In the News
At the start of the year, the 116th Congress was sworn into office, immediately becoming the most diverse Congress in history—all in the midst of a record-long government shutdown. Now, just days after the government has reopened, these members are ready to get to work on the issues that brought them to D.C. in the first place. On Tuesday night, during 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.
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.
Some of Oregon's congressional representatives met with TSA and air traffic controllers at Portland International Airport to talk about the shutdown.
Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer and Kurt Schrader are reacting to the news of Friday's deal
They said this deal is a good step forward, but they are not out of the woods yet.
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.
They're together again for the first time in 40 years.
A Vietnamese family separated by both an ocean and miles of government red tape reunited over the weekend.
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."
As furloughed federal workers scramble to cover their bills, members of Congress are imploring the Education Department to help those workers manage their student loans during the partial government shutdown.
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) kicked off the effort this week with a letter asking Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to direct student loan servicing companies to contact federal employees with information about their repayment options.