Ranking Member's Press

DES MOINES, IA—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today chaired a field hearing of the Committee in Des Moines to explore ways to expand and strengthen early education options for children and parents. The hearing, titled “Doing What's Right: Preparing Iowa's...

WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the February employment numbers.  Today’s report shows that the economy added 175,000 jobs, yet the current unemployment rate is 6.7 percent. “Today’s jobs...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Rep. George Miller (D-CA), senior Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee, released the following statement today in response to a new report from the Small Business Majority showing that 57...

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Senate HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA), Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), House Energy & Commerce Committee Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI), Senator Al Franken (D-MN), House Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Yesterday, the National Cancer Institute announced a scientific framework for advancing research on pancreatic cancer, as directed under the Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act of 2012.  Today, U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined Senator Sheldon...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Tom Carper (D-DE), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, have sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) urging additional improvements to the agency’s GI Bill...

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 HELP Committee approved five nominees. The approved nominees include: Dr. Vivek Murthy to serve as U.S. Surgeon General, Portia Wu to serve as Assistant Secretary of Labor...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today praised new proposed rules from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to improve the nutrition facts panel that is displayed on food and beverage labels. The new labeling proposal will more accurately...

*As Prepared for Delivery* “Today’s roundtable will focus on how students with disabilities are accessing and persisting throughout postsecondary education.  This roundtable marks our sixth in a series to examine issues we plan to address in the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.  And our review of this...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed a lawsuit against ITT Educational Services alleging predatory lending tactics. The high-interest rate ITT private...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Last evening, U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) co-hosted the first in a series of monthly lectures for senators and their staff on the deaf community and its culture.  The lectures will take place over the next five months and are intended to help senators and their staffers expand their...

WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) today in introducing the Protecting Children from Electronic Cigarette Advertising Act to prohibit...

*As Prepared for Delivery* “Today, our Committee will examine treatment options and trends for mental health conditions. We held a successful hearing on mental health issues last year, and I’m pleased to have the opportunity to continue the dialogue on this important topic with my colleagues and our panel of expert...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) issued the following statement today following the release of a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report regarding the minimum wage and its impact on the economy.  Harkin is Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the author, along with Congressman...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Democratic leadership and the chairs of the committees involved in drafting the Affordable Care Act have joined a brief defending the use of tax credits on federally-run health insurance Marketplaces in the case of Halbig v. Sebelius in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The brief, submitted by...

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Following last week’s announcement that CVS Caremark would begin removing tobacco products from its more than 7,600 U.S. stores, seven United States Senators today urged Walmart – the number one retailer of cigarettes in the country – to do the same, and stop selling tobacco products in its...

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Congressman George Miller (D-CA) called for action to better protect students and increase transparency around debit and prepaid card agreements between schools and financial firms.  The lawmakers’ action follows the release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released new enrollment figures for the federal marketplaces showing that nearly 3.3 million people enrolled in the...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) sent a letter to Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, and Vermont Attorney General William H. Sorrell. The...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—At a news conference in Washington today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, unveiled the findings of an investigation into the use of seclusion and restraints.  Harkin’s investigation found that under current law, a family whose child has been...