I Put Oregon First, Always

I ran for Congress two years ago because I didn’t like the direction this country was going. As a small business owner, farmer and veterinarian, who built two small businesses from scratch, I know what it is to meet a payroll and have everything on the line every day. It’s that experience today’s Congress. And why I want to keep fighting to put Oregon first.

I’m proud of some of the job-creating projects I’ve helped bring to Oregon like more manufacturing jobs for Clackamas and Marion Counties and a new National Guard facility in Polk County that will create jobs and provide critical services to our brave warriors and their families.

And frankly we stole the NOAA fleet from Seattle which is bringing hundreds of jobs and $19 million in economic development opportunities to our central coast and surrounding areas.

At the same time I’m fighting to help small businesses create jobs. As the chairman of the finance and lending subcommittee on small business I wrote, introduced and passed a bill supporting $44 billion in new tax credits and lending opportunities and cutting bureaucratic red tape to help small businesses create or save an estimated 1.3 million jobs.

However, as we work to encourage job creation we need to realize as a nation that our current spending levels are not sustainable. Our government needs to do what Oregon families are forced to do every day – balance their budget and live within their means.

That’s why I voted against the big bank bailout, forced Congress to pay for new spending projects, passed a budget resolution reducing government spending, introduced legislation cutting $132 billion in government waste, voted against two congressional pay raises and even returned more than $100,000 from my office budget to taxpayers last year.

We also need to recognize and address the problems that caused this difficult recession. I’m proud to have supported tough new reforms to hold Wall Street banks accountable for the mess they made of our economy and new restrictions preventing unscrupulous credit card companies from taking advantage of Oregon families.

I ran for Congress two years ago because America was not where it needs to be. And make no mistake about it we have a long journey ahead of ourselves as we rebuild our state and national economy.

And I will continue to fight for the same priorities that led me to run for Congress in the first-place. Making it easier for small businesses to create jobs, cracking down on Wall Street while protecting Main Street, forcing the government to pay for what we spend and getting our fiscal house in order, and fighting every day to put Oregon first.

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