Floor Remarks by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Senate President Pro Tempore
“Women’s History Month”
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
March is Women’s History Month. This is an opportunity to celebrate women who have shaped the nation’s history.
Americans all across the country, this month, should share stories about women who’ve made an impact on their lives and how those same women have paved the way for future generations to pursue their dreams and contribute to American society.
My mother is one of those women. She raised me and my four siblings to treat people with respect and work very hard. She was one of the first to benefit from the Women’s Suffrage Movement.
The Women’s Suffrage Movement began in the mid-19th Century. So, it took 70 years for the 19th Amendment to finally be adopted. And [it] was adopted in 1920.
The 19th Amendment, we know, granted women the right to vote.
My mother was one of the first women to cast a ballot just 29 hours after ratification of the 19th Amendment.
There was already an election scheduled in that part of Iowa. I’ve spoken about her picture being in the Des Moines Register and the Waterloo Courier. My mother and three other women were pictured there, voting.
Even though my mom never bragged about her milestone in U.S. history, she sparked my interest in politics with conversation around the kitchen table.
Since our nation’s founding, women have blazed trails and inspired future generations to break glass ceilings in business, in agriculture, in medicine, in government, in science, in technology, in the arts and many [other fields] that should be named.
Stories like my mother’s are what this month is all about: celebrating the gutsy, hard-won achievements of moms, daughters, sisters, aunts and wives throughout our 250 years of American history.
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