Grassley criticizes president on terrorism, immigration policies during Sheffield visit

               Senator Chuck Grassley had no issue critiquing President Barack Obama’s foreign policy résumé during a stop in Franklin County last week.

     “We are in a more dangerous world today, and Americans are in a more dangerous situation because of him wanting to lead from behind,” he said in response to a question about the Islamic State. “And those are his words. If you lead from behind, you don’t have any followers.”

     The candid retort was just one of many during the six-term congressman’s visit to Sukup Manufacturing in Sheffield on Feb. 17. Employees and local citizens packed the company’s new Tech Center for a question-and-answer session that hit on multiple topics like tax reform, national security and immigration policy.

     Grassley opened the meeting with a well-received take on the U.S. manufacturing industry. He said multiple roadblocks like high corporate tax rates, tort law, Obamacare and over-regulation hinder companies from expanding, which limits job growth nationwide.

     Grassley felt reforming the tax code and other federal laws would eliminate the cloud of uncertainty that’s hanging over America’s manufacturing sector.

     “So one word—certainty,” he explained. “By bringing certainty to the policies of the government, people can create jobs instead of holding back because they don’t know what the government is going to do to screw them next.”

     The conversation shifted gears to America’s role in combatting the Islamic State. U.S. forces are currently leading air strikes in militant-held regions, and they’re also training Middle Eastern ground forces to combat radicals on the frontlines.

     Grassley was critical of Obama’s foreign policy and believed the United States needed to assume a stronger role in the Middle East to stop radical Islam. America’s current strategy is falling short, Grassley said, but he didn’t expect things to change anytime soon.

     “We’ve lost a lot of credibility. We draw a line in the sand, but the line is crossed and there’s no consequence,” he said. “The president’s gotta be more firm. What do you really stand for? You have to be more firm if you want to lead.”

     Another hot topic that garnered considerable attention was immigration reform. Obama has received backlash from the Republican-held House and Senate for an executive order that would grant legal protection to millions of undocumented immigrants in America. Grassley called the order an “unconstitutional action by government edict” and hinted at a drawn out battle over the issue in the near future.

     “We are a government based on the rule of law,” he said. “We’ve got to respect law and enforce immigration laws.”

     Grassley believed a Republican plan that would defund appropriations to pay for the executive order could receive a presidential veto. The Senate lacks the votes to override it, which could send the issue back to the House and prolong further developments.

     “I don’t see the House starting over with a new bill and doing nothing about the president’s executive order,” he said.

     Grassley fielded a question on escalating college tuition costs to wrap up the meeting. He believed the availability of certain federal programs like Pell Grants give universities more leeway to ramp up fees, consequently increasing the burden of student debt.

     Federal intervention was unlikely, Grassley said, and he offered a piece of common sense advice for college students.

     “We should be encouraging kids to borrow only what it costs to go through college,” he said. “Don’t borrow more than you have to.”

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