Friends –
When I took my oath of office to serve as an Oregon State Senator, I vowed to show up and work for our state. Each one of my 29 Senate colleagues swore the same oath.
This week, eleven Senate Republicans abdicated their duty and their oath by running away from the Capitol. By refusing to show up, they shut down our legislative process, hindering progress on critical budget and policy needs.
This is the third time in the last ten months that Senate Republicans have walked out on their jobs, leaving the rest of the Senate unable to convene and work on their constituents’ priorities. Their first walkout was over school funding. Now it’s about climate action.
These walkouts are an attack on democracy itself.
It’s time to take climate action now. From our warming coastal waters to devastating floods in Umatilla County, it’s becoming more clear that the climate crisis has arrived in Oregon. We must take action to stop the increase of wildfires impacting the air our children breathe. We must stop the reduction of the snowpack we depend on for drinking water and nourishment of our crops. We must listen to our children, marching in the streets to fight for our planet every Friday.
We have a strong mandate from the voters to pass the Greenhouse Gas Initiative. A mandate that puts a cap on emissions and creates a system of investments to transition Oregon to a clean energy economy.
I’m calling on my Senate Republican colleagues to show up to vote for a bill that Oregonians are rallying behind. (Or vote against it. Just show up and do your job.)
Senate Republicans know the dire need for work on human services, health care, and housing. It’s time for them to come back and allow the will of the people to be delivered.
Accepting a paycheck from the taxpayers while refusing to work is irresponsible and unethical.
Rob
