Congressman Kurt Schrader is currently serving his seventh term in the United States House of Representatives. He represents Oregon's 5th Congressional District, which includes all of Marion, Polk, Lincoln and Tillamook Counties as well as the bulk of Clackamas and small portions of Multnomah and Benton Counties. Before being elected to Congress, Schrader, a farmer and veterinarian for more than thirty years, established and managed the Clackamas County Veterinary Clinic in Oregon City and operated his farm where he grew and sold organic fruit and vegetables.
As a former member of the House Budget Committee, I am committed to passing a balanced deficit reduction and jobs package that puts everything on the table -- including tax and health care reforms and spending cuts -- to put the United States back on a path of fiscal sustainability, instill some economic certainty for our real job creators and ensure that our country is the best place to invest going forward.
The short-term stop gap measures that Congress has been operating under during my time in Congress merely kicks the can down the road and promotes more political brinkmanship. The time has passed for Congress to courageously confront our ongoing fiscal crises with a big, bold and bipartisan approach to strengthen our economy and bolster economic growth and opportunity for our future generations.