Hi everyone, I hope you were all able to enjoy the Labor Day weekend with family and friends. Now that summer has come to a close we have a new school year and harvest season to look forward to. Not to mention the UNI football season!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the communities around the state that experienced the heavy August rain. Today I sent a letter to President George Bush asking for prompt consideration of a request for federal assistance for the affected counties. These counties deserve all the help we can give them. The president’s quick approval will help them get back on their feet as early as possible.

Thank you all for coming to my town meetings throughout August. Hearing your common sense input is important in the process of representative government. I wrapped up my annual tour of Iowa’s 99 counties with town meetings and visits in Appanoose, Blackhawk, Cherokee, Davis, Decatur, Fremont, Ida, Mills, Monona Montgomery, Page, Palo Alto, Polk, Ringgold, Taylor, Van Buren, Wayne and Woodbury Counties.

I also hosted my 11th biennial Ambassadors Tour of Iowa in August. Barbara and I took Diplomats from nearly 60 different countries to 14 communities in southeast and central Iowa. Both the Diplomats and the community’s members made valuable business contacts. In addition to the business contacts they developed friendships with all the friendly Iowans they met along the way especially those who opened their homes for the diplomats to stay.

I returned to Washington today and the first vote we had in the Senate was on the nomination of Jim Nussle to be the director of the Office of Management and Budget. He was confirmed 69–24. I’ve known Jim Nussle for nearly 27 years and I know that he will do an excellent job.