Jobs and Economy
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. This includes investing in infrastructure projects to improve our roads, bridges, rails, schools, and electrical grid; providing additional resources to help Oregon’s small businesses succeed; and doing everything we can to get the unemployed and underemployed back to work.
Small businesses are a critical part of our nation’s economy, and it’s important to give them the support they need. I’ve visited businesses of every size in every part of the district, and heard from business owners about their successes and their struggles. By focusing on what small businesses need to grow and thrive, we can find solutions to growing and sustaining our economy as a whole.
I also voted to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank because of the crucial role it plays in helping Oregon companies export their goods to overseas markets. In just the last five years, the Ex-Im Bank has supported more than $94 million in export sales from small businesses in Oregon’s First Congressional District, underscoring its critical importance in our local economy.
More on Jobs and Economy
More than 100 recreation industry leaders applauded the passage of the Natural Resources Management Act during a reception yesterday for the 116th Congress hosted by the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. And voicing their approval were representatives from the Motorcycle Industry Council, Specialty Vehicle Institute of America and the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association.
The U.S. Department of Labor plans to propose a rule that would reexamine worker classification, redefining who is given certain labor protections and who is not.
The boom of the so-called gig economy — as seen in ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft and others like TaskRabbit and DoorDash — have raised questions about whether people providing these services should be classified as entrepreneurs or as workers.
Despite President Trump ending the longest-ever government shutdown in US history, many major airports are being slowed by the fact TSA agents have called out sick.
Friday is the 2nd payday these affected federal workers didn't get a paycheck. They will get back pay, but that won't be for a while.
Oregon US Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Kurt Schrader and Earl Blumenauer spoke with TSA agents at PDX and commented on the end of the shutdown.
U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici and Kurt Schrader, all Oregon Democrats, visited furloughed air traffic controllers and TSA staff at Portland International Airport.
The Senate and House both unanimously passed bills Friday that would fund the government for three weeks while lawmakers discuss immigration issues that led to the shutdown.
Bonamici thanked federal workers and said the shutdown should never have happened in the first place.