VISITING PORTLAND VA, HOLDING FORUM WITH VETERANS IN CENTRAL OREGON

On Monday, I had the opportunity to tour the Portland VA Medical Center to learn more about various health care services offered to veterans. The visit followed my successful efforts to secure $523 million for the facility to expand specialty care services and improve accessibility. Our veterans deserve the best care and attention possible, and I appreciated learning more about how I can support high-quality and accessible care for Oregon veterans.

The following day, I hosted a Veterans Policy Forum in Bend to share federal resources and answer questions about benefits and veterans’ legislation.

At this forum, I provided an update on my bipartisan HOME Act, which passed the House and would provide assistance to homeless veterans. I also spoke directly with Central Oregon veterans who expressed concerns regarding long wait times for accessing health care appointments and prescription medications. Additionally, I discussed various legislative items I’m leading to support veterans’ mental health, like cosponsoring the Not Just a Number Act and helping secure over $300 million in funding for the Veterans Crisis Line.

Listening to veterans’ stories and addressing their concerns will always be a top priority of mine. I look forward to taking this feedback with me to D.C. so I can ensure our veterans are getting access to the resources and benefits they have earned!

Veterans in the 5th District who are looking for assistance with federal agencies can contact my office at (202) 225-5711. Casework requests can also be submitted by visiting her website HERE.

INTRODUCING BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO CUT RED TAPE, STREAMLINE THE FEDERAL PERMITTING PROCESS

I was proud to join several of my colleagues this week to introduce the Full Responsibility and Expedited Enforcement (FREE) Act, which would cut through bureaucratic red tape by implementing a streamlined “permit-by-rule” system.

Right now, the permitting process is often burdensome and costly, resulting in project delays that hinder economic growth and development. Our bipartisan proposal would provide predictability to businesses and speed up domestic projects, helping reduce our reliance on adversarial countries like China.

Under permit-by-rule, agencies must grant all permit applications that meet objective permit standards within 30 days. You can learn more about the FREE Act by visiting my website:

NOW ACCEPTING INTERNSHIP APPLICATIONS FOR THIS FALL

My office is now accepting applications for our Fall 2024 Internship Session, which includes positions in my Washington, D.C. office and my district offices in Oregon City and Redmond!

The deadline to apply is Thursday, August 1. The session's beginning and end dates are flexible with applicants' school schedules. You can learn more and submit an application, including a resume and cover letter, by clicking HERE or on the graphic below:

REMINDER: JOIN MY NEXT TOWN HALL THIS COMING TUESDAY!

My next telephone town hall is right around the corner on Tuesday, June 25!

Our past town halls have averaged over 4,000 participants from every corner of the 5th District, and I hope you will consider joining your neighbors and being a part of the conversation. Dial in any time between 5:30 and 6:30 to ask questions and hear updates about my work in Congress.

Details:

LEBANON OPENS NEW FIRE STATION HEADQUARTERS

Last weekend, I had the honor of attending a grand opening ceremony for Lebanon Fire Station 31 – congratulations to Chief Rodondi and all those in the community who made this new headquarters possible! I appreciate our firefighters and will always work to support them in Congress.

VISITING WITH PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA

Last week, I also had the honor of meeting with Don Hedlind from Paralyzed Veterans of America. I appreciate the work his group is doing to empower our seriously injured heroes, and I’ll continue to fight for high-quality health care services for our nation’s veterans! 🇺🇸

ONE MORE THING!

Happy National Dairy Month! As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I’m honored to represent hard-working dairy farmers across the 5th District 🥛🐮

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,