In the News
U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer, joined by two other members of Congress, filed three amendments to the 2021 appropriations bills for Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, in an effort to defund the agencies' ability to use the protection of federal property to justify their presence in Oregon.
The political fight over Portland is heating up once again as Oregon congressional leaders on Thursday announced the launching of new investigations into the use of federal police downtown.
Democratic senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley teamed up with democratic representatives Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici to send a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Offices of Inspector General.
The Offices of Inspector General are tasked with providing independent oversight of federal agencies.
Oregon state representatives and senators wrote an open letter Thursday to Attorney General William Barr an Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf demanding they pull federal officers out of Portland.
"We are writing to request that you immediately remove federal personnel from the streets of Portland unless authorized by the city's elected officials," the letter states.
On Wednesday, Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, along with Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon, requested that the DOJ and DHS OIGs investigate what they called "the unrequested presence and violent actions of recently deployed federal forces in Portland."
The DOJ inspector general statement also announced that the watchdog is launching a wider evaluation of the DOJ and its law enforcement components' reactions to civil unrest in Portland and Washington, D.C. over the past two months.
The move comes after a group of Democratic Oregon lawmakers, including Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Ron Wyden, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, sent a joint letter asking the Justice Department to review the federal intervention.
Trump's "strongman tactics will not be tolerated," Merkley said in a statement.
Sen. Ron Wyden and Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici joined Merkley in the request for an investigation.
Oregon's congressional delegation on Wednesday formally requested an investigation into the response by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Justice Department to the riots in Portland -- after DHS pledged not to back down.
The state's Democratic congressional lawmakers -- Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici -- last week asked both DHS and Justice Dept. offices of Inspector General to investigate the "unrequested presence and violent actions of federal forces in Portland."
Her synagogue, which has also counted Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici as members, has a history of encouraging public service. Another longtime congregant and local elected official, Multnomah County Commissioner Sharon Meieran, was teargassed during protests on Saturday night, according to an account she posted on Twitter.
Four of Oregon's federal representatives want investigations into the "unrequested presence and violent actions of federal forces in Portland." Additionally, the US Attorney for Oregon also wants an investigation into the actions of Homeland Security personnel.