MY NEW BILL TO REIN IN WASTEFUL SPENDING

As the vice chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, I introduced legislation this week that would help save your tax dollars by making commonsense reforms to federal government real estate practices.

My proposal, known as the Federal Oversight of Construction Use and Safety (FOCUS) Act, would require the General Service Administration (GSA) to notify Congress in the event of rent escalations and provide detailed reports to Congress on office space utilization rates. It would also encourage federal agencies to share space to improve collaboration and rein in unnecessary spending on office space.

Separately, I also introduced the Impact of Crime on Public Building Usage Act, which would commission a federal study on how crime in and around public buildings affects building usage, commuting methods, and costs of maintaining public buildings. I want to ensure federal employees don’t feel threatened or endangered in or around the workplace.

Simply put, these proposals would help improve safety for our federal workforce while saving taxpayer dollars. Learn more:

HONORING FIRST RESPONDERS

This week, I had the pleasure of meeting Oregon first responders Carol Boies, Victor Hoffer, and Sean Fuller. They received the American Ambulance Association's Star of Life Award for helping save lives. Among other acts of bravery and heroism, Carol and Victor helped save the life of a nine-year-old girl, and Sean helped talk someone out of taking their own life.

It was an honor to thank and congratulate them in person – I’m grateful for all of our first responders who confront stressful situations to help people and save lives!

INTRODUCING LEGISLATION TO HELP LOWER PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS

I joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues to introduce the Delinking Revenue from Unfair Gouging (DRUG) Act this week. Our proposal tackles practices used by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) – the prescription drug industry’s middlemen – that drive up costs for medications.

Specifically, the DRUG Act would implement a flat-fee compensation system to streamline drug price negotiations – lowering costs by improving transparency and reducing administrative burdens. It would also ban practices like “patient steering,” which occurs when a PBM encourages or requires patients to use its affiliated pharmacies instead of a pharmacy that is most convenient for the patient.

I’ll continue working in a bipartisan manner to bolster transparency and accountability in the health insurance industry to make health care more affordable for Oregon seniors and families.

Learn more about the specifics of the DRUG Act here:

CASEWORK HIGHLIGHT – IRS REFUND

My office recently helped a constituent secure $103,000 they were owed from the IRS.

Navigating the federal bureaucracy to fix a problem doesn't have to be complicated – let us help you!

➡️ https://chavez-deremer.house.gov/services/help-federal-agency

SUPPORTING LEGISLATION TO PREVENT FOREIGN INFLUENCE IN OUR CLASSROOMS

On Wednesday, the House Education and the Workforce Committee passed a bill that I cosponsor to prevent our adversaries from influencing what's being taught in our nation's classrooms.

As we work to build a stronger and more competitive education system, the DETERRENT Act:

Slashes the foreign gift reporting threshold for colleges and universities from $250,000 down to $50,000, with an even stricter $0 threshold for countries of concern like China.
Closes reporting loopholes and provides transparency to Congress, intelligence agencies, and the public.
Requires disclosure of foreign gifts to individual staff and faculty at research-heavy institutions to protect those targeted the most by our adversaries.
Holds our largest private institutions accountable for their financial partnerships by revealing concerning foreign investments in their endowments.
Implements a series of repercussions for colleges and universities that remain noncompliant in foreign gift reporting such as fines and the loss of Title IV funding.

ONE MORE THING!

To all of the brave men and women who have served our country in the Armed Forces, happy Veterans Day and thank you for your selfless service to our country!

Thank you for reading my weekly newsletter. It's an honor to be your voice in the U.S. House of Representatives. Your thoughts, concerns, and comments are very important to me. Always feel free to get in touch by calling (202) 225-5711 or by visiting my website at chavez-deremer.house.gov.

Sincerely,