Suzanne Bonamici

I have no further speakers on the underlying bill, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

The CSBG Program has a long legacy of reducing poverty in our communities, but we must not neglect the program's future.

This is a bipartisan legislation with no intention of removing faith-based organizations from participation.

I am hopeful that we can find common ground and discuss the shared policy goals.

Poverty is not inevitable in this country.

I've been a long-time supporter of helping borrowers with permanent disability.

I know we'll be following up on that to see how it's going throughout the process.

A recent estimate from the Federal Reserve found that Americans owe more than 1.7 trillion in student loan debt.

Small modular reactors, SMRs, have the potential to complement the use of renewable energy sources and support decarbonization.

I remain concerned about expanding our current nuclear fleet with existing commercial technologies.

I am glad the Biden administration has indicated they are going to re-regulate and bring back the Gainful Employment Rule.

Yet, Secretary DeVos completely rescinded the rule, to the detriment of students and taxpayers.

So to protect students and taxpayers, the Obama administration implemented the Gainful Employment Rule, and that was so students would not take on debt for higher education that did not lead to good jobs.

I want to ask you about the Climate Council. The council reflects, of course, as you mentioned, the Biden Administration's whole of government approach.

We also have the authority for developing the harmful algal blooms and hypoxia events of national significance

We're working with fishing communities due to--you may be aware that some of the crabbers off the Oregon coast now include dissolved oxygen sensors on their crab pots

What can Congress do to address these challenges?

For many years now hypoxic zones have been observed in the coastal waters off the Pacific Northwest.

There's a growing college affordability crisis in this country, and it started long before the pandemic.

We know that the Pell Grant delivers critical financial support to make college accessible, especially for our most historically disenfranchised students.

How can this hyperlocal data help to confirm investments that will improve the resilience of our communities for future extreme heat events?

We must recognize that the devastating heat dome disproportionately affected vulnerable communities, like the low-income neighborhoods that became heat islands.

Most heat related deaths are preventable, and we owe it to their families and friends to take action that will prevent further loss of life.

I know that our transition to a clean energy economy must support workers, and I'm working on a bill to establish a National Economic Transition Office.

We've woven environmental justice throughout the plan.