August 23, 2012
Praise for Harkin Proposal to Solve the Retirement Crisis
by Harkin Press Staff
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin recently unveiled a report entitled “The Retirement Crisis and a Plan to Solve It.” The report includes a proposal to provide universal access to innovative, privately-run, hybrid pension plans called Universal, Secure, and Adaptable (“USA”) Retirement Funds. Policy experts and advocates have weighed in to applaud Harkin’s plan to rebuild the private pension system and improve retirement security for the middle class.
Praise for USA Retirement Fund
July 25, 2012
Harkin Report Details National, State-by-State Impact of Sequestration on Education, Health, and Labor Programs
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, and Related Agencies, today released the first comprehensive report on the potential impact of sequestration on dozens of education, health and labor programs under the subcommittee’s jurisdiction. The report provides national and state-by-state estimates of the number of jobs that could be lost and the number of individuals who could be affected by cuts in services if sequestration went into effect on Jan. 2, 2013.
May 11, 2012
Audio: Harkin Discusses Meeting with Des Moines Partnership
In this radio actuality, Senator Harkin describes his Capitol Hill meetings with the Des Moines Partnership. The Senator said he enjoyed meeting with leaders from Central Iowa each year and outlined their discussion about the importance of investing in Iowa – both its infrastructure and its people.
April 20, 2012
Harkin: U.S. House of Representatives Budget Plan
Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget plan for 2013. The plan proposes large tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations while slashing a wide range of core government functions, including health, education, research, transportation, and assistance to local governments. The House budget would cut taxes for individuals making over $1 million by roughly $150,000 per year while crippling improvements in our nation’s infrastructure and dismantling the safety net for seniors, children, and persons with disabilities. This plan is a direct affront to ordinary Americans and falls well outside the mainstream of modern political thought about the appropriate role of the federal government. It also displays a remarkable lack of understanding of the role that public investments in key areas like education and infrastructure have played in enabling America to excel in a global economy. Because I believe it is important that Iowa’s civic leaders and public officials be aware of what’s happening in Washington, here is some additional information about the House budget proposal and the impact it would have were it to become law.
April 3, 2012
Harkin Joins Bipartisan Group of Senators in Urging FTC to Reduce Information Technology Theft
Senator Harkin, a member of the Senate Small Business Committee, joined a bipartisan group of 16 Senators in sending a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In the letter, the lawmakers urged commissioners to promote American manufacturing competitiveness by working with the state Attorneys General to fight the growing problem of theft and use of stolen information technology (IT) and intellectual property (IP) by foreign manufacturers.
March 30, 2012
Ryan Budget: Detrimental to Iowa
On Thursday, March 29th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget plan on a largely party line vote. Analysis shows that the budget proposal will have a detrimental impact on Iowa.
March 1, 2012
GAO Continues to Tout Savings of Dollar Coin Legislation
In its 2012 Annual Report: Opportunities to Reduce Duplication, Overlap and Fragmentation, Achieve Savings, and Enhance Revenue; the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that Senator Harkin’s dollar coin legislation saves the government money over time. Harkin introduced this bipartisan legislation in January.
February 23, 2012
Mortgage Assistance for Iowa Homeowners
The recent national mortgage settlement that 49 states have reached with five major lenders has broad implications for Iowa homeowners. The office of Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller is actively working to get the word out about the settlement and to help Iowans who may be facing hardships in paying their mortgage.
January 25, 2012
The State of Our Union Depends on the Strength of the Middle Class
In this video, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) expresses his views of President Obama’s State of the Union Address. Harkin, as Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has held hearings in Washington on the state of the middle class and listening sessions in Iowa.
November 8, 2011
Holiday Mail For Heroes
The Red Cross Holiday Mail Program provides a great way for Iowans to write a holiday message to service members who are currently serving our country overseas. The program gives Americans an opportunity to reach out and give holiday greetings and thanks to service members who are not able to be home this holiday season. In previous years, over 1.4 million cards have been sent to service members.
October 17, 2011
New USDA Report Shows Harkin Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Expanding Kids’ Access to Fresh Foods
A new report issued today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that children participating in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program increased their consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables by 15 percent over consumption levels in the absence of the fresh fruit and veggie program. Just as importantly, it found that kids were not just eating fruits and veggies on top of their other daily consumption, increasing obesity, but replacing other foods with fresh fruits and veggies.