Chair's Press

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 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 by unanimous consent. “Today marks an important milestone in our ongoing national struggle with HIV...

*AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY* “Good morning everyone. We meet today to discuss an issue of basic importance to all Americans: the safety of our nation’s food supply. “There is perhaps no issue that affects Americans as universally as food safety. Safe food is an essential part of our daily lives. And, for many in Iowa and elsewhere,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee, today issued the following statement on a new report showing state-by-state disparities in health care. The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System’s second state scorecard showed the cost...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee, today announced that the Committee had approved the following pending nominations and sent them to the full Senate for consideration: M. Patricia Smith, of New York, to be Solicitor at the U.S. Department of Labor Joseph...

“Today marks an important milestone in our ongoing national struggle with HIV and AIDS. Twenty-eight years ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its first warning about the disease we now know as AIDS. Today, we mark the fourth reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, the most comprehensive legislation for the...

Washington, DC – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement on the ban on candy flavored cigarettes that goes into effect today. The ban is a provision of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, legislation that will allow the FDA to regulate...

Washington, D.C. – As the Senate Finance Committee began consideration of itshealth care reform bill today, U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., said he would offeramendments to reduce health care costs for average Americans, scale back the totalspending in the bill, and protect American workers from new taxes and costly mandates. “The...

(As Prepared for Delivery) Every day, families across America rely on the Food and Drug Administration in ways they barely realize. When they put dinner on the table, they are counting on FDA to see that it is free from contamination. When they care for a sick child, they are trusting FDA to make sure the drugs prescribed are safe and effective....

Washington, D.C. – Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee today defeated anamendment from Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) that would have protected Americans fromdramatic increases in health care costs caused by the health care bill being considered bythe committee. The Enzi amendment would have prohibited provisions in the bill from going into...

Washington, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) praised the U.S. House of Representatives today for passing the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act by a vote of 253 to 171. Consistent with the momentous agenda to increase education success laid out by President Obama, the House legislation provides for significant increases in the maximum...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, today issued the following statement on the health reform proposal unveiled today by the Senate Finance Committee. “In just the last week, the health reform debate has been reinvigorated. The President's address to the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the following statement regarding President Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress. “Tonight President Obama reclaimed the health reform initiative in a powerful way. He illustrated that failure is not an option when it comes to health reform and he made a powerful...

Washington, D.C. – A new report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) shows that the House of Representatives’ appropriations bill would raid HIV/AIDS treatment funds from every metropolitan area in the country to direct money to San Francisco and New York. “Under the House bill, every city across the country...

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) today said negotiators on the Senate Finance Committee have not set a mid-September deadline for bipartisan health care reform talks, and he reiterated that getting health care legislation right is more important than getting it done quickly.“I have not and will not agree to an...