With U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley
Q: What are your committee assignments in the 118th Congress?
A: On Jan. 3, I was honored to take the constitutional oath of office to represent Iowans for an 8th term in the U.S. Senate. It is a solemn oath I take to heart and strive every day to uphold the blessings of liberty and economic freedom and strengthen the promise of prosperity for generations to come. Every two years, Congress starts a new session and organizes committee assignments where lawmakers will roll up their sleeves to conduct legislative and oversight responsibilities. That includes holding congressional hearings to learn from policy experts and hear from everyday Americans about issues that matter to their lives and livelihoods; building bipartisan consensus to move legislation through committees; and calling upon members of the president’s cabinet and executive branch to testify about their work to implement the laws of the land. The people’s branch writes the laws and as part of our system of checks and balances, lawmakers must fulfill our constitutional oversight duties to ensure money is spent as intended and the laws are faithfully executed as written, from securing the border to collecting taxes and protecting national security.
A primary objective of my work is to make the government work effectively and efficiently for the taxpayer and hold it accountable to the American people. In the 118th Congress, I expect to serve as ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee. From this leadership post, I’ll continue my crusade as a taxpayer watchdog to trim the sails of wasteful spending and restore fiscal discipline to the federal purse strings. It is reckless for Washington to continue flagrant overspending in massive omnibus bills from one year to the next. It drives up the debt, burdens the next generation to foot the bill and obscures accountability. This reckless approach is the polar opposite of paying it forward, it sends America backward and digs a hole for our children and grandchildren to fill. In addition, I expect to continue serving on the Judiciary; Finance; Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Committees and Caucus on International Narcotics Control, as well as co-chair caucuses on Foster Youth; Cystic Fibrosis; Whistleblower Protection; Baltic Freedom; and, Congressional Trademark. I’ll continue my work on dozens of congressional caucuses to help push priorities for Iowans, including the Mississippi River, diabetes, rural health care and career and technical education, to list a few examples.
Q: What are some of your legislative priorities for the next two years?
A: In addition to reining in wasteful government spending to help tame inflation, I will continue pushing a full agenda on behalf of Iowans. In the 118th Congress, I am the dean of the U.S. Senate, the longest serving lawmaker in the upper chamber. This puts me at the leadership table and I will leverage this advantage for Iowans at every opportunity. As work gets underway, my legislative priorities include lowering prescription drug costs for Americans, updating the Farm Bill and restoring competition in the cattle market, funding police, protecting victims of crime and combatting the flow of deadly drugs into the country.
In addition, I’m keeping close tabs on the IRS and the $80 billion boondoggle the previous Congress pumped into the tax collecting agency and holding the Biden administration’s feet to the fire for the crisis at our southern border. The record surge of illegal immigration under the Biden administration has turned American sovereignty into a laughingstock and empowered dangerous drug cartels to flood our communities with deadly fentanyl. This irresponsible abdication has led to historic overdose deaths among our youngest generations and fostered lawlessness at our southern border.
My Senate office will continue to place a high priority on constituent services to help Iowans navigate red tape and get answers from federal agencies about problems regarding veterans’ benefits, tax returns or passports, for example. Iowans may fill out a form online to seek assistance and a specialist from one of my six state offices will be in touch. As always, I encourage Iowans to keep in touch and share their views and concerns. Representative government is a two-way street and I want to know what’s on your mind to conduct the people’s business. Sign up for my weekly e-newsletter to stay in the loop and find out about my work on your behalf during the 118th Congress.