Walden talks VA reforms, tariffs in Bend

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., addressed several issues during a visit to Bend on Monday, but his main focus was on the needs of veterans as he spoke to the Bend Band of Brothers.

Walden said he is hopeful that reform is right around the corner when it comes to providing for those who have served this country.

He said the government has made some big strides in protecting the active-duty military and getting better care for veterans. He pointed to the increased military budget in the recent government spending bill as one that will move things forward.

“This is a big gain — biggest investment in our war fighters in 15 years, biggest pay raise in eight years,” Walden said. “And our veterans are getting more access to health care that they’ve earned and deserved.”

Walden went on to say that his main goal is to put the needs of veterans first and provide them with more flexible options.

He added the that President Trump’s recent appointment of new VA Secretary Ronny Jackson could be a good thing for VA programs.

Walden also spoke about trade tariffs and their impact on Oregon.

He said he is not in favor of all of the tariffs that have been put in place by President Trump.

He said the tariff on Chinese aluminum and steel did not go through a proper governmental process ,and now there is retaliation to the decision.

But he added that other tariffs have helped the Oregon economy, including the one that has been put in place on Canadian plywood, which has helped to create more jobs here in the state.

But Walden said many of the goals Trump sought by the tariffs could have been accomplished in other ways.

“In the recent negotiations with (South) Korea, he actually walked back from that, once they agreed with some other reforms, so maybe it’s a negotiating tool,” Walden said. “Nobody negotiates quite like President Trump, and so I think we are going to have to see how this is going forward.”

Walden said that in the case of the plywood market, the tariffs were brought to the attention of the International Trade Commission before a decision was made to better understand the impact something like that could have on the economy.

Walden said he is also working to get better internet access to rural areas.

With a new focus on modernizing the Federal Communications Commission, Walden said they will be able to better build up a new 5G network for wireless devices and get fiber optic internet out to rural areas.

Walden said the new network could be 10 to 100 times faster then the wireless networks in place now.

“So we’re trying to, in this legislation, now law, … help clear the way for more investment in rural broadband, and quicker build-out of these 5G networks that hold great promise,” the congressman said.

Walden added that half of Americans don’t have a land-line phone any more and are dependent on wireless networks for information.

He said that by modernizing the FCC, they will be able to move forward more quickly with creating better internet access.