Chuck Grassley

== Investigations ==
=== Religious organizations ===
{{Main|United States Senate inquiry into the tax-exempt status of religious organizations}}
On November 5, 2007, Grassley announced an investigation into the tax-exempt status of six ministries under the leadership of [[Benny Hinn]], [[Paula White]], [[Eddie L. Long]], [[Joyce Meyer]], [[Creflo Dollar]], and [[Kenneth Copeland]] by the [[United States Senate Committee on Finance]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16860611|title=Senator Probes Megachurches' Finances|website=[[NPR]]|first=Kathy|last=Lohr|date=December 4, 2007|access-date=December 10, 2007|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206080710/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16860611|archive-date=December 6, 2007}}</ref> In letters to each ministry, Grassley asked for the ministries to divulge specific financial information to the committee to determine whether or not funds collected by each organization were inappropriately utilized by ministry heads.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/06/cbsnews_investigates/main3462147.shtml|title=Televangelists Living Like Kings?|website=[[CBS News]]|date=November 6, 2007|access-date=September 17, 2007|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109112841/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/06/cbsnews_investigates/main3462147.shtml|archive-date=November 9, 2007}}</ref> By the December 6, 2007 deadline, only three of the ministries had shown compliance with the Finance Committee's request. On March 11, 2008, Grassley and Finance chairman [[Max Baucus]] sent follow-up letters to Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar and Eddie Long, explaining that the Senate reserved the right to investigate the finances of their organizations under federal tax laws.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pgdc.com/pgdc/grassley-baucus-urge-four-ministries-cooperate|title=Grassley, Baucus Urge Four Ministries to Cooperate|publisher=Planned Giving Design Center|date=March 12, 2008|access-date=February 4, 2009|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126121815/http://www.pgdc.com/pgdc/grassley-baucus-urge-four-ministries-cooperate|archive-date=January 26, 2009}}</ref>

=== Medical research ===
Grassley also began an investigation about unreported payments to physicians by pharmaceutical companies. He led a 2008 Congressional investigation that found that well-known university [[psychiatrist]]s, who had promoted [[psychoactive drug]]s, had violated federal and university regulations by secretly receiving large sums of money from the pharmaceutical companies that made the drugs.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kirk|first=Stuart A.|title=Mad Science: Psychiatric Coercion, Diagnosis, and Drugs|year=2013|publisher=Transaction Publishers|page=21}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that [[Joseph Biederman]] of Harvard University had failed to report over $1 million of income he had received from pharmaceutical companies.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/us/08conflict.html|title=Researchers Fail to Reveal Full Drug Pay|work=[[The New York Times]]|first1=Gardiner|last1=Harris|first2=Benedict|last2=Carey|date=June 8, 2008|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210021458/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/us/08conflict.html|archive-date=December 10, 2008}}</ref> Weeks later, Grassley alleged that [[Alan Schatzberg]], chair of psychiatry at [[Stanford University]], had underreported his investments in [[Corcept Therapeutics]], a company he founded.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2008/tc20080626_630542.htm|title=Drug Makers and College Labs: Too Cozy?|work=[[Business Week]]|first=Arlene|last=Weintraub|date=June 26, 2008|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524003304/http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2008/tc20080626_630542.htm|archive-date=May 24, 2011}}</ref> Schatzberg had reported only $100,000 investments in Corcept, but Grassley said his investments actually totaled over $6 million. Schatzberg later stepped down from his grant, which was funded by the [[National Institutes of Health]] (NIH).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://chronicle.com/news/article/4922/stanford-researcher-accused-of-conflicts-steps-down-as-nih-principal-investigator|title=Stanford Researcher, Accused of Conflicts, Steps Down as NIH Principal Investigator|work=[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]|date=August 1, 2008|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201150934/http://chronicle.com/news/article/4922/stanford-researcher-accused-of-conflicts-steps-down-as-nih-principal-investigator|archive-date=February 1, 2009}}</ref>

Similarly, [[Charles Nemeroff]] resigned as chair of the psychiatry department at [[Emory University]] after failing to report a third of the $2.8 million in consulting fees he received from [[GlaxoSmithKline]]. At the time he received these fees, Nemeroff had been principal investigator of a $3.9 million NIH grant evaluating five medications for depression manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/04/science/sci-doctors4|title=Doctor Accused in Congress' Probe|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=October 4, 2008|first1=Denise|last1=Gellene|first2=Thomas H.|last2=Maugh II|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201144702/http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/04/science/sci-doctors4|archive-date=February 1, 2009}}</ref>

In 2008, for the first time, Grassley asked the [[American Psychiatric Association]] to disclose how much of its annual budget came from drug industry funds. The APA said that industry contributed 28% of its budget ($14 million at that time), mainly through paid advertising in APA journals and funds for continuing medical education.<ref name=stuarta>{{cite book|last=Kirk|first=Stuart A.|title=Mad Science: Psychiatric Coercion, Diagnosis, and Drugs|year=2013|publisher=[[Transaction Publishers]]|location=Piscataway, New Jersey|isbn=978-1412855921}}</ref>

=== Fundraising ===
According to the nonpartisan [[OpenSecrets]], in 2010, the industries that have been the largest contributors to Grassley during his political career are health professionals ($1 million in contributions), insurance industry ($997,674), lawyers/law firms ($625,543) and pharmaceuticals/health products ($538,680). His largest corporate donors have been [[Blue Cross Blue Shield]] (insurance), [[Amgen]] (biotech company) and [[Wells Fargo]] (bank).<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[OpenSecrets]] |access-date=February 26, 2010|url=http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cycle=Career&cid=N00001758&type=I|title=Chuck Grassley: Campaign Finance/Money – Industries|url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821012541/http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cycle=Career&cid=N00001758&type=I|archive-date=August 21, 2009}}</ref>