Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today made the following comment on a hearing of the Armed Services Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee regarding Department of Defense mismanagement and wasteful spending in Afghanistan, chaired by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.). Grassley has sought a formal audit of the Defense Department’s Task Force for Business and Stability Operations in Afghanistan.
“I appreciate the focus Senator Ayotte and her subcommittee gave to the Afghanistan task force. It’s obvious that a top-to-bottom audit is needed to address all the questions being raised. We need a full and complete accounting of how the money was spent. That’s my goal, and Senator Ayotte made that point up front. The auditors must match up payments with contract requirements. That’s how we’ll determine whether money was spent according to law.”
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Senate Judiciary Committee to Explore Impact of Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley today announced that the committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday, January 27, at 10 a.m., on the opioid epidemic that has reached crisis levels in communities across the country.
The goal of the hearing is to learn more about what is being done to combat the rampant heroin and prescription drug abuse occurring across the country, and what role Congress can play to combat this threat. Potential legislative remedies, including the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, will be discussed throughout the hearing.
Both Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Senator Rob Portman of Ohio will speak before the committee about the crises in their states. New Hampshire and Ohio have been hit particularly hard by heroin and other opioids.
“Opioid abuse is a real problem across the country. We have pockets of the country that are struggling to get ahead of the issue. This hearing will help us explore ideas as to how Congress can help some of these communities,” Grassley said.
The full slate of witnesses will be announced at a later date.
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