US Senate: September 2009 Archives

Mike Lillis of The Washington Independent filed this report from the late-night happenings of the Senate Finance Committee:

The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday night approved an amendment providing tens of millions of dollars to fund abstinence education programs for teens.

The proposal, offered by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), would provide $50 million per year through 2014 exclusively for abstinence education programs. The measure would effectively reinstate the controversial Title V program, which offered $50 million per year to states for abstinence education, but prohibited them from tapping the funds for other sex-ed subjects like contraception. The same prohibition would accompany the Hatch amendment. "Abstinence education works," the Utah Republican said...

I know a great many people are down on U.S. Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) for his boondoggle of potential health care reform legislation, as well as for the ignorant reasoning he expressed yesterday for not including a public option in his committee's bill. But more than anything, I believe, this report shows that he is significantly lacking in the leadership necessary to serve as chairman of this committee -- and perhaps any Senate committee.

The proposal's success caught Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) off guard. The Finance Chairman had offered an alternative to Hatch's proposal, which would provide funding to a broader swath of teen wellness programs, including those addressing contraception, HIV/AIDS, healthy relationships and financial literacy.

You might think that between health care reform, banking regulation reform, possible cap-and-trade legislation and tweeting that U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley's dance card is filled. Well, think again.

A press release sent out tonight by his office provides the prepared text of a floor statement offered today in which Grassley takes on a Time Magazine cover article on sustainable agriculture and "cheap food." In the title of the speech Grassley gets to the heart of the matter, describing the article as "skewed."


"I rise today in response to Bryan Walsh's recent article published on August 31, 2009 in TIME Magazine titled 'The Real Cost of Cheap Food.' Unfortunately this is one of the most skewed and one sided articles I've ever had the opportunity to read, particularly in the main stream media. This report was far from objective journalism," reads the first paragraph of the prepared statement.

While I do not 100 percent agree with Grassley's assessment of Walsh's report, I do agree with quite a bit of it. There continues to be a disconnect between consumers and producers of food. That is, a lot of light has been shown on certain agricultural practices that seem unnecessarily cruel to those who don't understand why they are done. For instance, many people are upset that hogs are castrated. Those who are summarily against larger hog operations frequently cite the reason for this practice as a way to quell aggression. The fact is, however, that even "free range" hogs are castrated to prevent "boar taint," or an unpleasant taste that can develop in the meat.

Likewise, ringing of hogs -- placing metal rings in hog snouts to discourage rooting -- is a practice that often occurs with "free range" hogs as well as those in confinement facilities.

What we need is an honest and open conversation about agricultural practices and the hows and whys those practices were developed. It could be that society is willing to pay more for pork that they can verify is produced on a farm that does not practice ringing. It could be that they don't want to pay more. Until we have an honest conversation, however, we'll never know. 

Take the jump to read the full Grassley statement.

The Iowa Democratic Party plans to offer a live internet video stream of U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin's annual steak fry fundraiser that is scheduled for this Sunday in Indianola. Keynote speaker at the event will be the junior U.S. Senator from Minnesota, Al Franken.

"We are excited to launch a new way of including our supporters who can't be a part of an important event like the Harkin Steak Fry," said Michael Kiernan, chairman of the IDP. "There is a lot of interest in Sen. Franken, and I think Iowa Democrats are looking forward to a chance to get to know this new neighbor-state senator better."

The event, which is set to take place this year at the Warren County Fairgrounds, typically draws Democrats from across the state. It will mark Franken's first cross into Iowa since he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

"This year's event has an added sense of celebration because of Sen. Harkin's appointment to be chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee this week," Kiernan added.

Portions of the event, including Franken's speech, will be broadcast over the internet via the Iowa Democratic Party's Web site. The video stream is being offered in conjunction with a live-blogging feature that will provide updates and summaries in real time.

The 2007 Harkin Steak Fry featured nearly every Democratic presidential candidate. (See photo below.) The year before, then-Sen. Barack Obama made his first trip into Iowa in order to provide the keynote address at the event.

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, a Democrat who has represented Iowa since the mid-1970s, made the following statement on the floor of the U.S. Senate this morning in relation to U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who lost his battle with cancer a few weeks ago:

"Mr. President, I look around this chamber, and I see men and women of remarkable talents and abilities. But I also have a strong sense -we all do - that there is a tremendous void in our midst. A very special Senator, a member who played a unique role within this body for nearly a half century, is no longer with us.

"We have heard many glowing and richly earned tributes to Senator Ted Kennedy over the last couple weeks. He was not only the most accomplished and effective Senator of the last 50 years, he was truly one of the towering figures in the entire history of the United States Senate.

"Yet for all his accomplishments, for all the historic bills that he authored and shepherded into law, for all the titanic battles that he fought, I will remember Ted Kennedy, first and foremost, as a good and descent human being. I will remember his extraordinary generosity, his courage, his passion, his capacity for friendship and caring.

"Of course, Ted came from a remarkable family, with so many tough breaks, so many triumphs, so many contributions to our nation, both in war and peace.

"Ted and his siblings were born to great wealth. They could have lived lives of luxury and leisure. But they chose, instead, to devote themselves to public service. They devoted themselves to making the world a better place for others, especially those in the shadows of life.

"With the death of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of Special Olympics, on August 11, and the death of Ted Kennedy on August 25, people with disabilities in this country lost two great champions. Their sister, Rosemary, lived 86 years with a severe intellectual disability. The entire Kennedy family is well acquainted with the joys and struggles of those with disabilities.

"In 1975, Senator Kennedy helped to pass what is now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In 1978, he passed legislation expanding the jurisdiction of the Civil Rights Commission to protect people from discrimination on the basis of disability. In 1980, he introduced the Civil Rights for Institutionalized Persons Act, protecting the rights of people in government institutions, including the elderly, and people with intellectual and mental disabilities. And, 18 years ago, he was one of my most important partners in passing the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"I'll never forget that, when I first came to the Senate after the 1984 election, Ted wanted me on his education and health committee. I told him that I'd be honored to serve on the committee, and that I would like to be assigned to chair the disability subcommittee. He readily agreed. And I have always appreciated this as an act of great generosity on his part. He already had an extensive record on disability issues, yet he let me take the lead.

"Likewise, back in 1990, as chair of the HELP Committee, he could have insisted on managing the Americans with Disabilities Act. But he let me do it, despite the fact that I was still a freshman Senator. He was an indispensible partner in my effort to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act in this body.

"Ted always insisted that our focus should be not on disability but on ability, and that people with disabilities must be fully included in our American family. Americans with disabilities had no better friend, no tougher fighter, no more relentless champion than Senator Ted Kennedy.

"Yesterday, I accepted the chairmanship of the Senate HELP Committee. My aim in that capacity is to carry on the legacy of Senator Ted Kennedy. He dedicated his life to making our economy works for all Americans, to securing a quality education for every child, and, of course, to securing quality, affordable health care for every citizen - as a right not a privilege.

"We have heard many eloquent tributes to Senator Kennedy. But the tribute that would matter most to him would be for his colleagues to come together, on a bipartisan basis, to pass a strong comprehensive health reform bill this year.

"So we say farewell to our beloved colleague. He is no longer with us, but his work continues and, as he said, 'the cause endures.'

"May Ted Kennedy rest in peace. But may we not rest until we have completed the cause of his life - the cause he fought for until his last breath: ensuring quality, affordable health care for every American."