Q: Why did you resurrect your bipartisan cattle price transparency bill?

A: When independent cattle farmers are losing money on each head of cattle while packers are profiting $1,200 per head, they have every reason to be fed up with anticompetitive practices in the marketplace. At my meeting in Jones County in May, I heard from 150 local cattle feeders who shared how their livelihoods are effectively at the mercy of the big four meatpackers who control more than 80 percent of the market. These beef conglomerates fill 80 percent of their daily slaughter with pre-contracted sales, including formula and…

Q: How are you working to raise awareness for mental health wellness?

A: From my leadership assignments in the U.S. Senate, I’ve worked to expand access to behavioral health services for individuals and families coping with pressures from the opioid epidemic, natural disasters and COVID-19. From farmers, police officers and veterans managing the stress of their vocations, to children and teenagers, foster youth, juvenile offenders and families managing substance abuse disorders and addiction, I’m leading efforts to improve coordination of care among health care providers, end the stigma often attached to mental health diseases and close the gap for mental…

Q: How has the pandemic impacted foster care?

A: For nearly 15 months, the pandemic uprooted just about everything society took for granted before COVID-19 swept into communities across the country. The highly transmissible infectious disease created unprecedented changes and challenges to life as we know it, from going to work, attending school, filling prescriptions, buying groceries and seeing a health care provider. Closing classrooms and shutting down entire sectors of the economy created financial hardship and untold consequences of social isolation, affecting mental health, and exacerbating addiction and domestic abuse. For children who need society’s social safety net to…

Q: What’s happening with your efforts to reduce prescription drug prices?

A: I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is our drug pricing regime is broken. A web of secrecy shrouds flaws in the system that rewards certain stakeholders at the expense of independent pharmacy operators, employers, patients and taxpayers. Mergers among insurance companies, pharmacy benefit managers and others raise concerns about anti-competitive practices that call into question if consolidation helps patients or harms their pocketbooks. The good news is I’m not giving up to fix what’s not working. The pricing supply chain needs a big dose…

Q: Why is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebrated in May?

A: In 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the first joint congressional resolution to celebrate the cultural, social and economic contributions of Asian Pacific Americans from May 4–11. The dates were chosen to mark two important anniversaries in Asian American history. On May 7, 1843, the first immigrants from Japan arrived in the United States and on May 10, 1869, the transcontinental railroad was finished. Major work on the railroad was completed by newcomers from China. President George H.W. Bush extended the observance for the entire month of…

Q: What’s your message to Iowans during National Donate Life month?

A: Thanks to modern medicine and the selfless generosity of fellow Americans, organ donation and transplantation have saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of beloved family members, friends and neighbors in recent decades. The miracles of modern medicine have given grandparents, moms, dads, siblings and cousins precious more time to make memories and make a difference during their time together on God’s green earth.

Even during the unprecedented uncertainty of a pandemic, loved ones and total strangers selflessly stepped up with the most generous gift they could give…

Q: How would repealing step-up in basis tax proposals harm family farmers and small businesses?

A: As a lifelong family farmer and former chairman of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, I bring life experience to the policymaking table when lawmakers hammer out the nation’s tax policy. From capital gains to depreciation and individual income taxes that impact farming and manufacturing businesses in Iowa, I support tax policies that allow workers, farmers and employers to keep more of their hard-earned money to save, spend, invest and create jobs. As a tireless champion for Rural America, I’m not afraid to lock horns…

Q: What’s wrong with For the People Act?

A: The House of Representatives passed an 800-page bill along a party-line vote under pretext of preventing election irregularities after we were told this was the most secure and fair election in history. Unfortunately, H.R. 1, For the People Act, is a purely partisan exercise. What’s worse, it would make elections less secure and further undermine faith in our electoral process. That’s bad for America. The cornerstone of America’s democratic republic is upholding the sanctity of the ballot box. As we approach 245 years of self-rule and the birth of our nation…