If the Democrats Take Back the House, What Will They Do With It?

The pollsters and prognosticators believe there's a good chance Democrats will win a majority in the U.S House of Representatives this year. But if they did, what would they DO with it?

On November 2, we will pose that question to our own U.S. House representatives—Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer. What will their top priorities be? Will they try to repeal the Trump tax cuts? Require that all Federal uniforms be made of hemp? Cut military spending and use the money to fight climate disruption? Who will be Speaker of the House? And how will they work with—or more likely against—the Trump administration.
 
We are saving extra time for audience questions into this session, so you will have a better-than-usual chance to quiz Suzanne and Earl yourself! Join us for a fascinating conversation into potential shifts in Washington in 2019 and beyond.

Guests

Suzanne Bonamici represents the First Congressional District of Oregon in the United States House of Representatives, which includes Washington, Yamhill, Clatsop, and Columbia counties and part of Multnomah County.

Strengthening public education is one of Suzanne's top priorities and one of the reasons she got involved in public service. Suzanne spent hundreds of hours volunteering in public schools before serving in the Oregon State Legislature, where she passed legislation to reduce duplicative testing. In Congress, she is the Vice Ranking Member and a leader of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Suzanne is dedicated to setting national policies that give students and educators support and opportunities they need to lead them to success in school and in life. She played a lead role in the passage of the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaces No Child Left Behind, reduces testing, puts more focus on well-rounded education, and gives more decision-making back to states and local districts.

Suzanne worked her way through college in Eugene, first at Lane Community College and then at the University of Oregon, where she earned her bachelor's degree and law degree. She is focused on making college more affordable and closing the skills gap so students enter the workforce with in-demand skills. Suzanne is the founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional STEAM Caucus, which aims to encourage innovation and creative thinking by integrating arts and design with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education.

Suzanne also serves as a member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and she is the top Democratic member on the Subcommittee on the Environment. From this position, she is working to address the causes and consequences of global climate change, and to make sure that policy decisions are based on science. As a representative of coastal Oregon and co-chair of the House Oceans Caucus, she is working to draw attention to issues that affect coastal communities, including ocean acidification, tsunami and earthquakes, extreme weather events, and marine debris.

In Congress, Suzanne focuses on federal policies that help working families get ahead and on building an economy that gives everyone the opportunity to succeed. She is a strong advocate for helping workers save for retirement and be financially secure. Suzanne also supports paid family leave, raising the federal minimum wage, and making sure workers have a voice on the job.  Suzanne is vigilant about making sure that women have access to a full range of family planning services.

During college and law school, Suzanne worked at Lane County Legal Aid. After law school, Suzanne was an attorney for the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C., where she was in the Credit Practices Division of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. In Congress, Suzanne has brought her commitment to consumer protection and access to justice to her work.

Earl Blumenauer represents the Third Congressional District of Oregon in the United States House of Representatives.

While still a student at Lewis and Clark College, he spearheaded the effort to lower the voting age both in Oregon and at the national level. He was elected to the Oregon Legislature in 1972, where he served three terms and Chaired the House Education and Revenue Committee in 1977-78. In 1978, he was elected to the Multnomah County Commission, where he served for eight years before being elected to the Portland City Council in 1986. There, his 10-year tenure as the Commissioner of Public Works demonstrated his leadership in transportation, planning, environmental programs, and public participation, all of which have helped Portland earn an international reputation as one of America’s most livable cities.

Elected to the US House of Representatives in 1996, Mr. Blumenauer has created a unique role as Congress’ chief spokesperson for Livable Communities: places where people are safe, healthy, and economically secure. From 1996 to 2007, he served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where he was a strong advocate for federal policies that address transportation alternatives, provide housing choices, support sustainable economies, and improve the environment. He was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee from 2001 to 2007, and vice-chair of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming from 2007 to 2010. He is currently a member of the Ways and Means Committee and the subcommittees on Health, Oversight, and Tax Policy.

Congressman Blumenauer’s academic training includes undergraduate and law degrees from Lewis and Clark College in Portland.

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