Grassley touts Senate bipartisanship

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) says the Senate’s efficiency is flourishing under GOP leadership.

“Republicans and Democrats can work together. Bipartisanship has allowed us to make progress on good ideas from senators on both sides of the aisle,” he said Saturday in the GOP’s weekly address.

{mosads}“This principle has ensured the Republican-led Senate hasn’t wasted time or resources. Now it’s a formula for representative government that puts us to work for you,” he added.

Grassley said he had applied that strategy to his work as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

“I decided early on that the Judiciary Committee would spend your taxpayer dollars and our time focusing on areas where we can reach an agreement, rather than political fights destined for failure,” he said. 

“Every one of the 27 bills passed out of the committee under my leadership has had bipartisan support,” Grassley added. “The president has signed 12 of those bills into law.

“With four months left in this Congress, the Judiciary Committee has already outpaced the previous Congress in bills processed in committee, passed in the Senate and signed into law.” 

Grassley additionally touted some of the results his committee had achieved through bipartisanship.

“Republicans and Democrats collaborated to enact legislation to help communities heal the wounds of addiction. We worked to reduce the illicit market for sex trafficking and modern slavery and expanded support for its victims,” Grassley said. “And we expanded government transparency to make the federal government more accountable to the American people.”

Grassley has steadfastly refused a hearing for Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland since March.

GOP leadership has vowed to keep the seat open until next year, allowing Obama’s successor to pick a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, sparking outcry from Democrats.