Chuck Grassley Grilled By Angry Constituents At Iowa Town Hall | EUROtoday

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) obtained an earful at a city corridor in Iowa on Tuesday, as constituents wished to know why he isn’t doing extra to carry President Donald Trump and his administration accountable amid a standoff with the Supreme Court.

Several attendees on the Fort Madison, Iowa, occasion pressed Grassley, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in regards to the Trump administration’s defiance of a unanimous Supreme Court order telling the White House to “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to a jail in El Salvador that has a popularity for torture.

“The framers of the Constitution said that every person — not citizen— every person within the jurisdiction of the United States has due process. … We would like to know what you, as the Congress, who are supposed to rein in this dictator, what are you going to do?” a person requested Grassley. “Why won’t you do your job, senator?”

“Trump’s not obeying the Supreme Court. He just ignores them!” one other attendee shouted on the senator.

“You took an oath, ‘I do solemnly swear and affirm,’ do you remember that, sir?” added a person in a crimson cap. “Will you act upon your oath?”

But Grassley sidestepped their questions, echoing the Trump administration’s doubtful arguments that there’s nothing the U.S. can do to return Abrego Garcia since El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele ― a Central American authoritarian and Trump ally who visited the White House on Monday ― declared it could be “preposterous” to take action.

“El Salvador is an independent country. The president of that country is not subject to our U.S. Supreme Court,” Grassley stated on Tuesday.

His feedback have been acquired with boos and jeers, so Grassley pivoted as a substitute to highlighting his bipartisan invoice that might reassert Congress’ authority over levying tariffs, one other sore matter within the room amid financial turmoil over Trump’s commerce insurance policies.

“I’m trying to recapture the constitutional authority of Article I, Section 8 to regulate interstate and foreign commerce,” Grassley stated, however that effort was met with extra jeers.

Attendees on the occasion additionally grilled Grassley over cuts Republicans are planning to make to Medicaid and federal meals help to assist finance a large $5 trillion tax reduce bundle later this yr.

“I think the general population is sick and tired of hearing about the tax cuts for the wealthy. … When you start nitpicking about whether some single mom or single dad or somebody with somebody in prison is getting $70 too much food stamps — it doesn’t even buy you anything at the grocery store,” a girl informed Grassley.

Grassley stated Senate Republicans have been contemplating elevating marginal tax charges on millionaires to assist pay for his or her agenda and presumably increase the kid tax credit score, a controversial concept in GOP circles that’s already dealing with opposition. He acknowledged it in the end might not turn out to be actuality.

The 91-year-old senator is without doubt one of the few Republicans prepared to carry city halls this yr amid widespread anger over the Trump administration’s insurance policies. Nearly each different GOP lawmaker within the House and Senate is skipping public occasions, prompting Democrats to carry “empty chair” city halls on their behalf.

“In both red and blue communities, people are sick and tired of Donald Trump and Elon Musk destroying the economy, threatening health care and Social Security, and making life worse for families,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin stated in a press release final week.