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| Des Moines Registry
Chuck Grassley, Senate’s longest-serving Republican tests positive for COVID-19
The 87-year-old Iowa senator is the president pro tempore of the Senate, making him third in line for the presidency.
A day after testing positive for the coronavirus, Republican United States Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa said he has no symptoms and continues to feel fine.
“I remain symptom-free and isolated. I continue to feel good thanks to all the messages of encouragement and prayers,” Grassley wrote. in a tweet Wednesday afternoon.
Grassley is isolating himself at his home in the Washington, DC area on the orders of his doctor after announcing Tuesday night that he had tested positive for the virus.
Grassley, 87, is the oldest sitting Republican in the Senate and the president pro tempore of the Senate, making him third in line for the presidency. He was first elected to the Senate in 1980. He is the second-oldest US senator in office after Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California.
MORE: Chuck Grassley, the Senate’s longest-serving Republican, tests positive for coronavirus
Grassley has not said where he thinks he was exposed to the virus. He was most recently in the Senate on Monday, where he made comments on the floor without a mask and spoke to his colleagues while wearing a mask. He also attended a meeting with the Senate Republican leadership on Monday, which includes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
McConnell addressed Grassley’s diagnosis in remarks in the Senate Wednesday morning. He praised Grassley for setting the Senate record of 27 years without losing a single Senate vote and wished him well.
“This display of diligence and dedication is remarkable by any measure. But because of who Senator Grassley is, he hasn’t seemed anything out of the ordinary,” McConnell said of Grassley’s record voting streak. “That incredible commitment to serving Iowans and working day and night is what our colleague is. That devotion is just his daily routine.”
Grassley’s decision to follow his doctor’s orders and self-quarantine at home while awaiting the test result embodied the same virtues of “leadership, service to others, and determination to set the right example” that his history of voting, McConnell said.
“All the thoughts and prayers of the Senate are with our distinguished colleague, who reported last night that he is still feeling well. We hope that he will continue to do so. Certainly, if any member of this body has the good health and energy to eliminate the virus to the curb, it’s Senator Grassley, “added McConnell.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, also spoke on the Senate floor wish Grassley “a speedy and speedy recovery.”
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.
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