Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley is set to become the Senate pro tempore, putting him third in line in presidential succession.

Grassley will be elected to the position by the Senate on Jan. 3, 2019, as he is now the longest-serving Republican member of the Senate. Grassley has served in the U.S. Senate for 38 years. The current pro tempore is Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who announced in January 2018 he was retiring, after serving four decades in the Senate.

“The President pro tempore is one of a handful of offices specifically named by the Founders in the Constitution,” Grassley said to ABC 9 News. “I may only be three heartbeats away from the Oval Office, but my heart is and always will be in Iowa and here in the U.S. Senate.”

“I’ll work to see that we uphold the Senate as a check on the executive and judicial branches of government, including our constitutional authority to provide advice and consent,” Grassley continued. (RELATED: Thune Praises Trump’s Involvement With Health Care Legislation)

Grassley currently serves as the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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