Democratic Proposals

Floor Speech

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Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to be here. I appreciate the opportunity from my colleague from California (Mr. Garamendi).

I rise today to join my Democratic colleagues in voicing our unwavering commitment to protecting the vital programs that Americans rely on, prioritizing the working families that I represent over millionaires and billionaires.

Last night, I stood with every single Democrat in this House to vote against a devastating budget advanced by House Republicans to enrich the ultrawealthy at the expense of our working families.

I grew up in a working-class family. I am the first and only person still to have gone to college and graduated in my family. A union job offered me the opportunity at 16 to pay my way with rent and food costs in the city of Seattle, and then to go to college. There is absolutely no way that anyone in my district can do that with a part-time job at an entry-level grocery store position.

House Republicans' plan is to pay for $4.5 trillion, with a t, in tax giveaways for the Elon Musks of the world to gut the programs that allow Oregonians to afford healthcare, put food on the table, and keep a roof over their heads.

As a physician, I know that access to healthcare is literally a matter of life and death. I am terrified about what it means for my district, where 200,000 people are at risk of losing their healthcare. Many of them are children, disabled members of our community, and our seniors. They will have to go without Medicaid services.

Now, don't get me wrong, it does not say anywhere in that budget resolution that healthcare and Medicaid are going to get cut, but make no mistake, $880 billion in tax cuts cannot be done any other way.

In the days leading up to this vote, I received heart-wrenching call after heart-wrenching call from constituents desperate for an answer as to why the Trump-Musk administration is pursuing this agenda of cruel chaos and how they will survive it.

To each of those Oregonians who called, please know that no matter the odds, I will use every tool at my disposal, with my colleagues, to expose this great betrayal for what it is. I will stop at nothing to safeguard the programs that my constituents rely on, and I will call on my Republican colleagues to have courage in this moment of great need for their communities as well.

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Ms. DEXTER. Yes.

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Ms. DEXTER. I am a pulmonologist, meaning I take care of people with lung disease, and a critical care physician, caring for people who are on life support in our intensive care units.

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Ms. DEXTER. It is Oregon's Third Congressional District, which is Portland to the beautiful mountain, Mount Hood, which is emblematic of our State.

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