River Bend Times

Senator Chuck Grassley has expressed his continued concern about the direction of the Senate Budget Committee, as its leadership term nears its end. Grassley criticized the committee for not prioritizing what he sees as urgent fiscal issues, instead focusing on climate change.

He stated, "I remain convinced that the Budget Committee should be focused on the immediate fiscal problems facing our country." Grassley also noted that many Americans share this viewpoint.

Grassley pointed out that over 21 hearings on climate change were held by the committee, featuring testimony from individuals such as film producers and consultants. He argued these testimonies relied on extreme climate change models without convincing evidence of an imminent crisis. In contrast, he mentioned that minority witnesses provided scientific and economic expertise to counter claims of a climate-driven fiscal collapse.

He further criticized the Majority for ignoring analyses from non-partisan sources like the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which found economic threats from national debt overshadowed those posed by climate change. Grassley attributed recent high inflation to what he called reckless spending over the past four years, asserting it has adversely affected middle-class Americans.

Grassley claimed President Biden's administration attempted to downplay inflation initially and later rebranded their spending agenda as a solution through legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act. He said this act was more focused on implementing a "green new deal" than addressing inflation, a claim supported by CBO findings that it increased rather than reduced inflation.

Referring to Biden’s economic strategy as “Bidenomics,” Grassley labeled it a failure and suggested that changing topics to issues like abortion or climate change was an attempt to divert attention from inflation concerns. He advocated for exploring ways to address deficits and national debt, citing Sweden’s successful fiscal policies as a model worth considering.

Grassley concluded with holiday wishes and expressed optimism about working together in future sessions, specifically mentioning collaboration within the Judiciary Committee.