Senator Chuck Grassley (R) finished his annual tour of Iowa’s 99 counties at Greene County High School Friday morning. He talked with all seniors, with those taking government class this trimester having prepared questions for him.
Grassley fielded soft questions, like what he likes most about being a senator and what his daily routine is like, and tougher questions about issues like gun control, gay marriage, legalized marijuana, a balanced budget and global warming.
None of them were new questions for the senator, and his answers weren’t new either, except for his young audience. The students were well-prepared and attentive throughout, and several stayed for follow-up questions after their classmates left.
About recent school shootings and gun control, Grassley answered that any changes in regulations should be considered over a long period of time, not as a quick reaction to a specific event. He told the students that the second amendment of the Constitution guarantees a right the government can’t take away, but that the government can put limits on those rights. He said that none of the changes suggested would have prevented the school shootings that have already happened, and that rather than talking about controlling guns, he’d prefer to see the discussion and action focus on providing better mental healthcare services. “I’ve limited my interest right now to doing something about the mental health issues we have in this country, and not just as it relates to people who are going to do mass killings,” Grassley said. “We have mental health issues with people coming back from war, the Veterans Administration has mental health problems. We don’t have the personnel to deal with it. We’ve got to find more people to be psychiatrists and psychologists…”
About gay marriage, Grassley said he supports traditional marriage, “but that doesn’t detract from any relationship that gay people want to have among themselves, including a union,” he said. He said the Supreme Court’s decision is contrary to what he would have done based on the fact that he thinks marriage ought to be state law, and that the ruling in favor of gay marriage makes it a federal law. “I might disagree with it, but under our system of government, when the decision is made, I have to respect it…” He said that he hopes attitudes of respect change both toward and by gay people.
Grassley told the students he is working with the Food and Drug Administration on the issue of medical marijuana, that commercial marijuana is considered in the Farm Bill, and that he wants more information before changing any laws about recreational marijuana.
When asked about a policy issue he is passionate about, Grassley’s answer was a balanced budget. He said the large federal debt is not only an economic problem, but a moral problem. “It’s a moral problem for people my age to live beyond our means and let somebody else pay for it.”
Grassley didn’t deny that global warming is a problem, but based on the testimony of the EPA director before a House committee a few years ago, “if the United States is the only country that acts on it, it ain’t gonna do any good.” He said that if, at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris next month, countries including the U.S. and China can formulate a treaty that would address the issue, he would support ratifying the treaty.
About the Republican presidential race and Donald Trump, Grassley pointed out that the 25 percent of the Republican vote that pollsters are currently awarding Trump figures out to be only 8 percent of American voters. “How does he get the other 43 percent?” Grassley asked.
To a question after the large group presentation about what letter grades he would give himself this term in the Senate, he said he’d give himself an A+ in the oversight part of the job and a B in the legislative part. He said he’d give the Senate as a whole a C.
Grassley also said there is less partisanship in Washington than what people think. He said the senators get along well and are generally cordial with each other. He admitted that the idealogical divide has gotten wider, but that’s a reflection of the general public. He said that years ago ABC, CBS and NBC had 80 percent of the news market, and now those three major networks have only 20 percent. With the proliferation of news outlets has come a proliferation of other editorial slants and mindsets. He also said that Congressmen getting along well would not make the headlines news outlets would be interested in, that disagreement sells more news than harmony. “You never read articles about how the parties get along,” he said.
Senior Nadia Fisher introduced herself as the great-granddaughter of Raymond Fisher, with whom Grassley served in the Iowa legislature in the 1960s. Grassley remembered “Grumpy” Fisher well, asked about the ownership of the Fisher family farm, and even recalled that Grumpy Fisher purchased cattle in Colorado.
Grassley visits eight to 10 high schools a year. He enjoys the visits to schools because the questions are less emotional and tend to be less issue-oriented, he said.
