Sen. Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, appeared on former Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s “Jason in the House” podcast to mark “Sunshine Week” with a conversation about congressional oversight, whistleblower protection, bipartisanship, and his personal background, according to a Mar. 16 announcement.
The discussion highlights Grassley’s long-standing focus on government accountability and transparency. These topics are especially relevant during Sunshine Week, which promotes open government and public access to information.
During the interview, Grassley said he learned about checks and balances early in life and emphasized Congress’s responsibility to ensure that presidents faithfully execute laws. He explained that his interest in oversight began during his first term in Congress when he investigated fraud in the Defense Department: “We got the False Claims Act [amendments] passed. That has brought in $85 billion of [fraudulently] taken money.”
Grassley also spoke about his reputation for protecting whistleblowers: “These whistleblowers…are very patriotic people. They just want the federal government to do what the law says they should do [and] spend the money the way Congress intended to spend it.” He noted that most ideas for investigations come from whistleblowers and described efforts to help those who face retaliation: “So far, since [President Trump’s] new term…we’ve had the cooperation of President Trump’s people at lower levels to get 16 [whistleblowers] that were fired, mostly in the Biden administration – get their job[s] back… [You’ve] just got to have a reputation for following through and helping people.”
Addressing changes in Senate work schedules over time, Grassley said senators now work fewer days each week than when he started: “But you don’t solve [this] country’s problems until you get 100 senators together in a body. We’ve got so many problems – you’ve got to be working more than two and a half days a week.”
On bipartisanship, Grassley reflected on increased partisanship over recent years but insisted that cross-party cooperation still occurs: “People are losing faith in government…because of all the negative media that comes out [where] they always emphasize disagreement. They never emphasize agreement.”
Grassley also shared stories from his upbringing near his birthplace in Iowa and discussed lessons learned from his parents about honesty and hard work. He described how these values shaped both his political career and personal life.
Concluding with advice on marriage after 71 years with his wife, Grassley said simply: “[We’ve been married] 71 years. Always say yes.”
