Grassley Becomes Finance Committee Chairman, Outlines Agenda for 116th Congress

Statement

Following the adoption of a Senate resolution ratifying committee leadership today, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa released the following statement outlining his committee agenda for the Congress. As he takes the gavel of the Finance Committee for the second time, Grassley's agenda reflects a desire to build on past successes, protect consumers and patients and improve the quality of life for all Americans.

"One of the most frequent questions I'm asked at my annual 99 county meetings in Iowa is what bills that I've worked on have become law. During my chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee over the past four years, 61 bills were reported out of the committee, 45 were passed by the full Senate and 34 became law. Every single one was bipartisan. During my previous chairmanship of the Finance Committee, nearly all legislation passed out of the committee was bipartisan. I hope to continue that tradition of bipartisanship as I resume chairing the Finance Committee," Grassley said.

"But as I often say to Iowans at my county meetings, legislating is only one part of Congress' responsibility. We must also ensure that the laws passed by Congress are being faithfully executed by the executive branch. Congressional oversight holds the federal government accountable and helps inform future legislation. I expect that vigorous congressional oversight of the executive branch will play a key role in guiding committee work and also hold accountable the federal agencies and departments within the committee's jurisdiction.

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