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D.C. Dispatch: Grassley announces Judiciary Committee meeting on courts blocking Trump actions • Iowa Capital Dispatch [1]
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Date: 2025-03-28
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is set to play a top role as the Senate Judiciary Committee chair in hearings next week on courts blocking President Donald Trump’s actions.
Members of Iowa’s congressional delegation also introduced legislation to make English the official language of the nation and to address a shortage of truck drivers.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to hold a meeting titled “Rule by District Judges II: Exploring Legislative Solutions to the Bipartisan Problem of Universal Injunctions” Wednesday, April 2, looking at nationwide injunctions on executive actions.
Many of the high-profile actions taken by Trump’s administration have been stopped in court in the months since he took office. On Thursday, a federal appeals court upheld an injunction blocking the use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan nationals, and a federal district court judge blocked the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Personnel Management and Treasury Department from disclosing “personally identifiable information” on certain parties to Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service in a Monday injunction. These are among numerous court decisions temporarily stopping the Trump administration from enforcing or enacting measures that challengers have argued in court are unconstitutional or unlawful.
But Grassley and other Republicans say these court actions are an overreach of power.
“District judges’ abuse of nationwide injunctions has hobbled the executive branch and raised serious questions regarding the lower courts’ appropriate jurisdictional realm,” Grassley told Fox News Wednesday.
The Iowa Republican said Congress “must step in and provide clarity” on the judicial branch’s ability to halt executive actions, saying the hearings will “explore legislative solutions to bring the balance of power back in check.”
Grassley also spoke Tuesday in opposition to a resolution proposed by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, that would require the federal executive branch to comply with federal court rulings. Grassley proposed amendments to the resolution stating the executive branch only has to comply with “lawful” court rulings, and that added language saying “it is inappropriate for courts of the United States to override legislative or executive action by the elected branches of government because of different policy preferences.”
Without these changes, Grassley argued on the Senate floor that “this resolution demands that the president comply with all court orders, but it’s completely silent about the role of the federal courts to adhere to the law themselves.” He also said he supported congressional action to limit courts’ ability to stop Trump administration policies from taking effect.
“The president of the United States shouldn’t have to ask permission from more than 600 different district judges to manage the executive branch he was elected to lead,” Grassley said. “The practice of sweeping nationwide injunctions, broad restraining orders, and judicial policymaking must end. It’s unconstitutional, it’s anti-democratic and it’s imprudent. If the Supreme Court won’t stop it, then Congress must.”
Durbin had argued immediate action was needed from Congress to support the court’s ability to keep the executive branch in check in light of calls from Trump and others like Musk to impeach judges over decisions. Grassley said Thursday he does not support calls to impeach judges over a decision.
“There has been a lot of debate about when we will cross the threshold into a genuine constitutional crisis. I pray that it will never happen,” Durbin said. “But it will come down to a basic principle. The question is not when we are going to face this, it is that we cannot afford to hold our breath and wait and see if the president will formally announce that he will defy a court order. We must respond to the dangerous attacks on our courts and judges now.”
English as official language
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks introduced a measure codifying Trump’s executive order designating English as the official language of the United States.
Trump issued the executive order March 1, rescinding an executive order by former President Bill Clinton in 2000 directing federal federal agencies and organizations that receive federal funding to improve access to services for people with limited English proficiency
Immigrant advocates criticized Trump’s order for potentially limiting services for people who speak other languages. Anabel Mendoza, communications director of the immigration advocacy youth group United We Dream, said in a statement that “Trump will try to use this executive order as a crutch to attack schools providing curriculum to immigrant students in other languages, gut programs and roles that help to promote inclusive language access, and embolden immigration agents to single out and harass individuals who speak a certain way.”
Currently, 32 states have made English their official state language, with some states like Alaska, South Dakota and Hawaii designating both English and a native language as official languages.
In a news release Friday, Miller-Meeks argued making English the official language of the U.S. is an important step in “reinforcing a shared national identity and strengthening civic engagement.”
“Since the inception of our republic almost 250 years ago, the English language has guided our nation. It was in English that our Founding Fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It was in English that Abraham Lincoln issued the Gettysburg Address as he preserved our nation,” Miller-Meeks said in a statement. “By making English the official language, we will build cohesion in America united by a common language and reap economic benefits.”
Nunn proposes tax credits for truckers
Rep. Zach Nunn introduced legislation Thursday to create new tax credits for truck drivers, a measure he said would help address current workforce shortages in the field.
The “Strengthening Supply Chains Through Truck Driver Incentives Act,” co-led by Rep. Pat Ryan, D-New York, would create a refundable tax credit of up to $7,500 for truck drivers who drive up to 1,900 hours each year, and an enhanced tax credit of $10,000 for new truck drivers and people in trucking apprenticeship programs.
Nunn said the measure was needed as the nation faces a shortage of truck drivers, which could lead to supply chain disruptions and higher costs for goods.
In 2023, the American Trucking Association reported there was a trucking workforce shortage of 60,000 drivers, down from a high of more than 80,000 in 2021. However, officials with the organization said they expect to see that number increase in coming years, caused by a number of factors including an aging workforce, difficulties recruiting women and problems retaining workers due to the difficult work lifestyle.
“Right now, we’re facing a serious shortage of truck drivers, and it’s putting pressure on Iowa families and our nation’s supply chains,” Nunn said in a news release. “We are experiencing both a recruitment and a retention problem in the trucking industry. This is a simple fix to help get more drivers behind the wheel – improving our supply chain and bringing down costs for every Iowan.”
Providing financial incentives for people to join and stay in the industry will help ease this workforce shortage, Nunn and supporters of the measure said.
Brenda Neville, president and CEO of the Iowa Motor Truck Association, thanked Nunn in a statement for “his leadership to remove roadblocks to driver training and help Iowans secure rewarding employment in the trucking sector.”
“Iowa’s trucking industry provides over 100,000 good-paying jobs and fulfills an essential role in our supply chain. Supporting our workforce is an investment in Iowa families and our economy,” Neville said. “By easing the financial burden for new drivers, the Strengthening Supply Chains Through Truck Driver Incentives Act will open the door of opportunity for more hardworking men and women who choose to embark on this career path.”
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