Ranking Member's Press

WASHINGTON – Today, Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Re-empowerment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradeworkers (RESPECT) Act. This legislation would modify present law to ensure workers are not stripped of their union protection. “I have always believed...

WASHINGTON – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) cited new data released today by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as further evidence that civil rights are still a struggle in many of America’s schools.  The results of the Civil Rights Data Collection just released for the 2009-2010 school year reveal disparities in access to courses...

WASHINGTON – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today announced that he has named Mildred Otero as the Majority’s new Chief Education Counsel. “With her extensive experience advancing education initiatives that benefit children from cradle to career, Mildred is...

WASHINGTON – Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) today expressed disappointment that the Republicans on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce pushed through two partisan bills to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act despite concerns raised by all Committee...

WASHINGTON – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today released the following statement responding to President Obama’s announcement that ten states have been granted waivers from some requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law.  Last fall, the HELP...

WASHINGTON—Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, delivered an address at the Center for American Progress outlining his vision for how to rebuild America’s middle class.  In the coming months, Harkin plans to introduce sweeping legislation that will rebuild...

WASHINGTON – Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Mike Enzi (R-WY), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), released the following statement welcoming today’s announcement that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reached agreement with the medical device manufacturing...

WASHINGTON—Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, spoke on the floor of the Senate in support of President Obama’s recent appointments to the National Labor Relations Board and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Below are his full remarks, as prepared for...

WASHINGTON – Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Mike Enzi (R-WY), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), released the following statement welcoming today’s announcement that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reached agreement with the prescription drug, generic drug,...

WASHINGTON – Following revelations that South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley may have dictated the findings of a nonpartisan health care panel funded by taxpayer dollars, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) today called for a federal investigation into whether Governor Haley exploited...

WASHINGTON – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, applauded an agreement announced last night between New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to create 2,000 more wheelchair-accessible cabs.  Harkin, a longtime champion of disability rights,...

WASHINGTON – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, released the following statement welcoming the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) decision to finalize modernized election rules, which will clear the way for workers to vote on unionization by streamlining regulatory...

WASHINGTON—Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, introduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act, a bill to protect students from ineffective and dangerous seclusion and restraint practices in schools. “Every child should be educated in a supportive, caring, stimulating...

WASHINGTON – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement after Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis proposed a new rule requiring federal contractors to set a hiring goal of having 7 percent of their workforces be people with disabilities.  Harkin, chief...

*As Prepared for Delivery* WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today delivered a statement on the floor of the U.S. Senate calling for Congress to extend unemployment benefits.  On Thursday, Harkin will convene a HELP Committee hearing to hear from...

WASHINGTON – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement after the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration issued their final report on the tragedy at the Upper Big Branch mine, citing an irresponsible corporate culture as the...

Washington, DC – Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) today touted recent progress in Medicare Advantage (MA) reining in costs, increasing coverage and maintaining high-quality care for seniors.  A new report from the Government...

WASHINGTON—Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, sent a letter to Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), urging swift action to set limits for total arsenic and lead in fruit juices. A study released yesterday by Consumer Reports showed...

WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, spoke on the floor of the Senate in response to news of a settlement between Boeing and the International Association of Machinists. Below are his full remarks, as prepared for delivery: "I rise today to congratulate the President...

WASHINGTON – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement on today’s announcement that the United States Supreme Court will review the challenges to the Affordable Care Act:  “I’m pleased that the Supreme Court has decided to promptly...