After a wet and cold spring, the sun is finally coming out in NW Oregon. This month I was glad to join Representatives Blumenauer and Schrader in welcoming our former House colleague, U. S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, to Portland. We visited Lines of Life for a youth mental health roundtable discussion with other elected officials and educators. It was an informative conversation about the importance of access to behavioral health care, including at schools, and reducing stigma around seeking treatment.

I’m grateful to Secretary Becerra for drawing attention to this critical issue, which was also highlighted at a student mental health forum I joined last weekend. Our youth need help. I will continue to work in Congress with our partners at the state and local level to get them the support they need.

Ending Gun Violence

My heart is aching, and I feel the grief and sadness and outrage from around the country and the world. Once again several young children and a teacher were gunned down in a school, this time at Robb Elementary School in Texas. I send sincere condolences to the families of those killed and wounded, and to the Uvalde community.

And once again we say this is unacceptable. Right now our country cannot keep school children, grocery store shoppers, movie goers, and worshipers safe. We are better than this. Thoughts and prayers are not enough; we must take action now and end this epidemic. The House has passed legislation to address gun violence, including a bill to require universal background checks. It is unconscionable for the Senate to block this bill in the face of so many preventable deaths.

Many of my House Democratic colleagues and I also gathered this month to unequivocally denounce the horrific and hateful mass shooting carried out by a white supremacist in Buffalo and to condemn the racist rhetoric espoused by the shooter.

Every policymaker – at every level and from any party – must denounce white supremacy and the horrific attack on the people of Buffalo. This tragedy is another reminder that we must reckon with our country’s racist history. I support immediate action to improve hate crime data collection, as well as policies to better monitor domestic extremism and combat white supremacy.

The House recently passed the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, which would give our federal law enforcement agencies greater resources and a renewed directive to monitor, investigate, and prosecute cases of domestic terrorism. Congress cannot afford to delay action on addressing the distressing rise in homegrown mass violence.

Updating Our Anti-Poverty Programs

The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program is an important part of our anti-poverty response. Millions of families and individuals across the country benefit from local anti-poverty programs and services backed by the CSBG program. According to the most recent available data, in FY2019 local Community Action Agencies served more than 9.6 million people with low incomes – including nearly 5 million families—across the U.S. Recently I helped the House pass legislation to update this important program for the first time since 1998. I thank my colleague from across the aisle, Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson, for his leadership and support on this issue. I’m pleased that the House passed this legislation to strengthen CSBG with strong bipartisan support. Our legislation will better help low-income individuals and families achieve economic stability and access housing, child care, utility assistance, employment, and other services. Now the Senate must take up this legislation to modernize and strengthen one of our nation’s most important anti-poverty programs so Community Action Agencies can continue to meet the unique needs of our communities.

Housing is essential to long-term stability. I am grateful for the work and leadership of West Tuality Habitat for Humanity to expand our affordable housing stock in NW Oregon. I visited their construction site in Forest Grove, and it is one of 15 priority projects I submitted to receive the next round of Community Project Funding. This investment will help create affordable housing with a focus on promoting equity.

Roe in Danger

It’s hard to believe this is happening in 2022, but we now have a draft opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court revealing their plan to overturn Roe v. Wade. If that happens, wealthy women will continue to be able to find abortion care, as they did pre-Roe, but it will be devastating for low-income women and desperate young people who should have the freedom to make their own decision about when and whether to bear a child. I remember the days before Roe v. Wade, and I know that banning abortion does not make it go away; it makes it unsafe and dangerous.

Although we have some of the strongest protections for reproductive health in Oregon, many other states have “trigger” laws that will ban abortions if and when Roe is overturned. I trust people to make their own decision about what is best for them and their family.

Remember that abortion is still legal now, and you can contact a health care provider if you need help. The House has already passed legislation to protect the right to safe, legal abortion. I joined my colleagues in calling on the Senate to take it up as soon as possible.

In Case You Missed It

• The House acted to protect consumers from price gouging at the pump and restore baby formula to grocery shelves.
• You can get eight more free COVID-19 test kits from the USPS!
• If your family qualifies for the Child Tax Credit and still hasn’t received payments, visit GetCTC.org. This free portal is designed for families who don’t have to file taxes and it’s available in English and Spanish.
• I’ve been on some great tours and visits around NW Oregon, including Duyck Family Farm, Cornelius Elementary School, and the LiUNA 737 training center.
• Sophia Gard, a senior at Jesuit H.S., won the 2022 Congressional Art Competition! Read about her art and the artist here.