Our workforce system has been chronically underfunded.

Finding these investments in workforce programs and the support services will help us truly build back better.

I have had many conversations with local workforce boards, community colleges, labor unions, community-based organizations from across northwest Oregon.

These investments have made a significant difference for families in Oregon and across the country.

We should swiftly advance these bills.

We should work together again to renew these critical laws.

In Northwest Oregon, raging wildfires have made the air unhealthy to breathe. Ocean acidification, harmful algal bloom, and hypoxia threaten our fisheries. Droughts and extreme weather patterns jeopardize the livelihoods of our farmers…

For-profit colleges have preying on students, families, often by making unsubstantiated claims of the value of educational opportunities they offer.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity and the honor of meeting with several military veterans in northwest Oregon who told me about how they were defrauded by for-profit colleges that had misrepresented accreditation, tuition, and…

If someone is doing meaningful work at social services and earning low wages for example, that does not mean that they did get a good education, it likely means that their work is undervalued.

I thank Congressman Courtney for his leadership on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

we need intellectually curious critical thinkers to solve the challenges we face and it is at our peril if we don't recognize that, which is why I'm leading a bipartisan call for robust funding to Title 4A grants under the Every Student…

The urgent need to address intimate partner violence cannot be overstated.

These foundational programs are proven to be effective in addressing intimate partner violence.

Our grid needs to be clean, reliable, and, importantly, resilient to climate threats.

The climate crisis could affect every aspect of the grid, from generation, transmission, and distribution to demand for electricity.

It is unacceptable that in 2021, pregnant workers can still be forced to choose a healthy pregnancy or a paycheck when simple accommodations--such as providing seating, water, and bathroom breaks--would allow them stay safe on the job…

Congress recognized the need to protect older workers from discrimination when in 1967 it enacted the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

pregnancy is not a disability.

Every worker should be able to earn a living free from discrimination, but unfortunately, many women, people of color, older workers, workers with disabilities, and LGBTQ workers still experience persistent discrimination in the workplace…

Finally, I'd like to voice my strong support for the two other bipartisan bills under discussion today.

The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act is a bipartisan legislative fix that would restore the pre-2009 standard in age discrimination claims.

We must pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, so pregnant workers do not have to choose between healthy pregnancies and their wages.

We must swiftly pass the Protective Older Workers Against Discrimination Act to restore protections against age discrimination for older workers.

It is passed time for Congress to take action to make sure that all workers can earn a living without fear of discrimination.