Wasteful spending on oil, gas, minerals projects in Afghanistan
Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa made the following comment on a new report from the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), “Afghanistan’s Oil, Gas, and Minerals Industries: $488 Million in U.S. Efforts Show Limited Progress Overall, and Challenges Prevent Further Investment and Growth” (SIGAR Audit 16-11). Grassley is looking at wasteful U.S. spending in Afghanistan, including money spent through the Defense Department’s temporary Task Force for Business and Stability Operations.
“Unfortunately for these kinds of projects in Afghanistan, you don’t even need the fingers on one hand to count the success stories. It’s too bad that U.S. taxpayers must bear the brunt of so many expensive failures. With these mining debacles, U.S. tax dollars almost literally went down a hole. I’m repeating the call for the Defense Department to give SIGAR complete access to all Afghanistan development task force documents. The documents are necessary so SIGAR can conduct an audit and render an accounting that tells us exactly how the money was spent and who should be held accountable for the wasted funds.”
Senate Judiciary Committee to Hold Hearing on Mental Health Legislation
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said today that the committee will hold a hearing on January 26, to discuss mental health issues as they relate to the criminal justice system. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. (ET) in room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
The Mental Health and Safe Communities Act, authored by Senator John Cornyn, will serve as the basis for discussion at the hearing. Witnesses will be announced at a later date.
Grassley said that the need and desire to address mental health issues in the country has bipartisan support. He said that Cornyn’s bill is a good starting point for the discussion in the Judiciary Committee to look at how improvements can be made to the various parts of the system to better respond to crises, identify people with dangerous mental illness, provide necessary treatment, and enhance the background check system.
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Grassley Veterans Fellowship Program Accepting Applications
WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said today that he is accepting applications for a fellowship program in his state offices for Iowans with recent military service.
“This program is designed to help veterans gain experience in the civilian workforce, and in this case, providing constituent services and outreach through a Senate office,” Grassley said. “It’s a good opportunity for the candidates to build a resume. It’s also a good opportunity for my office to have more eyes and ears devoted to serving our veterans in Iowa. I appreciate the experiences and insights that returning service members can offer to help identify the needs and challenges that veterans face integrating back into their communities. My staff and I try our best to serve veterans, but there’s always room to make sure we’re doing everything we can.”
Grassley would like to have two fellows in his Veterans Fellowship Program, one in Des Moines and one in Cedar Rapids. The candidates can expect to meet with veterans and service organizations on Grassley’s behalf, including visiting with County Veterans Service Officers, the National Guard, the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown and Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics across the state. The fellows also will have the opportunity to learn more about working in Grassley’s state offices, as they will assist with constituent correspondence and casework.
Grassley launched the fellowship last year with a Vietnam-era, U.S. Air Force veteran serving in Grassley’s Des Moines office as the first fellow in the program.
“I’m glad the first year of the fellowship was so successful, and I look forward to continuing the fellowship again this year,” Grassley said. “I encourage interested Iowans with recent military service to visit my website or offices for an application.”
The application is available on Grassley’s website. Hard copies are available in Grassley’s Iowa offices in Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Sioux City and Waterloo. Completed applications are due January 31.
Grassley has a long record of legislation and oversight to improve veterans services. He successfully pressed for the increased hiring of veterans at the Internal Revenue Service. After the recent Veterans Affairs waiting list scandal, he contributed to legislation, ultimately enacted, to make it easier to remove senior officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs for poor performance.
Grassley also has worked to improve mental health services for veterans. He co-sponsored the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (SAV) Act, given unanimous Senate approval and signed into law. The legislation builds on the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act, enacted in 2007. The Omvig Act, a bipartisan bill that Grassley co-sponsored as the lead Senate Republican, was named after an Iraq War veteran from Iowa who committed suicide in 2005. It sought to improve mental health services for veterans and reduce the incidence of suicide. He is an original co-sponsor of a pending bill from Sen. Joni Ernst to allow veterans to get mental health care from private physicians if the VA can’t see them when they need it.
As part of his focus on agencies’ use of extensive paid administrative leave, Grassley cited the VA’s “troubled record” in that area, including reportedly placing employees on such leave pending investigations into their inappropriate actions related to secret VA waiting lists, as well as accusations of using administrative leave as retaliation for employees who objected to instructions to manipulate appointment times or other improper practices. Grassley is working on legislation to cut down on excessive administrative leave across federal agencies.
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