Transparency brings accountability
Throughout his service in the U.S. Senate, Senator Grassley has pursued aggressive congressional oversight to hold government accountable and help make our system of checks and balances work better for the American people. During his first term, Grassley cut his teeth on constitutional oversight responsibilities when he spearheaded efforts to root out waste at the Pentagon, digging into the Reagan administration’s spending and bucking his own party in the process. From the former Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure, Grassley launched an oversight inquiry that exposed massive cost overruns at the Department of Defense and paved the way for his decades-long crusade to trim the fat, boost military readiness, fight corruption and protect taxpayers.
In addition to addressing fiscal mismanagement, Grassley keeps his oversight tools sharpened by maintaining checks on government overreach. For example, he led the congressional probe on an Obama-era gunwalking scandal, known as Operation Fast and Furious, that cost the life of a U.S. border patrol agent. Grassley continues to press the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) about its many management failures, including its recent decision to shut down Project Thor, a previously successful bureau program used to identify and catch cross-border gun smuggling networks. He’s also demanded the ATF provide answers regarding an illegal employment misclassification scandal that cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.
From religious liberty to free speech, Second Amendment rights and civil liberties, Grassley works to uphold constitutional freedoms and ensure the executive branch implements laws as Congress intended.
On the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has exclusive jurisdiction of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and federal agencies implementing the nation’s border security, immigration, gun, antitrust and intellectual property laws, Grassley conducts robust oversight to uphold the rule of law, stop the weaponization of government and hold federal agencies accountable. He was among the first in Congress to launch an investigation into the Secret Service following the assassination attempts on President Trump.
Grassley has extensively questioned the FBI regarding political bias infecting the federal law enforcement agencies, including the targeting of Catholics, policing of parents who speak up at local school board meetings, as well as the FBI’s failure to hold employees accountable for sexual misconduct and properly investigate cases of child exploitation and human trafficking. Grassley also led the investigation exposing the political infection within Crossfire Hurricane, successfully obtaining and making public declassified government records.
Grassley’s pursuit for government accountability includes his tireless advocacy for whistleblower protections and staunch support of Inspectors General. As the co-author of the 1986 amendments to the False Claims Act (FCA), Grassley has since secured legislative reforms to strengthen whistleblower rights for those who stick their necks out to report wrongdoing. He’s also remained active in urging federal courts to uphold the original text and intent of the law to prevent fraudsters from fleecing taxpayers.
Last Congress, Grassley broke his own record, sending 600 oversight letters to at least 174 federal, state and private sector entities, touching on over 97% of government spending. He sought answers and justice for Holocaust survivors; dug into cybersecurity threats impacting critical infrastructure, fought to protect individual privacy and national security; inspected misconduct plaguing the nation’s federal prison system; safeguarded support for crime victims, investigated private equity ownership of local hospitals; exposed wasteful emergency pandemic spending; fought to protect the privacy of America’s veterans; rallied Washington to come to the defense of tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children; and more.
The philosophy driving Grassley’s approach to congressional oversight is to restore public confidence in government and uphold the independence and integrity of the federal judiciary. Oversight is a vital lever in American democracy, and must be done without fear or favor. The government must remain “of the people, by the people and for the people,” as the Founders intended.
For whistleblowers interested in establishing confidential communication with Judiciary Committee Chairman Grassley’s investigative staff, click HERE.