Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released the following statement regarding passage of a government funding package containing six of 12 appropriations bills.
“Our government is meant to be a service to the people, and that’s simply not possible without the funds necessary to operate. I’m confident this package will benefit Iowans and our nation, while taking the fiscally appropriate approach to maintain last year’s discretionary spending levels. In particular, veterans, ag producers and rural residents will be better served thanks to the bill’s provisions,” Grassley said.
“Funding the government is a basic task that shouldn’t take Congress five months into the Fiscal Year to figure out. Lurching from one deadline to the next is the wrong way to run Washington and ought to be avoided. Now, there’s still more work to be done. We have six additional appropriations bills to pass in the coming weeks, and Congress must move those forward swiftly,” Grassley concluded.
Grassley priorities authorized in this government funding package include:
- Protecting veterans’ Second Amendment rights by requiring that veterans may only be added to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System’s (NICS) gun ban list when there is a judicial determination that the individual is a danger to themselves or others.
- Preserving public safety measures by reauthorizing the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988, which bans the manufacture, sale or ownership of firearms capable of passing safety screenings undetected.
- Fending off foreign ownership of farmland by enhancing the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) role on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).
- Limiting wasteful USDA spending by requiring the Agriculture Secretary to send Congress a 15-day notice and detailed spending plan before transferring funds of $100 million or more from the Commodity Credit Corporation.
- Boosting rural health care by extending Medicare programs that help protect care for rural residents.
- Investing in rural infrastructure and waterways by increasing resources for rural bridge construction and repairs, as well as the development of the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System serving Northwest Iowa.
- Improving service at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by requiring the VA to report on its oversight of the veterans suicide hotline and mental health services, and to clear up backlogs for disability claims and benefits.
- Preventing weaponization of the Department of Justice (DOJ) by barring DOJ from using funds to investigate religious organizations or parents who peacefully protest at school board meetings.
