Tom Harkin

Biography
Growing up in a close-knit family of modest means, Tom and his five siblings learned early in life the importance of hard work and responsibility. During his youth, he worked in a variety of jobs - on farms and construction sites, as a paper boy and at a Des Moines bottling plant.

Agriculture, Food, Conservation And Rural Communities
Because of the tremendous importance of agriculture and rural communities to Iowa and our nation, I am fortunate to serve as the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and its subcommittee on agriculture and related subjects.

Restoring A Strong Economy That Works For All Americans
As he travels across Iowa, it is painfully clear to him that the current downturn in the economy - not to mention rising gasoline and food prices - is taking a major toll on people, especially working families and seniors. It’s not just that people are having a tougher time paying bills and making ends meet. There is also a more general anxiety created by a drumbeat of bad news about job losses and foreclosures. A growing number of Iowans are losing their homes. And when that "For Sale -- Foreclosure" sign goes up, in one homeowner’s yard, it can bring down the value of every house in the neighborhood.

Education: Keeping The Promise Of Quality And Affordability
Quality education for every American is a keystone of the American Dream. He believes that an educated America is the single most important factor in maintaining our productivity and global leadership, and preparing our children to contribute to their communities and the nation at their full potential. That is why he has fought for critical education investments in my leadership position on the Senate Appropriations panel that funds education programs. We have made progress in important areas, such as modernizing Iowa’s schools, increasing funding for No Child Left Behind programs and expanding access to a college education. However, more needs to be done.

Fighting For Equal Rights And Opportunity At Home And Abroad
The Declaration of Independence nobly asserts that "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." These truths may be self-evident and God-given, but Americans have had to struggle heroically to make them a concrete reality. Beginning with the American Revolution and continuing through the Civil War, the women’s and civil rights movements of the 20th century, and up to our current day, we have fought to extend equal rights and equal opportunity to all of our citizens, regardless of race, gender, religion, disability, or sexual orientation. Today, this unfinished struggle continues here at home. It also continues abroad, where we confront the evils of abusive child labor, human trafficking, and slavery.

Fighting Disease, And Remaking America As A Wellness Society
The wealthiest nation in the world ought to be the healthiest nation in the world. But we’re not. In fact, the U.S. ranks a dismal 24th in life expectancy, and we lag on many other health measures, as well.

Labor
Tom Harkin has made the concerns of working Iowans a priority throughout his Senate career. He currently serves as Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Department of Labor, and is also a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Protecting America By Fighting Terrorism And Crime
His most solemn responsibility as a Senator is to help ensure the safety and security of every American. This means working to maintain a strong military, second to none; restoring our alliances and partnerships around the world; and fully equipping and training our law enforcement officers and other first responders to meet the domestic security threats of the 21st century. We face no greater challenge than to wage a smarter fight against Al-Qaeda, which has successfully regrouped, in large part because U.S. military and intelligence assets have been tied down in Iraq. We also need to reestablish our standing in the world, especially our moral leadership, which has been seriously eroded by the scandals of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. In today’s world, security is based on both "hard power," a strong military, and "soft power," global respect for America’s democratic values and commitment to human rights.

Supporting Iowa’s Troops And Veterans
There is a difference between supporting a particular war effort and supporting the troops who actually fight the war. He opposes the war in Iraq, and believe that we should redeploy our Armed Forces to wage a smarter, more focused fight against the terrorists who threaten us. But, as a veteran himself, he wholeheartedly support our troops in the field as well as their families back home. We owe them the very best, including the best training, equipment, and health care. On that score, as our troops enter their seventh year of operations in Afghanistan and their sixth year in Iraq, he is disturbed that their civilian leadership in Washington is not doing enough to ensure troop readiness, to support families back home, or to address the physical and mental health needs of our returning troops.