Chuck Grassley
Encyclopedia
Charles Ernest "Chuck" Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is the senior United States Senator
from Iowa
(1981–present). A member of Republican Party
, he previously served in the served in the United States House of Representatives
(1975–1981) and the Iowa state legislature (1959–1974). He was chairman of the Senate Finance Committee from January to June 2001 and from January 2003 to December 2006. He is currently the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee.
, the son of Ruth (née Corwin) and Louis Arthur Grassley, and graduated from the town high school. At Iowa State Teachers College
(now the University of Northern Iowa), he earned a B.A.
in 1955 and an M.A.
in 1956. He also completed some doctoral
studies in political science
at the University of Iowa
. Also during the 1950s, Grassley farmed and worked in factories, first as a sheet metal
shearer and then as an assembly line
worker.
from 1959 until 1974, when he was elected to the United States House of Representatives
, where he served three terms.
As a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee Grassley has spearheaded many probes into the misuse and accountability of federal money.
In July 2007, a Grassley-commissioned report was released claiming that more than US$1 billion in farm subsidies
were sent to deceased individuals. Grassley said: "It's unconscionable that the Department of Agriculture
would think that a dead person was actively engaged in the business of farming."
Since 1976, Grassley has repeatedly introduced measures that increase the level of double taxation
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 by domestic tax cuts of the Bush Administration.
In March 2009, amid the scandal involving various AIG executives receiving large salary bonuses from the taxpayer-funded bailout of the corporate giant, Grassley sparked controversy by suggesting that those AIG employees receiving large bonuses should follow the so-called 'Japanese example', resign immediately or commit suicide
. After much criticism he has not backed off of those comments, dismissing them as rhetoric.
At an August 12, 2009, meeting in Iowa, Senator Grassley supported the claims by health care reform opponents that end-of-life counseling provisions in the House health care bill, , amounted to government sponsored euthanasia. In response to an audience question about the provision, Grassley said people were right to fear that the government would "pull the plug on grandma." Grassley had previously supported covering end-of-life counseling, having voted for the Medicare 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."
proposed by Senator Jeff Bingaman
to require at least 10% of electricity sold by utilities to originate from renewable resources. Issues in which Senator Grassley voted anti-environment are all other amendments to the Energy Policy Act proposed in 2005, the issue of authorizing drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, and fuel economy standards for vehicles. In 2006, Grassley received a 0 percent rating from the REP and a 14 percent rating from the LCV. According to these organizations, he voted pro-environment on the issue of energy and weatherization assistance, and voted anti-environment on drilling, environmental funding, peer review, renewable resources, and the Gulf of Mexico Security Act of 2006.
Senator Grassley received a 10 percent rating on the League of Conservation Voters
(LCV) scorecard for his pro-environment votes on the issues of renewable energy and farm conservation programs. These pro-environment votes, however, were balanced by his anti-environment votes on the energy conference report, global warming
, natural gas facilities, undermining fuel economy, increasing fuel economy, and various other issues.
Grassley has been described in newswires as a "bulldog supporter" of biofuels
such as ethanol
. Grassley has opposed conservative Senators like Tom Coburn
(R-OK) and Jim DeMint
(R-SC) for wanting to bring an end to ethanol subsidies.
According to the Disabled American Veterans
, Senator Grassley has the third-worst voting record in the entire US Congress (both House and Senate combined) on veterans issues, earning a 40 rating. However, Senator Grassley was given the right-leaning American Legion
's distinguished public service award for his support of a "strong national defense, service members, veterans and the American flag", primarily due to his support for a flag protection amendment.
In May 2009, Grassley cosponsored a resolution to amend the US Constitution to prohibit flag-burning, stating the flag is "... the symbol our men and women in uniform have fought for over 200 years."
Grassley was among 20 co-sponsors of a 1993 Senate bill that would have mandated health insurance for Americans. In 2009 and 2010, however, when President Barack Obama
and the Democratic Party proposed a health reform bill featuring mandated health insurance, Grassley vocally opposed the health insurance mandate, saying that it was a deal breaker.
Grassley voted in favor of end-of-life counseling as part of the 2003 Medicare prescription drug bill. Six years later, in 2009 and 2010, he changed positions and began referring to end-of-life-counseling as “death panels,” and strongly opposed the Democratic proposals for health care reform in the United States
that would include this counseling. In 2009, he told an Iowa town hall meeting, “In the House bill, there is counseling for end of life. You have every right to fear. You shouldn’t have counseling at the end of life…”
Senator Grassley has a 100 percent rating from the National Right to Life Committee
, 84 percent rating from the American Conservative Union
, 100 percent rating from the Family Research Council
, and 100 percent rating from Eagle Forum
. Grassley scored a 20 percent rating from the Human Rights Campaign
, a gay rights organization for the 110th Congress.
Grassley has campaigned to increase protection and provide support for "Whistleblowers". He has supported a number of FBI whistle blowers, including Coleen Rowley
, Michael German, and Jane Turner. Grassley received a lifetime achievement award on May 17, 2007 from the National Whistleblower Center
.
A September 2009 poll shows Grassley with a popularity rating in Iowa
of 50% approving of his job, and 40% disapproving.
, Paula White
, Eddie L. Long, Joyce Meyer
, Creflo Dollar
, and Kenneth Copeland
by the United States Senate Committee on Finance
. 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. 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 Chairman Max 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.
Responses from these Ministers included Constitutional arguments about Congressional power to oversee such matters. They claim that only the IRS has the authority to request such information, and should the IRS request it or pursue an investigation, the ministries involved would gladly comply.
of Harvard University had failed to report over a million dollars of income that he had received from pharmaceutical companies. Weeks later, Business Week reported that Grassley alleged that Alan Schatzberg
, chair of psychiatry at Stanford University
, had underreported his investments in Corcept Therapeutics, a company he founded. Dr. Schatzberg had reported only $100,000 investments in Corcept, but Grassley stated that his investments actually totalled over $6 million. Dr. Schaztberg later stepped down from his grant which is funded by the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). Similarly, Dr. Charles Nemeroff
resigned as chair of the psychiatry department at Emory University
after failing to report a third of the $2.8 million in consulting fees he received from GlaxoSmithKline
. At the time he received these fees, Dr. Nemeroff had been principal investigator of a $3.9 million NIH grant evaluating five medications for depression manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.
. He was reelected in 1986, 1992, 1998, 2004, and 2010.
Roxanne Conlin, a former U.S. Attorney
, and Libertarian
John Heiderscheit, an attorney.
During the Democratic primary campaign, Bob Krause
, a former state legislator, Army veteran and transportation official, said that Grassley's more than half-century in public office is too long. "As a good farmer, Sen. Grassley must recognize that 51 years, or 58 years at the end of his term, is a long time to go without rotating crops," Krause told about 50 supporters in Des Moines. Krause cited Grassley's support in 1999 for legislation that allowed banks and insurance companies to begin offering other investment products. "Please remember that Farmer Grassley was one that opened the barn door and let the cow out at AIG," Krause said.
Grassley was unopposed in the Republican primary, although some conservatives said he has drifted "too far to the left". Among those is conservative activist Bill Salier, who said "Grassley was the dominant force and had an enormous amount of loyalty. That has so eroded out from underneath him" during an interview on WHO-AM radio.
He won with 64.5% of the vote, Roxanne Conlin getting 33.2% of the vote.
, 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 been Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance, Amgen
biotech company and Wells Fargo
bank.
United States Senate election in Iowa, 2004
United States Senate election in Iowa, 1998
United States Senate election in Iowa, 1992
United States Senate election in Iowa, 1986
United States Senate election in Iowa, 1980
1978 Iowa 3rd District United States Congressional Election
1976 Iowa 3rd District United States Congressional Election
1974 Iowa 3rd District United States Congressional Election
, the Christian political organization that organizes the National Prayer Breakfast
.
newspaper in June 2010, tied with Max Baucus
.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
(1981–present). A member of Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, he previously served in the served in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
(1975–1981) and the Iowa state legislature (1959–1974). He was chairman of the Senate Finance Committee from January to June 2001 and from January 2003 to December 2006. He is currently the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee.
Early life, education and career
Grassley was born in New Hartford, IowaNew Hartford, Iowa
New Hartford is a city in Butler County, Iowa, United States. The population was 516 at the 2010 census. It is the hometown of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa.-Geography:...
, the son of Ruth (née Corwin) and Louis Arthur Grassley, and graduated from the town high school. At Iowa State Teachers College
University of Northern Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...
(now the University of Northern Iowa), he earned a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1955 and an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1956. He also completed some doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
studies in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. Also during the 1950s, Grassley farmed and worked in factories, first as a sheet metal
Sheet metal
Sheet metal is simply metal formed into thin and flat pieces. It is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and can be cut and bent into a variety of different shapes. Countless everyday objects are constructed of the material...
shearer and then as an assembly line
Assembly line
An assembly line is a manufacturing process in which parts are added to a product in a sequential manner using optimally planned logistics to create a finished product much faster than with handcrafting-type methods...
worker.
Iowa House of Representatives
Grassley represented parts of Butler County in the Iowa House of RepresentativesIowa House of Representatives
The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 100 members of the House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 29,750 for each constituency...
from 1959 until 1974, when he was elected to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, where he served three terms.
U.S. Senate
Committee assigments
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Subcommittee on Rural Revitalization, Conservation, Forestry and Credit
- Subcommittee on Energy, Science and TechnologyUnited States Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Energy, Science and TechnologyThe U.S. Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Jobs, Rural Economic Growth and Energy Innovation is one of five subcommittees of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry....
- Subcommittee on Production, Income Protection and Price Support
- Committee on FinanceUnited States Senate Committee on FinanceThe U.S. Senate Committee on Finance is a standing committee of the United States Senate. The Committee concerns itself with matters relating to taxation and other revenue measures generally, and those relating to the insular possessions; bonded debt of the United States; customs, collection...
- Subcommittee on Health CareUnited States Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health CareThe Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care is one of the six subcommittees within the Senate Committee on Finance-Members, 112th Congress:The subcommittee is chaired by Democrat Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, and the Ranking Minority Member is Vacant....
- Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and InfrastructureUnited States Senate Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and InfrastructureThe Senate Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure is one of the six subcommittees within the Senate Committee on Finance-Members, 112th Congress:...
- Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness
- Subcommittee on Health Care
- Committee on the JudiciaryUnited States Senate Committee on the JudiciaryThe United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary is a standing committee of the United States Senate, of the United States Congress. The Judiciary Committee, with 18 members, is charged with conducting hearings prior to the Senate votes on confirmation of federal judges nominated by the...
(Ranking Minority MemberRanking memberIn United States politics, a ranking member is the second-most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the majority party. Another usage refers to the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party. This second usage, often...
)- As Ranking Minority Member of the full committee, Sen. Grassley may serve as an ex officio member of all subcommittees of which he is not already a voting member.
- Committee on the BudgetUnited States Senate Committee on the BudgetThe United States Senate Committee on Budget was established by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. It is responsible for drafting Congress's annual budget plan and monitoring action on the budget for the Federal Government. The committee has jurisdiction over the...
- Caucus on International Narcotics Control (Co-Chairman)
- Joint Committee on TaxationUnited States Congress Joint Committee on TaxationThe Joint Committee on Taxation is a Committee of the U.S. Congress established under the Internal Revenue Code at .-Structure:The Joint Committee is composed of ten Members: five from the Senate Finance Committee and five from the House Ways and Means Committee.The Joint Committee is chaired on a...
As a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee Grassley has spearheaded many probes into the misuse and accountability of federal money.
In July 2007, a Grassley-commissioned report was released claiming that more than US$1 billion in farm subsidies
Agricultural subsidy
An agricultural subsidy is a governmental subsidy paid to farmers and agribusinesses to supplement their income, manage the supply of agricultural commodities, and influence the cost and supply of such commodities...
were sent to deceased individuals. Grassley said: "It's unconscionable that the Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
would think that a dead person was actively engaged in the business of farming."
Since 1976, Grassley has repeatedly introduced measures that increase the level of double taxation
Double taxation
Double taxation is the systematic imposition of two or more taxes on the same income , asset , or financial transaction . It refers to taxation by two or more countries of the same income, asset or transaction, for example income paid by an entity of one country to a resident of a different country...
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 by domestic tax cuts of the Bush Administration.
In March 2009, amid the scandal involving various AIG executives receiving large salary bonuses from the taxpayer-funded bailout of the corporate giant, Grassley sparked controversy by suggesting that those AIG employees receiving large bonuses should follow the so-called 'Japanese example', resign immediately or commit suicide
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
. After much criticism he has not backed off of those comments, dismissing them as rhetoric.
At an August 12, 2009, meeting in Iowa, Senator Grassley supported the claims by health care reform opponents that end-of-life counseling provisions in the House health care bill, , amounted to government sponsored euthanasia. In response to an audience question about the provision, Grassley said people were right to fear that the government would "pull the plug on grandma." Grassley had previously supported covering end-of-life counseling, having voted for the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act is a federal law of the United States, enacted in 2003. It produced the largest overhaul of Medicare in the public health program's 38-year history.The MMA was signed by President George W...
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."
Political positions
In 2005, Charles Grassley received a 7 percent rating on the Republicans for Environmental Protection's (REP) environmental scorecard. He voted in a manner inconsistent with what the REP considers pro-environment on 14 of 15 issues considered environmentally critical by the REP. He voted with REP on an amendment to the Energy Policy Act of 2005Energy Policy Act of 2005
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 is a bill passed by the United States Congress on July 29, 2005, and signed into law by President George W. Bush on August 8, 2005, at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico...
proposed by Senator Jeff Bingaman
Jeff Bingaman
Jesse Francis "Jeff" Bingaman, Jr. , is the senior U.S. Senator from New Mexico and a member of the Democratic Party...
to require at least 10% of electricity sold by utilities to originate from renewable resources. Issues in which Senator Grassley voted anti-environment are all other amendments to the Energy Policy Act proposed in 2005, the issue of authorizing drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, and fuel economy standards for vehicles. In 2006, Grassley received a 0 percent rating from the REP and a 14 percent rating from the LCV. According to these organizations, he voted pro-environment on the issue of energy and weatherization assistance, and voted anti-environment on drilling, environmental funding, peer review, renewable resources, and the Gulf of Mexico Security Act of 2006.
Senator Grassley received a 10 percent rating on the League of Conservation Voters
League of Conservation Voters
The League of Conservation Voters is a political advocacy organization founded in 1969 by American environmentalist David Brower in the early years of the environmental movement. LCV's mission is to "advocate for sound environmental policies and to elect pro-environmental candidates who will adopt...
(LCV) scorecard for his pro-environment votes on the issues of renewable energy and farm conservation programs. These pro-environment votes, however, were balanced by his anti-environment votes on the energy conference report, global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, natural gas facilities, undermining fuel economy, increasing fuel economy, and various other issues.
Grassley has been described in newswires as a "bulldog supporter" of biofuels
Issues relating to biofuels
There are various social, economic, environmental and technical issues with biofuel production and use, which have been discussed in the popular media and scientific journals...
such as ethanol
Ethanol fuel
Ethanol fuel is ethanol , the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. It is most often used as a motor fuel, mainly as a biofuel additive for gasoline. World ethanol production for transport fuel tripled between 2000 and 2007 from 17 billion to more than 52 billion litres...
. Grassley has opposed conservative Senators like Tom Coburn
Tom Coburn
Thomas Allen "Tom" Coburn, M.D. , is an American politician, medical doctor, and Southern Baptist deacon. A member of the Republican Party, he currently serves as the junior U.S. Senator from Oklahoma. In the Senate, he is known as "Dr. No" for his tendency to place holds on and vote against bills...
(R-OK) and Jim DeMint
Jim DeMint
James Warren "Jim" DeMint is the junior U.S. Senator from South Carolina, serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party and a leader in the Tea Party movement. He previously served as the U.S. Representative for from 1999 to 2005.-Early life and education:DeMint was born in...
(R-SC) for wanting to bring an end to ethanol subsidies.
According to the Disabled American Veterans
Disabled American Veterans
The Disabled American Veterans, or DAV, is an organization for disabled veterans that helps them and their families through various means. It currently has over 1.2 million members...
, Senator Grassley has the third-worst voting record in the entire US Congress (both House and Senate combined) on veterans issues, earning a 40 rating. However, Senator Grassley was given the right-leaning American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
's distinguished public service award for his support of a "strong national defense, service members, veterans and the American flag", primarily due to his support for a flag protection amendment.
In May 2009, Grassley cosponsored a resolution to amend the US Constitution to prohibit flag-burning, stating the flag is "... the symbol our men and women in uniform have fought for over 200 years."
Grassley was among 20 co-sponsors of a 1993 Senate bill that would have mandated health insurance for Americans. In 2009 and 2010, however, when President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and the Democratic Party proposed a health reform bill featuring mandated health insurance, Grassley vocally opposed the health insurance mandate, saying that it was a deal breaker.
Grassley voted in favor of end-of-life counseling as part of the 2003 Medicare prescription drug bill. Six years later, in 2009 and 2010, he changed positions and began referring to end-of-life-counseling as “death panels,” and strongly opposed the Democratic proposals for health care reform in the United States
Health care reform in the United States
Health care reform in the United States has a long history, of which the most recent results were two federal statutes enacted in 2010: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , signed March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 , which amended the PPACA and...
that would include this counseling. In 2009, he told an Iowa town hall meeting, “In the House bill, there is counseling for end of life. You have every right to fear. You shouldn’t have counseling at the end of life…”
Senator Grassley has a 100 percent rating from the National Right to Life Committee
National Right to Life Committee
The National Right to Life Committee is the oldest and largest pro-life organization in the United States with affiliates in all 50 states and over 3,000 local chapters nationwide. The group works through legislation and education to work against abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and assisted...
, 84 percent rating from the American Conservative Union
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union is an American political organization advocating conservative policies, and is the oldest such conservative lobbying organization in the country.-Organization:...
, 100 percent rating from the Family Research Council
Family Research Council
The Family Research Council is a conservative or right-wing Christian group and lobbying organization formed in the United States in 1981 by James Dobson. It was fully incorporated in 1983...
, and 100 percent rating from Eagle Forum
Eagle Forum
Eagle Forum is a conservative interest group in the United States founded by Phyllis Schlafly in 1972 and is the parent organization that also includes the Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund and the Eagle Forum PAC. The Eagle Forum has been primarily focused on social issues; it describes...
. Grassley scored a 20 percent rating from the Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
, a gay rights organization for the 110th Congress.
Grassley has campaigned to increase protection and provide support for "Whistleblowers". He has supported a number of FBI whistle blowers, including Coleen Rowley
Coleen Rowley
Coleen Rowley is a former FBI agent and whistleblower, and was a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate for Congress in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district, one of eight congressional districts in Minnesota in 2006...
, Michael German, and Jane Turner. Grassley received a lifetime achievement award on May 17, 2007 from the National Whistleblower Center
National Whistleblower Center
The National Whistleblower Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax exempt, educational and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C....
.
A September 2009 poll shows Grassley with a popularity rating in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
of 50% approving of his job, and 40% disapproving.
Religious organizations
On November 5, 2007, Grassley announced an investigation into the tax-exempt status of six ministries under the leadership of Benny HinnBenny Hinn
Toufik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn הין; born December 3, 1952) is a televangelist, best known for his regular "Miracle Crusades" – revival meeting/faith healing summits that are usually held in large stadiums in major cities, which are later broadcast worldwide on his television program, This Is Your...
, Paula White
Paula White
Paula Michelle White is a Christian author, speaker, and church leader. She is co-founder of Without Walls International Church; a large, influential, non-denominational, charismatic church with two locations in Florida...
, Eddie L. Long, Joyce Meyer
Joyce Meyer
Joyce Meyer is a Charismatic Christian author and speaker. Meyer and her husband Dave have four grown children, and live outside St. Louis, Missouri. Her ministry is headquartered in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri.-Early life:Meyer was born Pauline Joyce Hutchison in south St. Louis in...
, Creflo Dollar
Creflo Dollar
Creflo Augustus Dollar, Jr. is an American Word of Faith teacher, pastor, and the founder of the non-denominational World Changers Church International based in Fulton County, Georgia. Creflo Dollar Ministerial Association , Creflo Dollar Ministries, and Arrow Records...
, and Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Copeland is an American author, public speaker, and televangelist. He is the founder of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, which preaches a “prosperity gospel”: "Prosperity gospel assures followers that the more they give including in the form of tithes to the church, the more they will receive...
by the United States Senate Committee on Finance
United States Senate Committee on Finance
The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance is a standing committee of the United States Senate. The Committee concerns itself with matters relating to taxation and other revenue measures generally, and those relating to the insular possessions; bonded debt of the United States; customs, collection...
. 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. 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 Chairman Max 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.
Responses from these Ministers included Constitutional arguments about Congressional power to oversee such matters. They claim that only the IRS has the authority to request such information, and should the IRS request it or pursue an investigation, the ministries involved would gladly comply.
Medical research
Grassley also began an investigation about unreported payments to physicians by pharmaceutical companies. The New York Times reported that Dr. Joseph BiedermanJoseph Biederman
Joseph Biederman is Chief of the Clinical and Research Programs in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and Professor of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School...
of Harvard University had failed to report over a million dollars of income that he had received from pharmaceutical companies. Weeks later, Business Week reported that Grassley alleged that Alan Schatzberg
Alan Schatzberg
Alan F. Schatzberg is an American psychiatrist. He is the 136th president of the American Psychiatric Association .- External links :...
, chair of psychiatry at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, had underreported his investments in Corcept Therapeutics, a company he founded. Dr. Schatzberg had reported only $100,000 investments in Corcept, but Grassley stated that his investments actually totalled over $6 million. Dr. Schaztberg later stepped down from his grant which is funded by the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
(NIH). Similarly, Dr. Charles Nemeroff
Charles Nemeroff
Charles Barnet Nemeroff is an American psychiatrist known for his work in treating depression.-Life and career:Nemeroff was born in New York City and graduated from the City College of New York in 1970. He received a Master’s degree in Biology in 1973 from Northeastern University. He then earned...
resigned as chair of the psychiatry department at Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
after failing to report a third of the $2.8 million in consulting fees he received from GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
. At the time he received these fees, Dr. Nemeroff had been principal investigator of a $3.9 million NIH grant evaluating five medications for depression manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.
Political campaigns
Grassley was elected to his Senate seat in 1980, defeating the Democratic incumbent, John CulverJohn Culver
John Chester Culver is an American politician of the Democratic Party who represented Iowa in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate....
. He was reelected in 1986, 1992, 1998, 2004, and 2010.
2010
Grassley was being challenged by DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Roxanne Conlin, a former U.S. Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
, and Libertarian
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
John Heiderscheit, an attorney.
During the Democratic primary campaign, Bob Krause
Bob Krause (politician)
Robert A. Krause was a candidate for United States Senate from Iowa in the 2010 United States Senate election in Iowa. He lost the Democratic party primaty to Roxanne Conlin who later lost in the Senate election against Charles Grassley. He is a member of the Democratic party.He was first elected...
, a former state legislator, Army veteran and transportation official, said that Grassley's more than half-century in public office is too long. "As a good farmer, Sen. Grassley must recognize that 51 years, or 58 years at the end of his term, is a long time to go without rotating crops," Krause told about 50 supporters in Des Moines. Krause cited Grassley's support in 1999 for legislation that allowed banks and insurance companies to begin offering other investment products. "Please remember that Farmer Grassley was one that opened the barn door and let the cow out at AIG," Krause said.
Grassley was unopposed in the Republican primary, although some conservatives said he has drifted "too far to the left". Among those is conservative activist Bill Salier, who said "Grassley was the dominant force and had an enormous amount of loyalty. That has so eroded out from underneath him" during an interview on WHO-AM radio.
He won with 64.5% of the vote, Roxanne Conlin getting 33.2% of the vote.
Fundraising
According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive PoliticsCenter for Responsive Politics
The Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
, 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 been Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance, Amgen
Amgen
Amgen Inc. is an international biotechnology company headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California. Located in the Conejo Valley, Amgen is the world's largest independent biotech firm. The company employs approximately 17,000 staff members. Its products include Epogen, Aranesp, Enbrel, Kineret,...
biotech company and Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
bank.
Electoral history
United States Senate election in Iowa, 2010United States Senate election in Iowa, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate election in Iowa took place on November 2, 2010, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections in Iowa. The party primary elections were...
| Chuck Grassley (R) (inc.) 63.4% |
| Roxanne Conlin (D) 32.8% |
| John Heiderscheit (Lib.) 2.2% |
United States Senate election in Iowa, 2004
United States Senate election in Iowa, 2004
The 2004 United States Senate election in Iowa was held on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley won re-election to a fifth term. His Democratic opponent topped 40% in just one county: Johnson County, Iowa.-Results:...
| Chuck Grassley (R) (inc.) 70.1% |
| Arthur Small (D) 27.9% |
| Christy Welty (Lib.) 1% |
| Daryl Northrop (Green) 0.8% |
| Edwin Fruit (Socialist Workers) 0.1% |
United States Senate election in Iowa, 1998
United States Senate election in Iowa, 1998
The 1998 United States Senate election in Iowa was held November 3, 1998. Incumbent Republican Chuck Grassley won re-election to a fourth term.-Results:...
| Chuck Grassley (R) (inc.) 68.4% |
| David Osterberg (D) 30.5% |
| Susan Marcus (Natural Law) 0.8% |
| Margaret Trowe (Socialist Workers) 0.3% |
United States Senate election in Iowa, 1992
United States Senate election in Iowa, 1992
The 1992 United States Senate election in Iowa was held November 3, 1992. Incumbent Republican Chuck Grassley won re-election to a third term.-Results:...
| Chuck Grassley (R) (inc.) 69.6% |
| Jean Lloyd-Jones (D) 27.2% |
| Stuart Zimmerman (Natural Law) 1.3% |
| Sue Atkinson (I) 0.5% |
| Mel Boring (I) 0.4% |
| Rosanne Freeburg (I) 0.4% |
| Carl Eric Olsen (Grassroots) 0.3% |
| Richard O'Dell Hughes (I) 0.2% |
| Cleve Andrew Pulley (Socialist Workers) 0.1% |
United States Senate election in Iowa, 1986
United States Senate election in Iowa, 1986
The 1986 United States Senate election in Iowa was held November 3, 1986. Incumbent Republican Chuck Grassley won re-election to a second term.-Results:...
| Chuck Grassley (R) (inc.) 66% |
| John P. Roehrick (D) 34% |
United States Senate election in Iowa, 1980
United States Senate election in Iowa, 1980
The 1980 United States Senate election in Iowa was held November 3, 1980. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John Culver lost re-election to Republican Chuck Grassley.-Results:...
| Chuck Grassley (R) 53.5% |
| John Culver John Culver John Chester Culver is an American politician of the Democratic Party who represented Iowa in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.... (D) (inc.) 45.5% |
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 Stephen Rapp Stephen J. Rapp is an American lawyer and is currently United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues.-Career:... 44% |
1974 Iowa 3rd District United States Congressional Election
| Chuck Grassley (R) 50.8% |
| Stephen Rapp Stephen Rapp Stephen J. Rapp is an American lawyer and is currently United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues.-Career:... (D) 49.2% |
Personal life
Grassley married Barbara Ann Speicher in September 1954; the couple have five children: Lee, Wendy, Robin, Michele, and Jay. Grassley is a member of The FamilyThe Family (Christian political organization)
The Fellowship, also known as the Family, is a U.S.-based religious and political organization founded in 1935 by Abraham Vereide. The stated purpose of the Fellowship is to provide a fellowship forum for decision makers to share in Bible studies, prayer meetings, worship experiences and to...
, the Christian political organization that organizes the National Prayer Breakfast
National Prayer Breakfast
The National Prayer Breakfast is a yearly event held in Washington, D.C., on the first Thursday of February each year. The founder of this event was Abraham Vereide...
.
Awards
In 2009, Grassley received the "Health Policy Hero" award from the National Research Center for Women & Families for his 2004 oversight of legislative reforms and accountability of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Grassley was also named the hardest working member of Congress by The HillThe Hill (newspaper)
The Hill, a subsidiary of News Communications Inc., is a newspaper published in Washington, D.C. since 1994.Its first editor was Martin Tolchin, a veteran correspondent in the Washington bureau of The New York Times....
newspaper in June 2010, tied with Max Baucus
Max Baucus
Max Sieben Baucus is the senior United States Senator from Montana and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1978, as of 2010 he is the longest-serving Senator from Montana, and the fifth longest-serving U.S...
.
External links
- United States Senator Chuck Grassley official U.S. Senate site
- Grassley For Senate 2010 official campaign site
- Earnest Goes to Washington, Eve Fairbanks, The New RepublicThe New RepublicThe magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, September 10, 2007