Dear Friend,

Walden Addresses Humanitarian and Security Crisis at the Border

Let’s be clear.  America is trying to cope with an unprecedented flow of people crossing our border illegally.  Our facilities are overwhelmed, and in some places, the conditions are intolerable and unacceptable.  I would encourage you to read the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General’s reports, to understand the magnitude of the problem. 

I led a bipartisan delegation to the border last July and just wrapped up a two-day, fact-finding trip this weekend to facilities in Texas and Arizona.  In addition to multiple briefings and hearings I’ve arranged or participated in back in Washington, I again, wanted to see firsthand what our Office of Refugee Resettlement and the Customs and Border Patrol are dealing with. 

I also wanted to learn more about how the emergency funds the President requested and that I voted for are being used to provide food, medicine, and shelter to those in our custody.  I’ll have more to report on this trip soon.

Walden Holds 13 Townhalls over 6 Days

Over the 4th of July district work period, hundreds of Oregonians turned out at the town hall meetings I held across the vast 2nd District.  I traveled 942 miles over 6 days and held 13 town halls. According to townhallproject.com, with 35 town halls held so far this year, I am in the top one percent of all Members of Congress in regard to town halls. Town halls are another important way to hear from people, in addition to the 70,000 letters, emails, and calls I’ve responded to in the last year. 

With fire season upon us, it was no surprise that people want more effort to reduce wildfire threats. We need Congress to pass the Resilient Federal Forest Act.  This would provide more tools for forest managers to reduce fuel loads and clean up after fires and plant new, green forests.  Other top issues included efforts to stop illegal spoofing and robocalls, efforts to bring down the high costs of drugs and health care, and the humanitarian and security issue at the border. 

I am so grateful to the many veterans and scouts—boys and girls-- who helped post the colors and lead the Pledge of Allegiance during the town halls.  

Walden Delivers Updates on Forests, Health Care at Vale Town Hall

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden assured a group of about 50 people Monday he remains focused on natural resource issues, lowering health care costs and ending robocalls.

The longtime federal lawmaker held a town hall session at the Vale Senior Center as part of a tour through eastern Oregon.

Cleaning up forests to cut down on fires is important, Walden said, especially after last summer. Then, he said, wildfires not only destroyed rich timberland but also created an environmental hazard.

“As fires rip through forests they also choke people in our communities,” said Walden. “So, we need to go in and do the work and thin out debris and we need to get on those fires faster.”

Click here to read more from Malheur Enterprise.

Greg Walden Announces 2019 Congressional Art Competition Winner

Every year, the U.S. House of Representatives holds an art competition for student artists.  This year, the Second District received 45 great submissions. The winner was Rachel Martino, a junior from North Medford High School. Rachel recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to see her artwork displayed in the national student art exhibit in the U.S. Capitol and attend a reception in her honor. While she was in Washington, I had the privilege to meet with Rachel.

We also had seven regional winners from across the district whose artwork will be displayed in my district offices. I am so grateful to all teachers, students, and families who participated in this year’s competition and made it possible. I encourage all student artist to apply for next year’s competition when the time rolls around, you can learn more about how to apply at www.walden.house.gov/artcompetition.

Greg Walden’s Legislation to Help Rural Veterans Becomes Law

Taking care of our nation’s veterans is one of my top priorities. I am always striving to learn how I can better ensure that they receive the benefits and services they earned through their service.

When I learned that bureaucratic delays were preventing veterans from getting timely appraisal on their homes, I went to work to successfully fix the problem by changing the law.  Some cases were so extreme that veterans lost out on homes they were prepared to buy because the seller couldn’t wait any longer for VA to do its job. In one case, the appraisal backlog caused such a delay that it left a veteran’s family temporarily homeless. That is unacceptable. In rural areas there is a shortage of appraisers, which results in this cumbersome backlog. That is why I coauthored a bill that would allow veterans living in rural Oregon to seek a desktop appraisal. My bill was included as a provision in the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, which the President recently signed into law. Now, veterans living in rural areas will have access to the services they need when seeking to buy a home.

Greg Walden Fights to Stop Robocalls from Burdening Oregonians

If you have a phone, then you’ve undoubtedly gotten calls from scammers using fake caller id.  These illegal robocalls are a menace. During the last Congress I wrote and passed the Ray Baum’s Act which gave the Federal Communications Commission new powers to go after overseas scammers.  Now, I’m working to pass legislation--the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act --which would require the phone companies to use their technology to stop these scammers from ever getting to your phone in the first place.  We should be able to trust that if someone is calling us it is a legitimate caller.  According to one study, last year 47.8 billion robocalls were placed nationwide, and this year the number is already up to 25 billion – that is 76 per person affected. My bipartisan legislation is making its way to the House Floor where I have no doubt it will get passed.

Rep. Walden’s effort to curb upsurge in robocalls is welcome

Robocalling is out of control in America.

Telemarketers and others — including those involved in illegal activity — have figured ways to beat the efforts such as do-not-call lists to bombard us with calls on our landlines and cellphones.

We have long said a serious national crackdown on robocalls is needed.

On Thursday U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore. — and representative of Umatilla County — teamed with U.S. House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr., D-New Jersey, to sponsor the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act.

Click here to read more from the Union-Bulletin.

Greg Walden Works to Help Oregon Recover from Severe Storms.

Across Oregon, storms have caused damaging flooding, mudslides, and landslides. I saw the damage from a flood event when I was in Mitchell for one of my town halls. In many places, you could still see the mud caked on the walls. In June, I joined members of the Oregon delegation and sent a letter to the President asking for a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Oregon. I am glad to say that the President listened has approved the declaration. The declaration will provide federal assistance to areas impacted by recent storms in Curry, Douglas, Grant, Linn, Umatilla, and Wheeler counties. I’m thankful that now local government, residents, and businesses can apply for loans, insurance relief, and additional aid as needed.

Ways My Office Can Help – Help with the VA.

We recently helped a WWII veteran with his VA Insurance Loan Repayment.  The veteran had been trying for a year and a half to reconcile discrepancies with his payments but every interaction with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) resulted in confusion and frustration. He reached out to our office for assistance and we were able to facilitate clarity that reconciled the account in a short span of time.

If you need help with VA, or any other federal agency, please reach out to my office at 800-533-3303. My staff is available and ready to assist you with problems you are having with federal agencies, and my office will do everything in our power to get results for you.

Thank you

I really appreciate all of those who turned out and participated at my town hall meetings so far this year, and I look forward to continuing to hold meetings all across Oregon’s great Second District. For a complete list of past town halls and my upcoming town hall meetings, please stay up to date with my schedule here.  

That’s all for this update. Remember, you can always keep in touch with me via email, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

It is an honor to represent you in the U.S. Congress.

Best regards,

Greg Walden
U.S. Representative
Oregon's Second District

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