Chuck Grassley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Official portrait, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President pro tempore of the United States Senate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Patty Murray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 20, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Orrin Hatch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Patrick Leahy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President pro tempore emeritus of the United States Senate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 20, 2021 – January 3, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Patrick Leahy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Patty Murray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States Senator fromIowa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office January 3, 1981 Serving with Joni Ernst | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | John Culver | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's3rd district | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1981 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | H. R. Gross | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Cooper Evans | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of theIowa House of Representatives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 12, 1959 – January 3, 1975 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Wayne Ballhagen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Raymond Lageschulte | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency |
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Charles Ernest Grassley (1933-09-17)September 17, 1933 (age 91) New Hartford, Iowa, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Republican | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Pat Grassley (grandson) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | University of Northern Iowa (BA,MA) University of Iowa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Senate website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Charles Ernest Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is an American politician serving as thepresident pro tempore of the United States Senate. He was also president pro tempore from 2019 to 2021. A member of theRepublican Party, Grassley is theseniorUnited States senator fromIowa, serving since 1981. He is thedean of the United States Senate.
Before becoming a senator, Grassley served eight terms in theIowa House of Representatives (1959–1975) and three terms in theUnited States House of Representatives (1975–1981). He has served three stints asSenate Finance Committee chairman during periods of Republican Senate majority.[1][2] Upon the retirement ofOrrin Hatch on January 3, 2019, Grassley became the Senate's most senior Republican and itspresident pro tempore.[3][4] UponPatrick Leahy's retirement in January 2023, Grassley became themost senior member of the Senate.
At 91 years, 5 months and 26 days old, Grassley is theoldest sitting United States senator, the longest-serving Republican in congressional history, and theseventh-longest-serving U.S. senator in history. He served aspresident pro tempore emeritus of the Senate from 2021 to 2025. During his four decades in the Senate, Grassley has chaired theSenate Finance Committee, theSenate Narcotics Caucus, theSenate Judiciary Committee, and theSenate Aging Committee.
Grassley was born on September 17, 1933 inNew Hartford, Iowa.[5] He is the son of Ruth (née Corwin) and Louis Arthur Grassley.[6] Grassley was raised on a farm;[7] his childhood home did not have electricity or indoor plumbing.[8] He graduated from New Hartford Community High School in 1951.[9][10] AtIowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa), he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1955 and a Master of Arts inpolitical science in 1956. He pursued a Ph.D. in political science at theUniversity of Iowa, but did not complete the degree.[8][5][11] During his time as a student, Grassley joined the social-professionalAlpha Gamma Rho fraternity.[12]
In the 1950s, Grassley farmed and worked in factories in Iowa, first as asheet metal shearer and then as anassembly line worker. From 1967 to 1968, he taught atCharles City College.[9]
Grassley represented parts ofButler County in theIowa House of Representatives from 1959 to 1975.[9] He then served in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1981.[5]
Grassley was first elected to the Senate in 1980, defeating Democratic incumbentJohn Culver.[13]
Grassley was reelected in 1986, defeating the Democratic nominee, attorney John P. Roehrick. He won 98 counties, losingWapello County.[14]
Grassley was reelected in 1992, defeating Democraticstate senatorJean Hall Lloyd-Jones. He won all 99 counties.[15]
Grassley was reelected in 1998, defeating formerstate representativeDavid Osterberg, who won the Democratic nomination unopposed. He won all 99 counties.[16]
Grassley was reelected in 2004, defeating formerstate senatorArthur A. Small. He won all 99 counties.
Grassley sought a sixth term in the 2010 election. He was challenged by DemocratRoxanne Conlin, a formerUnited States attorney, andLibertarian John Heiderscheit, an attorney.
Grassley was unopposed in the Republican primary, although conservative Iowans such as Bill Salier and Craig Robinson said he had drifted "too far to the left".[17]
Grassley was reelected with 718,215 votes to Conlin's 371,686. He won 98 counties, losingJohnson County. Heiderscheit received 25,290 votes.[18] Grassley became only the second Iowan to serve six terms in the Senate, the other beingWilliam B. Allison.[citation needed]
Grassley sought a seventh term in the 2016 election. He was expected to face a strong challenge from former Democratic lieutenant governorPatty Judge,[19] but won his seventh term with over 60% of the vote as Republican presidential nomineeDonald Trump won Iowa with over 51% of the vote.[20] He won 98 counties, losingJohnson County again.
In May 2021, Grassley said that he would not decide whether to run for reelection in 2022 until between eight and 12 months before the election.[21] Many believed that an open seat in Iowa would benefit the Democrats as they could convince many Grassley supporters to vote for their nominee. In July 2021, former U.S. representativeAbby Finkenauer announced that she would run for the seat regardless of Grassley's decision and criticized him and Republican Senate leaderMitch McConnell for being "obsessed with power" and not taking a strong stance against those who breached the Capitol in theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack.[22][23]
In September 2021, Grassley announced his intention to run for an eighth term.[24] His announcement was viewed as advantageous to Republicans seeking to hold Grassley's seat and to retake the Senate majority in 2022.[25] He wonthe general election, defeating Democratic nomineeMichael Franken on November 8, 2022.[26]
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In November 1981, Grassley was one of 32 senators to sign a letter to President Reagan supporting Director of theOffice of Management and BudgetDavid Stockman.[27] In August 1982, while the Reagan administration tried persuading senators to approve legislation authorizing the creation of a radio station for broadcasting to Cuba, Grassley joined fellow Iowa senatorRoger Jepsen andEdward Zorinsky in seeking an amendment to the bill barring the Reagan administration from operating Radio Marti on that frequency or other commercial AM frequencies.[28]
In October 1983, Grassley voted against establishing a legal holiday to commemorateMartin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.[29] In 2015, an aide to Grassley said that he voted against the holiday due to an "economic decision both in the cost to the broader economy in lost productivity, and the cost to the taxpayers with the federal government closed".[30] In 2004, Grassley co-sponsored legislation giving King a posthumous award, which became law on October 25 that year.[31][32]
On November 1, 1984, Grassley signed a one-page citation of contempt of Congress against Attorney GeneralWilliam French Smith due to Smith's not turning over files on an investigation into Navy shipbuilding. Assistant Attorney GeneralStephen S. Trott called the citation "out of place" since Grassley was not acting at a session of the Judiciary panel he led.[33]
In May 1987, theSenate Appropriations Committee defeated an attempt by Grassley to hasten payments of corn and other feed grain subsidies ahead of the scheduled payment taking place after October 1. Grassley's measure was also designed to unravel an accounting device lawmakers had used to make it appear that they were reducing spending for the incoming fiscal year.[34]
In October 1987, during a press briefing, Grassley accused Reagan of being "asleep at the switch" and botching the handling ofRobert Bork's Supreme Court nomination, adding that Bork's nomination had convinced him that the Reagan administration "has been terribly lucky for the last seven years" in other matters, including the economy and foreign policy.[35] Later that month, Grassley likened the groups lobbying against Bork's nomination to theMcCarthyism of the 1950s: "The big lie is standard operating procedure for some of these groups. All you have to do is repeat the same outrageous charges, and repeat them so often that people believe they are true."[36] In November, as party leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee met on the Supreme Court nomination ofDouglas H. Ginsburg, Grassley released the text of a letter he intended to send to theAmerican Bar Association suggesting the association was dragging its feet in reviewing Ginsburg's record.[37] After Ginsburg admitted having smoked marijuana, Grassley said, "You like to think people who are appointed to the Supreme Court respect the law."[38] Grassley joinedJesse Helms in resisting the nomination ofAnthony Kennedy, Reagan's next choice for the Supreme Court; he indicated that he would have preferred that Reagan instead nominate JudgePasco Bowman II or JudgeJohn Clifford Wallace.[a] Grassley expressed distaste for "the people who are committed to changing the judiciary" and taking "the path of least resistance".[41]
In January 1989, as the Senate voted to schedule a vote within a month on a pay increase, Grassley asked how senators would decline federal program increases "come March and April if the first thing out of the box is a pay raise".[42] In February, he was one of six senators to testify against the 50% pay increase scheduled to take effect the next week.[43] In October, he was one of nine senators to vote against legislation intended to outlaw flag burning and other forms of flag defacement and joinedBob Dole andOrrin Hatch, the other two Republicans to vote against the bill, in voicing a preference for a constitutional amendment.[44]
In January 1991, Grassley was one of only two Republican senators to vote againstjoining the international coalition to force Iraq out of Kuwait, the other beingMark Hatfield ofOregon.[45] In August 1991, he became one of six Republicans on the Select Senate Committee on POW-MIA Affairs that would investigate the number of Americans still missing in the aftermath of theVietnam War following renewed interest.[46] In July 1998, PresidentBill Clinton listed Grassley among the members of Congress who had made it possible "for me to sign into law today theInternal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act".[47] On February 12, 1999, Grassley was one of 50 senators to vote toconvict and remove Bill Clinton from office.[48]
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In May 2001, Grassley met with Democratic senatorMax Baucus over the allocation of finances in tax cuts and both reported they were making progress in reaching a bipartisan deal, Grassley adding that the bill would contain all four of the main elements proposed by the Bush administration and the Senate Finance Committee would modify the components of the Bush proposal.[49]
In August 2002, Grassley sent a letter to president and chief executive of theUnited Way of America Brian Gallagher requesting a detailed explanation on the overseeing of both finances and management of the organization's affiliates. Grassley also wrote to chief executive of the United Way of the National Capital Area Norman O. Taylor in regards to allegations of affiliates misappropriating money as well as withholding information the board needed to allow its conducting of oversight.[50]
As a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, Grassley has spearheaded many probes into alleged misuse and lack of accountability of federal money. In July 2007, a Grassley-commissioned report was released claiming that more than US$1 billion infarm subsidies were sent to deceased individuals.[51] Grassley was called a "Taxpayer Super Hero" in 2014 by the council forCitizens Against Government Waste. He received a 100 percent rating from the group that year and has a lifetime rating of 78 percent.[52] Grassley was ranked the 5th most bipartisan senator of the114th United States Congress and the 7th most bipartisan Senator in the first session of the115th Congress by the Bipartisan Index, a metric created bythe Lugar Center forthe Lugar Center andGeorgetown'sMcCourt School of Public Policy to rank members of the United States Congress by their degree of bipartisanship.[53][54]
In February 2004, Grassley released an internal report composed by the FBI in 2000 that examined 107 instances of either serious or criminal misconduct by its agents over a 16-year period. In a letter to the FBI, Grassley called the report "a laundry list of horrors with examples of agents who committed rape, sexual crimes against children, other sexual deviance and misconduct, attempted murder of a spouse, and narcotics violations, among many others" and added that the report's findings raised questions about whether the FBI handled agents "soon enough and rigorously enough".[55]
On June 28, 2006, Grassley proposed legislation[56][57] intended to curbsex trafficking andsexual slavery in the United States by means of strict enforcement of tax laws, for example by requiring aW-2 form be filed for eachprostitute managed by apimp or other employer.
Since 1976, Grassley has repeatedly introduced measures that increase the level oftaxation on American citizens living abroad, including retroactive tax hikes. Grassley was eventually able to attach an amendment to a piece of legislation that went into effect in 2006, which increased taxes on Americans abroad by targeting housing and living incentives paid by foreign employers and held them accountable for federal taxes, even though they did not currently reside in the United States. Critics of the amendment felt that the move hurt Americans competing for jobs abroad by putting an unnecessary tax burden on foreign employers. Others felt that the move was only to offset the revenue deficit caused bydomestic tax cuts of theBush Administration.[58][59][60]
In March 2009, amid a scandal that involvedAIG executives receiving large salary bonuses from the taxpayer-funded bailout of AIG, Grassley suggested that those AIG employees receiving large bonuses should follow the so-called 'Japanese example', resign immediately or commitsuicide. After some criticism, he dismissed the comments as rhetoric.[61][62][63]
In May 2009, Grassley cosponsored a resolution to amend theUS Constitution to prohibitflag burning.[64]
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When PresidentBarack Obama and the Democratic Party proposed a health reform bill featuring mandated health insurance, Grassley opposed the health insurance mandate, saying that it was a deal breaker.[65] In response to an audience question at an August 12, 2009, meeting in Iowa, about the end-of-life counseling provisions in theHouse health care bill,H.R. 3200, Grassley said people were right to fear that the government would "pull the plug on grandma".[66][67][68][69] Grassley had previously supported covering end-of-life counseling, having voted for theMedicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, which stated: "The covered services are: evaluating the beneficiary's need for pain and symptom management, including the individual's need for hospice care; counseling the beneficiary with respect to end-of-life issues and care options, and advising the beneficiary regarding advanced care planning."[70] In December 2009, he voted against thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act (commonly called Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act). It was later reported that Grassley had notified Obama that he would vote against the Affordable Care Act even had the bill been modified to include all of the proposed modifications Grassley had proposed.[71]
In January 2010, Grassley was one of seven Senate Republicans to sign a letter warning the White House about their serious reservations with Director of the Transportation Security Administration nominee Erroll Southers due to conflicting accounts Southers gave the Senate about his previous tapping of databases for information about his ex-wife's boyfriend in the late 1980s.[72]
In December 2010, Grassley was one of 26 senators who voted against the ratification ofNew START,[73] anuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States andRussian Federation obliging both countries to have no more than 1,550 strategic warheads as well as 700 launchers deployed during the next seven years along with providing a continuation of on-site inspections that halted whenSTART I expired the previous year. It was the first arms treaty with Russia in eight years.[74]
In April 2013, Grassley opposed agun control amendment authored by senatorsJoe Manchin andPat Toomey, and instead proposed alternative legislation to increase prosecutions of gun violence and increase reporting of mental health data in background checks.[75]
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On March 9, 2015, Grassley was one of 47 senators to sign a letter toIran led byTom Cotton to rebuke theJoint Comprehensive Plan of Action.[76] In June 2015, Grassley introduced legislation to help protect taxpayers from alleged abuses by theInternal Revenue Service. The legislation was proposed in response to recent events involving alleged inappropriate conduct by employees at the IRS but was opposed by Democrats.[77]
Since first taking office in 1981, Grassley has held public meetings in all of Iowa's 99 counties each year, even after losing honorarium payments for them in 1994.[78] This has led to the coinage of the term "full Grassley" to describe a presidential candidate visiting all 99 counties of Iowa before theIowa caucuses.[79]
In 2018, Grassley suggested that no women were serving on the Senate Judiciary Committee because of the heavy workload.[80] The following week, Grassley added that he would "welcome more women" to serve on the Committee "because women as a whole are smarter than most male senators. And they work real hard, too".[81]
In July 2018, after PresidentDonald Trump nominatedBrett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court,[82] Grassley lauded Kavanaugh as "one of the most qualified Supreme Court nominees to come before the Senate",[83] and said that critics of Kavanaugh should lessen their confidence in how he would vote given past surprises in voting by members of the Court.[84]
In 2016, Senate Republicans refused to consider Obama's nomination ofMerrick Garland to the Supreme Court. At the time, Grassley said that the "American people shouldn't be denied a voice" in the nomination, which was "too important to get bogged down in politics". In 2020, after a Supreme Court vacancy arose due to JusticeRuth Bader Ginsburg's death, Grassley supported a prompt vote on Trump's nominee, backing the decision of "the current chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the Senate Majority Leader".[85]
Grassley was participating in the certification of the2021 United States Electoral College vote count when Trump supportersattacked the U.S. Capitol. He was removed from the Senate chamber and taken to a secure location when rioters entered the building.[86] In the wake of the attack, Grassley said that Trump "displayed poor leadership in his words and actions, and he must take responsibility".[87] He said efforts to impeach Trump would risk "further disunity" and that "the country must take steps to tone down political rhetoric and mend divisions".[88] In response,The Gazette editorial board wrote that Grassley and other Iowa Republicans "must reckon with why they did the wrong thing for so long".[89]
As of November 2015, Grassley had cast 12,000 votes,[90] and as of July 2012, he had missed only 35 votes in his Senate career.[91] In January 2016, he set a record for the most times without a missed roll-call vote, having not missed one since July 1993, when he was touring Iowa with President Bill Clinton to survey flood damage.[92] In November 2020, this streak came to an end after over 27 years and 8,927 votes[93] when he quarantined after being exposed toCOVID-19.[94] Grassley broke SenatorWilliam Proxmire's record for most time without a missed vote, but Proxmire holds the record for most consecutive roll-call votes, with 10,252.[92]
Grassley's committee assignments for the 118th Congress are as follows:[95]
Grassley has said that he considers himselfpro-life and has expressed concern about the potential for abortions to be paid for with federal funds.[96] In December 1981, he voted for a proposed constitutional amendment byOrrin Hatch that would allow both Congress and the states to ban or regulate abortion.[97] In 2019, he co-sponsored reintroducing the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.[98] Grassley approved of the 2022overturning ofRoe v. Wade, saying it empowered people through their elected representatives to make "commonsense policy decisions".[99]
In April 2019, Grassley was one of seven senators to sign a letter led byDebbie Stabenow andJoni Ernst toUnited States secretary of agricultureSonny Perdue urging the Agriculture Department to implement conservation measures in the 2018 Farm Bill "through a department-wide National Water Quality Initiative, which would build off the existing initiative housed at the Natural Resource Conservation Service".[100]
In October 2021, Grassley and SenatorAmy Klobuchar introduced theAmerican Innovation and Choice Online Act (S.2992) .[101] The legislation aims to preventBig Tech companies from engaging inanti-competitive behavior by "self-preferencing" their products.[102] Grassley voted to confirmJonathan Kanter asAssistant Attorney General for theDepartment of JusticeAntitrust Division.[103]
Grassley has expressed concern about the impact of regulations by theEnvironmental Protection Agency on farming.[104] He said the EPA has a "public relations problem" with "the ethanol industry, corn farmers and [himself]",[105] and that the EPA has "screwed" farmers with 31 biofuel exemptions.[106] On December 19, 2019, after the EPA withdrew a newRenewable Fuel Standard (RFS) rule, Grassley criticized the EPA for "playing games and not helping President Trump with farmers".[107]
In 1992, Grassley authoredEPACT 1992, which created the federal wind energy tax credit.[108]
In 2005, Grassley authored the tax title ofEPACT 2005 when he was chairman of theSenate Finance Committee.[109] On June 28, 2005, he voted for the bill.[110] On June 19, 2007, Grassley helped expand tax incentives that produces energy from alternative sources including ethanol, wind, biomass, and biodiesel.[109] On June 21, 2007, Grassley voted for theEnergy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which expanded other energy tax incentives through 2013.[111][109]
In September 2015, Grassley received the Dr. Harold D. Prior "Friend of Iowa Wind Energy" award from the Iowa Wind Energy Association for his commitment to supporting wind energy development in Iowa.[112]
In 2017, theEnvironmental Working Group stated that Grassley received $367,763 in grain commodity subsidies over 21 years.[113]
Grassley supports federalethanol subsidies.[114]
In 2017, of theParis Agreement, Grassley said, "unequal terms put the U.S. economy at a significant disadvantage while letting large economies like China’s and India’s off the hook".[115] He also said he didn't like that the Senate had not voted on the agreement.[116]
Grassley is in favor of repealing theestate tax, which is a tax on inherited assets above $5.5 million for individuals and $11 million for couples.[117][118] He has argued that the estate tax is potentially ruinous for farmers and small business owners.[118] According to theDes Moines Register, Grassley's argument does not "match the reality found in federal tax data – particularly for Iowa. The estate tax applies to around 5,000 taxpayers across the entire country each year, and very few of them come from Iowa. Of the Iowans subject to the tax, only a fraction are actually farmers, and a vanishingly small number of them face a tax bill requiring them to sell off farmland or other assets... The number of small businesses impacted by the estate tax is similarly small."[118]
In 2010, Grassley had an "A" rating from theNRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF),[119] rising to "A+" ratings and endorsements in 2016 and 2022.[120][121][122] According to a source fromSplinter News, Grassley received $9,900 from the NRA during his 2016 election.[123]
Grassley is a staunch believer that gun laws will not prevent gun deaths or gun-related violence without improved mental health care.[124] Grassley opposed the Manchin-Toomey gun control amendment, and instead proposed alternative legislation to increase prosecutions of gun violence and increase reporting of mental health data in background checks.[75]
In 2016, one month after theOrlando nightclub shooting, Grassley proposed legislation to expand state-to-state access to background check data and to make it illegal for government officials to sell criminals guns as part of sting operations. Both proposals were rejected by the Senate.[125] Additionally, he voted against the Democrats' Feinstein Amendment, which would make it illegal to sell guns to individuals on the terror watchlist and a Republican-sponsored bill that expanded funding for background checks.[126]
In early 2017, Grassley sponsored legislation that expanded access to firearms by mentally disabled individuals, claiming that the previous ban against mentally ill individuals purchasing guns "mistreats disabled Americans".[127] In response to the2017 Las Vegas shooting, he said it was unlikely that gun laws would change in the wake of the shooting due to Congress being Republican-dominated.[128] A day after theDouglas High School shooting inParkland, Florida, Grassley said the government had not done enough to prevent individuals with a mental illness from obtaining firearms.[129]
Grassley opposes theAffordable Care Act and has voted to repeal it.[130] Before its passage, he had supported the individual mandate in health care reform.[131][132][133] Grassley engaged in lengthy negotiations with the Obama administration, as it sought health care reform with support from Republican members of Congress. These negotiations produced nothing that Grassley would support, leading Democrats to characterize Grassley's efforts as intended to delay or scupper health care reform rather than produce compromise legislation.[134][135][136] In Obama's memoir, he describes an exchange between him and Grassley in the Oval Office as he sought to reach a compromise with Grassley. Obama asked, "IfMax [Baucus] took every one of your latest suggestions, could you support the bill?... Are thereany changes—any at all—that would get us your vote?", to which Grassley responded, "I guess not, Mr. President."[137]
In July 2017, Grassley said that Senate Republicans should be ashamed of not having repealed the ACA, and that this could result in a loss of their majority in the 2018 elections.[138]
In August 2018, Grassley was one of ten Republican senators to cosponsor legislation intended to protect ACA provisions for people with preexisting conditions.[139] Health experts said the bill did not prevent insurers from excluding coverage for people with preexisting conditions.[139]
In 2015, Grassley voiced his opposition to a bipartisan senate bill,the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States Act, that would movecannabis from Schedule I to Schedule II. This bill would allow states withmedical cannabis laws to legally prescribe it and allow for more research into its medical efficacy.[140] In 2019, along with Democratic U.S. SenatorsDianne Feinstein andBrian Schatz, Grassley introduced the Cannabidiol and Marijuana Research Expansion Act, which would expand research into medical marijuana.[141]
Grassley has voiced objections to theSpecial Immigrant Visa program, which resettles translators and their family members who face risks to their lives due to their work with the U.S. Military.[142]
In April 2017, Grassley co-sponsored theIsrael Anti-Boycott Act (s. 720), which would make it a federal crime for Americans to encourage or participate in boycotts againstIsrael andIsraeli settlements in theWest Bank if protesting actions by the Israeli government.[143][144] In 2019, Grassley was one of 14 Republican senators to sign a letter fromMarco Rubio that involved condemning theBDS movement.[145]
In 2015, after the Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional inObergefell v. Hodges, Grassley released a statement saying he believed marriage was between one man and a woman and criticized the court for not leaving the issue up to the states. But in 2022, he said in a statement that he supports same-sex marriage. Despite this, Grassley voted against theRespect for Marriage Act, citing religious liberty concerns and calling the legislation unnecessary.[146]
In 2019, Grassley was one of the lead Senate co-sponsors of the SECURE Act of 2019. This bill, which became law as part of thefiscal year 2020 federal appropriations law signed in late December 2019, was intended to incentivize retirement planning, diversify the options available to savers, and increase access to tax-advantaged savings programs including 529 plans.[147]
In February 2017, Grassley said that while Russian interference in U.S. elections was "bothersome", the United States did not have clean hands and had, for instance, interfered with the1948 Italian election.[148] In May 2017 after Trumpfired FBI director James Comey, Grassley advised people suspicious of theTrump administration to "Suck it up and move on."[149]On October 31, 2017, while a group of Republicans were facing questions from reporters concerning recent indictments, Grassley ignored the questions and left the room.[150]
In January 2018, and in the first known congressionalcriminal referral in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, Grassley, along withLindsey Graham, recommended charges againstChristopher Steele, one of the people who sought to expose Russian interference.[151] Grassley and Graham said that they had reason to believe that Steele had lied to federal authorities.[151] According toThe New York Times, "It was not clear why, if a crime is apparent in the F.B.I. reports that were reviewed by the Judiciary Committee, the Justice Department had not moved to charge Mr. Steele already. The circumstances under which Mr. Steele is alleged to have lied were unclear, as much of the referral was classified."[151]
In January 2018, when Grassley and Judiciary Committee Republicans were refusing to release the full transcript of an August 2017 ten-hour interview that the Judiciary Committee had conducted withGlenn Simpson, SenatorDianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the full transcript unilaterally.[152] Simpson is the co-founder of the political opposition research firmFusion GPS, which produced the so-calledSteele Dossier on alleged connections between Trump and Russia. Grassley condemned Feinstein, saying that her decision was "confounding" and that it deterred future witnesses in the Russia 2016 investigation.[152] Simpson himself had requested that the full transcript of his interview be released, saying that Republicans had selectively leaked portions of the testimony to conservative media outlets in order to portray Simpson in a negative light and discredit the Steele dossier.[152][153]
In January 2018, Grassley was one of 36 Republican senators to sign a letter to President Trump requesting he preserve theNorth American Free Trade Agreement by modernizing it for the economy of the 21st century.[154]
The author of theWhistleblower Protection Act of 1989, Grassley has campaigned to increase protection and provide support for "whistleblowers". He has supported a number of FBI whistleblowers, includingColeen Rowley,Sibel Edmonds, andJane Turner, although not supporting Department of Defense whistleblower Noel Koch.[155]
Grassley received a lifetime achievement award on May 17, 2007, from theNational Whistleblower Center.In April 2014, Grassley announced plans to create a caucus in the Senate dedicated to strengthening whistleblower protections.[156][157]
Grassley defended the whistleblower in theTrump–Ukraine scandal, breaking with his party line, when he declared on October 1, 2019, that the whistleblower "appears to have followed the whistleblower protection laws and ought to be heard out and protected".[158][159]
After whistleblowers ColonelAlexander Vindman and AmbassadorGordon Sondland testified against Donald Trump and were subsequently fired, Grassley defended Trump's firing of both whistleblowers on the grounds that their firing was not retaliatory.[160]
On May 28, 2021, Grassley voted against creating an independent commission to investigate theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack.[161] Later that year, Grassley campaigned with Donald Trump.[162][163]
After President Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race on July 21, 2024, Grassley posted onX, "The American ppl are sick & tired of the Biden-Harris open border policies + high cost of living crushing family budgets. A change in candidate doesn't fool anyone Changing horses midstream isn't going to stop the bad policies +reckless agenda at the top of the Democrat ticket".[164][165][166][167]
On November 5, 2007, Grassley announced an investigation into the tax-exempt status of six ministries under the leadership ofBenny Hinn,Paula White,Eddie L. Long,Joyce Meyer,Creflo Dollar, andKenneth Copeland by theUnited States Senate Committee on Finance.[168] In letters to each ministry, Grassley asked for the ministries to divulge specific financial information to the committee to determine whether or not funds collected by each organization were inappropriately utilized by ministry heads.[169] By the December 6, 2007 deadline, only three of the ministries had shown compliance with the Finance Committee's request. On March 11, 2008, Grassley and Finance chairmanMax Baucus sent follow-up letters to Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar and Eddie Long, explaining that the Senate reserved the right to investigate the finances of their organizations under federal tax laws.[170]
Grassley also began an investigation about unreported payments to physicians by pharmaceutical companies. He led a 2008 Congressional investigation that found that well-known universitypsychiatrists, who had promotedpsychoactive drugs, had violated federal and university regulations by secretly receiving large sums of money from the pharmaceutical companies that made the drugs.[171]The New York Times reported thatJoseph Biederman of Harvard University had failed to report over $1 million of income he had received from pharmaceutical companies.[172] Weeks later, Grassley alleged thatAlan Schatzberg, chair of psychiatry atStanford University, had underreported his investments inCorcept Therapeutics, a company he founded.[173] Schatzberg had reported only $100,000 investments in Corcept, but Grassley said his investments actually totaled over $6 million. Schatzberg later stepped down from his grant, which was funded by theNational Institutes of Health (NIH).[174]
Similarly,Charles Nemeroff resigned as chair of the psychiatry department atEmory University after failing to report a third of the $2.8 million in consulting fees he received fromGlaxoSmithKline. At the time he received these fees, Nemeroff had been principal investigator of a $3.9 million NIH grant evaluating five medications for depression manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.[175]
In 2008, for the first time, Grassley asked theAmerican Psychiatric Association to disclose how much of its annual budget came from drug industry funds. The APA said that industry contributed 28% of its budget ($14 million at that time), mainly through paid advertising in APA journals and funds for continuing medical education.[176]
According to the nonpartisanOpenSecrets, in 2010, the industries that have been the largest contributors to Grassley during his political career are health professionals ($1 million in contributions), insurance industry ($997,674), lawyers/law firms ($625,543) and pharmaceuticals/health products ($538,680). His largest corporate donors have beenBlue Cross Blue Shield (insurance),Amgen (biotech company) andWells Fargo (bank).[177]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chuck Grassley (inc.) | 681,507 | 56.0% | −4.09% | |
| Democratic | Michael Franken | 533,717 | 43.9% | +8.24% | |
| Republicanhold | |||||
| United States Senate Republican Primary election in Iowa, 2022[178] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | +% |
| Republican | Chuck Grassley (Inc.) | 139,451 | 73.4% | +7.86% |
| Republican | Jim Carlin | 50,166 | 26.4% | NA |
| Republican | Write in | 307 | 0.2% | NA |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chuck Grassley (inc.) | 926,007 | 60.09% | −4.26% | |
| Democratic | Patty Judge | 549,460 | 35.66% | +2.36% | |
| Libertarian | Charles Aldrich | 41,794 | 2.71% | +0.44% | |
| Independent | Jim Hennager | 17,649 | 1.15% | N/A | |
| Independent | Michael Luick-Thrams | 4,441 | 0.29% | N/A | |
| Write-ins | 1,686 | 0.11% | +0.03% | ||
| Majority | 376,547 | 24.43% | −6.62% | ||
| Turnout | 1,541,037 | ||||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chuck Grassley (inc.) | 718,215 | 64.35% | −5.83% | |
| Democratic | Roxanne Conlin | 371,686 | 33.30% | +5.43% | |
| Libertarian | John Heiderscheit | 25,290 | 2.27% | +1.24% | |
| Write-ins | 872 | 0.08% | +0.05% | ||
| Majority | 346,529 | 31.05% | −11.26% | ||
| Turnout | 1,116,063 | ||||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chuck Grassley (inc.) | 1,038,175 | 70.18% | +1.77% | |
| Democratic | Art Small | 412,365 | 27.88% | −2.62% | |
| Libertarian | Christy Ann Welty | 15,218 | 1.03% | N/A | |
| Green | Daryl A. Northrop | 11,121 | 0.75% | N/A | |
| Socialist Workers | Edwin Fruit | 1,874 | 0.13% | −0.14% | |
| Write-ins | 475 | 0.03% | 0% | ||
| Majority | 625,810 | 42.31% | +4.39% | ||
| Turnout | 1,479,228 | ||||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chuck Grassley (inc.) | 648,480 | 68.41% | −1.20% | |
| Democratic | David Osterberg | 289,049 | 30.49% | +3.29% | |
| Natural Law | Susan Marcus | 7,561 | 0.80% | −0.47% | |
| Socialist Workers | Margaret Trowe | 2,542 | 0.27% | +0.16% | |
| Write-ins | 275 | 0.03% | +0.01% | ||
| Majority | 359,431 | 37.92% | −4.50% | ||
| Turnout | 947,907 | ||||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chuck Grassley (inc.) | 899,761 | 69.61% | +3.58% | |
| Democratic | Jean Hall Lloyd-Jones | 351,561 | 27.20% | −6.37% | |
| Natural Law | Stuart Zimmerman | 16,403 | 1.27% | N/A | |
| Independent | Sue Atkinson | 6,277 | 0.49% | N/A | |
| Independent | Mel Boring | 5,508 | 0.43% | N/A | |
| Independent | Rosanne Freeburg | 4,999 | 0.39% | N/A | |
| Grassroots | Carl Eric Olsen | 3,404 | 0.26% | N/A | |
| Independent | Richard O'Dell Hughes | 2,918 | 0.23% | N/A | |
| Socialist Workers | Cleve Andrew Pulley | 1,370 | 0.11% | N/A | |
| Write-ins | 293 | 0.02% | +0.01% | ||
| Majority | 548,200 | 42.41% | +9.95% | ||
| Turnout | 1,292,494 | ||||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chuck Grassley (inc.) | 588,880 | 66.04% | +12.55% | |
| Democratic | John P. Roehrick | 299,406 | 33.57% | −11.97% | |
| Independent | John Masters | 3,370 | 0.38% | N/A | |
| Write-ins | 106 | 0.01% | +0.01% | ||
| Majority | 289,474 | 32.46% | +24.51% | ||
| Turnout | 891,762 | ||||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chuck Grassley | 683,014 | 53.49% | +4.21% | |
| Democratic | John Culver (inc.) | 581,545 | 45.54% | −4.48% | |
| Independent | Garry De Young | 5,858 | 0.46% | N/A | |
| Libertarian | Robert V. Hengerer | 4,233 | 0.33% | N/A | |
| Independent | John Ingram Henderson | 2,336 | 0.18% | N/A | |
| Write-ins | 48 | 0.00% | +0% | ||
| Majority | 101,469 | 7.95% | +7.20% | ||
| Turnout | 1,772,983 | ||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | Swing | ||||
| United States Senate Republican Primary election in Iowa, 1980 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | +% |
| Republican | Chuck Grassley | 170,120 | 65.54% | |
| Republican | Tom Stoner | 89,409 | 34.45% | |
1978 Iowa 3rd District United States Congressional Election
| Chuck Grassley (R) (inc.) 74.8% |
| John Knudson (D) 25.2% |
1976 Iowa 3rd District United States Congressional Election
| Chuck Grassley (R) (inc.) 56% |
| Stephen Rapp 44% |
1974 Iowa 3rd District United States Congressional Election
| Chuck Grassley (R) 50.8% |
| Stephen Rapp (D) 49.2% |
1974 Iowa 3rd District United States Congressional Republican Primary Election
| Chuck Grassley (R) 42% |
| Robert Case (R) 28.2% |
| Charlene Conklin (R) 18.8% |
| Bart Schwieger (R) 6.6% |
| John Williams (R) 4.4% |
1972 Iowa House of Representatives 37th District Election
| Chuck Grassley (R) (inc.) 86.3% |
| Tim Youngblood (D) 13.7% |
1970 Iowa House of Representatives 10th District Election
| Chuck Grassley (R) (inc.) 62.7% |
| Rollin Howell (D) 36.2% |
| Colene Eliason (AI) 1.1% |
1966 Iowa House of Representatives Butler District Election
| Chuck Grassley (R) (inc.) 69.2% |
| Floyd Ramker (D) 30.8% |
1964 Iowa House of Representatives Butler District Election
| Chuck Grassley (R) (inc.) 60.9% |
| Beverly Moffitt (D) 39.1% |
1962 Iowa House of Representatives Butler District Election
| Chuck Grassley (R) (inc.) 64.3% |
| Vernon Garner (D) 35.7% |
1960 Iowa House of Representatives Butler District Election
| Chuck Grassley (R) (inc.) 69.1% |
| Vernon Garner (D) 30.9% |
1958 Iowa House of Representatives Butler District Election
| Chuck Grassley (R) 64.1% |
| Travis Moffitt (D) 35.9% |
Grassley and Barbara Ann Speicher married on August 22, 1954. They have five children: Lee, Wendy, Robin, Michele, and Jay.[186] Grassley is a member ofthe Family, the organization that organizes theNational Prayer Breakfast.[187] His grandson,Pat Grassley, is a member of theIowa House of Representatives.[188] Grassley is also known for his widely reported, long-running "feud" with theHistory channel; he has consistently accused the network of featuring little actual history programming.[189]
According toOpenSecrets, Grassley's net worth was more than $7.5 million as of 2018.[190]
In 2023, Grassley fell at his DC town home. On January 11, he underwent surgery to fix a hip fracture. On February 1, he returned to the Senate, using a wheelchair.[191][192] He was hospitalized for an infection on January 16, 2024, and released on January 18.[193][194][195][196]
In 2003, Grassley's alma mater, theUniversity of Northern Iowa, selected him forhonoris causa membership inOmicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society. In 2009, theNational Center for Health Research[197] gave Grassley the Health Policy Hero award for his 2004 oversight of legislative reforms and accountability of theUnited States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).[198] In 2010,The Hill named Grassley andMax Baucus the hardest-working members of Congress.[199]
Grassley aide: "Senator Grassley's vote against an MLK Day holiday was purely an economic decision both in the cost to the broader economy in lost productivity, and the cost to the taxpayers with the federal government closed"
And in particular, let me thank Senator Kerrey and Congressman Portman, Senator Roth, Senator Moynihan, Senator Grassley, Congressman Archer, Congressman Rangel, Congressman Cardin for their leading work that makes it possible for me to sign into law today the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act.
| Iowa House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Wayne Ballhagen | Member of theIowa House of Representatives from the 73rd district 1959–1971 | Succeeded by John Camp |
| Preceded by William Harbor | Member of theIowa House of Representatives from the 10th district 1971–1973 | Succeeded by Richard Welden |
| Preceded by | Member of theIowa House of Representatives from the 37th district 1973–1975 | Succeeded by Raymond Lageschulte |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's 3rd congressional district 1975–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. senator fromIowa (Class 3) 1980,1986,1992,1998,2004,2010,2016,2022 | Most recent |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Iowa 1981–present Served alongside:Roger Jepsen,Tom Harkin,Joni Ernst | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Aging Committee 1997–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Finance Committee 2001 | Succeeded by Max Baucus |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Finance Committee 2001 | |
| Ranking Member of theSenate Finance Committee 2001–2003 | ||
| Chair of theSenate Finance Committee 2003–2007 | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Narcotics Caucus 2003–2007 | Succeeded by Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Chair of theJoint Taxation Committee 2004–2005 | Succeeded by Bill Thomas |
| Chair of theJoint Taxation Committee 2006–2007 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by Joe Biden | Ranking Member of theSenate Narcotics Caucus 2007–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Max Baucus | Ranking Member of theSenate Finance Committee 2007–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Judiciary Committee 2013–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Patrick Leahy | Chair of theSenate Judiciary Committee 2015–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Dianne Feinstein | Chair of theSenate Narcotics Caucus 2015–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Orrin Hatch | Chair of theSenate Finance Committee 2019–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theJoint Taxation Committee 2020–2021 | Succeeded by Richard Neal |
| Preceded by Dianne Feinstein | Ranking Member of theSenate Judiciary Committee 2021–2023 | Succeeded by Lindsey Graham |
| Preceded by Lindsey Graham | Ranking Member of theSenate Budget Committee 2023–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by John Cornyn | Ranking Member of theSenate Narcotics Caucus 2023–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Judiciary Committee 2025–present | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Orrin Hatch | President pro tempore of the United States Senate 2019–2021 | Succeeded by Patrick Leahy |
| Preceded by | President pro tempore of the United States Senate 2025–present | Incumbent |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Orrin Hatch | Most seniorRepublican in theUnited States Senate 2019–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by Patrick Leahy | Dean of the U.S. Senate 2023–present | |
| Order of precedence | ||
| Preceded byas CIA Director | Order of precedence of the United States as President pro tempore of the United States Senate | Succeeded byas Senate Majority Leader |
| First | United States senators by seniority 1st | Succeeded by |
| U.S. presidential line of succession | ||
| Preceded byasSpeaker of the U.S. House of Representatives | Third in line as President pro tempore of the United States Senate | Succeeded byasSecretary of State |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
