Sen. Charles Grassley is an important voice in Washington on many issues of major significance to the future of the nation. While that may be the most crucial aspect of his service, he also is a tireless opponent of wasteful and fraudulent government expenditures.

The Iowa Republican has never forgotten his roots on an Iowa farm. He understands that much of the money federal agencies spend is an aggregation of the tax dollars paid by average Americans of modest means. Grassley understands that people work hard to earn that money and have a right to expect it will be spent honestly with wisdom and frugality.

Grassley keeps a watchful eye on the federal government’s campaign against waste and fraud.

Recently, he pressed for better oversight of the $9.6 billion program the federal government created to help homeowners who were negatively affected by the housing crisis. Unfortunately, officials have done a poor job in preventing wasteful expenditures by some bureaucrats. A statement just released by the senator’s office points out that an audit found $3 million in unnecessary expenses.

The senator is calling for strong action to eliminate these types of abuses.

“Congress didn’t intend this program for bureaucrats to live high on the hog, yet the bureaucrats in question did exactly that,” Grassley said in statement issued Aug. 25. “They bought barbecue and gift cards for themselves with taxpayer dollars. $3 million might sound like decimal dust to those who write big checks at the Treasury Department, but it’s a lot of money for people struggling to keep their homes. Every single agency that squandered this money needs to pay back every penny to the American taxpayers. The Treasury Department must make that happen. The buck starts with the Treasury Department, and it stops with the Treasury Department. There’s no excuse to let this slide.”

The Messenger strongly agrees. We applaud Grassley’ determination to make certain our tax dollars are not wasted on frivolous expenditures.