Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley visited Atlantic at the Rock Island Depot on Aug. 20 at 9:45. This was a part of his 99 county tour he has done for the past 40 years. The tour had been put on hold due to COVID-19, but has since started up again after Memorial Day. He is visiting 49 counties this month alone. Grassley tours every county in Iowa, and answers questions from the people in the communities. Despite the pandemic, Grassley still had 34 community members who came to speak with him. 

This year was the first time Grassley has missed the Republican convention since 1980. Likewise, he hasn’t missed a vote since 1993, and holds the longest consecutive voting streak in the history of the Senate. 

While Grassley was visiting Cass County, concerns about another tax break for those suffering financially during the pandemic were brought up, to which he mentioned that Senator Joni Ernst has the ability to grant that. There is another stimulus package in the works to try and pass through legislation. 

When asked about how Iowa is handling COVID-19, more specifically in the education system, Grassley mentioned how he intends to try to pass another CARES Act. He also spoke about the school superintendents who have come to his county tours and spoke with him. “I think that the idea of having local school districts make the determination is the best thing we can do,” he said.

There were also questions about the tariffs Donald Trump put on China, and how it was supposed to help farmers when grain prices were so low, with high production costs. “When he [Trump] put tariffs on, China put tariffs on,” said Grassley. He also said that Trump’s goal was to get China to “play” by the rules of world trade. 

A community member brought up a question about Grassley’s farm, and if he had suffered any damage to crops. “We were 20 miles north of where the damage went through,” said Grassley. He lives with his wife, Barbra, of 66 years in New Hartford, Iowa. Barbara is a 33 year breast cancer survivor.