With inflation near a 40-year high and the U.S dollar, which is the world’s form of reserve currency, losing its value, we as a nation, must address massive government spending. I have criticized my opponent, Sen. Charles Grassley, for his poor voting record, including votes to pass Biden’s big spending bill, defunding construction of Trump’s border wall, and confirming disastrous cabinet picks such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. With these criticisms, I also provide information for my voters so they can learn more about these important topics and make the decision that best aligns with their values when they head to the voting booths on June 7th.
Last August Senator Chuck Grassley was one of 19 Republicans to join Senate Democrats in voting to advance Biden’s reckless spending bill. Biden’s legislation, which sought to continue the government spending spree by $1.2 trillion, came amidst the national debt nearing $30 trillion and inflation surging to the highest levels in more than a decade.
And I want to make it clear: this is not one bad vote out of a long conservative voting record. Senator Grassley has served in the United States Senate for 41 years and has a history of siding with Democrats, caving to Democrat priorities, and serving the special interests of his large corporate donors over the needs of his own constituents. It is because of this voting record, that he was awarded an F on his Liberty Scorecard rating from the Conservative Review along with prominent Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders, and AOC. (see Here)
I’ve traveled all over the state of Iowa in my campaign and talked to a lot of people. I know firsthand that few votes have caused so much frustration with Iowans than Sen. Grassley’s vote on the infrastructure bill. What did the bill do? How does it impact Iowans and our nation as a whole? Let’s dive in.
What Was in the Bill?
Don’t be fooled by the label “bipartisan” in the title. The bill contained a host of Democrat priorities that increased government power at the expense of American’s pocketbooks.
According to an article by the Heritage Foundation entitled “6 Troubling Leftist Wins in $1.1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill” published August 10th, 2021,
“The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the bill would increase deficits by $256 billion”, meaning the bill would “actually add at least $2,900 per household to the national debt” which at the time was already more than $220,000 per household and on the rise.
The article details how the bill contained social justice provisions, anti car agendas, and increased government control- particularly in the areas of energy and broadband internet, with a combined $138 billion going toward a variety of subsidies, mandates, and government-operated enterprises which would compete with private providers.
The article Summarizes the bill well, saying,
“It’s difficult to express how far left the Senate infrastructure bill would move policy permanently leftward, which is why it’s imperative for the House to pump the brakes when it takes up the bill in September.” (read full article HERE)
How Does it Impact Iowans?
Out of a $1.2 trillion dollar bill, Iowa received $5 billion which only equals out to .00416% of the total money from the bill. In exchange, the average Iowan has had 11.13% stolen from every dollar they earn. That’s not a win for Iowans.
The Federal government has been spending at an unsustainable rate, and how are they going to pay for it? They aren’t. We are. Middle-class working families and fixed-income seniors will pay the price for a spending spree that devalues their paychecks and ups their living expenses. We don’t need to go on a spending spree with the incomes of hardworking families who have seen their gas prices rise, their businesses go under, and the value of their incomes plummet.
It Helped Democrats Advance Their Broader Agenda
Aside from massive government spending that will lead our country further away from our values, weaken our economy, and burden hard working Americans and fixed-income seniors, there is another major issue with this vote: this infrastructure bill was intended to eventually help accomplish the broader agenda Democrats were working towards at the time. Senate Democrats made it clear from the very beginning of the bill that the $1.2 trillion dollar spending package would pave the way for the rest of Biden’s catastrophic agenda, through what was at the time an even larger $3.5 trillion dollar spending bill that they would pass through reconciliation, which allowed them to avoid a filibuster and be able to pass it without any Republican support.
And this strategy was not being kept behind closed doors. This “two pronged approach” was public knowledge, which Schumer and Pelosi unabashedly paraded in front of the media. If Senator Grassley didn’t know about this strategy at the time of the vote, he’s either lying, or he was completely out of touch. Neither is a good thing when it comes to the kind of representation that I want impacting the future of freedom for my grandchildren.
An article published June 23rd, 2021 by The Hill, entitled “Schumer vows to advance two-pronged infrastructure plan next month” writes that:
“Schumer spoke to reporters alongside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) after their two-hour meeting with White House officials on the path forward for infrastructure, and he stressed that he viewed moving both a smaller, bipartisan bill and a sweeping Democratic-only plan as linked.
“One can’t be done without the other. … We can’t get the bipartisan bill done unless we’re sure of getting the budget reconciliation bill done. We can’t get the budget reconciliation bill done unless we’re sure to get the bipartisan — and I think our members, across the spectrum, realize that,” Schumer told reporters.” (see full article HERE.)
At the time of this vote, passing the initial infrastructure bill was crucial to the Democrats strategy in advancing Biden’s larger budget plan to the Senate.
According to a statement realeased on August 10th, 2021 by the Heritage Action Executive Director Jessica Anderson, in response to the Senate’s vote on the “bipartisan” infrastructure bill and the upcoming budget resolution:
“Today, the Senate voted to advance a trillion-dollar bill that spends just one-tenth of its total on roads and bridges while funding “digital equity,” dysfunctional Amtrak systems, “green” subsidies, and more. And as last week’s CBO report shows, and as conservatives predicted, the bill is not paid for and instead increases the deficit by more than a quarter trillion dollars.
Worse, the bill opens the gate to the Trojan horse of an upcoming $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, which will contain a laundry list of far-Left policies. Most concerning is a plan to reward millions of illegal immigrants with amnesty.
Senators should have rejected the “bipartisan” bill. Now they must reject efforts by the “Squad” and the rest of the far Left to jam through a reckless tax and spending spree that will saddle our children with debt, fund a woke policy agenda, and put Americans last.”
See full statement HERE.
After the Senate passed the infrastructure bill on August 10th, the bill went to the House of Representattives where it was picked up for a vote on November 5th, 2021. The conservative sentiment remained unchanged in the final stages of the bill, with another statement released on November 5, 2021 from Heritage Action Executive Director, Jessica Anderson, concerning the vote on the infrastructure bill that would take place later that night. She referred to the bill as Biden and Speaker Pelosi’s extreme agenda, and “radical plan to fundamentally remake America.” She went on to warn the rest of congress regarding the bill:
“Tonight’s vote on the first part of the Democrats’ Leftist agenda is the most out of touch that Congress has been since the passage of Obamacare. Any member who votes for the infrastructure bill is effectively voting yes for the entire ‘Build Back Broke’ plan and the Left’s extreme agenda.”
See full statement HERE.
After the passage of the bill in Congress on November 5th, it was sent to President Biden’s desk and was signed into law on November 15th, 2021.
Conclusion
As much as Grassley attempts to sidestep this vote or convince people it will benefit Iowans (which is very arguable), the fact remains: Democrats at the time of the vote had openly linked the passing of the initial bill to the reconciliation bill, enabling the enactment of a Democratic agenda that would fundamentally remake America. The legislation Senator Grassley voted for was a cesspool for Senate Democrat priorities, from increasing the deficit, to job-killing corporate tax increases, to funding “green” subsidies, and more. What is worse, Grassley knew the Democrats strategy all along. His actions are incomprehensible and show a willful disregard for Iowa farmers and families.
That’s why I’m running for U.S Senate. We need people in Washington who will stand up and act in the best interest of Iowans. I do not support increased reckless government spending bills that jeopardize our economy and pave the way for the the far left agenda. Unlike my opponent, who has voted for $4 trillion in massive government spending over the past 3 years alone, I would advocate balancing the budget and living within our means to bring down inflation, as well as reintroducing competition into monopoly-controlled marketplaces such as healthcare, agriculture, and technology. Competition in the marketplace will lower costs and improve quality for Iowans and for the rest of America.
You can learn more about my stance on lowering inflation & gas prices, making healthcare more affordable for seniors, creating energy independence, and more HERE.
Sources:
https://libertyscore.conservativereview.com/charles-e-grassley
https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2021-08/hr3684_infrastructure.pdf
https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/datasets/debt-to-the-penny/debt-to-the-penny
https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684
https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2021-08/hr3684_infrastructure.pdf
https://smartasset.com/financial-advisor/biden-infrastructure-plan
https://heritageaction.com/press/heritage-action-responds-to-infrastructure-vote
