Monique DeSpain

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National security, safe communities, and safe workplaces are a fundamental, non-negotiable function of government. No communities are safe without adequate law enforcement. We are a nation of laws, and laws are only effective when enforced. I support the rule of law and the men and women of law enforcement and other emergency responders. It is my goal to ensure they have the necessary authority and resources to do their job effectively, from Customs and Border Patrol to our local sheriffs, police, and district attorneys. Public officials who refuse to enforce our laws and hold criminals accountable must be held accountable themselves and swiftly replaced with officials who will. I will not support federal funding for soft-on-crime cities or cities that defund the police and leave Americans vulnerable.

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To truly address and resolve the affordable housing crisis, we must address the skyrocketing cost of living caused by extreme policies coming from Salem and Washington, D.C. At the same time, we must increase housing availability and affordability. I support ending prohibitive and inflationary policies that stifle new construction with excessive permitting costs, building regulations, city and county codes, bureaucratic red tape, and outdated land-use restrictions imposed by the government itself. Do you know that the entire population of Oregon lives on approximately 7 percent of our State? These government-imposed restrictions, coupled with runaway inflation and interest rates, are pricing most working people out of the American Dream of home ownership. I want to be part of the common sense conservative majority in Congress that ensures the federal government does its part to lift housing restrictions.

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As your Congresswoman, I will champion responsible forest management grounded in co-stewardship with tribal nations, sustainable timber harvests, and proactive removal of fuel loads that drive catastrophic wildfires. The federal government must either step up or step aside: The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management should be required to rapidly suppress fires or immediately authorize state, local, and private entities ready to protect our forests and communities.

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I have already submitted public comment supporting rescission of the one-size-fits-all 2001 Roadless Rule. Rescission would not automatically authorize logging or road construction. It would allow local forest managers to determine where carefully planned access is needed for wildfire response, restoration, recreation, and public safety, while retaining environmental review and protections for sensitive areas.

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Responsible management can create family-wage jobs in forestry, trucking, firefighting, reforestation, milling, manufacturing, and equipment maintenance. Federal forest management should also honor the sustained-yield and revenue-sharing requirements governing O&C lands, generating dependable support for county schools, roads, law enforcement, and emergency services.

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Elected representatives of the American people have a legal and moral obligation to make all of their business of government, the business of the people, transparent and accountable to the people they serve. When elected, I commit to sharing all of my votes and reasons behind them for all the public to see. I will ask the tough questions in relentless pursuit of truthful, factual answers, followed by prompt and deliberate action. I will apply my experienced investigative eye and knowledge of the law to expose wasteful spending. Much like my work as a military and private sector lawyer, I will fight to eliminate discrimination, corruption, and cronyism, expose conflicts of interest, and bring an end to the careers of pay-to-play career politicians, starting with our corrupt Congresswoman Val Hoyle.

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Our military must be vigilant, well-resourced, and capable of winning 24/7. That means maintaining our technological edge, reinforcing readiness, and investing in modern capabilities—especially cyber capabilities and missile defense—to meet rapidly evolving 21st-century threats.

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Our election system, like any aspect of our government, must be secure, accurate, and transparent. It is absolutely essential to our democratic process of one person, one vote. This includes requiring a photo ID to vote, updated and accurate voter registration records, and vote tallying by controlled, certified machines and software that are made in America. I strongly support Oregon’s treasured citizen initiative process that serves as an essential check on government overreach and ensures that the voices of everyday Oregonians—too often overlooked—are heard.

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Every day, there are veterans in our country struggling to navigate a bureaucratic VA system just to schedule a medical appointment or ensure their benefits arrive on time. Tragically, many veterans face housing obstacles as well. Every day that I am in Congress, I will fight to remove obstacles and ensure our veteran benefits are protected and that veterans receive the care and attention they have earned. Back home in Oregon, I will have a veteran on my congressional staff who is dedicated 100 percent to working with me to serve all of my veteran constituents, including our forgotten homeless veterans.

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Almost every family I know has been touched by the tragedy of substance abuse. In 2023, over 100,000 Americans were killed by either a one-time fentanyl poisoning or fentanyl addiction. I refuse to accept this as America’s new ‘normal.’ To ensure safe neighborhoods in Congressional District 4, we must secure our nation’s border and stop the relentless flow of fentanyl, P2P methamphetamines, and other deadly drugs into Oregon. By ending cartel control of our borders and preventing criminals from illegally entering our cities and other communities, we will stop the delivery and distribution of deadly drugs, human trafficking, and other abhorrent cartel activity that is fueling addiction, homelessness, and the crime wave overwhelming our communities. It’s common sense.

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Expand treatment capacity for addiction and mental illness, including medically assisted treatment, recovery housing, and long-term support.

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I will cut the bureaucratic red tape and impractical restrictions harming our farmers and ranchers. I believe in independence, innovation, and the right to thrive. I will defend a resilient “Made in America” food supply and safeguard farmers’ ability to farm and provide affordable, healthy choices for consumers.

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Federal tree plantations should be sustainably managed to produce renewable timber, materials for American homes, and family-wage jobs. Where restoration is the better use, selected overcrowded plantations should be converted into healthier, more diverse forests that can better withstand wildfire, insects, and disease.

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I support the right of our allies to defend themselves from terrorists and hostile regimes, but I oppose unlimited foreign aid without strict oversight. No taxpayer dollars should be spent without accountability. Americans deserve full transparency on how their money is used and assurance that every defense expenditure advances our national security.

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China is our foremost strategic adversary, and our government must remain vigilant and aggressive in maintaining strength and readiness every moment of every day. That is what China is doing. Our federal government needs bold, astute leadership in every elected position to include all Congressional representatives. National security is a core function of our federal government. Having served as a senior leader in our military for 30 years, I understand the threat China poses to our nation, our freedom, and our prosperity. I vow to continue to put American interests first. Always. I will work to hold the Chinese Communist Party and its leadership accountable for their hostile, invasive actions and end their technology theft, cyber warfare, trade exploitation, currency manipulation, institutional infiltration, and military aggression.

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Require accountability for publicly funded homelessness, addiction, and mental health programs by measuring outcomes, not intentions. Taxpayers deserve to know which programs are helping people achieve recovery, housing, and independence.

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I will also work relentlessly to remove federal barriers blocking development of the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay—an untapped economic engine with the potential to serve the entire Pacific. Strengthening our coastal communities means investing in durable infrastructure, addressing housing and childcare shortages, and attracting the skilled workforce needed to power long-term growth.

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When a fire starts, the Forest Service and BLM must suppress it immediately or authorize capable state, local, tribal, and private crews to act. I will demand transparency regarding response decisions, contract terms, expenditures, and fires that escape initial attack. Our priority must be protecting lives, communities, and forests—not sustaining an increasingly expensive and lucrative wildfire industry.

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Supports sustained-yield timber production and restoring legally required revenue to O&C counties.

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It is essential to peace on earth that America stands against terrorism and stands proudly and strongly with its allies, including Israel. America should and must defend herself against all enemies, and I support all nations in defending themselves against attacks on their people and their sovereign lands. When elected, I will ensure that Israel and its enemies never doubt that America will stand for Israel and against terrorism. This clear rejection of terrorism will also deter similar terrorist attacks on our homeland.

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We must secure the border, enforce the law, remove dangerous criminals—and finally create an immigration system that works.

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Support deflection and diversion programs that connect people to treatment, while maintaining accountability and meaningful consequences, before they enter the criminal justice system.

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Supports moving the revised plan forward to improve forest health, increase responsible harvests, and stabilize rural counties.

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As your Congresswoman, national security will remain my top priority. I will support an all-of-the-above approach to border security using physical barriers where appropriate, advanced sensors and drones, strong cybersecurity, and a properly staffed Border Patrol empowered to enforce the law.

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Increase housing supply by reducing regulatory barriers, streamlining permitting, and encouraging affordable workforce housing. I also support responsible forest management and sustainable timber production on public lands, creating family-wage jobs while generating revenue for counties, public safety, roads, schools, treatment programs and treatment facilities.

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I will work to close asylum loopholes, prevent the return of catch-and-release policies, and ensure that our laws never again create incentives for mass illegal entry.

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Expand support for veterans experiencing homelessness and ensure they receive the benefits and services they earned.

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I support using every appropriate federal law-enforcement, intelligence, financial, and national-security tool to dismantle these criminal networks.

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We should judge every homelessness policy by one question: Is it helping people recover from their actual problem, become self-sufficient, and return to stable housing and productive lives? Whenever the answer is no, we should stop funding that failure and invest in solutions that work instead.

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Val Hoyle tells timber communities she supports active management, but her record too often follows the organizations that helped lock up our federal forests. I have one message throughout this district: manage our forests responsibly, protect our communities, restore rural prosperity, and demand results.

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Noncitizens who commit serious violent crimes, engage in human or major drug trafficking, participate in gang violence, or otherwise pose a serious threat to our communities, should be removed. State and local governments should cooperate with lawful federal efforts to keep dangerous offenders off our streets.

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We must return parents, teachers, and local education partners to the center of decision-making. As your Congresswoman, I will support a Parents’ Bill of Rights to ensure real transparency and accountability: full access to curricula, clear reporting on school performance, and genuine school choice. Parents deserve a primary, active role in their children’s education—not a one-size-fits-all system dictated by distant bureaucrats.

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My goal in Congress is to help restore the American Dream for working families. A strong, growing middle class is essential—and today it is struggling and shrinking. As your Congresswoman, I will champion sustainable private-sector job creation, especially for small and medium-sized businesses and the skilled trades. I will support policies that rebuild American manufacturing, lower the cost of goods, and improve affordability so Americans can live and work with pride and dignity.

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Prosperity requires government to get out of the way. We must cut excessive regulations, fix broken permitting systems, and reduce punitive taxation so Americans can keep more of what they earn and reinvest in their communities.

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I support a one-time opportunity to earn lawful status for long-settled, non-criminal residents who meet strict requirements. They should be required to: Come forward and register. Pass criminal and national-security background checks. Provide biometric identification. Resolve outstanding tax obligations. Demonstrate employment and self-sufficiency when able. Obey our laws and remain in good standing. Those who qualify should be able to live and work here lawfully rather than remain indefinitely in the shadows. This is not automatic citizenship. It is a path to lawful status with accountability.

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Crime is also driving up costs for law-abiding families. I support directing federal resources toward dramatically reducing property crime and theft that raise prices, inflate insurance costs, and force businesses to close. Inflation continues to crush family budgets and hit seniors on fixed incomes the hardest. This is not the future we want for our children or grandchildren.

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And there must be a firm line going forward: those who enter our country illegally after this reform is enacted should not receive the same opportunity. This must be a solution to an inherited problem—not an incentive to create the next one.

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In Congress, I will fight to end reckless, wasteful tax-and-spend policies coming out of Washington that fuel inflation, undermine affordability, increase the national debt, and place the American Dream out of reach for too many.

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I will work to streamline lawful immigration, modernize processing and fraud detection, reduce unnecessary bureaucratic delays, and protect family unity. People who follow our laws and seek to immigrate legally should not be trapped for years in an inefficient and outdated system.

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The storms and wildfires in our District have made one thing clear: energy is civilization, and it is a critical national and local security issue. As your Congresswoman, I will oppose ongoing attacks on Americans’ freedom to choose their energy sources. The first-world nation we currently enjoy must continue to ensure access to an array of reliable and affordable energy options without the threat of arbitrary government bans, penalties, or prohibitive taxes.

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Consumers and businesses—not distant bureaucrats—should decide when and how to adopt alternative energy options, free from prohibitive costs or forced transitions. To deliver on this, the government should pursue an “all of the above” energy strategy that strives to develop scientifically based, cleaner energy choices, protects our energy infrastructure, and ends reliance on sources of energy from hostile and unreliable nations.

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I support legal, efficient workforce immigration pathways that allow employers to meet legitimate labor needs while ensuring workers are screened, authorized to work, and protected from exploitation. That includes sensible merit-based immigration and temporary-worker programs that respond to actual workforce shortages.

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We should make it easier to hire workers legally—and harder to employ people illegally.

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I support a modern asylum system that allows claims to begin through secure processes before migrants make dangerous journeys to our border whenever possible, uses biometric and identity verification, rapidly screens fraudulent claims, and provides legitimate applicants with timely decisions.

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Protect the truly persecuted. Discourage fraud. Restore order.

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We need a fast, accurate national employment-verification system that allows employers to determine whether someone is legally authorized to work. Employers who follow the rules should be protected. Those who knowingly exploit illegal labor should be held accountable.

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Qualifying workers already here should have an opportunity to come forward, undergo screening, and transition into lawful employment as part of the one-time reform.

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Congresswoman Barbara Jordan captured the principle decades ago: those who should be admitted should get in, those who should be kept out should be kept out, and those who have no lawful basis to remain should be required to leave. That remains the right standard.

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Secure the border. Remove those who threaten us. Give long-settled, law-abiding people a rigorous way to get legal. Fix the front door. Close the back door. And never allow this crisis to happen again.

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Secure the Border. Fix the System. Restore the Rule of Law.

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I reject that choice. We can secure our border and treat people with humanity. We can enforce our laws and acknowledge the consequences of decades of government failure. We can remove dangerous criminals while giving long-settled, law-abiding people a rigorous opportunity to come into legal compliance.

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Enforce laws against public camping, drug use, theft, and disorder while ensuring adequate shelter and treatment options are available.

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Thinning overcrowded stands and removing dangerous fuel loads and ladder fuels.

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Sustainable-yield timber harvests and prompt, responsible salvage after fires.

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Prescribed fire and tribal cultural burning where they can be used safely.

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Protection of mature and old-growth trees through active management of surrounding fuels.

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Maintaining essential roads, trails, water sources, and evacuation routes.

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Rapid initial attack using federal, state, tribal, local, and private firefighting resources.