[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16976]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      CONGRATULATING SENATOR GRASSLEY ON CASTING HIS 12,000TH VOTE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, every year in the Senate we are sent to this 
distinguished body for one reason: to represent the people of our State 
and the people of this country. Our constituents expect us to 
legislate. They expect us to be here on the Senate floor voting and 
representing their interests. In the Senate, there is no one better at 
upholding that responsibility than the senior Senator from Iowa.
  Last Thursday, Charles Grassley cast his 12,000th vote as a U.S. 
Senator. As remarkable as that is, as my friend the senior Senator from 
Kentucky said, it is even more impressive that he has cast almost 7,500 
consecutive votes on the Senate floor. He hasn't missed a vote since 
July 14, 1993. He holds the second longest consecutive vote streak in 
Senate history, behind our colleague Senator William Proxmire of 
Wisconsin. That is a lot of votes.
  Senator Grassley's constancy and unwavering work ethic comes as no 
surprise to those of us who have known him and are acquainted with his 
background. Chuck Grassley is a farmer. He is proud of that. He got 
started in politics when he was elected to the Iowa House in 1959. He 
served for 15 years. In 1974, he ran for Congress and served three 
terms in the House of Representatives.
  He was elected to the Senate in 1980. Thirty-six years, 12,000 
votes--that is remarkable, as is 7,474 consecutive votes. So I say 
congratulations to my friend Chuck Grassley on those incredible 
milestones.

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