The Public Record
Tom Harkin is a former U.S. Senator from Iowa who served from 1985 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, Harkin was known for his advocacy on disability rights and health care reform. He played a significant role in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and was a strong proponent of mental health services and education initiatives. Throughout his tenure, Harkin focused on issues affecting working families and rural communities in Iowa.
I will say we are making some progress. At least now our friends on the other side recognize there is a problem. At least they are willing to address it somewhat. The amendment that the Senator from Mississippi sent to the desk is better…
The Freedom to Farm bill was premised that we would put farmers on the free market. However, Freedom to Farm ripped the safety net out from agriculture. Farmers all across America recognize that Freedom to Farm has been a total and…
As I read the debate and all the talk on the Freedom to Farm bill when it passed, the idea was that we would transition out of farm programs with AMTA payments.
I answer to my friend from Mississippi that all of the items in our amendment are direct appropriations for next year. The only items that are not are the Cotton Step Two Export Program, and that is scored by CBO at $439 million for 3…
I think the Senator has put her finger on it: We are willing to give the generals what they need but not what they want.
The basic answer to that is, yes--depending on the mission, of course. Now, if a general or a four-star wanted to fly from here nonstop to Europe, they couldn't take this airplane which only has about a 2,000-mile leg. However, I might…
Again, this one paragraph really bothers me. Again, I don't understand how the Department of Defense can say that: [It does not] support pay raises that provide greater percentage increases in basic pay and/or allowances to junior members…
I just want to explain why I object to this bill. This is the bill that would have increased the number of H-1B visas from 65,000 per year to 115,000 for next year and the year after, then drop down to 107,500 in 2001 and back down to…
Another recent article from Computer World, dated October 5, 1998, talked about the same subject: The year 2000 retention drama is playing out differently from what was expected. The widely anticipated programmer shortage never quite…
A poll was prepared by Rock Wood Research... 72.5 percent said they wanted the loan rates raised. Another question: A farm program should retain planting flexibility, including farmer-owned and farmer-controlled grain reserves; 85.9…
I did want to make a strong case that the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee is having some very, very severe problems in meeting the basic health and education needs of the country and the requirements that other…
I thought one of the things it might take is for the Senate of the United States to clearly express itself to the members of the Federal Open Market Committee to lower interest rates now. There are increasing signs of a possible recession…
I find it strange that, as policymakers, we can't stand up and tell the Fed what we think they should do. That is not politicizing it. To politicize it would be for us to pass a law mandating that interest rates be at a certain level, or a…
I hope that the Senator, then, would try again to bring up some legislation to provide for an audit of the Federal Reserve. I honestly cannot believe we are not doing that. I appreciate the Senator for his enlightenment on that issue.
This Senator was not aware of that. Is the Senator telling me that the Federal Reserve, which I have just stated is a creature of Congress, and exists by law, that the General Accounting Office, our accountant, cannot audit the Federal…
There is a lot of talk in this town these days about morality and immorality. This has to do with morality. This has to do with what is moral in this society and to stick up for people who are low-income and are going hungry.
If the loan rates go up, the loan rates increase, it goes to producers; it gives them a marketing tool whereby they can take the grain and market when they want and not just dump it all out there this fall. That is why we have to remove…
I agree with the Senator, this is a matter of accountability. Senators should have the right to speak, but they should also have the right to cast their vote one way or the other, up or down, on the amendment. So I am hopeful that there…
I agree with him absolutely, there is a convulsion going on in agriculture today. We are spiraling into a deepening crisis in agriculture all over America, especially in the Midwest. Yes, this issue is of vital importance to farm families…
No. Obviously, if someone came in with the purpose of working for me and doing a good job for constituents that I represent in the State of Iowa and is willing to do the job, is dedicated to that job but also wanted, for example, to…
It is a bad piece of legislation, and not just for working people, but for every American, for the Bill of Rights, and for our constitutional rights to be free to think and have our own consciences, this bill ought to be stopped in its…
I thank the chairman. I know of his great interest in this area. And I know of his great support for our law enforcement agencies to crack down on the methamphetamine labs. I know your chairman is having the same experience out in his…
The Thompson amendment, which is the pending amendment, seeks to strike from the bill a provision that was incorporated at the committee level--subcommittee level and committee level--by unanimous consent. I don't know of any votes that…
I believe that the voucher and certificate 811 program would be more beneficial to those with significant disabilities if non-profit organizations with significant experience providing such services would be fully engaged, working with…
I respond again to the Senator from Kentucky that there are other assessments and user fees in this bill. So why should the tobacco companies be exempt from an assessment? There are, I point out, a number of other assessments on industry…
Politicians like Tom Harkin
