Sen. Grassley: The Republican Party's Waxman

Nick Schwellenbach

During the Bush administration, one member of Congress more than any other inspired fear among executive branch officials: Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman of California.  Waxman, working in the minority for most of Bush's tenure, was a congressional oversight and investigations machine, while for several years the Democratic party was in disarray and out of power.  He churned out report after report, and was constantly quoted in the press.  Waxman, more than most congressional Democrats, helped to turn popular opinion against Bush through his aggressive investigations that challenged the administration on several fronts: from its lack of oversight of Iraq war contractors to the politicization of science. 
 
But administrations and the fortunes of political parties change.
 
Even a few months into President Barack Obama's administration, with the Republican party searching for its identity, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) stands out.  The former pig farmer and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee hardly goes a day without being quoted in the mainstream media.  Just yesterday, the New York Times published an article on Grassley's criticism of Obama's signing statement that Grassley believes may limit whistleblower disclosures to Congress.  And today, it ran a piece on Grassley's belief that corporate executives who've run their companies into the ground should express public remorse.  Grassley, like Waxman, has long worked with government and corporate whistleblowers and will be a Republican to watch in the coming years.  His staff are media savvy too.  Though he's a social conservative, Grassley focuses his oversight on bread and butter issues, like waste, fraud and abuse in government, that are rarely seen as partisan.