Ranking Member's Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, today announced that landmark legislation to make college more affordable and accessible had passed the U.S. Senate.  The legislation must now go to the U.S. House for a final vote before heading to the President’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the following statement after President Obama signed into law The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Senate-passed comprehensive health reform measure approved by the House earlier this week.  Harkin, as Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) commented today on the findings of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report he requested on the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 (EEOICPA).  The EEOICPA provides compensation to workers and their survivors for occupational diseases arising from...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) issued the following statement after the U.S. House passed the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010.  With this vote, comprehensive health reform has passed and will go to President Obama for his signature.  The reconciliation package now heads to the U.S....

“I’d like to thank all of you for being here today for the second in a series of hearings focusing on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Today’s testimony will help inform us as we undertake a bipartisan process to reshape this legislation. We have learned a lot since No Child Left Behind was passed...

“The Committee will come to order.  We have convened this hearing to examine the issue of fair pay for women.  This is not a new issue.  In 1963, responding to the fact that the 25 million female workers in the workforce earned just 60 percent of the average pay for men, Congress enacted the Equal Pay Act to end this unfair...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, announced today that the Committee approved 14 nominations by voice vote this afternoon to fill positions at the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education...

“I’d like to thank all of you for being here today for the first in a series of hearings focusing on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.  Testimony from educators and experts, this morning and in subsequent hearings, will guide us as we undertake a bipartisan process to reshape this bill.  We have...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) released the following statement today after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an investigation into findings of Salmonella Tennessee in hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) manufactured by Basic Food Flavors, Inc., in Las Vegas. HVP is a commonly used ingredient used as a flavor...

“I am very pleased to convene this hearing – the first in a series – to focus on the childhood obesity epidemic and how we can reverse it. “The harsh and sad reality is that, for the first time in our nation’s history, we are in danger of raising a generation of children who will live sicker and die younger than the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the following statement upon the conclusion of the White House bipartisan summit on health reform.  Harkin is Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “Throughout this summit we heard stories from around the country that tell of the urgency to...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the following statement after the Senate passed the bipartisan Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act by a vote of 70 to 28.  The HIRE Act is a bipartisan bill that has the potential to create and save many jobs nationwide this year.  The measure will now go on to...

“In his State of the Union address last month, President Obama made clear his commitment to getting Americans back to work.  As he put it, job creation is ‘our number one focus for 2010.’  This is why we must act swiftly to ensure that American workers have the education, skills training, and supports they need to...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the following statement after the White House unveiled their health reform proposal.  Harkin is Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “In his State of the Union address, the President made clear that we cannot walk away from health...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) released the following statement today after meeting at the White House with First Lady Michelle Obama, Cabinet members, business leaders and others on the growing problem of childhood obesity. In 2008, Harkin spearheaded an effort to create the nation’s first federal interagency taskforce...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, today issued the following statement following Senate confirmation of Patricia Smith, of New York, to be Solicitor at the U.S. Department of Labor.  The full Senate voted 60 to 37 for confirmation.  The HELP...

“We are here today to take up the nomination of Craig Becker for the National Labor Relations Board.  This is the second time the Committee has taken up this nomination, and the second time that I am proud to support it. “While I ordinarily would love to go on at length about the accomplishments of a native Iowan, I have detailed...

“We are here, today, to take the rather unusual step of holding a hearing on a nominee for the National Labor Relations Board.  It has not been the standard practice of this Committee to hold hearings on NLRB nominations.  In the past 25 years, we have confirmed 28 new members to the Board, and have held only one hearing in all that...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s State of the Union address. Harkin chairs the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, as well as the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee. “Tonight the President spoke to the American people...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today joined the Democratic Senate majority in supporting The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The legislation passed the Senate by a vote of 60 to 39 and will now go on to conference with the House. Harkin is Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee,...