Sen. Grassley, 87, says he tested positive for coronavirus

WASHINGTON (AP) – In line with Iowa Sen. Chalk Grassley, the longest-serving Republican senator and third presidential successor, on Tuesday, he said he tested positive for coronovirus.

Grassley announced earlier on Tuesday that he was being estranged after being exposed to the virus and was awaiting test results. On Tuesday evening, he tweeted that he had tested positive.

“I have tested positive for coronovirus,” Grassley wrote. “I will follow my doctors’ orders / CDC guidelines and continue quarantine. I feel good + will keep my work for ppl of Iowa from home. ”

Grassley said he is “looking forward to resume my normal schedule soon”.

The Iowa Republican, who was in the Senate and was voting on Monday, did not reveal how he was exposed. His office said on Tuesday morning that he was not experiencing any symptoms.

Grassley is the Senate President Pro Tempore, meaning he presides over the Senate in the absence of Vice President Mike Pence and is third to become President behind Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. President Pro Tempore is a senator in the majority party who has served the longest.

Grasley broke the Senate’s 27-year streak of not getting a single vote due to no vote on Tuesday. According to his office, the last time he missed a vote was in 1993, when he was assisting relief efforts after severe flooding in Iowa.

Grassley was first elected to the US House in 1974 and then to the Senate in 1980. He is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and is expected to become the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee when a new Senate session begins in January.