Dear Friend,

During this time of unprecedented challenges, I’ve been listening to your calls for more relief and working hard toward our shared vision for a better future. Congress has finally passed a relief package that will make a meaningful difference to our communities, but it is not nearly enough to counter the damage from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is reprehensible that for months the Senate Republicans fought our efforts to get this urgent relief to the communities and people who need it. I will continue fighting for more aid to help our families, workers, and businesses stay safe, recover, and rebuild. You can find more about what’s in the bill below.

It has been a hard year, but I have hope that 2021 will bring welcome change. I wish you and your families a safe and happy holiday season and a peaceful new year.

My Priorities in the Relief Package

It is far from perfect, but the relief and funding bill Congress passed contains many items that I fought for, informed by your priorities. Here are some of the highlights:

-        Critical funding for our health care providers and funding to accelerate the distribution of vaccines, improve testing, and help overcome the barriers faced by communities of color

-        Extension of unemployment insurance for nearly 72,000 Oregonians and a $300 per week enhancement of the benefits that have provided a lifeline to so many workers

-        A new round of $600 direct payments for individuals and families, including many families who were previously denied assistance because of their immigration status

-        Expanded support for small businesses, with provisions to help independent venues, the arts, and nonprofit organizations

-        Child care assistance and additional funding for SNAP and child nutrition programs to help make sure families and children do not go hungry

-        Funding for schools and institutions of higher education to better meet the needs of their students

-        Funding to help low-income families access broadband

-        An extension on the moratorium on evictions and additional rental assistance

When the new Congress begins in January, I will continue to fight for more robust and frequent direct payments to help individuals and families during the pandemic. I’ll also be advocating for funding to help state and local governments, and other unmet needs.

Connecting With You in 2021

I’ll be holding 6 telephone town hall meetings in the new year to answer your questions and provide the latest updates for our community. A full schedule of my telephone town hall meetings is below. I look forward to hearing from you and updating you on my work for NW Oregon. In-person town hall meetings will resume as soon as we can gather safely in our communities.

To join any of my 2021 Telephone Town Hall Meetings, sign up here.

 

Serving Oregonians

Many people don’t know that my office can assist people facing difficulties with federal agencies. In fact, this year my team and I worked on 1,720 cases for people in NW Oregon. We helped 583 people with unemployment issues and 475 people who had problems with their economic impact payments. Some of the wonderful Oregonians I was able to assist include Linda and Sara, mother-daughter small business owners, and Golriz and Aaron in Beaverton. This year I also sent out more than 87,000 letters and 143,707 emails. Thank you, as always, for your input. 

In Case You Missed It

-        My marine energy bill that will invest in clean, renewable energy and help fund path-breaking work at Oregon State University has passed and is ready to be signed into law!

-        Oregon is a leader in making sure that everyone in need receives aid, regardless of immigration status.

-        I met with school district superintendents from across NW Oregon to hear their concerns and discuss the important work they are doing to make sure all students receive the education they need in challenging times.