Senator Grassley Visits With Residents Over Their Concerns

Senator Grassley stopped by the Oskaloosa Library Thursday morning as part of his 99 county tour

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The 3rd floor of the Oskaloosa Public Library played host to US Senator Chuck Grassley. He listened for an hour to questions and comments from community members on a wide range of topics from health care, to trucking, and the light bulb.

The informal meetings that Grassley holds every year in every county in the state have become a hallmark of his career, so much so that presidential candidates now like to say they have done “the full Grassley” in reference to his 99 county tours.

Oskaloosa Mayor Dave Krutzfeldt asked the Senator the first question of the morning, it was in relation to the current highway system and the repair of it. “Oskaloosa is working towards getting Highway 63 designated as a Commercial, Industrial Network [CIN], with that end in mind, being able go all the way up to Waterloo 4 lane, those sorts of things. What I’m concerned about, I guess, where highway funding is on the federal level. What your thoughts are 2, 4,5 maybe 10 years out.”

Grassley explained to Mayor Krutzfeldt and those on hand how money is allocated for highway projects from the federal government. “We would probably have what we call earmarks. So certain highways in Iowa we can designate and supplement with federal money, and that would be money we get on top of the formula. The lump sum of money that would come to Iowa is what I call formula money. But now, as a result of the last election, we are not going to have earmarks. So earmarks was a big issue in the last election. Everybody figured that it was just a political thing, getting something for your hometown or for something for your state and you were doing it for a political purpose.”

“So if I was to put in for Highway 63, somebody would probably say well, you know, Grassley’s benefiting to some extent some way or the other. So, there’s not going to be any earmarks now. That’s probably a good thing because things will be decided more on a priority basis. So my guess for 63, the money that comes from the federal government will go to the state department of transportation and they’ll allocate it out.”

Grassley took many questions from the 30 or so in attendance, ranging from trucking regulations to the “squiggly” light bulb.

Senator Grassley was kind enough to take some time before leaving to answer a few more questions for Osky News.

I asked Senator Grassley if he believed that these post office closures are going to further alienate the rural areas.

“I think definitely yes. But I think, as a matter of fact, that there’s going to be some of these post offices closed. I just hope that they use the best judgment they can in closing them”, Grassley stated.

“I’ve always offered to help [in] two ways for people, because it doesn’t come in our jurisdiction about the closing of post offices. Go to the town meetings that the people from the postal service have. And if they want to take a petition and send it to me, I’ll make sure I get a cover letter with it to the postal service so that they know it’s being listened to.”

I went on to ask the Senator about the rising price at the gas pumps every day, and that problems with Iran, that the prices may fuel an economic down turn.

Grassley explained how the process is working, “Well, if the sanctions work, and Iran goes with peaceful nuclear energy and abides by the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, then I think there’s not going to be any trouble with their oil flowing. But here’s the other thing, the Saudi Government has committed to pumping more oil equal to what we might not get from Iran.”

Senator Grassley has been at the lead of the Fast and Furious investigation. I asked him for any updates into that investigation and if there are going to be implications for Attorney General Eric Holder.

“Well, an update is that yesterday, one of these guns was found at the scene of a crime in the United States, so all the guns didn’t get across the border and even those that got across the border probably killed hundreds, maybe even thousands of Mexicans. So it’s a stupid program. Our investigation is going to continue. Congressman Issa subpoenaed and didn’t get everything he subpoenaed, I hope he’ll hold Holder in contempt.” Grassley said.

“For me, my goal is to continue my investigation until I find out who at the highest level of government approved this, get them fired, and then make sure a stupid program like this never happens again.”

My last question for the Senator involved the Keystone Pipeline and if we would be able to convince the Canadian Government to work with us on that?

“Oh the Canadians will work with us. What we got to do is get off the dime and build it. We’ve got to pass a bill in congress that will preempt all the environmental red tape that you gotta go through and the court decisions that your gonna have to go through and just build it. And that’s pretty much how we got the Alaska pipeline built.” A confident Grassley said about reversing the decision by the Obama Administration over the new pipeline.