Civil Rights
<p style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-family: Open Sans; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 26px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 26px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Rep. Veronica Escobar and Rep.
The Democratic majority on the U.S. House of Representatives' education and labor committee has created a new subcommittee on civil rights and human services, which also will include a focus on equal employment opportunities, nutrition programs and the Older Americans Act.
Representative Suzanne Bonamici, an Oregon Democrat and former consumer protection lawyer for the Federal Trade Commission, will lead the subcommittee. She also will serve on the higher education and work-force investment subcommittee.
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici has been appointed chairwoman of the newly created House civil rights and human services subcommittee.
The subcommittee, part of the House Education and Labor Committee, advances policies on civil rights, equal employment opportunities, human services, nutrition and the Older Americans Act.
Bonamici credited Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., the committee's chairman, with helping to create the subcommittee to make civil rights and human services a priority.
Furloughed and unpaid federal workers from around the state were bracing for more financial uncertainty while also receiving emergency help from food pantries to feed their families as the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history entered its second month and 32nd day on Tuesday.
Members of Oregon's Congressional delegation, including Democrats Sen. Ron Wyden, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, called on the president to end the shutdown during an appearance Friday at the Oregon Food Bank in northeast Portland.
Members of Oregon's delegation to the U.S. Capitol have parked the blame for the partial government shutdown at the feet of one man: President Donald Trump.
"This is absolutely not the fault of the Democrats," Rep. Suzanne Bonamici said of the federal closure. "It's infuriating, it's unacceptable and it must end."