D.C. Dispatch: Grassley, Ernst speak on Trump cabinet nominees
Iowa's delegation in Washington, D.C. backed legislation this week aimed at combatting fentanyl trafficking and improving access to child care.
U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst also played roles this week in the confirmation hearings for President Donald Trump's cabinet picks. Senators heard from several of Trump's nominees to fill leadership positions in the new administration, including controversial picks like Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services secretary.
On Thursday, Grassley spoke in support of former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum's nomination to lead the Department of Interior. Burgum, who ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024, was confirmed by the Senate on a bipartisan vote of 79-18. Grassley said he supported Burgum's nomination because of his 'all-of-the-above' strategy on energy production and management.
'An all-of-the-above strategy really means just that – an emphasis on what we've got energy from, fossil fuels, and that's declining in use, but is still going to be around for a long, long time,' Grassley said. 'It means all of the alternative energy that we can create; it means conservation, and not necessarily conservation promoted by government, but individual conservation; and of course nuclear, and nuclear brings to our attention a whole new generation of ways to produce energy … Of course, in order to accomplish that, we ought to cut back on Biden-era regulations.'
Burgum was a strong critic of the Biden administration's energy policies, with North Dakota suing the U.S. Department of the Interior under President Joe Biden at least five times over policies like the Public Lands Rule and limits on the amount of methane released by oil companies.
Ernst, who chairs the Senate Small Business Committee, led the questioning on former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler's bid to serve as Small Business Administration (SBA) administrator Wednesday, saying her former GOP colleague was well-suited for the position because of her background as an entrepreneur. Loeffler was one of the wealthiest lawmakers when she was appointed to serve as a senator for Georgia, previously having been chief executive officer of Bakkt, a subsidary of the financial service provider Intercontinental Exchange. Her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher is the CEO of Bakkt.
The SBA had 'mismanaged and misinformed Congress' on its disaster loan account in 2024 that led to shortfalls impacting disaster victims in states like North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Florida, Ernst said, showing a need for 'substantial reforms.'
'The SBA has been completely out of touch with the real-world challenges of entrepreneurs, and while the Biden administration simultaneously let SBA employees stay home, they also added positions in Washington, D.C. while stripping offices in Iowa, New Hampshire, Utah, and other states,' Ernst said in her opening remarks on Loeffler's nomination hearing. 'I would like to work with you, Sen. Loeffler, on ways to ensure SBA is effectively utilizing its personnel and ensuring that small businesses in all parts of America are able to access SBA programs if they need them.'
Alongside Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, Ernst also backed legislation Wednesday that she said would help increase the availability of child care.
The Small Business Child Care Investment Act would allow nonprofit child care providers to participate in SBA loan programs. and would provide religiously-affiliated nonprofit providers access to more loan programs that could be used for real estate, construction, remodeling, and other expenses.
Ernst said that access to child care is an issue she commonly hears about from Iowa constituents.
'When traveling river to river across Iowa, I consistently hear about the difficulties families face in finding affordable, high-quality child care,' Ernst said in a statement. 'In many of our state's rural communities, religious organizations often offer the only child care options but for too long have been denied access to federal funding. To drive down prices, I'm dedicated to real solutions like this that expand options and kick down regulatory hurdles on behalf of hardworking families.'
Iowa child care providers and advocates voiced support for the measure. Tiffany Finch, Director of Cambridge Little Achievers Center in Fairfield, said in a news release that rural child care nonprofits would 'greatly appreciate the opportunity to apply for the SBA Loans.'
'There continues to be a need for child care that offers families the same quality found in larger communities,' Finch said. 'Allowing non-profit child care centers the same access to SBA Loans would allow us to apply for funding that can focus on the quality and culture of the programs without adding more expense to rural families.'
Grassley introduced a measure Thursday to reclassify fentanyl-related drugs as a schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, with plans to discuss the measure at a Tuesday Senate Judiciary Committee meeting.
The bill, the Halt Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act, would permanently reclassify fentanyl-related substances as a schedule I drug, meaning there is no currently accepted medical use for the substance. Fentanyl is currently classified as a schedule II controlled substance, meaning it can be prescribed for medical use, but related substances are currently only temporarily classified as a schedule I drug.
Grassley, alongside Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana and Martin Heinrich. D-New Mexico, said they introduced the measure to permanently reclassify these synthetic opioids as a way to help law enforcement combat the trafficking and distribution of fentanyl and prevent deaths.
'Today, roughly 150 Americans will die from fentanyl poisoning,' Grassley said in a news release. 'Cartels fuel this crisis by marketing their poison as legitimate prescription pills. They also avoid regulation by chemically altering the drugs to create powerful fentanyl knock-offs. Congress closed that loophole by temporarily classifying fentanyl related substances under Schedule 1. The HALT Fentanyl Act would make permanent fentanyl related substances' Schedule 1 classification and ensure law enforcement has the tools they need to combat these deadly drugs.'
U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn also co-introduced a measure Wednesday titled the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act that he said would 'hold China accountable for its role in the fentanyl crisis.'
The bill would amend the existing Fentanyl Sanctions Act, allowing the U.S. to impose sanctions on Chinese entities involved in the production, sale, financing or transportation of synthetic opioids and the chemicals used to make fentanyl-related substances. Individuals and organizations would be classified as foreign opioid traffickers under the bill if they fail to cooperate with U.S. counternarcotics efforts or fail to implement 'know-your-customer' procedures.
While China banned fentanyl exports to the U.S. in 2019, Nunn said that more needs to be done to stop the illegal trafficking of fentanyl into the country.
'Fentanyl is the number one killer of Americans from my daughter's age to my age,' Nunn said in a statement. 'Something has to change. Securing the border is the first step to stopping the scourge of fentanyl pouring into our communities. But we must also cut off the cartel's supply at its source. That starts with holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable for their role as the primary manufacturer, supplier, and launderer of these illicit drugs worldwide.'
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