Nap time.

Bringing Mobile Office Hours to Lewis County Today.

Recently I sat down with local small business owners to talk about the challenges facing grocery stores and producers in our community, how we can level the playing field for small business and support the economic agency of families putting food on the table. Thank you to our local independent grocers and farmers for talking with me about this complicated issue.

Last week, I voted again (for the sixth time) to stop this ill conceived war in Iran. He’s put our military in harms way, for no discernible value to our security or safety. And diesel's 7.50 in North Bonneville.

Ukraine is fighting a hot war now and they’ve sacrificed bitterly. I’ll always vote to stand up for my community and our national security. Thank you to the families who came out late on a school night to greet me and share the stories of loss and sacrifice. Slava Ukraini!

Tonight, I voted for even harsher sanctions on Russia. Every bomb we can stop Putin from buying is an innocent Ukrainian life we can save. I stand firmly with the Ukrainian people in their fight to protect democracy and end Putin’s fascist aggression.

I’m proud to represent one of the largest Ukrainian communities in America-people who have lost fathers, mothers, sons and daughters in the fight to defeat fascism. I’ll always stand with my community’s values, and am grateful for the 86 senators who voted to send this bill to the house. My vote today gets us one step closer to enacting these sanctions into law and I look forward to voting tomorrow to cut off the flow of Russian oil money fueling this war.

In rural communities, vote by mail is common sense–and for people with young kids or working shift jobs, it’s an easy and secure way to vote. That’s why last week I signed a bipartisan amicus brief urging SCOTUS to protect mail-in voting from administrative interference. Tonight they ruled in our favor. Our upcoming elections will be run fairly, so that all Americans have their ballots counted.

On 9/11 I was sitting in my 8th grade science class- I remember my teacher was a veteran and he promised us he’d take his last breath to keep us safe. 25 years later, it’s impossible to write a post on 9/11 without feeling the weight of sacrifice, and debt of service we owe to the countless Americans who’ve carried profound burdens for the security and freedoms we have.

Regardless of party or ideology, more and more Americans feel that Congress isn’t working for them. Americans feel disrespected by the failure to take responsibility for cleaning up the rules governing this body and are losing faith in a government that they view as unreflective of their communities and values. Last week, I brought those values right to the people that set the rules for Congress. It’s time for the House to take seriously the crisis in confidence in Congress, ban Members of Congress from sleeping with House staff, ensure working class people can testify in front of congress, and establish cognitive standards for members.

Bringing Mobile Office Hours to Thurston County.

Working waterfronts are kitchen table issues for us in Southwest Washington. Nobody wants a waterfront with only yachts and tents, but if we don’t stand up for the people who make their living on the water that’s what we’ll get. Yesterday, I was able to tour Pacific Seafood’s processing plant in Woodland to discuss how we can support high-quality American caught seafood and keep our coastal communities working.

Tonight my office is hosting a Service Academy Information Session.

Without respect for work, the American dream will always and only be a pipe dream. Great to celebrate Labor Day with folks who respect the skill, sweat, and sacrifice it takes to keep the American dream alive.

Working America is hanging on by a thread, trying to feed our families without being beholden to big government or big business. Standing around pointing fingers, debating -isms and making people photocopy their birth certificate every time they cast a ballot is not the job.

Sunday night my son pulled his first fish out of the Columbia river. What the DC bubble doesn’t get is that working waterfronts require working people. Nature is not a terrarium–and you don’t get effective environmentalism without the input of people who make their livelihoods and heritage on the water-whether we’re talking about lobsters or sea lions–working people need a seat at the table and electeds need to listen to them, not data from the 1990s.

On Tuesday Sept 8th, my office is hosting an information session for young leaders interested in applying to our nation’s military service academies. Interested high school juniors, or anyone 17-22 years old who lives in Washington’s Third District, can meet with representatives from service academies and learn about how to receive a congressional nomination. Every year, I’m impressed by incredible students from across Southwest Washington who take this step to serve their country and our community.

The preliminary CSB report findings make one thing very clear: This is bigger than one workplace or one set of regulations. It’s emblematic of an industrial policy—and an ethos of industrial management—that has too often separated the people making decisions from the people who actually have to live with the consequences.

When you live in a rural community, the nearest hospital might be 20 miles away– for people in the trades, young mothers and seniors that distance is a real anxiety. When people get sick or injured, they need to know they have access to care and treatment close by. That’s why I’m glad to see @OBHospitalMC doing the work to open up a new clinic in Long Beach. Thank you for giving me an early look at the new facility and talking with me about the challenges facing rural healthcare access.

Have you ever thought that it's really weird you can’t add pictures to laws? I see so many laws that would be clearer and more logical if we could just include a map or a blueprint. Congress recently passed my initiative to bring legislation into the 21st century and explore including images in the text of bills–this is a long overdue step in the legislative process.

Hard working families across the nation know the bitter reality of living with and paying off debt. As our national debt reaches $40 trillion Congress needs to take a page from our constituents, balance the budget, and restore fiscal stability to Washington.