stage at 7:30 p.m. for Love Letters, a love story that traces the lifelong correspondence of Andrew and Melissa, two very different people who care deeply for one another. Their relationship spans decades and comes to life through their letters to one another. Love Letters features Tom Milligan and Deborah Kennedy of The Old Creamery Theatre.

Tickets for dinner and the show are $40 per person and will include a free glass of wine of choice. To purchase tickets and make reservations, call Fireside Winery (319) 662-4222. Tickets are non refundable and the event will be held rain or shine.

Love Letters will also be performed at Fireside Winery on Saturday, July 23 and Thursday, July 28. The dinner buffet will again be served but the menu will vary. Call Fireside Winery for details.

Fireside Winery is a locally owned family winery in rural Marengo on P Avenue (County Rd V77) between Highway 6 and the I - 80 Williamsburg exit, across the road from the Conroy First Lutheran Church. Complete directions can be found on the website at www.firesidewinery.com

The Old Creamery Theatre Company is a not-for-profit professional theatre founded in 1971 in Garrison, Iowa. The company is celebrating 40 years of bringing live, professional theatre to the people of Iowa and the Midwest.

Grassley Comment on Wasteful Spending at Public Housing Authorities

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa has been tracking wasteful spending at public housing authorities including those in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Puerto Rico.  He made the following comment on an audit released today, showing the Philadelphia Housing Authority wasted millions of dollars from the federal stimulus package.  The audit is available here.

"This audit is the latest example of the Philadelphia Housing Authority's, and ultimately HUD's, failure to protect residents and taxpayers.  The housing authority has been a Bermuda Triangle for tax dollars. The primary people being helped are shady developers and law firms.  It's frustrating to see such blatant abuse of tax dollars.  The stimulus act included $4 billion for public housing agencies nationwide.  The millions of stimulus dollars wasted in Philadelphia call into question whether the rest of the $4 billion was wasted just as badly.  The Philadelphia Housing Authority is the fourth-largest in the country, and it paid millions of dollars to outside law firms to obstruct inspector general audits.  If other housing agencies are as troubled, and with the Obama administration's requiring little accountability for spending, we might never know whether stimulus money for housing was spent as intended or how much went down the drain."

Grassley Presses Agency for Answers on Wireless Network Project

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is seeking disclosure and transparency from the Federal Communications Commission about a new wireless Internet network project that appears on a fast track for approval from the agency, despite concerns about the impact on other technologies and possible financial problems behind the operation.

"This project is controversial for two reasons.  One, there are questions about whether it will block GPS technology, which is important to agriculture and other industries.  Two, the principal behind this project is said to be under investigation by another agency for his financial dealings," Grassley said.  "The FCC's unusual fast-tracking of this project before its effects have been fully tested raises questions about whether the agency did its due diligence.   I'm looking for answers to these questions so taxpayers can be assured that the government is treating public property the way it ought to be treated.   So far, the FCC hasn't provided any of the information I've requested.  It should, in the interest of transparency in doing the public's business."

Grassley recently wrote to the FCC, asking for information related to the agency's consideration of the LightSquared project, which various industries warn would produce signals that could jam existing navigation systems used in farming, air travel, law enforcement, by the military and in general consumer navigation.  The head of the hedge fund behind the project told investors that his firm is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for allegations of market manipulation, according to media reports.  The firm has been the subject of considerable media attention for losing large amounts of money and other controversies including whether the firm should have told investors in a timely fashion about a $113 million loan it extended to the principal of the firm.

Grassley has not received the information he requested from the FCC.  "This is an agency with a lot of power over public air waves," Grassley said.  "I'll continue to ask for information in the public's interest."

This week, officials in the Las Vegas area say GPS could be unavailable as LightSquared technology is tested, causing concern for military operations and other non-commercial pilots.

The FCC has granted a conditional waiver for LightSquared to proceed with its wireless network.  A coalition of groups has objected to what it considers the unprecedented speed with which the FCC is allowing the company to move forward.

The text of Grassley's letter to the FCC is available here.

Grassley Urges Action for Keystone Pipeline with Canada

Senator Says the Decision is Important for American Consumers Paying High Gas Prices

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley is urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to make a prompt decision on the international Keystone XL pipeline project.

"Consumers need action on high gas prices, and we ought to move forward on this project." Grassley said about his letter to Clinton.  "Canada is a steady and reliable neighbor.  The pipeline needs to be built safely and responsibly.  And, whether or not the United States approves the project, the oil will be produced in Canada, and if it doesn't come to the United States, then China likely will get it.  So, this project is one thing the administration can be doing and should be doing to increase the supply of energy and thereby reduce prices at the pump for consumers."

The Keystone XL pipeline was approved more than a year ago by the Canadian National Energy Board.  It would provide 830,000 barrels of crude oil a day and help to counteract both insufficient domestic oil supplies in the United States and reduce dependence on less reliable foreign sources, including Venezuela, Libya or OPEC members.

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I'd like to thank the Chairman of the Immigration Subcommittee for holding today's hearing about security and commerce at the northern border.  Border security is a critical issue that this body needs to constantly assess and improve.  The number one responsibility of Congress is to protect the homeland, and we must not turn a blind eye to the realities of illegal activity that is seen every day along the southern and northern borders.

Before I delve into the issues, I want to take a moment to thank all those who serve our country every day to protect the borders.  We are saddened by the recent loss of Border Patrol Agents Eduardo Rojas, Jr., and Hector Clark, who were killed last Thursday near Gila Bend, Arizona.  We pray for every agent's safety as they put their lives on the line and we share our gratitude for their dedicated service to our country.

It's been five months since Special Agent Brian Terry was shot and killed while on duty in Arizona.  His family still has not fully received answers as to what happened in the shootout with a roving band of illegal immigrants, although a recent indictment issued in the case confirmed information I had previously received that two of the guns those criminals were using were a part of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Operation Fast and Furious.  The ATF failed to stop those weapons from being transferred to the bandits at the scene of the shootout with Agent Terry.  One thing is clear?our borders are far less safe with the ATF having allowed well over a thousand firearms to end up in the hands of straw purchasers.  These cartels make our borders an increasingly more and more dangerous place each day.

When you hear stories of Agents Rojas, Clark, Terry, and others, it's hard to accept Secretary Napolitano's word that the border is more secure today than ever.  The Border Patrol Council - the union that represents agents - even said the Secretary's statements are "wrong and give citizens a false sense of security."  And, the facts are against her.  An independent study from the Government Accountability Office says that only 873 of the 2,000 miles separating U.S. and Mexico are under "operational control."

I'm also concerned by a recent Government Accountability Office report that emphasizes the significant threat posed by illegal crossing on our federal lands.  Our national parks and forests are vulnerable because of the lack of law enforcement presence and because of their rugged terrain.  On the Northern Border, the Spokane sector is the primary entry point for air smugglers of high-potency marijuana.  Yet, there's insufficient agency coordination to share intelligence or to develop joint budget requests or strategies to address these threats.

We have more than drugs and guns crossing our borders. We have human smuggling and trafficking.  And, we have more than just Mexicans wanting to make a better life for themselves and their families.  So far in fiscal 2011, we have apprehended over tens of thousands of "Other Than Mexicans" at the southern and northern borders.  We cannot let down our guard.  Lest we forget that the so called "millennium bomber" who sought to unleash a terrorist attack at the Los Angeles Airport was captured at our northern border with a car full of high powered explosives.  This is just another example of why we must remain vigilant against terrorists plotting against all our borders and points of entry.

Congress passed a $600 million border security bill in 2010, but this investment is only a down payment on what we really need to do.  The funding, paid by fees from high tech companies, has only amounted to $61 million since August.  That means the executive branch is collecting about $6.8 million each month.  If that rate were to continue, we'll only have $325.4 million collected over four years.  That's just 54 percent of the $600 million investment that we promised the American people.  And, unfortunately, this funding does nothing to complete a double layer fence in badly needed areas.

The 2010 border bill also didn't address Operation Streamline, a program that charges individuals who have crossed the border illegally with a misdemeanor and those who re-enter after deportation with significant jail time.  Operation Streamline, a fast-track program, resolves a federal criminal case with prison and deportation consequences in approximately two days or less.  This program can serve as a deterrent against future illegal immigration in existing Border Patrol sectors.

Also ignored is the exit-entry control system that was mandated in 1996 to track every foreign national who arrives and departs the United States.  Since then, due in part to the recommendations put forth by the 9/11 Commission, Congress has called on the Department of Homeland Security to develop a system that matches biometric information of an alien against relevant watch lists and immigration information.  This biometric data is also supposed to be compared against manifest information collected by air carriers so that the federal government can confirm that foreign nationals have departed the country as required.  After fifteen years and several serious terrorist attacks against citizens of the United States, administration after administration has failed to fully implement a biometric air exit system.  It is unacceptable that progress on the exit portion of US-VISIT has stalled despite congressional funding and several pilot projects.

The President has touted the success of the previous administration's achievement in doubling the Border Patrol, and this Congress is committed to maintaining these levels of personnel.  But, I'm seriously concerned about the President's mixed message, saying that a legalization program is in the best interest of our economy and our security.  Secretary Napolitano touts this administration's record number of deportations, but even the Washington Post disputed these figures, alleging they cooked the books to make them appear enforcement-minded.  While I realize this is a hearing focused on border issues, I hope Mr. Morton will address the fuzzy math and so-called record statistics, and share with members the challenges his officers face in enforcing the laws on the books when aliens bypass our border patrol.

Again, thank you for holding this hearing today.  I look forward to hearing from our witnesses.

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