(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch
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D.C. Dispatch: Chronic pain, border blame and student loan headaches [1]

['Jay Waagmeester', 'More From Author', '- February']

Date: 2024-02-02

Iowa lawmakers focused on the U.S.-Mexico border, child trafficking, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form rollout, foreign farmland purchases and more this week.

Sen. Chuck Grassley again made a statement asking for progress on appropriation bills, calling Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, out on social media.

6 months ago all 12 appropriation bills passed out of the Senate cmte We’ve voted on a measly 3 of the 12 Ldr Schumer is wasting floor time instead of setting congress up for success 2properly fund govt Maybe Schumer wants us 2fail so he can craft a bloated omnibus??? NO THANK U — Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) January 26, 2024

Grassley replied to that post, saying a “bloated omnibus” may happen due to Schumer having the Senate in session only two-and-a-half days a week.

Despite the bills introduced and letters sent, no appropriation bill has passed both chambers.

Check out what else Iowa’s lawmakers were up to this week:

Ernst, Feenstra renew call for immigrant detention requirements

Sen. Joni Ernst and Rep. Randy Feenstra are renewing their fight to pass a bill that would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain people who enter the U.S. illegally who have been charged with killing or seriously injuring someone.

The bill, Sarah’s Law, is named after Sarah Root, a 21-year-old from Council Bluffs who died from injuries sustained after she was hit by a car driven by 19-year-old undocumented immigrant.

“Under this bill, Sarah’s killer would have been detained by law enforcement and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Ernst said in a news release.

Feenstra said the bill will make people who illegally entered the country who committed crimes, answer for those crimes and also provide “some semblance of justice” for the families of those killed.

“In memory of Sarah, I’m working with Senator Ernst to pass Sarah’s Law so that illegal immigrants who seriously injure or kill American citizens are detained and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law – not released from jail without facing a jury.”

Talking along the border

The four lawmakers representing Iowa in the House signed a letter to President Joe Biden, an effort led by Rep. Ashley Hinson, who said Biden refuses to “fix the crisis today by enforcing our existing immigration laws.”

Biden has been working with senators on bipartisan immigration legislation but House Republican leaders have not committed to consider the proposal.

The Iowa lawmakers claim in their letter that Biden and his administration have “intentionally and systematically undermined U.S. border security by perpetually refusing to enforce countless laws that have worked to secure our Southern Border and prevent illegal immigration.”

Biden is gaslighting Americans on the border. Since day one, he has deliberately & unilaterally unraveled secure border policies. He could fix this crisis today by enforcing existing immigration law, but he refuses. I led 64 of my colleagues in a letter holding him accountable. pic.twitter.com/eJ2MR8mQT1 — Ashley Hinson (@RepAshleyHinson) February 2, 2024

The letter also mentions border reports from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who will potentially face a vote for his impeachment.

Mayorkas’ articles of impeachment await a full House vote after passing through the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Hinson said in a news release this week, that she fully supports the impeachment of Mayorkas in an effort to start securing the border.

“I first called for Secretary Mayorkas to resign in 2021 after he lied to my appropriations colleagues and me about releasing illegal immigrants into the United States, and the lies haven’t stopped since. At this point, if his mouth is moving, he is lying,” Hinson said.

Feenstra, on the House floor, said he would vote to impeach Mayorkas for his “dereliction of duty.”

Grassley introduces child trafficking legislation

Grassley introduced a bipartisan effort to make the federal agencies follow recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to address human trafficking.

The agencies that Grassley’s bill would affect, the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services, would address a lack of collaboration mechanisms, according to the GAO.

Grassley’s bill, the Preventing Child Trafficking Act, would set a timeline for the implementation of the recommendations, ensure agencies establish collaboration efforts in the fight against human trafficking and would require the Department of Justice to develop performance goals, according to Grassley’s office.

“The federal government can and must do more to prevent children from falling prey to the evils of human trafficking,” Grassley said in a news release. “By strengthening collaboration between federal agencies, our bill aims to more effectively prevent future instances of trafficking, prosecute criminals and safeguard vulnerable children.”

The Senate also unanimously passed a Grassley-led resolution this week recognizing National Trafficking and Modern Slavery Prevention Month.

Senators release resource for federal student loan applicants

Grassley and Ernst released a one-page factsheet as a resource to navigate FAFSA changes and delays with the development and launch of the new form.

The factsheet explains the reasoning for the form redesign, as well as the link to the now-launched form, records needed to fill out the form, important dates and explanations of “investment farms” and why, they say, the delay matters.

“Prospective college students and their families ought to have ready access to their financial aid offerings,” Grassley said in a news release. “But this year’s FAFSA launch has created more headaches than it’s helped. Senator Ernst and I will continue working with the Department of Education to iron out wrinkles in the new FAFSA, so that when the time comes for young Iowans to choose their college, they’ll have the financial information they need.”

Ernst blamed the rollout’s delay on “socialist schemes and taxpayer-funded handouts.”

“To help bring certainty, Senator Grassley and I are pushing the Biden administration to fix their FAFSA fiasco and ensure Iowans don’t have to sell the farm to afford college,” Ernst said in a news release.

Ernst also made a call this week to adjust the FAFSA formula, saying farm families are often asset rich but cash poor, which she said is not taken into account in the new formula to calculate aid. “For some Iowans, Biden’s new formula could result in their contributions skyrocketing from right around $7,000 to over $40,000, that’s more than five times what they were paying previously,” Ernst said.

Miller-Meeks seeks opioid alternatives for seniors

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks introduced a bipartisan bill to encourage opioid alternatives for Medicare Part D Beneficiaries.

Miller-Meeks’ bill would limit patient cost-sharing for patients receiving non-opioid pain relief, prohibit step therapy and prior authorization for non-opioid pain relievers and encourage dialogue between patients and health care professionals, according to Miller-Meeks’ office.

“It is critical that we turn the tide on the opioid addiction and opioid overdose crisis in this country,” Miller-Meeks said in a news release. “I am proud to introduce the ‘Alternatives to PAIN Act’ to ensure that new opioid alternatives and others currently on the market, are made available for Medicare Part D beneficiaries.”

Non-opioid therapies should be just as accessible as opioid-based therapies under Medicare Part D, according to Miller-Meeks’ office.

Infrastructure act announces aviation projects

Grassley’s office announced 20 airports in Iowa will receive more than $15 million to modernize airport infrastructure.

The funding stems from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and is paid through the Airport Infrastructure Grants program.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a 2021 law, was supported by two of Iowa’s lawmakers: Grassley and former Rep. Cindy Axne.

According to Grassley’s office, the funding will improve runway safety and increase airport efficiency, including new terminals, and create local jobs. Airports receiving the largest grants include Des Moines ($5 million), Dubuque ($2 million), Sioux City ($1 million) and Fort Dodge ($800,000), according to Grassley’s office.

Nunn: Research for gaps in chronic pain research

A bill to help clinicians develop new pain relief treatment options was introduced by Rep. Zach Nunn and Yadira Caraveo, a Democrat from Colorado. The proposal would create a centralized chronic pain information hub.

The bill would direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to utilize completed research, identify gaps in the completed research and develop recommendations for clinicians and scientists, according to Nunn’s office.

“Too many Iowans are living with pain that prevents them from completing everyday tasks,” Nunn said in a news release. “This bipartisan legislation will help clinicians develop new treatment options and provide relief to those suffering from chronic pain.”

According to the CDC, nearly more than 51 million Americans, or 20.9%, experienced chronic pain in 2021.

Hinson aims for more oversight of foreign farmland purchases

A January report from the GAO recommended the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) increase communications and reporting of data regarding foreign farmland purchases.

Hinson introduced legislation, the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act Improvements Act, to improve purchase tracking. Hinson said the bill would improve USDA oversight of foreign land purchases.

“We can’t sit on our hands as Communist China buys up our most valuable resource – our land – in a nefarious attempt to exert control over our food supply and undermine our national security,” Hinson said in a news release.

Action requested for ATF ‘illegal scheme’

Grassley and Ernst are calling on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to reclassify administrative positions, calling their current classification as law enforcement illegal and a waste of $20 million.

The senators claim 91 employees classified as law enforcement officers were working in human resources, administrative roles and other positions.

“Appropriate corrective action must be taken in regards to all employees that allowed taxpayer dollars to be wasted after notification of the aforementioned misconduct,” the senators wrote to the ATF. “The American public must know ATF will not revert to its previous impropriety after the restoration of its classification authority.”

Grassley also took to X to call for accountability.

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