A lifelong resident of Portland, Oregon, Congressman Earl Blumenauer is one of Oregon's innovative leaders. Raised in SE Portland, Earl attended Centennial High School. While still a college student at Lewis and Clark College, he led the campaign in Oregon to lower the voting age. He was a key player just two years later as one of the youngest legislators in Oregon's history in a landmark session for school funding, ethics reform and Oregon's groundbreaking land use laws.
As a Multnomah County Commissioner and member of the Portland City Council, Earl's innovative accomplishments in transportation with light rail, bicycles and the street car, planning and environmental programs and public participation helped Portland earn an international reputation as one of America's most livable cities.
The way we treat animals reflects the values that we hold and has a large impact on the livability and vitality of our communities. Earl is a strong advocate for the protection of wild and domestic animals and is recognized as one of the foremost advocates for animal welfare in Congress. He also works to protect the habitat of threatened and endangered species.
Earl's support for animal rights has earned him a 100 percent rating from the Humane Society in 2021. He co-chairs the bipartisan Congressional Animal Protection Caucus (CAPC) along with Rep. Buchanan (R-FL).
The strength of our democracy depends upon the strength of the rules governing political spending and speech.
Earl has long been an ardent supporter of campaign finance reform, including public financing for congressional campaigns. He believes that campaign finance reform is a fundamental building block of good governance. It's integral to protecting free speech, citizen participation and accountability and, historically, has been a bipartisan issue.
The Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC represented a radical step towards unraveling the modest campaign finance controls already in place and escalated the campaign spending arms race. Corporations can spend an unlimited amount of money on political advertising, drowning out small donors and individuals. The Supreme Court's decision in McCutcheon v. Federal Elections Commission was another victory for wealthy interests.
Congress must act to clarify that corporations are not people and that money is not speech.
Earl is a cosponsor of H. J. Res 2, the Democracy for All Amendment which would reverse Supreme Court decisions like Citizens United v. FEC and McCutcheon v. FEC by enshrining in the Constitution the right of the American people to enact state and federal laws that regulate spending in public elections.
Earl also supports publicly funding campaigns that would loosen the stranglehold that a tiny sliver of large donors have on the political process, and would give qualified candidates who demonstrate broad constituent support an opportunity to compete on a level playing field.
The individual right to vote is the cornerstone of a representative democracy. Unfortunately, though we have seen greatly expanded access to voting in some states (like the state of Oregon with vote by mail), the right to vote is under growing threat. Earl applauded the passage of H. R. 1, the For the People Act, that expanded voting rights for all federal elections.
This historic legislation included provisions introduced by Earl that have been adopted in Oregon, like vote by mail and automatic voter registration. The passage by the House of this landmark legislation is a win for election reform, voting access and democracy. It makes it easier to vote - regardless of income, ability, geography or race, and enacts tougher ethics standards to ensure that public officials actually work for the American people.
For more information regarding Earl's work and views related to campaign finance reform and voting rights, please contact the office.
Earl has long-championed that a more transparent and accountable redistricting and reapportionment process that guarantees fairness and equity is key reform that is needed.
2003 New York Times Op-Ed: Redistricting: A Bi-Partisan Sport
2005 Wingspread Journal Op-Ed: Making Gerrymandering an Endangered Species
Political parties have developed into an art form the ability to manipulate the redistricting process to punish opponents and protect incumbents. It should concern us all when politicians have more of an influence picking their voters than voters have in picking their politicians. The result is a House of Representatives that is increasingly dominated by the political extreme and that punishes those whose positions may be more complex.
The House began with 65 Representatives in 1789. This has been adjusted upward to reflect the increases in population, reaching the current 435 Member threshold in 1911. At that time, the U.S. had only 92 million people and the average district was just under 200,000 people.
The average size of a district after the 2000 Census was 650,000, and after the 2010 Census, the average population per district is 710,000. In Oregon, the average is even higher, closer to 770,000 people per district. These trends are clearly unsustainable if we're going to have a truly accountable government. Earl believes it's time for reform, and supports legislation that would make all redistricting information public and accessible.
Earl has also championed legislation to take congressional redistricting out of the hands of states by creating a national bipartisan commission tasked with creating restricting plans for each state.
Marijuana policy at the state level has shifted significantly in recent years as states have moved to legalize the drug for both medical and adult use. Unfortunately, federal marijuana policy remains rooted in the past, as all types of marijuana continue to remain illegal under federal law. It is time for Congress and the Administration to face the facts surrounding marijuana, its use and regulation, and develop a legislative framework that accounts for the inevitable transition of marijuana policy – one that is already well under way. Federal marijuana policy should be modernized to reduce confusion, uncertainty, and conflicting government priorities. Maintaining the status quo creates an inconsistent legal environment that wastes law enforcement resources and misses out on potential tax revenues.
In 2013, Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Jared Polis co-authored a report "The Path Forward: Rethinking Federal Marijuana Policy" (updated 2017). The report reviews the history of marijuana prohibition in the United States, current conflicts between state and federal law, and outlines several opportunities to reform and clarify marijuana law at the federal level.
Congressman Blumenauer has also posted a FAQ on marijuana policy and is actively working in Congress to advance commonsense legislation to aid along with the fight for cannabis and drug reform.
Oregon and Marijuana Reform in the States
In November 2014, Oregonians voted to end the failed prohibition of marijuana, establishing a taxed and regulated adult use system, making it one of five states to do so. For years, Oregon has been far ahead of the federal government on marijuana policy. It was the first state to pass the decriminalization of marijuana in 1973, and one of the first states to legalize medical marijuana. Now 36 states, the District of Columbia and Guam have fully legalized medical marijuana, and 27 states have passed decriminalization laws.
This movement in states is part of a larger evolution on marijuana policy by the American people, who are rejecting the failed War on Drugs – an approach that has disrupted the lives of millions of people needlessly through failed marijuana prohibition policies. Over 60 percent of the American population supports full legalization, and 88 percent support the legalization of medical marijuana.
Despite this, however, marijuana remains federally illegal, classified as a Schedule I substance, the same as heroin. This discrepancy between state and federal law has created a confusing patchwork of laws that trap businesses, patients, and state regulators in the middle, creating public health and safety challenges, inequities for state-legal businesses and constant uncertainty about the future. It is time for both the administration and the federal government to catch up.
Action Needed at the Federal Level
Representative Blumenauer supports reforms to:
In February 2017, Congressman Blumenauer established the Congressional Cannabis Caucus with Representatives Dana Rohrabacher (CA-48), Jared Polis (CO-02), and Don Young (AK-At Large). The Caucus is a formal forum for members of the House to discuss, learn, and work together to establish a better and more rational approach to federal cannabis policy. Congressman Blumenauer and Congressman Young are now joined on the caucus leadership team by Representatives Barbara Lee (CA-13) David Joyce (OH-14).
The Facts about Marijuana
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Earl is a strong advocate for human rights and democracy. While there are limits to our ability to impact what goes on in other countries, he believes it's particularly important that the United States always model and advocate for our deepest held values.
He is a staunch opponent of torture, whether committed by the United States or despotic regimes across the globe. He strongly supports the Geneva Conventions and the obligations of the laws of war. Earl has regularly led the charge to prohibit torture and close down the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Questions remain about how to prosecute individuals accused of plotting or attempting to attack the United States. There are legitimate concerns about the viability of holding these trials in civilian courts. Earl believes that doing so would also be a step forward in confronting both our alleged attackers and the treatment they subsequently received at our hands. Now is the time to recommit to, not shy away from, the rule of law.
Earl opposed the Patriot Act since the original, bipartisan version of the bill was undermined by the Bush administration and significantly expanded without safeguards for the rights of ordinary Americans. This is why it and subsequent revisions of the original bill has been consistently opposed by thoughtful members of Congress from both parties.
In a country that prides itself on civil rights and freedom of speech, Earl believes that we must maintain a system with checks and balances to ensure that our government works for citizens in a transparent way. We can keep America safe without compromising our liberties.
The advancement and protection of women's rights is a priority for Earl. He consistently supports policies relating to women's reproductive health, economic equity, education, domestic violence, childcare, child support, sexual harassment and international human rights.
Earl is fighting to protect a woman's right to reproductive choice, prohibit sex discrimination in employment and wages, encourage comprehensive sexuality education, protect international family planning efforts, provide assistance to victims of domestic violence, and advance the status of women and girls in poor countries. In a time when women's rights are being used as a political punching bag, Earl strongly supports Title X, the protection of victims of domestic violence, paid family medical leave, and robust funding to Planned Parenthood for comprehensive sex education and medical services.
All Americans have a fundamental right to feel safe in their communities. Earl is a steadfast advocate for policies to combat discrimination, inequity, and injustice.
Earl supported the Equality Act, which passed the House with strong support. It amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other civil rights laws, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Under current federal and most states' laws, LGBTQIA+ people are not explicitly protected from discrimination at work, in housing or public accomodations. First introduced in 2015, the Equality Act prohibits discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in both public and private sectors, and increases civil rights protections in businesses, hospitals and welfare services. This legislation should be passed by the Senate and signed into law by the president.
The United States should support and honor the sacrifice all Americans make who serve in our military, no matter their race, gender, or sexual identity. At the end of the 111th Congress, Earl was proud to join his colleagues on both sides of the aisle in voting to end the government's "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy.
Passing this legislation is a major victory for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who championed this issue, and for the thousands of brave men and women in uniform to receive – as they should have all along – the same rights and be judged on the same merits as everyone else in the armed services.
The Trump Administration's rollback of these policies plus the prohibition of allowing transgender individuals from serving in the military is absolutely wrong. Earl is fighting to end this baseless, irrational discrimination.
Providing for the common defense is one of Congress's most central duties. Earl has worked to ensure that the government takes a comprehensive and long-term approach to defense and homeland security. It is not enough to ensure that America's military and security personnel are the best in the world. The government must effectively partner with those who serve, individual states, and the global community.
Earl believes that a safe, secure and resilient homeland means more than just preventing the next terrorist attack. It also means ensuring that the liberties and privacy of all Americans are respected, that we are prepared for natural disasters, pandemics, cyber attacks, and the ever-changing nature of international threats.
One of the most critical pieces of national security is the preparedness of local communities, ensuring that the federal government partners effectively with states and local responders like police and local fire departments. Earl has worked to ensure that the first responders in the Portland metropolitan area have access to the training and the equipment they need and has consistently fought to secure funding for the Fire Grant Program, Urban Area Security Grants, and the SAFER program. These competitive federal programs enable local jurisdictions to adequately staff, train, equip, and respond more effectively to threats to community safety.
Earl has fought to ensure that our government takes a comprehensive, realistic, and long-term approach to national defense – including guaranteeing support for America's Reserve and National Guard forces to help them meet the challenges that have come when they have an expanded role in oversea conflicts.
He is proud to support the 142nd Fighter Wing and 125th Special Tactics Squadron of the Oregon Air National Guard, both of whom call Portland home. He was instrumental in the successful community effort to preserve the strategic Portland location of the 142nd.
Earl also believes that overall Defense budget should be reduced, particularly nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are dangerous, costly, and don't help us with the strategic global challenges we face today.
For more information about Earl's views and legislation related to the Department of Defense and Homeland Security, please contact the office.
Earl served on the House International Relations Committee from the 107th through the 109th Congresses, and is currently Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade. He believes that Americans, blessed to live in the richest and most powerful country on earth, have a responsibility to create a better, safer world for all of its inhabitants. Leading the way on challenges as diverse as global health, peace, and the environment is the right thing to do and promotes national security and economic well-being at home.
Poverty, Global Health and the Environment
The fight to end global poverty is one the most important moral challenges of our times and Earl is a champion in this effort. He regularly leads the fight for aid, trade, and debt relief policies that support poor people struggling to lift their communities out of poverty. Helping people improve their standard of living also helps prevent conflict and creates new markets for American exports.
He is the leader in Congress for helping to increase access to safe drinking water and sanitation for poor people, the lack of which is an ongoing threat to global security and the leading cause of preventable death in the world.
In 2005, Blumenauer authored the bipartisan "Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act," which established clean water as a major foreign assistance priority. He leads an annual effort to fund these critical programs and increase investments that provides millions of people with first-time access to clean water and sanitation.
Even with this commitment, millions of people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation services. In 2009, Congressman Blumenauer developed H.R. 2030, the "Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act" (PDF), to redouble U.S. efforts to help provide an additional 100 million of the world's poorest with first-time access to safe and sustainable drinking water and sanitation by 2015. To achieve this, the Act:
Earl believes that the United States must act decisively to address conflict and terrorism throughout the world. In addition to swift action, he knows we must also address the political and economic conditions that extremists exploit to gain sympathy and recruit new followers.
These destabilizing conditions persist when the United States fails to communicate with both friend and foe and does not establish a consistent and defensible position when dealing with other nations. That is why we must continue the difficult task of engaging directly and honestly with Iran and other countries through direct bilateral talks and through the United Nations. A lack of serious economic, diplomatic, and trade relationships actually strengthens those who seek isolation. For the US, this means fewer levers of influence and more blind spots than we can afford.
Earl also believes that the United States shouldn't be funding stability at the expense of democracy. He has long been a champion in the House to reduce military aid to repressive regimes and invest more in civil society, thereby improving the lives of people around the world, not bolstering repressive regimes.
An ongoing threat to peace and American interests abroad is the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Today, threats derived from this conflict have rippled out to Arab states, Central Asia, and beyond. Blumenauer strongly supports a two-state solution of a secure Israel and an independent Palestinian state, living side by side. He also urges strong U.S. leadership, which is needed to bring these two sides together. Congressman Blumenauer has made it clear that progress must be mutual and opposes any unilateral actions taken by both sides which have hindered the peace process.
Blumenauer was also a staunch and early opponent of the Iraq War and did not support the military escalation in Afghanistan.
Earl believes that a strong and continuing federal support for education is absolutely essential to our success, especially with rapidly emerging new technologies. A strong educational system creates citizens who develop sound reasoning skills, innovative thinking, and creative problem-solving skills – attributes that help them not only compete in an increasingly global economy, but contribute to the vitality and sustainability of their own communities. Numerous studies have shown that every dollar spent on education has a multiplier effect on the future of our children, communities, and economy.
Throughout his career, Earl has been fighting for a strong K-12 public education system for all. He does this by supporting:
Earl also strongly supports efforts invest in higher education to make college more accessible, including:
As a climate champion and a vocal defender of important environmental laws and policies, Earl supports efforts to strengthen the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and more. He has also helped pass new laws that promote clean energy, fight climate change, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and encourage more efficient use of valuable natural resources.
The Climate RESILIENCE Act
Earl is committed to tackling the climate crisis, which means addressing the climate-fueled disasters that are becoming a more frequent and devastating part of our reality. In recent years, heat waves, wildfires, floods, and other extreme weather events have wreaked havoc across Oregon and in the United States. Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities are disproportionately impacted by climate disasters, yet often do not receive the necessary support before and after disaster strikes. To help ensure everyone in our communities can stay safe in the face of this growing threat, Earl has created a legislative roadmap to help guide a comprehensive federal response. In 2022, Earl introduced the first piece of legislation that fits into that roadmap, the Climate RESILIENCE Act. This legislation would help protect communities around the country by improving the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) preparation for, and response to, climate disasters. This bill is the first of many steps outlined in Earl's legislative roadmap to protect our communities from the devastating and compounding effects of climate change.
Read more about this legislation here.
The National Climate Emergency Act
In February 2019, when Trump declared a national emergency to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexican border, Earl vehemently objected, stating that the real national emergency is climate change. Earl worked with local community members to draft a congressional resolution declaring a climate crisis. He then worked with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders to introduce what became the Climate Emergency Resolution, which declares an emergency to fight climate change.
In February 2021, Earl, Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders took the next step by introducing legislation that built on the resolution. The National Climate Emergency Actdirects the president of the United States to declare a national climate emergency and mobilize every resource at the country's disposal to halt, reverse, mitigate, and prepare for the consequences of this climate crisis.
Click here for more information.
The Green New Deal
A vocal advocate of the Green New Deal, Earl partnered with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to help write the resolution. It puts forward a series of goals to achieve comprehensive, rapid-scale decarbonization of our economy, ensuring a just transition for millions of Americans who are disproportionately affected by climate change.
Decarbonizing our economy and fighting climate change
Earl knows that climate change is man-made, and that an appropriate response from the federal government is long overdue. Fighting climate change, one of the greatest challenges of our generation, is one of his top priorities. He strongly believes we must take bold, comprehensive action immediately to prevent the worst disruption of our climate and our society while mitigating the climate effects that are already underway. He supports state, local, national, and international action that would lead to the decarbonization of our economy from all sectors that contribute to global climate change. He is committed to ensuring economic and environmental justice and equality as we make this transition. He strongly supports and helped craft the decarbonization and just transition goals in Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal, and is working to create policies to achieve these goals.
Holding polluters accountable
Earl supports ending outdated fossil fuel subsidies for the highly profitable oil and gas industries, which enjoy billions of dollars in taxpayer support every year but do not need it, and which represent the dirty energy of the past. He has also championed efforts to ensure that fossil fuel companies are transporting oil, coal, and gas safely, and that they are mitigating risks associated with transport and extraction. He strongly opposes drilling for oil in the Arctic or anywhere off of the United States' coast, home to treasured ecosystems, and has called upon the Administration to stop leases in the Arctic.
Powering the clean energy revolution
Earl is proud to represent Oregon, a state that is recognized for its cutting-edge approaches to developing and supporting renewable energy industries such as wind, wave, solar, and geothermal, adopting energy conservation and green building techniques, and more. He is committed to increasing the supply of clean and renewable energy to Oregon consumers and utility customers around the country. Earl has vigorously advocated for and championed incentives that have helped the wind, solar, and other renewable energy industries thrive.
Standing up for pollinators
Earl champions legislative efforts to protect and restore our nation's pollinator populations, recognizing their importance to both our food supply and to ecosystems. During recent years, beekeepers have lost significant portions of their bee colonies, strong evidence that America's bee population is struggling. Significant evidence indicates that neonicotinoids, a certain class of nicotine-derived pesticides used widely across the world and particularly in agriculture, play a key role in these die-offs. To help address this, Earl has introduced the Saving America's Pollinators Actto protect pollinators from these threats. This legislation directs the Environmental Protection Agency to suspend the use of the most bee-toxic neonicotinoids, and to review them and make a new determination about their proper application and safe use.
Promoting conservation in agriculture
Earl believes that we must support practices that lead to the long-term sustainability of farmland and protect the environment. Whether it's strengthening the Farm Bill's conservation programs, or curbing emissions and other pollution from industrialized agriculture, Earl has championed policies and funding to ensure that farmers have the tools to protect soil health, eliminate runoff, and promote biodiversity. His Food and Farm Act offered many policies to reform conservation programs to improve outcomes for both farmers and the environment.
Protecting public lands and expanding wilderness
Earl is a champion for protecting public lands, including Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge, two of Oregon's crown jewels. He has also been outspoken in support of protecting the unique Owyhee Canyonlands region in southeast Oregon. In March 2009, Congress passed, and President Obama signed, legislation based on Earl's proposal to designate 127,000 acres of new wilderness and almost 80 miles of new wild and scenic rivers on and around Mt. Hood. Recognizing that Mt. Hood is a prime recreation destination for many Oregonians, Earl is exploring ways to enhance recreation and protect more special places on the mountain. He strongly believes in preserving key areas important for clean water, cultural significance, carbon sequestration, and fish and wildlife, as well as recreation interests.
Supporting outdoor recreation
Hand in hand with protecting public lands, Earl supports federal policies that ensure that all Americans have access to beautiful places for hiking, biking, fishing, hunting and more. He is supportive of efforts to create and maintain trails and parks, and he works to raise awareness about the importance of equitable access to and enjoyment of public lands as a key part of community livability. Earl fought hard for the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and, as co-Chair of the Congressional Trails Caucus, he works to ensure the federal government has proper funding for trail maintenance and access.
Advocating for salmon and watershed restoration
Salmon are a valuable economic, cultural, and environmental resource for the Pacific Northwest. Earl is a leader in efforts to restore self-sustaining, healthy populations of salmon to the Columbia and Snake rivers. The key to this is ensuring that water quality is prioritized throughout the Basin, through toxics reduction and other measures. Earl introduced the Columbia River Basin Restoration Act, which was signed into law in 2016, that is providing federal funding for toxics reduction in the Columbia River, supporting a collaborative strategy developed by regional stakeholders to reduce levels of harmful pollutants in the river.
Cleaning up Superfund sites
Earl believes that polluters should pay when it comes to cleaning up America's toxic legacies. The Portland Harbor on the Willamette River in Portland was designated a Superfund site in 2000. He is committed to working with EPA, local stakeholders, and the community to ensure that the Portland Harbor is finally cleaned up, for the benefit of the river ecosystem and the community.
Prioritizing water and oceans
Earl is a leading voice in Congress to ensure the supply of safe, clean water to our communities and in our oceans and rivers, to promote sustainable fisheries, and to help our ocean ecosystems adapt to climate change. He is a vocal defender of the Clean Water Act, a bedrock environmental law that's prevented billions of pounds of toxic pollutants from contaminating the nation's waters. He also champions laws, regulations, and initiatives that protect wetlands and other natural water resources and infrastructure, so vital to water quality. A member of the Oceans Caucus, he's strongly supported research and monitoring of ocean acidification and related impacts, to help ocean ecosystems and communities cope with their devastating impacts.
Reforming flood insurance
Earl believes the federal government must be a better partner to local communities in reducing and, where possible, preventing the dangers of flooding to people, property, and ecosystems. He works with state, city, and county governments, citizen groups, and businesses to better coordinate federal assistance and prioritize pre-disaster mitigation efforts. He has advocated for substantial reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program, the federal government's insurance program for development in and around floodplains, to ensure that building – and rebuilding – in floodplains is discouraged, communities are required to plan for floods, and natural infrastructure, like forests, wetlands, and oyster reefs, are enhanced.
Defending wildlife
As co-Chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, Earl has strongly defended native wildlife species in the United States and around the world. He is a champion for the Endangered Species Act, robust funding for habitat restoration, and protecting water and natural habitats for species across the country. He's spoken in vocal opposition to political interference with science that undermines species recovery, introduced legislation to prevent cruel wildlife trapping, prevented rollbacks of critical environmental laws that protect animals and their habitat, and rallied his colleagues to defend native wildlife, such as gray wolves, from legislative and administrative attacks.
Agriculture is a critical part of Oregon's economy. From berries to beef, family farmers, and ranchers are feeding Americans and millions of people around the world. At the same time, farmers are facing new and increasing pressures from climate change, urban sprawl, rising costs, and shrinking water resources. Earl has long believed that current agricultural policy spends too much money supporting large corporations, doesn't adequately help the majority of small and midsize farmers, and subsidizes manufactured food at the expense of fresh, healthy food.
The Farm Bill is the most important bill that most Americans have never heard of. It impacts our economy, environment, and what we eat. Earl is working to make the Farm Bill more visionary and equitable. He authored the report "Growing Opportunities," which details legislative priorities for the Farm Bill. Several of those priorities can be found in H.R. 4425, the Food and Farm Act which Blumenauer introduced in November 2017 and offered alternatives to the status quo.
Earl was deeply disappointed with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which was a missed opportunity to provide American families with desperately-needed reforms that impact health care, climate change, economic development, and the food we eat. While some improvements were made in the bill, it largely continued the status quo. In Earl's view, the 2018 Farm Bill missed the mark. He's committed to leading the progressive opposition for a Farm Bill that works better for communities across the country, not corporate mega-farms.
Earl believes a better Farm Bill will:
Reduce spending and focus resources on those who need it
Many current Farm Bill programs pay too much for people to grow the wrong crops in the wrong places and usually at the wrong time. This comes from generations of special interests and big agri-business negotiating for federal handouts, while the rest must settle for crumbs.
Earl wants to focus resources on small and mid-sized, beginning, minority, and disadvantaged farmers, and invest in infrastructure to help them thrive. The average American farmer is 58 years old – as this generation retires, we need a younger population of well-trained farmers and ranchers to step up and take the helm of the country's food production. But the biggest challenge for most small family farmers, in addition to education, is access to capital and land. We should be facilitating access for beginning, low-income, and socially disadvantaged farmers access to a variety of federal programs, ensuring that they get the technical assistance they need to help them thrive, and streamlining their access to loan funding and other opportunities.
The United States is one of the world's biggest producers and consumers of agricultural commodities, and its long-term agricultural productivity and success rely on innovation through research. The discoveries that have come about because of federally-funded research are some of the biggest drivers for increasing agricultural production, and benefit farmers across the country. Earl wants to think beyond traditional areas such as crop research and conservation and expand federal policy to include supporting research into crop resiliency and the impacts of climate change on agriculture. In addition, Earl wants to prioritize and increase critical funding for research for specialty crops, organics, and beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers.
Earl believes that we must support practices that lead to the long-term sustainability of farmland and protect the environment. Currently, nearly 11 percent of conservation program funds go to Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) for waste storage facilities and irrigation equipment installation. In 2018, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, including factory farms, accounted for approximately 10 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Earl wants to make sure that conservation funding is used to maximize environmental benefits, prioritizing biodiversity, water quality and quantity, climate change preparedness, and carbon pollution reduction.
Across America, there is an epidemic of hunger and poor nutrition. Many families can't afford to put healthy foods on their tables: during 2018, an estimated 12 percent of American households receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. In Oregon, that number jumps to about 14 percent. Locally and regionally, food distribution works hand-in-hand with community-led efforts to reduce hunger and provide affordable food needed for good nutrition, especially in communities underserved by retail food stores. Growing, processing, and distributing some of these foods locally and regionally will create profitable markets for many small and mid-sized independent farmers and ranchers, help to preserve farmland, and protect the environment with reduced transportation costs and more sustainable farming practices.
Earl is a strong advocate for strengthening and expanding nutrition programs that promote the availability and affordability of healthy and fresh foods in school meals. In addition, he supports removing barriers that keep local farmers from selling products to schools and other institutions, as well as new programs to increase the supply and availability of locally and regionally produced foods in the marketplace, particularly in underserved communities.
Earl served on the House International Relations Committee from the 107th through the 109th Congresses, and is currently Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade. He believes that Americans, blessed to live in the richest and most powerful country on earth, have a responsibility to create a better, safer world for all of its inhabitants. Leading the way on challenges as diverse as global health, peace, and the environment is the right thing to do and promotes national security and economic well-being at home.
The fight to end global poverty is one the most important moral challenges of our times and Earl is a champion in this effort. He regularly leads the fight for aid, trade, and debt relief policies that support poor people struggling to lift their communities out of poverty. Helping people improve their standard of living also helps prevent conflict and creates new markets for American exports.
He is the leader in Congress for helping to increase access to safe drinking water and sanitation for poor people, the lack of which is an ongoing threat to global security and the leading cause of preventable death in the world.
In 2005, Blumenauer authored the bipartisan "Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act," which established clean water as a major foreign assistance priority. He leads an annual effort to fund these critical programs and increase investments that provides millions of people with first-time access to clean water and sanitation.
Even with this commitment, millions of people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation services. In 2009, Congressman Blumenauer developed H.R. 2030, the "Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act" (PDF), to redouble U.S. efforts to help provide an additional 100 million of the world's poorest with first-time access to safe and sustainable drinking water and sanitation by 2015. To achieve this, the Act:
Earl believes that the United States must act decisively to address conflict and terrorism throughout the world. In addition to swift action, he knows we must also address the political and economic conditions that extremists exploit to gain sympathy and recruit new followers.
These destabilizing conditions persist when the United States fails to communicate with both friend and foe and does not establish a consistent and defensible position when dealing with other nations. That is why we must continue the difficult task of engaging directly and honestly with Iran and other countries through direct bilateral talks and through the United Nations. A lack of serious economic, diplomatic, and trade relationships actually strengthens those who seek isolation. For the US, this means fewer levers of influence and more blind spots than we can afford.
Earl also believes that the United States shouldn't be funding stability at the expense of democracy. He has long been a champion in the House to reduce military aid to repressive regimes and invest more in civil society, thereby improving the lives of people around the world, not bolstering repressive regimes.
An ongoing threat to peace and American interests abroad is the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Today, threats derived from this conflict have rippled out to Arab states, Central Asia, and beyond. Blumenauer strongly supports a two-state solution of a secure Israel and an independent Palestinian state, living side by side. He also urges strong U.S. leadership, which is needed to bring these two sides together. Congressman Blumenauer has made it clear that progress must be mutual and opposes any unilateral actions taken by both sides which have hindered the peace process.
The stark fact is that Americans suffer more gun violence than people in any other developed country and our children are particularly at risk. Gun violence in the United States is not inevitable, nor should we accept it as the status quo. We need to address this issue for what it is: a public health crisis that threatens the well-being and peace of mind of urban and rural communities across the country.
Earl's report, Enough Is Enough: A Comprehensive Plan to Improve Gun Safety lays out common sense steps that we can and should take to end gun violence. While there is no single solution, we can learn from other challenges that the United States has faced and overcome. Using the examples of automobile safety and tobacco use, two significant public safety issues where the government responded in ways that dramatically reduced injury and death, success came from defining the problem, identifying risk factors, testing prevention strategies, and ensuring widespread adoption of effective solutions. By using this same process we can reduce gun-related deaths and injuries.
Here are specific actions that should be taken:
Congressman Blumenauer is fighting for health care reform to ensure that high quality, affordable health care is available to everyone. From his position on the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, he has supported efforts to extend access to under- and un-insured people, protect coverage and benefits for our most vulnerable citizens, protect and improve Medicare and Medicare Advantage, and improve health care equity for women, minorities, and the LGBT community.
Medicare for All
Earl is fighting for Medicare for All and recognizes health care as a human right. The Affordable Care Act brought America closer to the goal of universal health coverage but health care remains too expensive for too many people. This is a pivotal time in our history to build on the progress we've made and fight for a future in which everyone receives quality, affordable care, no matter their circumstances.
Social Security
Earl supports the Social Security 2100 Act to modernize the Social Security system and ensure retirees receive the benefits they worked for throughout their life.
Republicans have chosen a strategy of inaction, which would lead to benefit cuts and increasing the retirement age once the Social Security Trust Fund becomes insolvent. For one-third of beneficiaries, Social Security is 100 percent of their retirement, which is true in Oregon's 3rd Congressional District. Cutting benefits would negatively harm hundreds of thousands of elderly Oregonians and millions across the country.
That's why Earl is a strong supporter of the Social Security 2100 Act , which would expand benefits for all current and future Social Security recipients, cut taxes for millions of seniors, and ensure the system remains solvent for the rest of the century.
Prescription Drug Prices
Every American should have access to quality, affordable medicine because no one should have to decide between filling their prescriptions or paying their rent. Drug prices have risen at an alarming rate, and many people can't afford necessary medications. New drugs for cancer and rare diseases can cost more than $100,000 a year. Even generic medicines for chronic conditions, such as insulin, have seen prices triple or more between 2002-2013.
Drug companies have been taking advantage of the American health care system for too long. While investing in innovation is crucial to developing potential life-saving drugs, it's not useful if no one can afford them. We have to have a balance that preserves incentives for companies to develop life-saving therapies while at the same time making sure that all patients can afford those drugs.
Earl is fighting for legislation that would end the days of Americans skipping their medications because they can't afford them. He supports legislation like the Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act, that would remove the prohibition on the federal government negotiating drug prices in the Medicare program, which will help beneficiaries get their medications at affordable prices.
Medicare
As a member of the Ways and Means committee, Earl strongly supports efforts to make sure that all Medicare beneficiaries, whether they have traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage, have access to affordable, comprehensive care. He's working on critical legislation to address gaps in the Medicare program. His bill, the Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act, would ensure that Medicare patients with diabetes can get timely access to care.
He is also a lead sponsor of the Improving HOPE for Alzheimer's Act, which would strengthen medical provider awareness of Alzheimer's and dementia care planning services covered by Medicare.
Earl is fighting to ensure that Medicare provides a comprehensive benefit package. He is a champion for the Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2019, which would provide for Medicare coverage of dental, vision, and hearing care.
Reproductive Rights
Earl has never wavered with his commitment to reproductive rights for women and strongly supports a woman's right to make her own health care choices. He is a member of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus with a consistent 100% pro-choice voting record (according to NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood). He advocates for legislation to support reproductive rights and comprehensive sex education including:
LGBTQIA+ Health
Earl is fighting for the right of all individuals to make their own health decisions that fit their needs. The federal government should not protect discriminatory behavior by health care providers. He is a cosponsor of the Equality Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. He also supports the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act, which would prohibit sexual orientation or gender identity conversion therapy from being provided in exchange for compensation.
Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid & CHIP)
Throughout his career in public service, Earl has fought to make a reality the idea that everyone, regardless of income, should have access to quality, affordable health care. He's worked to improve and protect the Oregon Health Plan (OHP), which provides health insurance for low-income Oregonians. As Republicans try to dismantle federal funding for OHP, Earl continues to fight to preserve and strengthen this vital safety net program.
Mental Health & Substance Use Disorders
Mental health care is stigmatized and underfunded in our communities. There's a serious need for increased resources to address wide-ranging mental health issues. Earl introduced the Youth Mental Health Services Act of 2019 to allow students to better access community-based mental health resources in schools and is also supporting the Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2019. He led the Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act to help address the opioid crisis by ensuring that medical providers have access to the full medical history of patients suffering from substance use disorders. Finally, Earl strongly supports action to prevent suicide and expand Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics that increase access to addiction and mental health treatment. To this end, he supports the Native American Suicide Prevention Act of 2019 and the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act.
Maternal Mortality
The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is the highest of most developed countries and women of color are disproportionately impacted. This is unacceptable. The federal government must be a stronger ally and partner with women. Earl was one of the first leaders in Congress to support the MOMMA's Act, which would expand Medicaid and CHIP coverage for postpartum care from 60 days to a year, along with the Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act and the Healthy Maternity and Obstetric Medicine Act. In 2015, 50% of births in Oregon were financed by the Oregon Health Plan, Oregon's Medicaid program.
Paid Leave
Earl believes we need paid leave so that Americans are able to leave work to care for themselves or their loved ones without fear of losing their job. He supports the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act that would create a national program to help new parents and people with serious personal or family health problems take the time they need to care for themselves or their loved ones.
For more information concerning work and views related to Health Care and Social Security, please contact our office.
In February 2010, when speaking at an OHSU Brain Awareness Lecture, Earl discussed the critical importance of neuroscience research and announced the formation of a Congressional Neuroscience Caucus.
Co-Chaired by Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the aim of the Caucus is to build awareness of the intrinsic role brain research plays in understanding ourselves and our society, to help communicate the progress and the benefits of this research, and promote changes in federal policies to support neuroscience research.
The brain is the last great frontier of medical science; increased focus is required as neuroscience is at a historic turning point. A continuous stream of advances is shattering long-held notions about how the human brain works and what happens when it doesn't. These advances are also reshaping the landscapes of other fields, from psychology to economics, education and the law.
These advances come at a critical time -- currently one in three individuals is afflicted with a neurological or psychiatric disorder. There are more people with brain disorders than all cancers and heart problems combined. And as society ages, this number will increase exponentially as will the cost to the healthcare system, the economy, and society.
These problems are the leading cause of disability, resulting in more hospitalizations and long-term care than all other disorders combined. From autism to Alzheimer's, neuroscience research is the only way to stem this growing epidemic. It is a looming disaster that is hanging over the heads – and brains – of the boomer generation. Only through research will the causes, cures, and ultimately prevention of neurological and psychiatric disorders be found. By unlocking the secrets of the brain, this research will doubtlessly improve our lives.
The Congressional Neuroscience Caucus develops and promotes legislation that will further advance neuroscience research; sponsoring briefings and information sessions on neuroscience research and findings; collaborating with patient advocacy, physician, and research organizations to build awareness; and distributing congressional communications and information such as Dear Colleagues and Congressional Record statements.
Perhaps the greatest challenge communities face is the provision of affordable, accessible housing. Like roads, bridges, transit, and water, housing is an integral infrastructure in any livable community.
It has been more than 70 years since the United Nations recognized that housing is a human right. Unfortunately, the United States has failed to live up to that standard. From growing wealth inequality to the climate crisis and structural racism, our most daunting societal challenges are inextricably linked to housing.
Congressman Blumenauer has been involved in housing policy his entire public life. Earl witnessed firsthand the public sector's steady retreat from providing affordable, accessible, and safe housing. He believes the federal government must reassert its partnership to become a constructive force for equity, accessibility, and opportunity in solving the housing crisis.
In one of the wealthiest countries on Earth, nearly 570,000 people experience homelessness every night and nearly half of renters are paying more than 30% of their income in rent. The United States has a shortage of seven million rental homes available to extremely low-income renters and there isn't a single state that has an adequate supply of affordable rental homes. Affordable housing is too often out of reach, particularly for workers earning around the minimum wage. We all know people or families who stretch their budgets to pay one-third or one-half of their income for housing. That is unacceptable.
We need a reset. Earl wrote a report titled, "Locked Out: Reversing Federal Housing Failures and Unlocking Opportunity" to share the history of the federal government's role in housing and find solutions for five of our most vexing housing policy challenges:
Read his full report, here.
Earl is working in Congress to enact key provisions of this report into law. Our community needs solutions and resources now.
In January 2020, Earl worked with progressive champions Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Pramila Jayapal, and Chuy Garcia to unveil the People's Housing Platform. The platform is a progressive framework that includes legislation from all seven members to expand available public housing stock, reduce skyrocketing rents, finally invest in homelessness assistance, and provide opportunities for homeownership. Together, these representatives have boldly declared housing as a fundamental human right and are working to achieve that end.
Earl supported an amendment to the annual appropriations bill in the House that would eliminate the Faircloth amendment that limits the amount of public housing that can be built. Earl also worked with Representative Ocasio-Cortez to pass amendments to block Trump's racist rollback of federal fair housing protections.
The United States is long overdue for a more humane and thoughtful approach to immigration. Reforming our immigration policies will not be easy, but that's no excuse for inaction. It's long past time for Congress to act on a comprehensive, common-sense solution to our larger systemic problem.
Earl believes that any comprehensive immigration bill must help the 11 million undocumented people by giving them a clear path to citizenship, something that three-quarters of all Americans support. He supports these law-abiding, tax-paying residents of the United States, who are already part of the fabric of American life and society, especially young people who are Americans in every way but for their papers.
It's particularly important to Earl that children who were brought to the United States by their parents are given a chance to achieve permanent resident status. He's an outspoken advocate for keeping our commitment to DREAMers. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, or "DREAM" Act, gives children who came to the U.S. before their 16th birthday a path to citizenship. He believes enacting these changes will not only strengthen the economy, but align our practices with established notions of basic fairness and inclusion, which is a bedrock of American history. Earl also believes in the success of the the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that offers protection from deporation to more than 750,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. Earl is fighting to keep our commitment to them.
Other major solutions a comprehensive immigration bill must address is the reduction of wait-times for critical immigration cases pertaining to the safety of the applicant. Simplifying and stabilizing an effective guest worker program will protect workers and businesses, and give employers in all business sectors the resources they need to hire a legal workforce.
Special Immigrant Visa Program
It is also important we help eliminate the backlog of the Special Immigrant Visa program (SIV) for Iraqis and Afghans translators that assisted our troops during the war. SIV recipients put their lives on the line for our country. In return, we promised them safety and a new life in the United States.
ICE
Immigration rules has a substantial impact on the lives of millions of people inside and outside the United States. Our approach to how we enforce our immigration laws must be humane and thoughtful. ICE raids, detention centers, family separations are a major concern. We must invest in better ways to enforce our immigration laws while treating people with dignity and respect.
In 2002, Earl voted against the formation of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. It's become clear that the agency is perpetuating a cycle of inhumane treatment, while profiling and harming the lives of many immigrants in the country and refugees who are seeking to come to the U. S.. He believes we should prioritize the protection of families and our borders in a humane and thoughtful way.
Immigration is important for Oregon
Immigration rules also have a substantial effect on the competitiveness of our agricultural sector. This industry needs a stable and legal workforce to continue providing the food that families depend on. An important aspect of immigration reform will be resolving this debate in farming communities across the country. Earl supports efforts to allow more agricultural workers in the US, which is also supported by a wide range of immigration leaders, labor unions, civil rights organizations, religious groups, employers, and farm workers.
In Oregon, agriculture is a multi-billion industry. Earl supports reforming the H-2A visa program that allows workers into the country to perform temporary or seasonal agricultural work, ensuring that farmers have the employees they need for each season's crop. It is critical that any reform in this area also includes fair pay for these seasonal workers.
LGBTQ
As a longtime champion for LGBTQ equality in our nation's laws, Earl recognizes that the current immigration system does not include any provisions for same sex couples, so gay and lesbian citizens have no process in which to naturalize their partners and keep families together. Earl is fighting to end this discrimination. He supports legislation that creates a new "permanent partner" category for immigrants so that couples in committed, long-term relationships are afforded the same opportunities as heterosexual couples.
Improve conditions abroad
Earl believes the immigration debate and subsequent solutions should encompass the reasons people are compelled to come to the United States. One of the most effective ways to curb the influx of people emigrating from their own countries is to improve conditions abroad. He passionately supports policies that will advance the quality of life in other countries, not only for humanitarian reasons, but because it assists the United States from a national security and immigration perspective.
For more information regarding Earl's work and views related to Immigration, please contact the office.
Know Your Rights Resources, Parental Rights & More
Public Charge Information
Guide to DACA renewal:
Who can renew?
A renewal applicant must meet the following criteria:
When can applicants renew?
How can applicants renew?
1. Cover letter
2. Money order or check or Form G-1450 in the amount of $495.
3. Completed Form G-1145 [optional]
4. Completed Form I-821D
5. Completed Form I-765
6. Completed Form I-756WS
7. Copies of any supporting evidence
Mailing USPS:
USCIS Chicago Lockbox Facility
USCIS
P.O. Box 5757
Chicago, IL 60680-5757
Mailing for FedEx, UPS, and DHL deliveries:
USCIS Chicago Lockbox Facility
USCIS
Attn: DACA
131 S. Dearborn – 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60603-5517
Additional online resources:
Oregon-based resources:
Every family in America should be safe, healthy, and economically secure. This means, in part, ensuring an economy that works for all Oregonians while safeguarding our environment through smart investments and appropriate oversight of the economic system.
In recent years, the percentage of Americans able to find good jobs has decreased, incomes have stagnated for all by the richest people, and Americans are feeling less secure in their economic well-being. Earl believes we need to do more to address income inequality, create good jobs, increase the federal minimum wage and lift working standards to promote a society that grows together, and ensure that economic shocks, like losing one's job or a major illness, don't become economic catastrophes for people. Passing Raise the Wage Act of 2019 that would increase the minimum wage across the country would be a step in the right direction.
Earl also supports an increase in the earned income tax credit that would increase the wages of the lowest income workers, particularly people with children. He also is pushing for more paid family leave on the national level.
Earl is also an advocate for the rights of workers to organize and believes that a vibrant union movement is key to the continued strength of the middle class.
The U.S. must do everything it can to protect and grow our manufacturing base, and high-level research and development. Key to this effort is fair labor standards and strong trade enforcement, ensuring other countries adhere to their commitments.
As a member of the Ways and Means Committee and Chairman of the Trade Subcommittee, Earl has been working hard to dramatically change U.S. trade policies so that the rules of competition are fair and inequitable barriers to our products are removed because when America can compete on a level playing field, our economy grows and family wage jobs are strengthened. He is pushing for a new era of trade that reflects changes in the economy, new technology and the global community. Key to this is stronger enforcement of trade agreements and higher environmental standards.
In considering America's approach to trade, Earl is working with organized labor and international labor unions that have been deeply affected by the global economy. Their perspective about the challenges and opportunities going forward with trade policies and enforcement is a critical part of a new trade paradigm for the country.
Much of Earl's work on trade has been a push to transform trade agreements and trade enforcement as a means to not only ensure that the U.S. competes on a level playing field, but are also used to increase the quality of life for the average citizens living in the countries we're negotiating and trading with.
He also knows that trade done right can help the environment. For example, through a bill he introduced and passed, the Legal Timber Protection Act, trade enforcement has been used to limit illegal logging in other countries. Working with American timber workers, the forest products industry and environmentalists in a crusade against foreign cheaters, his model legislation has been copied by other nations and overall has resulted in a 40% reduction in illegal logging globally.
In February 2010, when speaking at an OHSU Brain Awareness Lecture, Earl discussed the critical importance of neuroscience research and announced the formation of a Congressional Neuroscience Caucus.
Co-Chaired by Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the aim of the Caucus is to build awareness of the intrinsic role brain research plays in understanding ourselves and our society, to help communicate the progress and the benefits of this research, and promote changes in federal policies to support neuroscience research.
The brain is the last great frontier of medical science; increased focus is required as neuroscience is at a historic turning point. A continuous stream of advances is shattering long-held notions about how the human brain works and what happens when it doesn't. These advances are also reshaping the landscapes of other fields, from psychology to economics, education and the law.
These advances come at a critical time -- currently one in three individuals is afflicted with a neurological or psychiatric disorder. There are more people with brain disorders than all cancers and heart problems combined. And as society ages, this number will increase exponentially as will the cost to the healthcare system, the economy, and society.
These problems are the leading cause of disability, resulting in more hospitalizations and long-term care than all other disorders combined. From autism to Alzheimer's, neuroscience research is the only way to stem this growing epidemic. It is a looming disaster that is hanging over the heads – and brains – of the boomer generation. Only through research will the causes, cures, and ultimately prevention of neurological and psychiatric disorders be found. By unlocking the secrets of the brain, this research will doubtlessly improve our lives.
The Congressional Neuroscience Caucus develops and promotes legislation that will further advance neuroscience research; sponsoring briefings and information sessions on neuroscience research and findings; collaborating with patient advocacy, physician, and research organizations to build awareness; and distributing congressional communications and information such as Dear Colleagues and Congressional Record statements.
Congress created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in 1968 to promote the growth and development of public media throughout the U.S. Over the last four and a half decades, CPB has been the steward of federal funding, which goes directly to thousands of public television and radio stations across the country, supporting over 20,000 local jobs.
Public broadcasting – whether it's TV or radio – provides free, high-quality educational content to our children, in-depth news coverage from across the globe, and is one of the last remaining providers of locally produced and focused programming.
Earl is a long-time champion of public broadcasting, founding the Public Broadcasting Caucus in the 106th Congress to ensure the continued services of local public television and radio stations. He has led efforts to fight bills aimed at defunding public broadcasting. In 2011, he won both the Champion of Public Broadcasting Award from American Public Television Stations (APTS) and the Lowell Award from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for extraordinary efforts in public broadcasting, leadership at the national level, and education and professional development.
Earl has successfully fought back against the Trump Administration's efforts to cut all funding for the CPB. Defunding CPB would have negative impacts in every community across America, but would be especially harmful in smaller communities where public broadcasting is often the only source of local news available.
During the 2019 appropriations process, Earl successfully led nearly 200 of his colleagues in an effort for increased funding for both the Corportation for Public Broadcasting and the Ready to Learn program. He believes that without continued federal support, public media would lose its unique character that so many enjoy and have come to depend on and trust, and that the public broadcasting format of in-depth coverage cannot survive without federal seed money.
Since coming to Congress, Earl has based his fiscal policies on five basic principles:
Earl supports tax policies that are sustainable and responsive to our nation's challenges. He is fighting to ensure that Congress moves toward a fiscal framework that is sustainable, equitable, and is done with consideration of long-term consequences. As a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, he has been a leader in combatting income and wealth inequality, investing in infrastructure and clean energy, and improving fairness in the tax code and tax administration.
Earl strongly opposed the Trump/Republican tax scam that was rammed through Congress without the benefit of a public hearing. Special interest donors and big corporations won out over hard-working Americans. Oregonians were hit particularly hard with not being able to fully deduct state income and property taxes. The tax scam also added trillions to the national deficit over the next decade to pay for the GOP's tax giveaways.
Earl believes that the tax code must be amended to provide the opportunity for all Americans to get ahead. He is working to:
It's time to rebuild and renew America.
It is no secret that America is falling apart and falling behind our global competitors. Once known for world-class roads, highways and bridges, the United States has significantly reduced its infrastructure spending during the last 50 years. Today, much of our infrastructure is nearing the end of its useful life—most water mains and pipes are more than 50 years old, and nearly 50,000 of our bridges are structurally deficient. After assessing everything from roads and transit systems to drinking water and airports, a 2017 report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the United States a D+. We need over $4 trillion to achieve a good state of repair by 2025.
Transportation plays a major role in our quality of life, influencing everything from access to economic opportunities to environmental protection and community safety. Earl is a tireless advocate for increasing the number and variety of transportation choices available to people in urban and rural communities. Providing affordable, safe, and accessible transportation options is imperative to improving economic opportunity and upward mobility for all Oregonians.
Earl is pushing for federal policies that provide communities with the flexibility to design the transportation system that fits their needs. This includes adequate funding and technical assistance for transportation planning, investments in affordable public transportation like buses and light rail, improved pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, high-speed rail, and adequate capacity for freight and highway needs. Critically, these investments must be antiracist and can't sacrifice environmental protections and goals.
2021 Member Designated Project Requests
For the 2021 Surface Transportation Reauthorization legislation, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has given Members the opportunity to submit requests for highway and transit project designations. A list of projects Congressman Blumenauer put forward can be found here. Congressman Blumenauer prioritized projects that help advance the goals of the surface transportation authorization legislation, which include building a safer transportation network, increasing access, strengthening our multi-modal transportation systems, reducing carbon pollution, enhancing environmental justice, supporting underserved communities, and improving the state of good repair of our Nation's infrastructure.
Transportation Funding Certainty and Investment
It's no secret why our roads and bridges are in such poor shape—the federal gas tax, the main source of transportation funding since the 1950s, is broken. The gas tax has not changed since 1993 at 18.4 cents a gallon and has lost more than 40% of its purchasing power due to inflation, rising construction costs, and increased fuel efficiency. As a result, the Highway Trust Fund, the source of federal road and transit dollars, faces a growing shortfall and is projected to be insolvent by 2022.
To make up for the lost fuel tax revenue, Congress has borrowed more than $140 billion from the Treasury's General Fund since 2008 just to maintain inadequate infrastructure. If current spending levels stay the same, the Highway Trust Fund faces a shortfall of more than $160 billion over the next 10 years. Earl has introduced legislation to fill this shortfall and increase spending by raising the federal gas tax 5 cents a year for the next 5 years and then indexing the tax to inflation. While the average driver already pays more than $600 a year in vehicle maintenance due to potholes and rough roads, and more than $1,400 a year due to congestion, a moderate increase in the federal gas tax will cost less than $3 a week to the average driver and provide immeasurable benefits to motorists and non-motorists alike.
While a gas tax increase will help in the short term, more fuel-efficient cars make it important to transition away from the gas tax and toward a true user fee. It doesn't make sense to tie infrastructure investment to how much gas is consumed when electric vehicles are becoming increasingly common. A more sustainable, fair, and efficient user fee is charging drivers by how far they drive. Earl successfully created a five-year pilot program at the U.S. Department of Transportation funding projects around the country that explore mileage-based alternatives to the gas tax. Today, Oregonians can take advantage of a road usage charge (RUC) alternative to the gas tax. Earl's legislation would encourage other states to do the same. Earl is working in Congress to expand this program and scale it up to the national level.
Bike and Pedestrian Issues
For more than 60 years, transportation policy – and most of the funding – has been focused on the automobile, relegating less expensive and healthier modes of transportation like walking and bicycling to ‘alternative' status. This has meant that government subsidies disproportionately flow toward wealthy individuals who can afford to drive, rather than transit-riders, bikers, and walkers who may not be able to afford a vehicle.
Throughout his career, Earl has been a champion for bike and pedestrian issues. From riding his bike to work in the Oregon State Legislature to creating the City of Portland's Bicycle Program as a City Commissioner to enacting a federal bicycle commuter tax benefit, Earl knows that biking and walking are important as basic transportation modes as well as for individual health, our environment, and the economic vitality of our communities.
Americans who understand the value of active transportation aren't just bicycle fanatics. They are families, public health advocates, educators, school children, environmentalists, business leaders, and offices of tourism and economic development. Constructing better bike lanes and sidewalks for people who chose to walk and ride their bikes creates jobs, gives people more and healthier choices for their daily transportation needs, is better for the environment, creates safer communities, and strengthens local economies. To learn more about Earl's bicycling advocacy in Congress, please visit The Congressional Bike Caucus.
Water Infrastructure
While the funding woes of roads, bridges, and transit systems are readily apparent and visible, what is under the surface is in worse shape. The overall federal government contribution to total clean water spending has shrunk from 78% in 1978 to 3% today. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that we need $655 billion in water infrastructure investments over the next 20 years, yet Congress invests an average of only $2.5 billion annually and there is no dedicated water infrastructure revenue source. Chronic underfunding of our water infrastructure systems disproportionately impacts communities of color because of community disinvestment, residential segregation, and discrimination.
To begin to meet the water infrastructure needs of our nation, Earl has introduced legislation to create a Water Infrastructure Trust Fund. This fund will provide a deficit-neutral, consistent and fire-walled source of revenue for states to support the replacement, repair, and rehabilitation of clean and drinking water infrastructure. Earl also worked with his colleagues to pass legislation that allows states to leverage their water infrastructure funds to increase investment for all sizes of water infrastructure projects.
Public Transit
With the cost of transportation becoming an increasing share of low- and moderate-income Americans' budgets, access to reliable and affordable transportation options is important. The growing threat of climate change makes it imperative.
Earl has been a champion for public transportation projects throughout his career. As Portland's Public Works Commissioner, he successfully expanded Portland's single light-rail line into a regionwide system: The Metropolitan Area Express or ‘MAX.' He has translated these local successes nationwide by securing billions of dollars of funding for transit expansions, including the MAX Orange Line, working with the Federal Transit Administration to promote transit-oriented development, and founding one of the largest national conferences promoting livable communities.
Dozens of communities around the country want small-scale rail-based transit lines – similar to the Portland Streetcar – creating jobs and connecting urban neighborhoods. Earl is a strong advocate of the streetcar as a transportation and community revitalization tool, and created the "Small Starts" program, which matches local funds to provide capital and start-up costs for small transit project development and expansion.
The Future of Transportation
Urbanization, changing travel trends, new modes of transportation, and autonomous vehicles (AVs) all will lead to a radically different mobility landscape. We have a rare opportunity to use these changes to solve problems rather than create new ones.
AVs will affect the employment of more than 4 million drivers, the largest source of jobs in more than half of the states. They will also change the car repair and car insurance industries. Integrating AVs with ridesharing and carsharing services will only further disrupt employment trends. Driverless cars will also affect the built environment by making many parking garages and wide traffic lanes obsolete, opening spaces for affordable housing, businesses, bike lanes, and parks. Without proper planning and policies, basic infrastructure will fall into further disrepair, and we will squander an opportunity to have smarter, more sustainable cities. Fleets of AVs will also be largely electric, contributing little in traditional transportation user fees, like gas taxes, parking fees, and traffic fines.
Earl is a leading voice on Capitol Hill for updating our transportation policies for the 21st century. He has pushed for more stable, equitable transportation funding alternatives, modernized commuter benefit tax provisions, and giving communities the technical assistance they need to successfully plan for the future.
Congressman Blumenauer strongly believes that our government has a special legal and moral obligation to Native Americans of this country given their sovereign status. This obligation is defined by treaties and statutes, and interpreted by the courts.
Sadly, the United States has failed at upholding this obligation repeatedly, and there have been many lost opportunities. The trust relationship requires the Federal Government to exercise the highest degree of care with tribal and Indian lands and resources.
Preserving Tribal Rights and Protecting Tribal Land
Congressman Blumenauer has been a leader in Congress to preserve the sovereign authority of Native American Tribal governments, supporting efforts to halt and reverse the erosion of Tribal sovereignty. He has also worked to protect and enhance Tribal rights, traditions, land, and resources. For example, he has strongly advocated for protecting Tribal lands from damage and development, and preserve access to traditional gathering grounds for First Foods and sacred ceremonies. He successfully fought to secure funding for Tribal transportation infrastructure in keeping with the National Congress of American Indians' recommendations.
Congressman Blumenauer takes every opportunity to learn more about the concerns of tribal and urban Indian leaders. He hosts annual roundtables in Oregon with tribal leaders and has attended drumming and fire ceremonies at urban Indian alcohol and drug programs. During Congressional recesses, he has toured the Columbia River Gorge with Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission law enforcement officers to investigate threats to cultural sites.
Additionally, he is pressing for increased access to services for urban Indians, including supporting the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, and joining efforts to elevate the position of Director of the Indian Health Service within the Department of Health and Human Services to Assistant Secretary for Indian Health.
For thousands of years, numerous tribes based their entire livelihood and culture around the Columbia River, living on its shores and eating and trading the salmon they caused. Beginning in the 1930s, the construction of the three lower Columbia River dams created millions of jobs, economic growth, prosperity, and electricity throughout the region. But the dams inundated native fishing sites and villages, severely impacting their heritage and destroying the tribes' economic base.
The tribes and their citizens have never been fully compensated for these losses.
Today, 31 Treaty Fishing Access Sites and "In-Lieu" sites along the banks of the Columbia River provide the four Columbia River Treaty tribes – the Nez Perce, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation – access to the Columbia River to fish, compensating in a small part for lost access to the river.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed the sites primarily for in-season fishing access and some temporary camping. However, many tribal members currently use these sites, the majority of which are now owned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as permanent residences. These sites were not designed for and cannot accommodate this type of use. In fact, living conditions at these sites is unsafe, and unsanitary. For more information about current conditions, please read this story by The Oregonian.
Congressman Blumenauer has visited several sites and met with tribal leaders. He is taking action to address these inequities.
In 2013, the Corps determined that many tribal families who lived on the banks of the Columbia River prior to construction of the Bonneville and The Dalles dams did not receive relocation assistance. The Corps has conducted a legal analysis to determine its "unmet obligation" to build housing on the Columbia River for the four Treaty Tribes. Blumenauer, along with his colleagues, repeatedly urged the Corps to expedite and complete the analysis, particularly before the FY 2017 appropriations process began.
Blumenauer has fought for funding for the Corps to construct housing they have the authority to replace. Where the Corps does not have existing authority, Congressman Blumenauer is working to provide them that authority to fully address the unmet obligations. He is fighting for additional funding for the agency to meet these obligations.
In the short-term, Blumenauer is trying to help address current living conditions at the existing Treaty Fishing Access and In-Lieu sites. The Bureau of Indian Affairs' budget is insufficient to provide the necessary sanitation, safety, and related infrastructure improvements for these sites. To address this, Blumenauer introduced H.R. 5811 (with a companion bill, S.50, introduced by Senator Merkley in the U.S. Senate) that would authorize the Bureau of Indian Affairs to assess current sanitation and safety conditions at the sites, and construct temporary structures to improve those conditions, as well as provide upgrades to critical electricity, and sewer and water infrastructure. This legislation passed both chambers of Congress and was signed into law in 2019, and is currently being implemented to improve conditions at the sites.
To sacrifice one's wellbeing for our nation's freedoms through service in the armed forces is one of the most profound gifts an individual and his or her family can give to our nation.
In return, Earl is firmly committed to fulfilling America's promise to our troops. Whether you're a veteran, in the National Guard or Reserves or on active duty, Earl supports increasing benefits for health care, education and other services for military personnel.
Many service men and women encounter difficulties when they return home. Earl is a fierce advocate for properly funding the institutions they rely on like the Veterans Administration. Rather than privatize the VA, Earl has fought to increase support for improved outreach, increased mental health services and expanded access to health care services for veterans. Healthcare should not be a for-profit business, especially at the expense of our veterans.
Earl believes that Congress must do a better job in assisting to the reintegration of veterans into society. Veterans of all ages and backgrounds face similar hurdles – age bias, workplace discrimination, inadequate medical care and a lack of affordable housing.
Earl and his office work with veterans and military personnel to resolve issues with VA claims, the VA Medical Center, and military records and medals. Below are some commonly asked questions. If you have specific concerns, please contact Earl's office at 503.231.2300.
Yes. Congressman Blumenauer assists personnel currently in the armed forces with a range of concerns that they are experiencing. These can range from pay or leave difficulties to working with the private sector to inform creditors of the Soldier and Sailor Civil Relief Act when a constituent is having difficulty getting employers to comply. Congressman Blumenauer's office can also assist constituents in the military with a variety of other concerns including child custody and emergency family leave issues.
Yes. Congressman Blumenauer's staff works with the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, and is able to gain records more expediently than under normal circumstances. The Congressman is also able to help you receive medals that you have earned but never been awarded, or replacements for lost or stolen service medals.
As of August 1, 2009, the Post-9/11 GI Bill provides eligible individuals with the opportunity to receive graduate and undergraduate degrees, vocational/technical training, on the job training, tutorial assistance, and licensing and certification test reimbursement. The Department of Veterans Affairs maintains an up-to-date website dedicated to helping veterans access these benefits. Please visit this site to learn more and see if the program is right for you and also contact the Veterans' Services Coordinator at the institution you plan to attend for more specific information.
Yes. My staff works with the Department of Veterans Affairs on a daily basis. We are happy to assist you with claims you are pursuing, including matters as simple as receiving an update about your case. Our close working relationship with the VA allows us to have information added to your file quickly, and we usually receive information about the progress of your claim within hours of an inquiry. Additionally, if your case has been outstanding for a considerable amount of time, an inquiry from my office can sometimes speed the processing so that you get the answers you need.
Yes. My office maintains a working relationship with staff at the PVAMC and speaks to them on behalf of veterans on a regular basis. If there is an urgent situation, an inquiry from my staff can often reduce wait times for appointments or get you updates on your case. The staff at the VA Medical Center works very hard, but if you are not pleased with the care that you are receiving, my office can make inquiries with the PVAMC on your behalf.
The most direct way to contact a service member, in cases such as a family emergency, is to contact Red Cross Emergency Services 1- (877) 272-7337
Download Current VA Federal Benefits Guide for Veterans, Dependents, and Survivors
Download Current VA Federal Benefits Guide for Veterans, Dependents, and Survivors (en Espanol)
Lines for Life provides a Military Helpline for those struggling with depression or substance abuse: 1-888-457-4838
Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs
If you would like to contact the Portland VA Medical Center Patient Advocate's Office, please call 503-273-5380.
Coalition for Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans
Service Officer Locator National Service Officers
Service Officer Locator Oregon State Veteran Service Officers
Service Officer Locator Multnomah County Veteran Service Officers
Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bills
December 1, 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressional Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), David Joyce (R-OH), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Don Young (R-AK) today urged the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to allow access to medical cannabis for VA patients as quickly as possible.
Issues: Cannabis Reform Veterans, National Guard and Reserves, Active Duty Military
Oregon Delegation Requests Answers on Reported Mistreatment of Oregon National Guard Servicemembers
October 13, 2021
WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-04), along with Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Representatives Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Kurt Schrader (OR-05), and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) today requested answers on alleged mistreatment of Oregon National Guard (ORNG) servicemembers deployed to assist with the state's COVID response.
Issues: Veterans, National Guard and Reserves, Active Duty Military
It's time we fulfill our duty to veterans
November 11, 2019
While you should always find time to thank a veteran for their service defending our country and upholding our nation's values, today is a day to reach further.
In Oregon, hundreds of thousands have answered the call to service. During times of peace and times of conflict, these courageous warriors made incredible sacrifice for the sake of our country.
Some of the most critical issues facing veterans today are issues we can make progress on.
Issues:Veterans, National Guard and Reserves, Active Duty Military
Blumenauer: GOP Leadership Turns Its Back on Our Veterans . . . Again
September 11, 2018
Washington, DC – Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, condemned Republican leadership in Congress for failing to include his Veterans Equal Access amendment in the final FY 2019 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations legislation released today. The House is expected to consider the bill this week. Blumenauer's bipartisan amendment would make it easier for qualified veterans to access state-legal medical marijuana.
Blumenauer released the following statement:
Issues: Cannabis Reform Veterans, National Guard and Reserves, Active Duty Military
House GOP Leadership Again Turns Its Back on Our Veterans
June 7, 2018
As our veterans return home with injuries that are both visible and unseen, we have a moral obligation to help them get the care they need.
Yet, House Republican leadership this week turned its back on our veterans AGAIN by blocking my efforts to make sure they have safe and equal access to medical marijuana. This hopelessly out of touch decision is outrageous and puts our veterans at risk.
Agriculture is a critical part of Oregon’s economy. From berries to beef, family farmers and ranchers are feeding Americans and millions of people around the world. At the same time, farmers are facing new and increasing pressures from climate change, urban sprawl, rising costs and shrinking water resources. Congressman Blumenauer has long believed that current agricultural policy spends too much money supporting large corporations, doesn’t adequately help the majority of small and midsize farmers, and subsidizes manufactured food at the expense of fruits and vegetables.
Eight years after the collapse of the financial markets, corporations have returned to making record profits while Oregon’s unemployment rate remains over 9 percent, homeowners are underwater, and students are drowning in debt. The wealthiest ten percent of Americans control 76 percent of American’s net worth. Households in the top 1 percent now average an income more than 100 times the size of incomes in the bottom 20 percent. This level of inequality is shameful. Congress must take action to protect America’s working families and to make government work for them, not special interests.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank), is an important step towards rebalancing priorities and strengthening the financial system to clamp down on banker’s risk-taking and to protect families.
Marijuana policy at the state level has shifted significantly in recent years as states have moved to legalize the drug for both medicinal and adult use. Unfortunately, federal marijuana policy remains rooted in the past, as all types of marijuana continue to remain illegal under federal law.
It is time for Congress and the Administration to face the facts surrounding marijuana, its use and regulation, and develop a legislative framework that accounts for the inevitable transition of marijuana policy – one that is already well under way. Federal marijuana policy should be modernized to reduce confusion, uncertainty, and conflicting government priorities. Maintaining the status quo creates an inconsistent legal environment that wastes law enforcement resources and misses out on potential tax revenues.
In 2013, Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Jared Polis co-authored a report “The Path Forward: Rethinking Federal Marijuana Policy” (updated 2017). The document reviews the history of marijuana prohibition in the United States, current conflicts between state and federal law, and outlines several opportunities to reform and clarify marijuana law at the federal level. Representative Blumenauer has also posted a FAQ on marijuana and marijuana legislation.
In November 2014, Oregonians voted to end the failed prohibition of marijuana, establishing a taxed and regulated adult use system, making it one of five states to do so. For years, Oregon has been far ahead of the federal government on marijuana policy. We were the first state to pass the decriminalization of marijuana in 1973, and one of the first states to legalize medical marijuana. Now 29 states, the District of Columbia and Guam have fully legalized medical marijuana, and 22 states have passed decriminalization laws.
This movement in states is part of a larger evolution on marijuana policy by the American people, who are rejecting the failed War on Drugs – an approach that has disrupted the lives of millions of people needlessly through failed marijuana prohibition policies. 61 percent of the American population supports full legalization and 88 percent support the legalization of medical marijuana.
Despite this, however, marijuana remains federally illegal, classified as a Schedule I substance, the same as heroin. This discrepancy between state and federal law has created a confusing patchwork of laws that trap businesses, patients, and state regulators in the middle, creating public health and safety challenges, inequities for state-legal businesses and constant uncertainty about the future. It is time for both the administration and the federal government to catch up.
Congressman Blumenauer strongly believes that our government has a special legal and moral obligation to Native Americans of this country given their uniquely sovereign status. This obligation is defined by treaties and statutes, and interpreted by the courts.
Sadly, the history of the United States brings no great credit to the government or Congress as an institution, and there have been many lost opportunities. The trust relationship requires the Federal Government to exercise the highest degree of care with tribal and Indian lands and resources.
Social Security protects the economic security of workers, retirees, and their families. More than any other federal program, Social Security reduces poverty and improves the standards of living for all Americans. More than 13 million senior citizens depend on their Social Security benefits, as do millions of children and families. Congressman Blumenauer sits on the Ways and Means Committee, which oversees the Social Security Administration and its programs, and is committed to protecting these vital benefits.
Social Security was created by President Franklin Roosevelt as part of the New Deal and was expanded under President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. The program is still strong and will continue to be a source of income for retirees, the disabled, and families. Many people do not realize how valuable Social Security is to them. Typically, an individual would have to save an additional $225,000 while working to replace the benefits Social Security provides in retirement. Without any changes, Social Security will be able to pay 100 percent of benefits until 2037. After that, however, Americans will have to make smart choices to ensure that the program continues to keep its promises, while avoiding future budget shortfalls and paying down the national debt.
Congressman Blumenauer has been closely monitoring the Social Security Administration’s plan for reducing its substantial backlog of unprocessed disability claims. The agency has continued to make progress, but the substantial increase in new applications due to the economic downturn poses significant future challenges for the agency. Also, Congressman Blumenauer has strongly supported finding additional resources to help applicants navigate the complex—and often lengthy—appeals process. He was proud to vote for H.R. 4532, the Social Security Disability Applicants’ Access to Professional Representation Act of 2010, a bipartisan bill that will improve access to quality, professional representation for disability applicants.