Jobs and Economy
When I travel around Northwest Oregon, I often hear from parents who struggle to pay for child care—which in Oregon can cost as much as a year of college tuition. I’ve heard from parents who don’t have access to paid family leave at work, and have to choose between caring for a new baby and earning a paycheck. Congress must do more to address the challenges facing our families.
Our economy will be stronger and people will be healthier when we acknowledge that families need policies that work for them, not against them. Equal pay for women, good wages, paid leave, and affordable child care will better support families in Oregon and across the country. When we open the doors of opportunity to everyone, we all succeed.
One of my top priorities in Congress is to grow our economy and implement policies that create more jobs in Oregon and across the country. As a leader on the Education and Labor Committee, I’ve introduced legislation to strengthen apprenticeships and paid, on-the-job training programs to provide workers with meaningful pathways to better paying jobs, and to connect businesses with workers who have the skills they need. I support the Raise the Wage Act, which would gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2024. I also helped pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to help to address the pay gap and provide workers with the tools they need to achieve equal pay for equal work.
More on Jobs and Economy
The Oregon Association of Nurseries announced Wednesday, Nov. 19, that Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici are among the nine legislators recognized by the trade group as "Friends of Nurseries."
The Friends of Nurseries award serves to acknowledge state and federal officials who listen to concerns and help protect the interests of Oregon's nursery and greenhouse industry, which is the state's top agricultural sector with nearly $1 billion in annual sales, according to the Wednesday press release from OAN.
There were audible sighs of relief in Oregon’s business community after congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump reached an agreement on a new trade pact replacing NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Blumenauer and fellow Oregon Democratic Rep. Suzanne Bonamici both said the agreement contains a number of improvements that helped bring on board Democrats, who have been skeptical of free-trade deals.
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, whose district covers much of northwest Oregon including parts of Portland, was one of several Democratic members of the House Education Committee to press Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on the agency’s decision to restrict debt relief for former students of shuttered for-profit colleges.
Two lawmakers from Oregon are looking into how much people with diabetes pay for the insulin they need.
Sen. Jeff Merkley introduced the End Price Gouging for Insulin Act following a report prepared for fellow Democratic Rep. Suzanne Bonamici found that people in the region pay about $1,000 more a year on insulin than people in other countries — a "rip-off" according to Merkley.