Ranking Member's Press

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement today after Republicans obstructed Senate consideration of the Minimum Wage Fairness Act, a bill he introduced to raise the national minimum wage to $10.10 an hour in three steps, then...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor before the Senate voted on whether or not to consider the Minimum Wage Fairness Act, a bill he introduced to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour in three steps and to provide...

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Democratic Senate and House leaders today wrote to Government Accountability Office (GAO) Comptroller General Gene Dodaro requesting a study on the inclusion of women in NIH-supported clinical trials to look at whether the level of participation is sufficient for researchers to provide meaningful results on the applicability...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today opened Senate floor debate on the Minimum Wage Fairness Act, a bill he introduced to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour in three steps, then provide for automatic, annual increases linked to changes...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Ahead of a confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) today met with Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who has been nominated to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  “Sylvia Mathews Burwell has proven herself...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement after the Senate approved David Weil to serve as the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division at the U.S. Department of Labor. Weil was approved by the Senate HELP Committee...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) released the following statement today after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its proposed “deeming regulations” for a range of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, bringing the products under the agency’s tobacco control authority. Harkin chairs the...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Congressman George Miller (D-CA), and colleagues in the House and Senate in sending a bicameral letter to Secretary Arne Duncan of the U.S....

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today released the following statement applauding a U.S. Department of Labor announcement of new protections for coal miners. “Today is an historic day for America’s hardworking coal miners.  With these...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today released the following statement on the news that eight million Americans have enrolled in quality, affordable health coverage through the federal and state Marketplaces created under the Affordable Care...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Eleven Democratic lawmakers from the Senate and the House of Representatives today released a report that shows a dramatic recent increase in the marketing of electronic cigarettes—or e-cigarettes—with extensive resources being dedicated to social media, sponsorship of youth-oriented events, and television and...

WASHINGTON, D.C—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS subcommittee), today issued the following statement on the resignation of Health and Human Services Secretary...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With prescription drug overdose death rates in the United States more than tripling since 1990 and prescription opioid abuse an ever-growing problem, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) today announced the establishment of the...

“I want to thank our witnesses for being with us today to examine the Strong Start for America’s Children Act, a bill that will greatly expand access to high-quality early learning experiences for children from birth to kindergarten entry. “I introduced this bill last November along with Congressmen George Miller and Richard...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, delivered a speech on the Senate floor today to mark Equal Pay Day. Harkin has been a strong champion for gender equality in the workforce, co-sponsoring the Paycheck Fairness Act and introducing a proposal to raise...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today on the 150th anniversary of Gallaudet University. “Since its charter was signed by President Abraham Lincoln 150 years ago, Gallaudet University has been a world leader in...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement after the Senate passed the bipartisan Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) Extension Act of 2014, which will restore unemployment insurance for millions of...

WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) wrote to the heads of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today, urging the agencies to take enforcement action against e-cigarette...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the March employment numbers.  “The jobs report today shows yet another month of job growth, with 192,000 jobs added to the economy in March. While these figures are...