Around 1 o’clock this afternoon, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is expected to cast his vote on a bill in what will be his 10,000th vote as a member of Congress. While often at opposite ends of political debates, Democrat Iowa Senator Tom Harkin is applauding his Republican colleague.
"This is a remarkable milestone, but even more remarkable is the fact Senator Grassley has not missed a single vote since 1993 when he was obiliged to be in Iowa during the catastrophic flooding that year," Harkin says. "It’s been nearly 16 years since Senator Grassley last missed a vote." Grassley was first elected to the U.S. House in 1975 and was voted into the U.S. Senate in 1980.
"Cal Ripken, the former Baltimore Oriole, is known as the Ironman for going 16 consecutive years without missing a game," Harkin says. "I guess Senator Grassley has also earned the title Ironman and I congratulate him for it."