Grassley Praises House Action Advancing Bills to Reduce Prescription Drug Costs

WASHINGTON - The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved by a vote of 51-0 its version of the CREATES Act, which is cosponsored in the Senate by Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley. The CREATES Act addresses abuses by brand-name drug companies that keep lower-cost generic alternatives from being developed or reaching the market. The legislation is estimated to saves taxpayers roughly $3.9 billion over 10 years. The House committee also advanced by voice vote a bill to end anti-… Continue Reading

Grassley on Requests for the President’s Tax Returns

Prepared Floor Statement by Sen. Chuck Grassley of IowaChairman, U.S. Senate Committee on FinanceOn Requests for the President’s Tax ReturnsThursday, April 4, 2019 Mr. President,                                Yesterday, the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee sent a letter to the IRS requesting the President’s tax returns. Last night, I had a chance to read that letter. And I have to say that if you take it at face value, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Consider the reasons that are … Continue Reading

Grassley Op-ed: Stop kicking Medicaid’s safety net hospital payments down the road

Stop kicking Medicaid’s safety net hospital payments down the roadBy U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa Budget scorekeepers tell us that taxpayers spent at least $600 billion in 2017 to pay for health care services for low-income Americans covered by Medicaid. This public health insurance program is a federal-state partnership that pays hospitals, nursing homes, and health care providers to care for more than 70 million people. That’s 1 out of 5 people living in the United States. Medicai… Continue Reading

Grassley on the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act of 2019

Prepared Remarks by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of IowaChairman, U.S. Senate Finance CommitteeOn the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act of 2019Wednesday, April 3, 2019VIDEO Mr. President, earlier this week I introduced the bipartisan Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act of 2019 - or the RESA bill as we call it in the Finance Committee. I’m pleased to be joined by my colleague, Finance Committee Ranking Member Wyden, in introducing this important legislation. The workplace retirement… Continue Reading

Grassley Statement on Cigna Insulin Price Announcement

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa today released the following statement regarding an announcement from Cigna (Express Scripts) to cap out-of-pocket costs for insulin prescriptions for some patients. “Any time out-of-pocket prescription drug costs are lowered, that’s good news for patients. But it’s unclear why this is only happening now. Why couldn’t this have been done years ago? It shouldn’t take bad press and congressional scrutiny to get hea… Continue Reading

Grassley, Wyden: Payments in College Admission Scandal May Violate Tax Laws

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ranking Member Ron Wyden of Oregon are calling on the IRS to fully enforce the tax laws against those involved in the recent college admissions scandal. Based on information in Department of Justice documents, parents of prospective students appear to have made purported tax-deductible donations to a sham charity set up by the scheme’s organizer to funnel illicit payments to the organizer and to college officia… Continue Reading

Grassley, Wyden Probe Reports of Abuse at Group Homes in Iowa & Oregon

 WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ranking Member Ron Wyden of Oregon are requesting information from two companies affiliated with The MENTOR Network (Mentor) after recent news reports in Iowa and Oregon revealed multiple instances of abuse and neglect, and in one case, an apparent death. Mentor contracts with the two states to provide care for adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  “When vulnerable Americans ar… Continue Reading

Grassley, Bennet Bill to Improve Care for Kids with Complex Medical Conditions Passes Congress

WASHINGTON - Bipartisan legislation to improve health outcomes and care coordination for children with complex medical conditions in Medicaid, led by U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, unanimously passed in the Senate after passing the House of Representatives last week.“Since the start of Medicaid, more children are surviving life threatening conditions, including prematurity, childhood cancer, and complications associated wi… Continue Reading

Grassley, Wyden Praise Congressional Passage of Right Rebate Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ranking Member Ron Wyden of Oregon, today celebrated congressional passage of their bill to prevent drug makers from manipulating Medicaid to gouge taxpayers and increase profits by misclassifying their drugs. The legislation was included in a broader package of Medicaid policies, called the “Medicaid Services Investment and Accountability Act of 2019.” The bill now goes to the president to be signed into law.“P… Continue Reading

Grassley, Wyden Question Role of Middlemen in Skyrocketing Insulin Prices

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ranking Member Ron Wyden of Oregon today sent letters to Cigna Corporation (Express Scripts), CVS Health Corporation and Optum, the three leading pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), regarding their role in the skyrocketing cost of insulin in the United States. Last month, the senators sent letters to Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi, the three largest insulin manufacturers in the United States, kicking off the… Continue Reading

Grassley Probes Foreign Threats to Taxpayer-Funded Research at Defense Department

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley continued and expanded his inquiry into foreign threats to taxpayer-funded research by seeking information from the Department of Defense, which plays a significant role in commissioning and funding research and development. “Our government must take all reasonable and necessary steps to protect the integrity of taxpayer-funded research, by ensuring that intellectual property created there is not stolen by agents of foreig… Continue Reading

Grassley, Wyden Introduce Updated Retirement Savings Legislation

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ranking Member Ron Wyden of Oregon today introduced the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act of 2019 (RESA). The legislation would encourage employers to adopt new retirement plans and reduce the cost of operating retirement plans for their employees. The bill also includes new provisions to encourage workers to plan and save for retirement. “Planning for retirement is important, yet challenging. The Retireme… Continue Reading

Senators Commend Medicare Advantage, Warn Against “Medicare for All”

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa, along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Sens. Mike Crapo of Idaho, Pat Roberts of Kansas, John Cornyn of Texas, John Thune of South Dakota, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Johnny Isakson of Georgia, Rob Portman of Ohio, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Steve Daines of Montana and Todd Young of Indiana, sent a letter to Centers for Medicar… Continue Reading

Grassley, Wyden Introduce Taxpayer First Act to Modernize IRS

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ranking Member Ron Wyden of Oregon today introduced the Taxpayer First Act of 2019, bipartisan legislation to modernize the IRS, improve taxpayer services and strengthen taxpayer protections. The legislation is the product of years of bicameral, bipartisan work between the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee. Former Chairman Orrin Hatch of Utah and Wyden introduced similar legislatio… Continue Reading

Grassley Slams Continued Lack of Accountability for Spending at HUD Public Housing Agencies

WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is pressing the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for answers over the lax oversight of federal spending by Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) and delays to reforms it promised three years ago. The more than 3,300 PHAs across the country receive millions of dollars in federal funds every year intended to support housing for low-income households. But many PHAs, including the country’s largest, use a portion of those… Continue Reading