Red Cross on Haiti earthquake relief, response to Grassley, remaining questions
Sen. Chuck Grassley has received a response from the American Red Cross related to his inquiry on spending on earthquake relief in Haiti. He made the following comment on the response.
"I still have a lot more questions for the Red Cross. It's unclear why the Red Cross enters into contracts with other organizations stipulating that details of grants can't be disclosed to the media or donors. Who's driving the lack of disclosure, the Red Cross or the grant recipients? What's the rationale for it? It's hard to see how disclosing the dollar amounts given from the Red Cross to the individual organizations and how those organizations spent the money would harm anyone. I look forward to an explanation. I have other questions about the spending numbers and how they add up and the overhead costs for both the Red Cross and the grantee organizations. Also, I'd like to see more details of the results achieved from each of the partner organizations. Transparency and accountability are important for any spending in the public interest. With that in mind, I'll continue to ask questions on behalf of the donating, taxpaying public."
The Red Cross' responses to Grassley's questions are available here, excluding the details of partner organizations.
Iowa Congressional Delegation Adds Support for Disaster Declaration Request
WASHINGTON– Led by Sen. Chuck Grassley, all members of the Iowa congressional delegation have added their support for Gov. Terry Branstad's request for a federal declaration of a major disaster for the state as a result of severe weather during that occurred during the period of June 20, 2015 and June 25, 2015. The letter was signed by Grassley, Sen. Joni Ernst, and Reps. Steve King, Dave Loebsack, Rod Blum and David Young.
"The Governor determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments to handle effectively and federal assistance is needed," the members wrote.
Severe weather that produced damaging winds, tornadoes, heavy rains, hail and thunderstorms resulting in flooding impacted 19 counties.
The counties included in the request for Public Assistance were: Allamakee, Appanoose, Butler, Clayton, Dallas, Davis, Des Moines, Guthrie, Howard, Jefferson, Lee, Lucas, Marion, Mitchell, Monroe, Warren, Wayne, Winneshiek, and Wright.
The text of the letter is below. A signed copy of the letter can be found here.
Goodlatte & Grassley Press for Information About Dangerous Federal Inmates Awaiting Release
Sentencing Commission amendment allows for the release of thousands of federal inmates this November
Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) pressed Attorney General Loretta Lynch for information about the thousands of federal prison inmates who will be released in November as a result of the U.S. Sentencing Commission's decision to lower federal sentencing for all drug trafficking and distribution crimes. Those expected to be released include inmates with violent criminal histories, who have committed crimes involving assault, firearms, sodomy, and even murder.
In early 2014, the Sentencing Commission promulgated Amendment 782, which imposed a two-level reduction in the base offense levels for all drug trafficking and distribution offenses, including trafficking offenses that involve drug quantities substantial enough to trigger mandatory minimum sentences. The Commission made those reductions retroactive, applying them to all inmates in the Bureau of Prison's custody who are serving a sentence for a drug offense. Over the past year, thousands of federal inmates have filed motions with their courts of jurisdiction for sentence reductions.
In their letter to Attorney General Lynch, Chairmen Goodlatte and Grassley note that their concerns about violent offenders being released were ultimately ignored by the Sentencing Commission. They request that Attorney General Lynch provide the House and Senate Judiciary Committees with detailed information about the federal inmates who will be released on November 1 or thereafter.
Below is the text of the letter. A copy of the signed letter can be found here.
Senate Passes Protections for Whistleblowers of Antitrust Crimes
WASHINGTON - The Senate has unanimously passed legislation to extend whistleblower protections for employees who provide information to their employer or the Department of Justice regarding criminal antitrust violations. The Criminal Antitrust Anti-retaliation Act was introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Patrick Leahy.
"Violators of antitrust laws put businesses and our economic wellbeing at risk, so whistleblowers who call attention to violators should be praised, not punished. Unfortunately, these folks often face retribution at work for their efforts to correct misconduct. The Criminal Antitrust Anti-retaliation Act protects these individuals from workplace retaliation and abuse. It may also serve as a deterrent of future misconduct. I'm grateful for the work of my colleagues to move this bill forward and urge my colleagues in the House of Representative to take action to shield these whistleblowers from reprisal," Grassley said.
"I applaud the Senate for passing bipartisan legislation that will protect employees who blow the whistle on criminal antitrust violations. Whistleblowers play an important role in alerting the public, Congress, and law enforcement agencies to wrongdoing in a number of areas. By protecting those who would blow the whistle on criminal antitrust behavior, our bill will help facilitate the reporting of violations that ultimately affect consumers. I urge the House to pass this bipartisan legislation," Leahy said.
The Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act establishes protections for whistleblowers who assist in criminal antitrust cases by prohibiting employers from retaliating against an employee who provides information to the employer or the Justice Department regarding conduct that violates the criminal antitrust laws. The bill allows an employee who believes he or she is the victim of retaliation to file a complaint with the Secretary of Labor, and provides for that employee to be reinstated to their former status if the Secretary finds in their favor. Grassley and Leahy authored similar whistleblower statutes as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002.
The Senate unanimously passed a similar version of the legislation last Congress. The legislation is based on recommendations from a Government Accountability Office report released in July 2011. The Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.
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