Republican senator issues eulogy for vacuum: ‘I will miss you’
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley has bid farewell to a longtime member of his household: a vacuum cleaner named Beth that served his family for nearly half a century.
The Iowa senator said in an X post on Saturday that the aging Hoover was being retired after its electrical cord began sparking, sharing a photograph of the appliance and its visibly blackened plug. “U will see Beth no more,” Grassley wrote. “It’s not safe to use anymore. GOOD BYE BETH. U hv been a real workhorse. Ur namesake still is hard worker. I will miss u.”
Grassley said in a follow-up post that Beth had operated “dependably” in his home for 34 years after spending 15 years at his mother-in-law’s house—giving the machine a total of 49 years of service.
The vacuum was named after one of his former Senate staffers, Grassley previously revealed in 2021, when he posted about using “old reliable Beth” during Thanksgiving.
This is just one of the many posts that have featured Beth over the years—the vacuum became a recurring character on the 92-year-old Republican’s social media accounts.
A 2023 video showing Grassley using the vacuum to prepare for a Thanksgiving gathering attracted more than 1 million views on X.
“She never lets me down & im grateful I can count on OLD FAITHFUL,” he said.
Other Lawmakers Pay Tribute to Beth
Grassley’s announcement prompted a string of tongue-in-cheek condolences from fellow lawmakers and public officials.
“Sorry for your loss. They don’t build them like they used to,” Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina wrote in response, while Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr said: “RIP Beth. A good run.”
Iowa state Representative Josh Turek, a Democrat, shared Grassley’s post and said: “Sorry for your loss, Senator. Sounds like Beth had a heck of a run.”
Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz of Florida responded with a GIF showing Luke Skywalker crying out, “No!”
Grassley’s communications director, Clare Slattery, joined in, asking people to “please respect Team Grassley’s privacy during this difficult time.”
Grassley’s Recent Senate Work
Grassley, who has represented Iowa in the Senate since 1981, is the longest-serving senator in the state’s history. He currently serves as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and as president pro tempore of the Senate, a leadership position that places him third in the presidential line of succession after the vice president and the speaker of the House of Representatives.
Hours before announcing Beth’s retirement, Grassley welcomed the Senate’s 50-49 confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general. Grassley had helped advance President Donald Trump’s nominee through the Judiciary Committee and urged senators to support him ahead of the final vote.
He also said he was “proud” to support a bill that would require voters to show photo identification in federal elections, describing the proposal as “common sense” and bipartisan. The measure failed to advance despite a 52-46 vote because it needed 60 votes to overcome the Senate’s filibuster threshold.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Matthew Robinson and Robert Greenall
