Suzanne Bonamici

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Oregon is facing an unprecedented crisis with homelessness and an urgent lack of affordable housing. It will take state, federal, and local leaders working together to help solve this crisis and to get people into safe, supportive housing. As a co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness, I’m advocating for individuals and families who are housing-insecure, including the millions of Americans facing eviction or foreclosure.

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Health care is a human right. Our health care system is too complicated, too expensive, and leaves too many people out. With the current system, many families are burdened by medical debt or can’t afford the care they need. We need affordable, accessible health care for everyone, and all proposals to achieve that, including Medicare for All, must be on the table. No one should have to choose between putting groceries on the table and paying for medicine, which is why I’m working to lower the cost of prescription drugs.

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Reproductive freedom and the right to abortion care are under attack. The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade has been devastating and dangerous. Politicians and judges have no business dictating the intensely personal decision about whether and when someone bears a child, and history shows that laws restricting abortion do not work; they only restrict safe abortion. I will always stand up for reproductive rights, including abortion care, access to family planning and contraception, and affordable health care services. Access to contraceptives and reproductive health care reduce health costs for individuals and the health care system and reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies and abortions.

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In Northwest Oregon, the warming ocean, droughts, more frequent extreme weather events, wildfires, and hazardous smoke increasingly threaten the environment, economy, and public health. I’m proud of our work to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in history. This transformative bill supports an equitable transition to renewable energy and creates good paying jobs in emerging industries. But that work is under attack now. Congress should be taking meaningful action to confront the climate crisis, but we are now in defense and trying to save whatever programs we can to help with a just transition to renewable energy.

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I have spoken with many small business owners about their struggles in recent years; rising costs, fallout from the pandemic, lack of access to capital, and uncertainty caused by tariffs are threatening the survival of too many businesses. We must provide them more support and focus on bipartisan solutions to improve their likelihood of success, including the removal of unnecessary restrictions that limit what credit unions can do to serve their small business customers.

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Address income inequality and lower costs:As the late Senator Paul Wellstone said, “we all do better when we all do better.” But right now, inflation, Trump’s chaotic tariff policy, and unfair corporate practices are driving up prices for Americans and making it harder to get ahead. By protecting consumers, raising the federal minimum wage, supporting small businesses, ending chaotic and nonsensical trade policies, and enforcing antitrust laws, we can help make life more affordable for everyone.

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Expand Paid Family Leave and Sick Days: In today’s workplace, taking time off to bond with a new baby or to care for a sick loved one is a luxury few can afford. We are the only industrialized nation that does not require some level of paid family leave, which means too many parents and caregivers are put in the impossible situation of having to choose between their need to earn a paycheck and caring for a new baby or sick family member. I am working to pass legislation that will provide 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a newborn or adopted child or a sick family member, and at least seven job-protected paid sick or safe days.

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To solve our housing crisis, we must immediately increase the supply of affordable housing. I’ve secured more than $6.25 million in funding to build hundreds of affordable housing units in NW Oregon. I’m also working to increase funding for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) to incentivize the construction of more affordable housing. Access to a living wage job, job training opportunities, and universal health care will also help people who are unhoused.

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The Inflation Reduction Act took a meaningful first step to lower monthly out-of-pocket insulin costs for seniors to $35/month, saving them hundreds to thousands of dollars a year. I will continue to work to make prescription drugs affordable for everyone. I am also a strong supporter of medical research and support investments in the National Institutes of Health so our country can lead new, innovative treatments and cures for diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, Parkinson’s, mental illness, substance-use disorders, and more.

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I have long been an environmental leader in Congress. I served as the top Democrat on the Environment Subcommittee in the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and I continue to serve as co-chair of both the bipartisan Oceans Caucus and the bipartisan Estuary Caucus. I’ve also championed legislation to help capture the power of the ocean as a way to reduce carbon pollution, and I’ve secured additional funding for NOAA to address harmful algal blooms and hypoxia that plague the Oregon coast and other bodies of water across the country. I’ve been a leader in cleaning up marine debris by leading the bipartisan Save our Seas Act, which was signed into law in 2018, and updates to the law, including the bipartisan Save Our Seas Act 2.0 Amendments Act, which the House passed in spring of 2024. The climate crisis is an existential threat and a national emergency, and I will continue to fight for meaningful and effective policies to reduce emissions and protect our planet for generations to come.

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Unfortunately, the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans have set their sights on dismantling Social Security. It’s alarming and unacceptable. These are earned benefits that must not be taken away from those who has been paying into the system for their entire working life. I will continue to oppose privatizing Social Security and I will fight ending Medicare as we know it. These efforts would impose thousands of dollars in extra costs on older Americans. I am a vocal advocate for giving Social Security recipients a cost-of-living adjustment so their payments keep up with the rising costs of housing, medication, and other basic needs.

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Fix our broken tax system: We must fix our broken tax system so everyone has a chance to get ahead. Republicans have passed tax cuts for corporations and billionaires, so working people pay more and the wealthiest pay less. We must repeal Trump’s tax cuts and implement progressive rather than regressive tax policy so those at the very top pay their fair share.

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Make Child Care Affordable and Accessible: Oregon has very high child care costs – and so does most the country. We have more children in need of care than slots available, driving the prices even higher. I have secured significant additional funding for child care providers in the past, and I am fighting for continued federal funding to make child care and early childhood education affordable and accessible. The best investment we can make is in our children. Investing in quality early childhood education will save money in the long run and, importantly, give Oregonians and Americans the opportunity to create a better life and a better future for their children.

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And Congress must increase funding for behavioral health services and addiction treatment, as well as other social safety net programs that support those on the brink of homelessness.

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Unfortunately, Republicans are trying to take away health care from millions of Americans and raise premiums for many more. I’m doing everything I can to stop these attacks and protect coverage for everyone. You deserve better.

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With public education under constant attack by the extremist Trump administration and Republicans, we must stand up for public education and against hate and discrimination. I have consistently spoken out against attacks on the First Amendment, including proposals that would allow book banning and censorship. Importantly, we must stand up for the LGBTQIA+ community. Every student deserve to feel safe and be safe in school. It is unconscionable that Republicans are using students to try and further divide us.

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When I visit and speak with the workers and owners of family farms, artisan shops, manufacturers, theaters, wineries, craft breweries, and other diverse small businesses in NW Oregon, I am inspired by their creativity and resilience. I will continue to stand with and be a voice for small businesses.

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Invest in infrastructure: With Democratic leadership, Congress passed a massive bipartisan investment in infrastructure that is helping Oregonians and Americans find good jobs building and maintaining roads, bridges, public transit, ports, water systems, schools, broadband, and electric grids. By retrofitting buildings and increasing energy efficiency, we can create good jobs and save energy and money while helping to address the climate crisis.

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Make Retirement Secure: For decades, workers achieved retirement security through a combination of employer-provided pensions, personal savings, and Social Security. Today, however, significantly fewer employers provide retirement plans to their workers and Social Security is at risk. Workers deserve retirement security they can count on.

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Despite the extreme challenges of this Congress, I’m working on legislation to convert unused buildings into affordable housing, create funding for affordable housing paired with child care centers, and increase access to transitional housing for those in recovery.

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Support workers and increase the federal minimum wage: We are seeing constant attacks on the rights of workers to earn fair and prevailing wages, organize, collectively bargain, stay safe on the job, and avoid discrimination. The labor movement created and grew the middle class and gave workers a voice on the job. I support the rights of labor unions and I’m helping to lead the fight to protect the right of workers to organize. I also helped the House pass legislation to raise the federal minimum wage, which has been stuck at $7.25 an hour for more than a decade, and I have championed efforts to address wage discrimination.

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Expanding access to high-quality early learning opportunities so every child, regardless of background, family income level, or ability, can start kindergarten ready to learn.

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Invest in apprenticeships and workforce development: As a member of the Committee on Education and Workforce, I know that everyone deserves a path to success – and I also understand that not everyone is on the same path. The job market is changing, and we must create a path to a good job for all workers, especially women and people of color who have historically faced barriers to employment. I’m focused on expanding workforce training and Registered Apprenticeships here in Oregon and across the country to prepare for the future of work and respond to local workforce needs.

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Addressing resource inequities in K-12 education so states and school districts can provide safe facilities, counseling services, advanced courses, technology, extended learning opportunities, world language learning, rigorous career and technical education programs, and a well-rounded curriculum that includes the arts.

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Making college more affordable by protecting and expanding existing federal student aid programs like Pell Grants and Federal Work Study. In the short term, we must follow through on the promise of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program by forgiving loan balances after ten years of public service. We should keep student loan interest rates low and help borrowers better manage student loan debt through easier access to income driven repayment plans. I support making higher education debt free. I worked my way through community college, college, and law school, and understand the importance of access and affordability.

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I’m a strong proponent of public education. My husband and I attended public schools, and so did our two children. Our kids started school a few years after the passage of Measure 5, which limited funding for public education. As a parent I saw the devastating consequences of budget cuts, and I became an active volunteer and advocate. This experience strengthened my commitment to great public schools for all children, public schools where students thrive and educators have the resources and support they need.

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I helped care for my mom and stepfather in their later years, so I experienced firsthand the challenges of being a family caretaker. Everyone should be able to live with dignity and respect as they age, which is why a secure retirement and earned benefits like Social Security and Medicare are so important.