Dear Friend,

The coronavirus pandemic has turned everything upside down for Oregonians and their families. We are grieving the Oregonians who have lost their lives to the virus, sending strength to those who are sick, doing everything possible to get needed equipment and resources to health care workers, and supporting one another during the most sudden economic crisis of our lifetimes. We are staying home to save lives. I want to share a quick update with you about what I’m doing to help. Please stay in touch and let me know how my office can assist you. 

Relief for Oregonians

• Provides Americans with a direct cash payment to support individuals and families
• Allocates more than $350 billion in grants and loans for small businesses to help them stay afloat and provide for their employees
• Significantly enhances unemployment insurance and expands access to more people
• Provides more than $150 billion for hospitals and health care systems

What I'm Doing To Help

Now more than ever, Oregonians need a forum to share their concerns and to be heard — so I quickly set up a telephone town hall meeting for last Friday. I reached out to public health expert Dr. Jennifer Vines to join the call and help answer medical questions. Nearly 3,000 Oregonians joined the conversation, and many shared heartbreaking stories about losing their jobs and their fear of losing everything. Thank you to all who joined.

Day to day, I’m constantly on the phone talking with local public health experts, superintendents, the Governor, Speaker Pelosi, my colleagues, health care providers, business owners, and working families struggling to get by. I called Dr. Robert Kadlec, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health and Human Services, multiple times to urge him to fulfill Oregon’s urgent request for personal protective equipment. I was glad that he offered to help, and relieved when a second shipment arrived this week. But we know we’re going to need more supplies soon, and I’ll continue to work to secure additional federal supplies for Oregon.

My staff is on the phone all of the time too: responding to constituents, asking federal agencies for assistance, and checking in with state and local entities. My office has always provided casework to help Oregonians who are facing an issue with a federal agency such as the VA, IRS, or Social Security and Medicare, and we continue to offer this important service to anyone in NW Oregon. In the last several weeks my caseworkers have been calling embassies around the world and advocating to help Oregonians get home from other countries. I am relieved that people have been able to return and we are continuing our efforts to help everyone abroad come home.

More information on how my office is working to serve Oregonians can be found here. 

Coming Together

As we face this pandemic, I know that much more needs to be done to protect health care workers, support families, and stabilize our economy, both in the short-term and long-term. I am committed to doing that work, and my team and I will be doing all we can to serve NW Oregon. Please protect yourselves and your families by following social distancing guidance, and keep reaching out to my office and me as we navigate this crisis.
 

Sincerely,

PS- Strengthening programs that benefit our seniors has long been one of my top priorities, and it’s never been more important than during the pandemic. I’m proud that the significant update I led to the Older Americans Act is now law.