Grassley Celebrates 40 Years of CSPAN-2, Broadcasting Democracy to the American People

Floor Remarks by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa Senate President Pro Tempore “C-SPAN 2’s 40 th Birthday” Tuesday, June 2, 2026 VIDEO I’m here to say “happy 40th birthday” to C-SPAN, broadcasting democracy in the Senate to the American people... I’m glad that the Senate is televised to make government more real to the American people... [F]or four decades, C-SPAN has served as an essential conduit between the United States Senate and the American people. Since its launch on June 2, 1986, C-SPAN 2 has offered uninterrupted, unfiltered access to the debates, the votes and the deliberations of the United States Senate. So, people in this country that watch [the] Senate on C-SPAN 2 get the news unfiltered, directly to you, the American people. The American people don’t have to rely on biased journalists to get their news, when it might really be distorted. And when I say “distorted,” too often at my town meetings in Iowa — and I had 12 of them last week — I hear people say, “How come you can’t get along?” In other words, Republicans and Democrats don’t seem to be talking to each other. I always try to explain there’s more partisanship than there should be, but I also say there’s not as much as you — as an Iowan — [think] because you see on television members of the Senate always disagreeing. When there’s agreement, you never see much about it. So, this is your opportunity to listen in the United States Senate, to get unbiased [information] in a way that you would not from journalists. Also, C-SPAN operates without any public funding or any government oversight. The continued success of C-SPAN is due to the funding that is provided by platform operators , such as cable, satellite and now even streaming services . These platforms should continue to make delivery of C-SPAN a priority, and I’m sure they will because Americans then can watch Congress in action in real time. So, I say, once again, “Happy birthday, C-SPAN 2!” Your coverage of the Senate helps democracy work and provide[s] a true public service. -30-