Dear
Friend:
My
seventh
in-person
town
hall
of
the
year
took
me
to
Malheur
County,
a
region
that
has
felt
the
destruction
of
an
extremely
harsh
winter.
Unprecedented
snowfall
has
collapsed
hundreds
of
structures,
and
caused
hundreds
of
millions
of
dollars
in
damages
and
great
hardship
for
the
people
who
live
there.
During
my
visit
to
Ontario,
I
saw
first-hand
the
devastating
impact
this
year’s
snowfall
has
had
on
businesses,
the
area’s
economy,
and
especially
the
local
agriculture
industry.
I’ve
called
on
the
President
to
swiftly
make
a
disaster
declaration
so
the
local
communities
can
get
the
immediate
assistance
they
desperately
need,
and
I
am
hopeful
he
will
act
soon.
Click
here
or
on
the
image
above
to
view
KTVB’s
coverage
of
my
recent
town
hall
in
Ontario,
and
my
tour
through
the
city
to
see
first-hand
the
damage
from
this
year’s
winter
At
the
town
hall
meeting
in
Ontario,
I
provided
an
update
on
my
work
in
Congress
to
grow
jobs
in
rural
communities
like
Malheur
County,
cut
unnecessary
federal
red
tape,
and
fix
our
nation’s
health
care
system.
We
also
discussed
reining
in
government
agencies
such
as
the
Environmental
Protection
Agency
and
Oregon’s
Department
of
Environmental
Quality,
which
have
both
burdened
rural
economies
in
Oregon
with
overregulation.
I
will
continue
my
work
in
Congress
to
provide
relief
to
our
farming
and
ranching
communities,
who’ve
felt
the
brunt
of
an
overreaching
federal
government.
Thanks
to
all
who
participated
in
the
Malheur
Country
town
hall
where
we
engaged
in
a
thoughtful
and
substantive
discussion
on
improving
the
economy
in
rural
communities,
reducing
burdensome
regulations,
and
improving
our
nation’s
health
care
system.
I
encourage
you
to
continue
reading
for
more
about
my
recent
work
as
your
representative
in
Congress,
as
well
as
Oregonians
I
met
with
in
the
past
few
weeks.
Meeting
with
Oregonians
in
the
nation’s
capital
Members
of
the
Oregon
Potato
Commission
updated
me
on
federal
issues
affecting
the
agriculture
industry
in
Oregon.
Paula
Fong
and
Lee
Juillerat
of
the
Crater
Lake
Natural
History
Association
discussed
the
importance
of
taking
care
of
Oregon’s
only
National
Park.
I
share
Paula
and
Lee’s
deep
commitment
to
preserving
and
promoting
the
national
treasure
that
is
Crater
Lake
National
Park.
Representatives
who
work
hard
to
take
care
of
our
veterans
who
live
in
our
Oregon
Veterans’
Homes
gave
me
important
input
regarding
health
care
policy
and
funding
issues
they
face.
Continuing
the
process
of
rebuilding
our
nation’s
health
care
system
Click
here
or
on
the
image
above
to
hear
my
remarks
on
health
care
at
a
recent
House
Republican
News
Conference
The
House
Energy
and
Commerce
Committee
--
which
I
chair
--
continues
to
be
hard
at
work
rebuilding
our
nation’s
health
care
system.
Recently,
I
provided
a
brief
update
on
the
committee’s
health
care
work
at
a
news
conference
with
my
fellow
House
Republicans.
I
spoke
of
providing
Oregonians
with
access
to
affordable
health
insurance,
and
providing
states
like
Oregon
with
flexibility
to
innovate
when
it
comes
to
their
individual
health
care
systems.
I’ve
heard
from
farmers,
ranchers,
and
small
business
owners
who
are
experiencing
skyrocketing
premiums,
and
who’ve
not
been
able
to
keep
their
plan
or
doctor.
After
meeting
with
states
and
governors
across
the
country,
it
is
clear
that
this
is
not
sustainable,
and
the
federal
government
must
allow
states
to
innovate
to
solve
this
problem.
Our
state
of
Oregon
has
had
quite
a
bit
of
innovation
over
the
years,
such
as
the
Coordinated
Care
Organizations
(CCOs)
that
have
brought
better
health
care
outcomes
to
Oregonians
at
lower
costs.
These
are
the
great
ideas
that
are
out
there
in
our
states,
but
right
now
they
have
to
beg
permission
from
federal
bureaucrats
to
be
able
to
do
anything
innovative.
We
want
to
give
states
flexibility
and
provide
all
Americans
with
better
health
care.
We
will
accomplish
both
goals
in
legislation
we’ll
be
considering
in
the
near
future.
Protecting
patients
with
pre-existing
conditions
While
we
work
to
repair
our
nation’s
failing
health
care
system,
patients
remain
the
focal
point
of
our
efforts.
At
town
hall
meetings
around
Oregon,
I’ve
heard
a
clear
message:
we
need
to
guarantee
our
health
care
system
works
better
for
all
Oregonians.
I
am
committed
to
protecting
patients
living
with
pre-existing
conditions
--
period.
By
focusing
on
patient
centered
reforms,
we
will
increase
access
to
quality,
affordable
care
and
guarantee
that
all
Oregonians
are
protected
from
unfair,
higher
premium
costs
simply
due
to
how
healthy
or
sick
they
may
be.
That’s
why
I’ve
introduced
the
Pre-Existing
Conditions
Protection
Act.
This
legislation
aims
to
reaffirm
guaranteed
health
care
access,
ensure
that
enrollees
cannot
have
benefits
excluded
from
a
plan
due
to
a
pre-existing
condition,
and
that
patients
will
not
pay
more
based
on
their
health
care
status.
This
legislation
is
just
another
step
toward
keeping
our
commitment
to
fix
the
problems
with
our
health
care
system
and
protect
vulnerable
patients
from
being
treated
unfairly.
As
I
continue
to
work
hard
to
rebuild
our
nation’s
health
care
system,
I
will
always
aim
to
put
what’s
best
for
patients
first.
I
also
appreciate
the
input
I’ve
received
from
people
who
have
benefited
from
Oregon’s
approach
to
providing
care
to
those
most
in
need.
We
need
to
give
other
state’s
the
flexibility
we’ve
had
to
innovate
and
work
toward
achieving
better
health
outcomes.
To
read
more
about
this
bill,
please
click
here.
Modernizing
Oregon’s
energy
infrastructure
Click
here
or
on
the
image
above
to
view
my
remarks
at
a
recent
hearing
of
the
Energy
and
Commerce
Committee
regarding
updating
our
nation’s
energy
infrastructure
At
a
recent
hearing
of
the
House
Energy
and
Commerce
Committee,
I
spoke
of
the
importance
of
updating
America’s
energy
infrastructure.
As
technology
continues
to
change
the
way
we
go
about
our
daily
lives,
we
also
have
to
rethink
how
we
deliver
and
consume
electricity.
This
is
especially
true
in
central
Oregon,
where
an
outdated
power
grid
is
preventing
economic
growth.
Last
month,
I
convened
a
meeting
with
city
of
Prineville
officials,
the
local
power
utility
and
representatives
of
the
Bonneville
Power
Administration
to
discuss
the
lack
of
access
to
enough
electricity
to
meet
the
demand
of
a
potential,
major
new
employer. Most
of
us
were
surprised
and
disappointed
to
learn
that
the
electrical
grid
in
Prineville
is
not
sufficient
to
support
that
proposed
project,
and
it
could
take
three
years
or
more
before
the
city
could
get
the
electricity
this
community
needs.
That
is
not
acceptable.
We
need
action
to
modernize
America’s
energy
infrastructure,
so
that
communities
in
Oregon
--
like
Prineville
--
can
reach
their
full
economic
potential.
We
can’t
keep
losing
out
on
new
jobs. The
Energy
and
Commerce
Committee
will
be
at
the
forefront
of
tackling
this
challenge
head
on.
Boosting
Oregon’s
transportation
priorities
Recently,
I
called
to
congratulate
Elaine
Chao
on
becoming
Secretary
of
Transportation.
I
also
took
the
opportunity
to
discuss
our
nation’s
infrastructure
needs
and
Oregon’s
transportation
priorities.
During
our
conversation,
she
confirmed
to
me
that
--
contrary
to
some
reports
--
there
is
no
list
of
the
Transportation
Department’s
priorities
that
excludes
Oregon.
Period.
Having
known
Elaine
for
years,
I
am
confident
that
she
will
work
closely
with
me
on
our
district’s
needs,
and
that
Oregon’s
initiatives
will
have
the
support
of
the
Department
of
Transportation.
I
look
forward
to
working
alongside
Secretary
Chao
as
we
seek
to
achieve
Oregon’s
long-term
transportation
goals
and
upgrade
America’s
vast
infrastructure.
That’s
all
for
this
update.
Remember,
you
can
always
keep
in
touch
with
me
via
email,
Facebook,
Twitter,
and
Instagram.
Best
regards,
Greg
Walden
U.S.
Representative
Oregon's
Second
District
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