Greg Walden: “this Congress and the last have failed to keep the Federal Government's commitment to the people who live near our…”

“this Congress and the last have failed to keep the Federal Government's commitment to the people who live near our national forests. This breach of faith means 100 hardworking county employees in Jackson County, Oregon, will lose their jobs in June. That is 10 percent of the county's workforce. Within 3 months, Jackson County will close all 15 county libraries and slash their road budget. Remember the heart wrenching search for the Kim family lost in the national forest in southern Oregon? Jackson County used their equipment to help in that search, equipment and personnel paid for by the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. As Jackson County Commissioner C.W. Smith said: ``Loss of this program is a national domestic funding crisis.'' I call on the Democratic leadership to put H.R. 17 on your 100-hour legislative agenda. Keep faith with rural schools and counties. Keep the word of the Federal Government to timbered communities.”