Climate Justice
Climate Justice
Oregonians are already experiencing the effects of unchecked carbon pollution and climate change – from continuing droughts to the devastating wildfires that displace so many each year. We need immediate action to reduce emissions and protect Oregonians from the consequences of this unfolding disaster. In Washington, I will continue to advocate for the same meaningful climate policies that I introduced in our local communities in Benton County for the past five years: sustainable and profitable solar panels and energy efficient buildings that lower negative impacts on our environment. I am committed to:
- Passing the Green New Deal and building climate justice solutions that invest in Oregon-based clean energy production, transmission, and storage technologies.
- Using an equity lens in climate change mitigation solutions that invests more in jobs and economic development opportunities for rural communities, communities of color, and low-income communities.
- Passing a bicameral and bipartisan legislation strengthening Senator Merkley’s Wildfire Resilient Communities Act to address wildland fire management in certain at-risk communities that are at high risk from wildfire.
Protecting Democracy
Protecting Democracy
Access to the ballot, taking money out of politics, and preventing conflicts of interest are crucial to reinvigorating our democracy. We need to protect the right to vote, stop gerrymandering, and limit corporate campaign contributions. I have successfully backed election reform measures such as ranked choice voting, which promotes the candidate with the most voter support. In Washington, I will:
- Champion federal vote-by-mail legislation,
- Ban stock trading by elected officials to ensure secure and easy access to the democratic process for all voters, and
- Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
Healthcare for All
Healthcare for All
Healthcare is a human right. No family should have to declare bankruptcy because of illness or injury. Our dysfunctional system of private hospitals and insurers has left us poorly equipped for the global pandemic. I strongly support Medicare for All. As the board chair of the Corvallis School District, I passed a resolution that demands Congress and the Oregon legislature provide a universal form of healthcare. I am deeply committed to continuing this work. I will:
- Introduce an action plan to achieve a universal, affordable, high quality health care system in the country.
- Expand Medicare for all to cover mental health, hearing, vision, and dental care.
- Address the skyrocketing prescription drug prices.
Economy
Economy
Oregonians deserve a representative voice that focuses on the impact of economic reforms on working people and small and medium businesses. I strongly support investing in economic development initiatives – economic zones that support local communities, bring back jobs and create new jobs and industries. This is why I support prioritizing:
- Raising wages and promoting workers’ rights.
- Enacting robust work-family policies.
- Building a fair system of international trade for our workers.
- Ending poverty.
- Reforming the tax code to benefit working families.
- Curbing wall street abuses.
Education
Education
Students should be empowered with the same opportunities for education, no matter where they live or who they are.
I understand how important education is to our communities. As an educator and school board chair, I have witnessed the growth and development of students from various backgrounds and with different needs and talents. I have been floored by teachers’ dedication to learning and to their profession. We need an immediate plan for educator retention that includes full funding for special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) law, giving teachers and school workers fair pay, and reducing class sizes. We must invest in school infrastructure to increase student and teacher safety. I want to free our college graduates from the crushing debt of predatory student loans and advocate for opportunities for a free college education. I will continue working with my partners and supporters in public and higher education to:
- Cancel student loan debt.
- Invest in free community college for all.
- Finally fully fund IDEA and hold school districts accountable to provide students with disabilities their right of a free and appropriate public education
- Ensure Title I funds are fully and appropriately allocated
- Invest in school infrastructure to increase student and teacher safety.
Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy
Justice and human rights are not solely for Americans; these are ideals we need to support across the globe. In Washington, I am committed to keeping our country safe by advocating for justice at home and abroad and working with our allies to promote peace and resist fascism and aggression. The current events in Ukraine highlight the need to strengthen bonds with our allies and affirm our stance against military intervention.
Gun Safety
Gun Safety
The senseless deaths from gun-related violence and suicide in America must end. Oregon’s 4th Congressional District is among the highest in the nation for suicides using a gun. I am the candidate who has done the work most recently by banning concealed carry on school campuses. I will stand up to the NRA to support common sense proposals like universal background checks, banning concealed carry in schools, safe storage laws, and red flag laws to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.
Housing & Homelessness
Housing & Homelessness
We are experiencing a national economic crisis that ranges from houselessness to rent inflation to income inequality. As the price of housing has skyrocketed in our state, too many Oregonians have found themselves in their own personal housing crisis. It is time for the federal government to end the moratorium on the construction of new public housing to address this crisis. We must increase federal support for public and nonprofit community agencies and reexamine and invest in rental assistance for all who need it. Everyone deserves shelter from the elements.
Civil Rights
Civil Rights
Freedom from discrimination and prejudice is something we all want for ourselves and for our neighbors, friends, coworkers, and family. As a Congressman, I will stand up to protect the rights of people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and individuals with disabilities. As The Corvallis school board chair, I successfully advocated for protections from hate speech and discrimination based on gender identity, and I invested additional funds to protect people from discrimination. I have implemented local solutions, but we also need federal protections. I will carry my experience and accomplishments with me to Congress to continue the fight for the civil rights of ALL, especially the most vulnerable in our communities.
Women’s and Reproductive Health Rights
Women’s and Reproductive Health Rights
The American promise of equality will be achieved when discrimination based on gender and sex are fully dismantled. I have a track record of introducing policies and advocating for successful legislation that did just that. I have been endorsed by reproductive healthcare advocates because of my clear records – from science-based and inclusive sex education; free access to menstrual products in schools and public places; affirming women’s rights to full access to abortion and reproductive health. In Congress, I am committed to:
- Put Roe v. Wade protections into federal law
- Protect Title X from unethical administrative gag rules that limit access to affordable birth control and reproductive health care to more than 4 million people
- Reverse the ‘Hyde Amendment’ restricting access to federal funding for reproductive health and access to abortion
- Oppose abortion restrictions that will shame, endanger, and punish women and pregnant people or recklessly take personal medical decisions in complicated situations out of the hands of women, families, and their doctors.
- Support Medicaid coverage of abortion services, just as it covers other pregnancy-related care
- Support the Global Health, Empowerment, and Rights (HER) Act, a bill that will permanently end the harmful global gag rule. I will fight for the well-being of millions of women and girls and the families that depend on them.
