The issues
It’s no secret that we live in an era dominated by an extraordinary wealth gap separating a small group of American family dynasties and corporations from those of us who make up 99% of the U.S. population. It’s the root cause of so many issues that plague our society, from health disparities to the scarcity of living wage jobs. When once we were a nation teaming with opportunities for hard working people of all ages, the American dream of my parent’s generation has all but vanished.
Additionally, we have a moral obligation to do everything we can to support young families, as well as the elderly, especially those struggling to make ends meet.
It’s time for Congress to reclaim its rightful authority to serve the needs of all Americans.
Quality health care is a human right.
Health disparities in Oregon are vividly aligned not only with disparities in wealth and education, but with geography as well. Hospital cutbacks and the closing of community clinics are making it harder and harder for people in rural areas to find even basic wellness care, not to mention reliable emergency services.
The current administration, with the blind support of our Congressman, has made matters worse with drastic cuts to Medicaid and no plan for comprehensive health care reform. This reckless action has jeopardized access to health care for the most vulnerable among us.
I will find allies in Congress from both parties who want to reform health care and stabilize rural health services. Phasing in an affordable public option for all people in Oregon, similar to Oregon Health Plan, is doable and long overdue. Thanks to Governor John Kitzhaber and legislators like my friend, the late Senator Alan Bates, Oregon pioneered a transformative health care system that provides basic services while controlling costs, and we should do the same at the national level.
Some ideas that can strengthen our rural health care landscape include:
Phasing in an affordable public care option for all Americans covering the most essential preventive services and treatments.
Using the Farm Bill to promote healthy food options and reallocate government subsidies to prioritize affordability and variety.
Incentivizing doctors and nurses to live and practice in rural areas, and better support the network of existing community clinics across rural Oregon.
We must build more housing—it’s that simple.
The free market alone has never led to more affordable housing. It takes public assistance and incentives—it always has. Low-cost housing should be folded into our existing Main Street neighborhoods, not scattered into the outer fringes on our farms and forest resource lands.
Some of my ideas include:
Adjusting excessive tax breaks on vacation and luxury homes and funneling those savings into programs that provide low-interest financing for first-time rural home buyers.
Reforming and leveraging federal housing programs such as the USDA’s Community Facilities Program and Rural Housing Services to 1) restore and support public service buildings and 2) prioritize favorable lending terms for homes on and near our small-town Main Street districts.
Empowering land-grant universities—or any public university—to fund senior housing facilities on or near campuses for low and moderate income seniors, staffed by trained professionals and students. Let’s pilot it at Eastern Oregon University, Southern Oregon University, and at one of our community college campuses.
We must uplift our rural agriculture and natural resources economy.
The careless and haphazard trade tariffs imposed by President Trump, not to mention masked ICE agents targeting our nation’s migrant communities, have hit rural economies hard, whether it’s the loss of wheat and fruit markets abroad or the absence of workers and their families who have gone into hiding. The damage won’t be undone quickly.
In addition to repealing the tariffs and seeking a sensible, bipartisan approach to legal immigration, I will put forward ideas that refocus federal programs.
Let’s:
Establish teams of young and mid-career professional workers in all rural county seats devoted to 1) regenerating our working lands and streams, 2) aiding in the health and dignity of our senior populations, and 3) helping children read by the third grade. These team members would become vital residents, household providers, consumers and family builders in our towns.
Support and preserve our working lands—farms, ranches and forests—for economic use for generations to come. One way to do this is to expand proven federal programs such as the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) and the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
Bolster the USDA’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher programs to help young people launch careers in farming, forestry and ranching. We need the government to finance more farm land purchases and more training via land-grant institutions and community colleges.
The arts drive our rural economies in ways that are too often underappreciated.
The Trump administration has eviscerated our federal cultural programs and partnerships with local arts and culture providers. Our congressman, however, has said nothing, and seems to not even care about the slowing of our state’s artistic heartbeat.
The people of rural Oregon love arts and culture activities. The singular and nationally recognized Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, the nearby Britt in Jacksonville, the Pendleton Roundup, the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo, the Nez Perce Tamkaliks gathering in Wallowa, the Bluegrass Festival in Fossil—all treasures that date back generations. Simple street murals and the arts programs in our public schools supported by dedicated teachers who inspire our kids—these, too, help define rural Oregon culture and enhance our lives.
While working for the Obama administration, I represented the USDA as part of a national philanthropy consortium aimed at supporting local arts investments and advocated for rural communities every chance I got. I was a champion for the arts when I served in the Oregon Legislature and will do the same in Congress.
Here’s two ideas I’ve had for a while:
Help the National Park Service think big and fund two beautiful and iconic new lodges at Crater Lake and Oregon Caves, constructed by local workers and infused with local artists and traditions. Think Timberline Lodge for the 21st century.
Establish a new federal program enabling land-grant universities (as designated by USDA) to establish a network of live-work spaces for artists on rural Main Streets throughout Oregon.
Vote by Mail can and should be a nationwide standard for all.
In 1998 Oregon became the first state to allow everybody to vote using mail-in ballots.
The current administration is aggressively trying to not only make it harder for people to vote, especially young people and communities of color, but also to gaslight us into thinking our elections are rigged and mail-in voting is rife with fraud. We in Oregon know this is a lie. It’s time to end the charade.
In Congress I would propose legislation to make universal Vote by Mail a national standard.