URGING TREASURY SECRETARY YELLEN TO REVIEW CHINESE OWNERSHIP OF OREGON TIMBERLAND

Last week, I began raising concerns after new reporting uncovered that a member previously associated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) owns 198,000 acres of timberland in Oregon – including Skyline Forest near Bend. Yesterday, I took further action and sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who also serves as chairwoman of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

I urged Secretary Yellen to review the $85 million transaction that was completed nearly a decade ago, raising concerns that it was approved despite the potential threat to U.S. national security interests. The purchase accounts for nearly half of all Chinese-owned farmland in the U.S., according to data published in a 2021 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“This is a systemic issue that transcends Republican and Democratic Administrations,“ the letter reads in part. “It is far past time for those who do not consider foreign adversarial land purchasing a threat to U.S. national security to take this issue seriously. We must continue the conversation toward reforms to CFIUS, the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act, which has not been comprehensively reformed since 1978, and other federal safeguards and provisions that will help advance the agricultural sector as a whole into our national security perspective and apparatus.”

You can read my full letter by clicking HERE or below:

PREVENTING A PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Yesterday, I voted in favor of a bipartisan stopgap measure to avoid a partial government shutdown. Like many of you, I’m frustrated that we seem to keep jumping from one budget crisis to the next. We need to get this government funding so we can turn to other important priorities. My full statement:

MEASURE 110 HAS FAILED

Since Measure 110 was implemented, overdose deaths and addiction have exploded. Oregonians recognize that it has been a failure and want change – we need to repeal Measure 110 before this crisis gets any worse. Watch:

RAISING CONCERNS WITH POTENTIAL BREACHING OF LOWER SNAKE RIVER DAMS

Several of my Pacific Northwest colleagues and I are deeply concerned about the potential breaching of the Lower Snake River Dams. During a Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing this week, I discussed how breaching the dams could disrupt supply chains and clean energy production:

SELECTED TO SERVE AS A VICE CHAIR OF THE CONSERVATIVE CLIMATE CAUCUS

Oregon plays a leading role in producing clean energy, and I’m honored to be a part of the Conservative Climate Caucus’ leadership team to bring Oregonians’ voices to the table.

As we transition toward a clean energy future, I’ll continue working with my colleagues on policies that protect our environment without overregulating or restricting domestic energy production.

We must embrace an all-of-the-above approach to lower costs for families and small businesses.

Learn more about the caucus’ mission and goals:

ONE MORE THING!

I’m sure many of you have been facing challenging weather conditions and power outages recently, and I hope everyone is staying safe and warm. Although the cold, snowy, and icey days aren’t always fun, I was grateful that last weekend’s weather gave me the chance to spend more time catching up with my family ❤️

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,