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A press release from U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, praising a portion of the health care reform legislation signed into law Tuesday and taking credit for certain provision in the bill is an example of hypocrisy, state and national Democrats said Wednesday.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa (Lauren Victoria Burke/WDCPIX.COM)
In a release sent out Wednesday, Grassley said the health care bill will “hold tax-exempt hospitals accountable for the federal tax benefits they receive.” Grassley co-authored the portion imposing standards for the tax exemption of charitable hospitals for the first time, the release said.
Democrats say after fighting any form of health care reform legislation for months, Grassley is now trying to take credit for certain aspects of the bill.
“Chuck Grassley has done more to derail this bill than any other person in America. He has flip-flopped on health care,” said Mark Daley, campaign manager for Roxanne Conlin, a Democrat hoping to unseat Grassley this year. Daley later added: “After 50 years in politics, Grassley is a career politician who will even take credit for things he voted against. This is pure hypocrisy. Stay tuned, by this time next week Grassley will have been a part of the moon landing.”
Eric Schultz, communications director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, called Grassley’s statement “the next iteration of Republicans voting against the stimulus bill but taking credit for the funding.”
“This is someone who did everything he could to stop the bill, but now thinks it is worth touting,” Schultz said. “Either he is a total hypocrite or he has taken March Madness to a whole new level.”
The Washington Post contacted Grassley’s office for comment:
Jill Gerber, a spokeswoman for Grassley, rejected the criticism, saying that Grassley had always said he liked parts of the bill. Gerber also pointed out that Democrats have often taken credit for pieces of legislation that they slammed overall, like the Bush tax cuts.
“So it’s common-sense that a single piece of legislation can have provisions that are appealing and others that are unpalatable,” she said. “Senator Grassley has always said there are some good things in the evolving health-care package, including the items he initiated. However, this new health-reform law was drafted by Democratic leaders behind closed doors.”
Grassley was originally considered to be a Republican who could likely help craft and ultimately support health care reform legislation being pushed by Democrats. He was even involved in early deliberations on the bill, a position that created speculation that he could face a primary challenger.
But during a series of town hall forums in August, the six-term senator told a Winterset audience that the bill would give the government the power to “decide when to pull the plug on Grandma.” He defended the claim later in the day while speaking in Panora, and spent the better part of the next month clarifying his remarks.
Since then, Grassley has been an outspoken critic of the legislation and the process used to pass it.
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