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Grassley visits Mt. Pleasant High School
Senator talked about his favorite president, minimum wage, TikTok, and inflation
MT. PLEASANT — Mt. Pleasant Community High School students welcomed Sen. Chuck Grassley to their government class Friday morning, April 26, for an informal question and answer session which focused on getting to know the senator.
According to Grassley, the primary reason he visits high schools like MPCHS is because he doesn’t usually get an opportunity to hear from people in this age group at town meetings.
“When you want to represent people and they don’t come to your meetings, I go to a few high schools, factories, and Rotary clubs just to keep in touch with my constituents,” Grassley explained.
Students did not hold back as one student began questions by asking how Grassley voted concerning the House passing the foreign aid package which includes the TikTok Bill. While Grassley simply answered that he did vote yes on the bill in the class, he later expanded on the topic.
Grassley addressed questions about the constitutionality of the portion of the bill which focuses on TikTok. Language in the bill, which passed in a 79 to 18 vote, calls for TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to sell the app within approximately nine months.
According to Grassley, the bill puts time restrains on the amount of time available to file a case opposing the bill, though he does not believe the bill is unconstitutional.
“I don't think it is a violation of free speech because there's so many platforms we're going to participate in,” Grassley stated. “For instance, I do Twitter and I do Instagram and so I don't do TikTok obviously. But if others do, they can go someplace else.”
Grassley further explained that the bill does not mean TikTok “is going away.”
“It means one of two things. It’s either going to be sold and a company in the United States that would control everything and keep people’s privacy here within the United States instead of going to the communists in China,” Grassley said. “And the other thing is, if it’s not sold, it won’t be able to operate within the United States.”
As far as the likelihood of the company selling, Grassley stated that he expected “it’s a very business friendly deal that it will be sold and continue to operate here.” He also expressed doubt that the Chinese government would allow the business to be sold.
While the MPCHS students did not ask many questions about the topic, Grassley later stated that he responds to young people asking about the topic by informing them of the dangers that their information is readily accessible.
“Do you realize that everything that's on your platform that people know about you?” Grassley said. “That can go to China immediately whenever the communists want.”
He further explained his support for the provisions of the bill with an example of the influence he has experienced from the TikTok platform.
“Just to show you the influence and as you realize that somebody in China said a month ago when it was coming up in the House of Representatives the first time call you call your congressmen, tell them not to vote for and it had so much influence that shutdown the telephone lines going into the U.S. House of Representatives,” Grassley said.
“Now, would you like to have that sort of influence in our presidential elections on November 4?” he continued. “If somebody in China says don’t vote for Biden or don’t vote for Trump, would you want that influence to affect our democracy? And I never got any pushback from any young people after explaining it to him that way.”
Many other questions from the MPCHS students focused on more personal questions such as who favorite President is, how he got into politics, what his work-life balance is like, and what he enjoys most about his job.
According to Grassley, his favorite president on merit was President Ronald Reagan and his favorite to work with was George W. Bush.
“I think President Reagan was the best president because he seemed to concentrate on three, four or five things not be all over the map on various concepts concentrating and doing a good job when he did it,” Grassley explained. “ … Then the President that I liked the best was George W. Bush, because he's a big Texas guy, but he's so much like we are in the Midwest here and you just feel very comfortable being around him.”
A few students, however, focused on more policy-centric topics. Two students focused on money topics such as national debt, inflation, and minimum wage.
When asked about his opinion on the national debt, Grassley answered that the only way to have a sound fiscal policy would require state institute a “constitutional requirement to have a balanced budget.”
When asked about minimum wage and inflation by another student, Grassley specifically addressed the topics separately stating that “I don’t think it’d be right for me to say that an increase in minimum wage would affect inflation. I think inflation is made more by the irresponsible fiscal policy spending in Congress.”
Specifically addressing his young audience, Grassley stated that one reason he has voted against minimum wage increases is because he feels it keeps young people from getting jobs. He also stated that he voted in favor of minimum wage increases at time because he feels minimum wage had ought to keep up with inflation.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to speak with many MPCHS seniors during his time at the school Friday morning, Grassley also made sure to mention the internship program his office offers.
According to Grassley, his office welcomes seven high school graduate interns in the fall and seven more in the spring and summer.
“You learn government by experience,” Grassley explained the internship. “You have real work, and you have to come to Washington, D.C. to live. … About two-thirds of my staff are former interns. So, it gives you a chance to see if you’re interested in jobs like that.”
Substitute teacher Jeff Graber spoke highly of his own experience in an internship with the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service which is the trade promotion arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration.
“It was the most valuable thing I did in terms of getting my first job,” Graber told the students. “That’s what made me stand out. Internships are a great opportunity.”
Students interested in learning more about these internships can visit www.grassley.senate.gov/services/internships
Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com
