Tom Harkin

May 26, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced a total of $752,451 in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been released to Iowa for medical research. With the passage of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA), the Economic Recovery Package, Senator Harkin was able to secure more than $10.4 billion for medical research across the United States. NIH funds biomedical research and research training at more than 3,000 institutions in the fifty states and territories.    » read more »

May 26, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) issued the following statement today after learning that President Obama has nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Judge Sotomayor is extremely qualified.

"She has the intellect and experiences necessary to serve on our nation’s highest Court. In addition to her nearly 17 years on the federal bench – having been appointed by both Presidents Bush and Clinton – she has unique life experiences that I believe are critical to ensure that the Court truly embodies the diversity of our country and understands how the law impacts ordinary Americans.

“I am confident that Judge Sotomayor will be an important voice on our Court for the rule of law and constitutional rights and values.    » read more »

May 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009 passed the Senate. The bill includes $73 billion in non-emergency, discretionary spending authority for the Department of Defense, for operations, personnel costs and equipment reconstitution for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The package also includes $1.5 billion for pandemic preparedness. It passed the Senate by a vote of 86 to 3.    » read more »

Grants Will Focus on Disadvantaged Schools, While Creating Jobs Nationally

May 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today introduced legislation that will help public schools fix their deteriorating school buildings. The School Building Fairness Act of 2009 would authorize $6 billion a year for a new program that would provide grants for the repair, renovation and construction of elementary and secondary schools as well as early learning facilities. The national legislation is modeled on a program initiated by Harkin for Iowa schools.    » read more »

May 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today released the following statement after President Obama’s national security address.

“Today the President spoke honestly to the American people about the state of our national security and demonstrated true leadership – a refreshing change from the previous eight years of policies that repeatedly hurt our standing in the world, provided ammunition to our enemies and weakened our national security. President’s Obama’s speech today shows that we have an administration that will institute a more effective strategy to combat terrorism, all the while committed to maintaining our highest principles.    » read more »

May 20, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) announced today that a total of $15,156,406 in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the Economic Recovery Package has been released to Iowa from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Harkin is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee that funds transit initiatives.

“Strengthening the transportation infrastructure in rural areas is vital to allowing those who do not drive the ability to get around more efficiently and, at the same time, helps in the growth of Iowa’s economy,” said Harkin. “This funding will create more adequate transit systems across rural Iowa, so Iowans can get to work and their daily tasks like visiting the grocery store or doctor’s office.”    » read more »

Calls For Continued Investments In Renewables

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, released the following statement regarding President Obama’s announcement today of a new rule, which will increase fuel efficiency standards for new passenger vehicles.

These efficiency gains will provide a proportionate decrease in tailpipe emissions, thus effectively establishing a nationwide regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.    » read more »

Says More Work To Be Done To Lower Interest Rates

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) released the following statement after the Senate passed the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Act of 2009 by a vote of 90 to 5.

“Passage of this measure today creates long-overdue reforms of a credit card industry whose practices have become increasingly predatory and abusive – practices that I have fought since the 1970’s as a legal aid attorney in Iowa.    » read more »

Senate to take up Supplemental Funding Bill next week that includes vital cancer research funds

June 20, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Continuing his intensive work to provide funds for life-saving biomedical research, U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds health and education initiatives, today praised the House of Representatives for approving $150 million in additional funds for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and pledged to include and approve the funds on the Senate side.

The House passed the Supplemental Funding Bill late last night that includes the NIH funding; the Senate intends to consider the legislation next week.    » read more »

Iowa Delegation joins Harkin in urging Bush to grant 60-day waiver for state matching funds for emergency protective measures and debris removal

June 17, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) was joined by Iowa’s Congressional Delegation in urging the President to waive for 60 days the percentage of matching funds the state must contribute to qualify for federal disaster assistance concerning emergency protective measures and debris removal. The current White House took similar action to aid Louisiana and Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina to lower the in-kind matching requirement for the period immediately following the hurricane.    » read more »

June 17, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) chaired a hearing today to investigate how excessive speculation in the oil market may be contributing to the historic run on oil and gas prices.

The hearing, held jointly before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, probed the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) role in regulating the market and what tools and resources the agency needs to ensure it is able to be a robust market watchdog.    » read more »

May 21, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is letting Senate leaders know today of his intent to offer an amendment to the Iraq supplemental spending bill to safely redeploy U.S. troops from Iraq, after which funding for the war would end.

Army National Guard soldier locked in an emotional embrace at homecoming: 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 136th Infantry of the 34th "Red Bull" Infantry Division of the Army National Guard in Anoka, MN. After having their tour extended by the troop surge, the "Red Bulls" were the longest serving guard unit, having been in Iraq since late 2005. Photo by Poppyseed Bandits (CC)    » read more »

5/15/2008 -- Statement of NCTA President & CEO Kyle McSlarrow, National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA):

“We applaud the leadership of Senators Harkin and Chambliss and Representatives Peterson and Goodlatte for their hard work to gain passage of the 2008 Farm Bill. This legislation sharpens the focus of the Rural Utilities Service’s Broadband Loan Program by limiting loans in areas where competition already exists, and targeting loans to areas without widespread access to broadband service. The 2008 Farm Bill represents a strong step in ensuring that government broadband deployment programs give the highest priority to areas that do not yet have access to broadband service.”    » read more »

Members of Senate Labor Panel Question Labor Secretary Chao Today

May 7, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), and Patty Murray (D-WA) today revealed the findings of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report they commissioned which showed that after seven years of providing nearly $300 million in earmarks, the Department of Labor (DoL) did not properly monitor funded activities, to assess whether the grant objectives were being met or properly evaluate them to determine whether the funded activities were effective.    » read more »

Initial observations preview full report due out soon

May 6, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) today helped unveil new findings from the independent Government Accountability Office showing the failure of $5.56 billion in U.S. taxpayer money since 9/11 intended to help defeat al Qaeda (http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08735r.pdf).    » read more »