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Harkin Report Details National, State-by-State Impact of Ryan Budget on Education Programs

In recent weeks, Senator Harkin has taken to the Senate floor to discuss the impact of the Ryan budget on everything from health to jobs and infrastructure to agriculture. Today, Senator Harkin, as Chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that funds health, education, and labor, released national, state-by-state reports on the impact of the Ryan budget on Head Start, IDEA, Pell Grants, and other education programs.

Find the reports here: RyanBudgetStateByStateCuts.pdf

Ryan Budget Is An Assault On Education Funding


Ryan Budget Ignores Investment in Renewable Energy/Turns Back the Clock on Agriculture


Ryan Budget Slashes Investment in Infrastructure, Destroys Jobs



Ryan Budget Would End Medicare



From The Blog

Praise for Harkin Proposal to Solve the Retirement Crisis

August 23, 2012

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.

Harkin Report Details National, State-by-State Impact of Sequestration on Education, Health, and Labor Programs

July 25, 2012

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.

Audio: Harkin Discusses Meeting with Des Moines Partnership

May 11, 2012

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.

Harkin: U.S. House of Representatives Budget Plan

April 20, 2012

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.

Harkin Joins Bipartisan Group of Senators in Urging FTC to Reduce Information Technology Theft

April 3, 2012

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.