Wyden says he will vote against House funding bill

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced Wednesday he will vote against another short-term spending bill that fails to extend DACA protections for more than 11,000 Oregon Dreamers and hundreds of thousands of undocumented youth across the country. He said the bill also fails to extend Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding for the long-term, which would save taxpayers $6 billion.

“In the face of a cruel and arbitrary deadline forced by the Trump administration, Dreamers in Oregon and across the country continue to show courage in their passion for the United States. I will vote against this spending deal because it fails to permanently protect Dreamers and does not honor the brave contributions these young Americans are making to our country every day,” Wyden said.

“There is a bipartisan solution on DACA and many other important issues before Congress including funding for Secure Rural Schools, deadly wildfires and other natural disasters. Instead, congressional Republicans chose a partisan giveaway of $1.5 trillion in tax cuts for multinational corporations that leaves 13 million Americans uninsured.

“I am also disappointed that Republicans turned away from a historic opportunity to make CHIP permanent and address other health care priorities like funding for Community Health Centers, which provide crucial front-line health care to Oregonians. It’s a sad state of affairs when Americans’ health care, especially for kids, continues to take a back seat.

“This bill fails to do the hard work of trying to improve our country’s economy and creating jobs, and instead it kicks the can while leaving Dreamers, vulnerable kids and so many other Americans behind,” Wyden said.