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A MESSAGE FROM VAL
Dear Neighbors,
I hope your summer is going well, I’m writing to let you know what’s been happening in Congress over the last month and I’m happy to be able to do that from home here in Oregon.
I also would like to thank the over 15,000 constituents who were able to join me who joined me and ask questions at my tele-town hall and Wildfire Preparedness Webinar with Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple this month. If you missed the Webinar, you can still check out a recording HERE. I would always rather be with you in person, but this is a way for me to be able to connect with many of you directly even while I am in D.C. voting and it gives our neighbors in rural communities the ability to participate without long drives. I hope to see more of you at my August town hall in Eugene.
I was incredibly disappointed that in July, Congressional Republicans started off the month by passing their partisan budget bill, H.R. 1, the so-called Big, Beautiful Bill, that gives millionaires and billionaires a multi-trillion-dollar tax break that is paid for, in part, by making the biggest cuts to our social safety nets in history. This legislation was brought out at 1 AM, with no public process or opportunity for bipartisan engagement. This is not normal.
I joined Congressional Democrats in offering over 520 amendments, throwing up procedural roadblocks and delaying the vote by over 29 hours so that the American people and affected groups would have an opportunity to see what was in the bill. In my experience, if you are doing something of this magnitude in the dark of night, there must be something you’re trying to hide.
My amendments would have scrapped harmful Medicaid provider tax changes that threaten rural hospitals, doubled Pell Grants to help low income students remain in school in the face of rising costs, protected timber revenue-sharing to our counties that would maintain funding for critical county services, and imposed a modest 0.1% Wall Street transaction tax to fund the programs that were on the chopping block. Unfortunately, my Republican colleagues rejected my amendments and passed this monstrosity that will saddle our children and grandchildren with a mountain of debt. This is irresponsible. Members of Congress should come to work acting in the best interests of their constituents and not solely on behalf of the politically connected or exclusively for people of their own political party.
But the fight is not over. Many of this budget’s worst provisions do not go into effect until late 2026 or beyond. I will not stop speaking out and fighting to reverse these dangerous provisions and restore the programs working families in Oregon rely on, while also working in a bipartisan way within our existing system to deliver for people throughout the district wherever possible.
Please remember my team is available to you if you need assistance with a federal agency or are having trouble getting through. Reach out on our website to file a casework request or give us a call. Whether you are having trouble getting your tax refund, need help expediting your passport application or need assistance accessing your Social Security or VA benefits – we are here to help!
If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact our office.
All the best,
Val
U.S. Representative Val Hoyle
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