Issue Position: Watching Over the Federal Treasury

Issue Position

When Wall Street and Detroit accepted hundreds of billions of taxpayer-funded bailout dollars, Chuck Grassley worked to prevent good money from being thrown after bad. When news broke about extravagant bonuses paid out to executives at the investment powerhouse AIG and mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Chuck Grassley did not mince words when calling for full transparency of the federal pay-outs. Grassley says those who accept tax dollars after running their business into the ground need to be kept on a short leash to prevent saddling future generations with a legacy of debt.

As a member of the Senate Budget Committee, Grassley advocates efforts to trim federal budgets. As a grandfather of nine, he worries the endless stream of deficit spending will bankrupt the next generation by taxing too much, spending too much and borrowing too much.

Respected for his Midwestern work ethic, Grassley's tight-fisted grip on the public purse aligns with Benjamin Franklin's philosophy that "a penny saved is a penny earned," Chuck Grassley relishes his role as the taxpayers' watchdog. He brings a no-nonsense approach to his dogged oversight of the federal bureaucracy, leading a decades-long crusade against waste, fraud and abuse that offers no immunity to anyone receiving tax breaks or tax dollars from the U.S. Treasury.

In a March 7, 2010 Fort Dodge Messenger editorial, Grassley's keen eye on the federal treasury and specifically the Department of Health and Human Services was noted, "During a time of economic downturn, it would be especially unfortunate if federal employees were not doing their part to keep the federal deficit from growing. That Grassley is being aggressive in holding them accountable is very good news for taxpayers in Iowa and all across the nation."

Grassley would rather Iowans keep more of their hard earned money instead of sending it to Washington in the form of higher taxes. He knows that spending will do more economic good if 300 million Americans spend their own money, instead of 535 members of Congress.

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