U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) held his 99th county meeting in Iowa for the 43rd consecutive year with a public town meeting in Ida County on Tuesday.
With this meeting, Grassley marks the conclusion of another year in his 43-year practice of holding at least one meeting with Iowans in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties. Grassley has done this every year since he was first elected to serve in the U.S. Senate in 1980. The hallmark of his meetings are the question-and-answer sessions during which Grassley invites and responds to questions and comments on any subject. Grassley’s efforts to meet Iowans where they work, study and live sets a standard for representative government. Grassley makes himself available for 15 minutes after each meeting to answer questions from local media.
43 consecutive yrs of my #99countymeetings U kno what I hv to celebrate with pic.twitter.com/NBGrSt2mwf
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) August 29, 2023
“Representative government is a two-way street. I’m one half of the process and the people of Iowa are the other half,” Grassley said. “You can’t have representative government without dialogue between elected officials and the people we represent. The cross-section of people I meet with on factory floors and at their offices, service organizations and schools helps me better represent Iowans from all walks of life in Washington. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from Iowans.
“Over the past 43 years, our state has pulled together to tackle challenges, build resilient communities and grow our economy,” Grassley continued. “Through it all, Iowans’ common sense has endured – and Washington can always use a good dose of that. I look forward to hearing from Iowans at future question-and answer sessions as I serve our state in the U.S. Senate.”
Issues frequently raised at this year’s meetings included pharmacy benefit managers and prescription drug prices, Grassley’s work to hold the government accountable to the American people, the southern border crisis, rural healthcare access, California’s Proposition 12 and the EATS Act, bipartisanship, year-round E15, funding for Ukraine, human trafficking and the Farm Bill.
Grassley kicked off this year’s meetings in Dallas County.
To view the full list of meetings this year, check out Grassley’s 99 County Meetings page on his website HERE. To view Grassley’s photos and tweets from the meetings, search #99CountyMeetings on Twitter and Instagram.
