Tom Harkin, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, announced that the conference committee working on the 2008 Farm Bill has now approved all of the major elements of the bill. A few remaining issues are being addressed by congressional staff members, but the big issues are resolved and the next steps are for both the House and Senate to approve the final bill before sending to the White House for the President’s signature.

Last week, Congressman Bruce Braley and I led a bipartisan effort of the Iowa delegation, in asking for the National Guard to have a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We sent a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates making the request.

On April 21, Mr. Harkin issued the following floor statement:

Mr. President, tomorrow is Fair Pay Day, the day that symbolizes how far into the year a woman must work, on average, to earn as much as a man earned during the previous year.

It is unbelievable to me that, more than four decades after passage of the Equal Pay Act and the Civil Rights Act, women are still making only 77 cents, on average, for every dollar a man makes. In my State of Iowa, the wage gap is even worse. The Iowa Workforce Development agency found that, across all industries, women in Iowa make less than 62 percent of what men make.

Mr. President, discrimination takes many forms. Sometimes discrimination is brazen and in-you-face, like with Jim Crow and apartheid. And sometimes discrimination is silent and insidious. This is exactly what is happening, today, in workplaces across America.

Millions of female-dominated jobs – social workers, teachers, child-care workers, nurses, and so many more – are equivalent to male-dominate jobs. But they pay dramatically less.

The Associated Press reported yesterday the introduction of legislation requiring the Veterans Administration to track veteran suicides.

Currently, the VA record suicides and suicide attempts in VA facilities, but do not track how many veterans commit suicide each year outside of those facilities.

VA records show that the number of veterans who kill themselves in VA facilities increased from 492 in 2000 to 790 in 2007.

Washington, DC—Senator Tom Harkin released the following statement today after attending a special ceremony at the White House to welcome Pope Benedict XVI to the United States:

“I was humbled to have the unique honor of welcoming Pope Benedict XVI to the United States for his first Papal visit. I was struck by the timeliness of his Holiness’s message of global solidarity and diplomacy and his call to maintain our commitment to those who are less fortunate. I hope that Pope Benedict’s visit will inspire Americans of all faiths to renew their commitment to the common good.”

Earlier today the Senate-House conference committee on the farm bill, approved three major titles of the bill: credit, research and trade. Staff for committee members continues to work through a few remaining issues in each title, which are expected to be resolved.

Senator Harkin said of the development:

“The farm bill conference committee continues to work toward completion of this farm bill,” said Harkin. “The adoption of these three titles moves toward our overall goal of passing a strong, national bill. These are critical investments that will bring funding and good policy for agriculture research, international food aid and support for beginning farmers to meet needs in agriculture and the changing economy.”

Yesterday, Senator Tom Harkin issued the following statement after General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker testified before Congress

“I, along with millions of Americans, waited today to hear General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker propose a clear strategy for our nation’s mission in Iraq – something we have been waiting to hear from this Administration for years. Unfortunately, we heard more of the same.”

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On this fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, we have reached an extraordinary juncture. The so-called surge has failed to achieve its stated objective, which was to facilitate reconciliation within the Iraqi government.

While our brave American troops have performed brilliantly, the Iraqi government, time and again, has failed to take the kinds of actions that will foster national unity. Meanwhile, we have received a series of objective, authoritative reports documenting that the Iraqi government, Army, and police are dysfunctional and riddled with sectarianism and corruption.

Sen. Tom Harkin issued the following statement ahead of the 5th anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. Harkin has been a leader on efforts in Congress to redeploy our troops and bring them home:

"On this fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, we have reached an extraordinary juncture. The so-called surge has failed to achieve its stated objective, which was to facilitate reconciliation within the Iraqi government. While our brave American troops have performed brilliantly, the Iraqi government, time and again, has failed to take the kinds of actions that will foster national unity. Meanwhile, we have received a series of objective, authoritative reports documenting that the Iraqi government, Army, and police are dysfunctional and riddled with sectarianism and corruption."

Senator Tom Harkin delivered his announcement speech today in his hometown of Cumming. Below you can read his remarks as he prepared them for delivery:

Thank you, Ruth, for those kind words. And, most of all, thank you for your love and support for the last 40 years. God has given me more than my fair share of blessings, and having Ruth at my side, as well as our two daughters, has been the greatest blessing of all.

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Senator Tom Harkin released the following statement today after President Bush's weekly radio address where he announced his veto of the Intelligence Authorization Bill:

It is absolutely deplorable that this President continues to turn a blind eye to the horrific and illegal interrogation practices festering under his watch. We in Congress joined the more than 30 military Admirals and Generals– including General David Petraeus – in standing up for human rights and acknowledging that torture is not only ineffective, it jeopardizes our safety. I am disappointed that the President has decided to betray our nation’s values and put our country at further risk.

Earlier this week, Senator Tom Harkin announced via an email and an online video, that he will be kicking off his 2008 re-election campaign with a series of events all over the state so that he can continue to fight for a better future for Iowa families:

Tom Harkin delivered testimony to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs to call attention to the Bush Administration's budget cuts to Iowa's law enforcement community. The two-thirds cut to the Bryne Justice Assistance Grants program will cost Iowa $3 million and it will hamper Iowa's sheriffs and police to tackle drugs, fight crime, and protect Iowa communities. In a statement released yesterday, Harkin stated:

Yesterday, the Senate passed the Intelligence Authorization Act, which bans the use of torture by the United States government. Under the Act, specific practices that the Bush Administration has employed, including waterboarding, electric shocks, beatings, use of dogs, forcing prisoners to stand naked, and induced hypothermia, will be explicitly prohibited. It was a close vote, but Democrats prevailed in our effort to regain our moral authority around the world.

The Associated Press is reporting that President Bush threatened to veto Sen. Tom Harkin's Farm Bill today during a speech at the Department of Agriculture.

In response, Senator Tom Harkin issued the following statement today: