For Immediate Release

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

 

Grassley follows up with USDA about discrimination claims

           

            WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a status report on the agency’s effort to improve its process for resolving discrimination claims made by employees following independent assessments that recommended improvements in 2008 and 2011.

“The discrimination issues and delays in resolving claims are not a new issue for the Department of Agriculture, but it’s time for a clear indication that systemic problems are being resolved.  To date, the agency response to questions about progress being made have been somewhat vague and inadequate,” Grassley said.

The Iowa senator made his request for a status report in a letter sent today to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.  Click here to read Grassley’s letter to Vilsack.

            Both a 2008 report of the Government Accountability Office, which is the investigative arm of Congress, and a 2011 Jackson Lewis report commissioned by the Department of Agriculture identified problems in the way the agency managed employee claims of discrimination and made recommendations for improvements.