[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 60 (Tuesday, April 5, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S1975]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that this 
letter to the Senate Archivist be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                              Charles E. Grassley,


                               President Pro Tempore Emeritus,

                                    Washington, DC, April 1, 2022.
     Karen D. Paul,
     Senate Archivist, Senate Historical Office,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Ms. Paul: I understand that you have been charged with 
     implementing a provision in the Consolidated Appropriations 
     Act, 2022 that offered a very limited number of senators up 
     to $2.5 million each for the preservation of their records. 
     This is a shocking amount of money, well beyond what could 
     possibly be necessary for processing and preserving records, 
     even for long serving senators with a lot of records. On 
     September 22, 2021, my staff alerted the Senate Legislative 
     Branch Appropriations Subcommittee of my decision not to 
     accept any of the funding being proposed. It was my 
     understanding at that time that the Appropriations Committee 
     would reduce the funding appropriated accordingly.
       With a budget deficit for the current fiscal year expected 
     to be well over $1 Trillion, and ballooning debt that is on 
     pace to reach an all-time record as a share of our economy 
     within 10 years, spending millions of taxpayer dollars on a 
     handful of senators' records cannot be justified. The 
     tradition in the Senate is for academic institutions to agree 
     to store and manage former senators' records as part of their 
     academic mission. Some senators seek to go beyond simple 
     preservations of records and establish centers to perpetuate 
     their legacy. However, funds for new facilities or other 
     functions beyond simply storing records are traditionally 
     raised privately. The taxpayers should NOT be on the hook for 
     senators' legacy projects. As a working senator, lam not 
     focused on my legacy. I often say that my legacy will be 
     decided by historians decades into the future with the 
     benefit of hindsight. As such, my legacy is not something I 
     can or should worry about.
       Again, I did not seek these funds and I oppose their 
     expenditure. I ask that you not transmit paperwork to the 
     future repository of my records. I also ask that any funding 
     that is eligible to be spent on the preservation of my 
     records remain in the Treasury to reduce the deficit.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Chuck Grassley,
                                            United States Senator.
       PS: Read and signed by this Senator.

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