ICYMI: Grassley Explains Secret Holds in Congress
December 22, 2019
In the odd inner workings of Congress, there’s something called a “legislative hold.” It gives any individual senator the power to stop a nominee or a bill— put a hold on them. The idea is to encourage negotiations between those for and against. But sometimes the Senator making the hold keeps his name secret. Senator Chuck Grassley tells why he’s been trying for a decade to stop the secrecy.
Sen. Grassley: So why do you put a hold on? Lot of times, people put a hold on because they want to negotiate something, or they want to use it as a lever to get something else. So I use holds, but I've always put a statement in the record of why I'm putting a hold on an individual nominee or a bill. So people know who it is, come and talk to Chuck Grassley and I'll tell you what the problems is I've got. And you can negotiate then, whatever you want to negotiate.
Sharyl: What is a secret hold?
Sen. Grassley: Well, a secret hold is when you put a hold on, you don't want anybody to know about it. So don't you think the public's business ought to be public? Well, if it's going to be secret, how's anybody know why you're holding it. Maybe they do it for a reason that's not a very good reason. So it's secret.
Some important secret holds have gotten a lot of attention over the years. One senator’s secret hold killed a new Whistleblower bill to protect federal employees reporting corruption. And an unnamed senator temporarily blocked a cost of living increase for disabled veterans and their survivors. With the names of the holding Senators kept anonymous, it’s impossible for other Senators know their reasoning or negotiate a compromise.
So in 2011, Senators Grassley and Ron Wyden successfully led a bipartisan effort to ban secret holds —starting in 2013. A new rule said that all Senators must disclose their names and reasoning in the Congressional record within two days of making a hold.
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Sen. Grassley: Eight years later, it happens every day that people put a hold on a bill or a nominee and don't put their statement in the public record. We need these rules enforced in the leadership of the Republican and Democratic Party ought to be enforcing these rules.
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