Grassley Shares Insights from Q&As in 25 Counties, Highlights Legislation to End Government Shutdowns for Good

Floor Remarks by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa Senate President Pro Tempore “April Q&As in 25 Iowa Counties” Wednesday, April 15, 2026 VIDEO During the Easter break, when the Senate was not in session, I was holding, in Iowa, Q&As in 25 of our 99 counties. My annual practice allows me to hear directly from the grassroots. At my meetings, Iowans set the agenda. No issue is off limits. I had the chance to hear how the Rural Health Transformation Fund, how it’s working out for hospitals and helping our communities. For example, in Pella, Iowa, they are using the federal dollars to invest in a PET (positron emission tomography) scan machine and an oncology nurse. And I also had the Working Families Tax Cuts coming up, and how that’s making a difference in rural America. I also heard from farm families and rural bankers about the high costs impacting farmers’ bottom line. To relieve some pressure on this farming situation in the Midwest and, of course, my state of Iowa, I’m calling on President Trump to use his emergency powers to suspend the countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizers. And I also appreciate the president’s recent tweet in regard to his concern about high fertilizer costs for farmers. So, I’m suggesting one way to him how he could fix that. I’ve long been beating the drum on another issue affecting our family farmers, and that is for nationwide year-round [sale of] E15. There’s never been a more important time to infuse markets with $14 billion to boost [the] farm economy. And that $14 billion is not my figure. It comes from the economists for the Iowa Corn Growers [Association]. Finally, at these 25 county Q&As I held, Iowans told me they’re sick and tired of government shutdown[s.] As a co-sponsor of [the] Prevent Government Shutdowns Act , I hope that we will consider it costs money to shut the government down, and it costs money to reopen government. And we ought to applaud Senator Lankford on his legislation for a continuing resolution that he’s been trying to push Congress to adopt for maybe the last five or six years. There’s no better time to use an example of the need of Senator Lankford’s legislation than the fact that we had a 43[-day] all-government shutdown last year, and this year, we’ve already, for the Department of Homeland Security had [a] 45 or 46-day shutdown, so far. Senator Lankford has the best idea [to make sure] that that will never happen again in our government, any shutdown. Congress’s failure to fund the government shouldn’t be penalizing the hardworking men and women of this country. At my 99 county meetings, I promise to bring Iowans’ views back to the policymaking tables, and I intend to roll up my sleeves and keep working on behalf of Iowans. -30-