Last week found our congressional delegation spending less time writing – and it feels like a poignancy has set in for them. It’s not overwhelming. It feels appropriate, at least for now.
Rep. Val Hoyle’s website is newly offering links to help folks pursue their rights. It’s a timely addition. Tellingly, many of the resources are state rather than federal.
Meanwhile, Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have introduced offshore drilling legislation. One would have wondered a year ago if the bills we’re needed, if oil was finally gasping its last. But America’s energy sector is being reset into some kind of acid flashback 1950s time-travel tailspin. So here we are. The rest of the world is moving on and is done trying to talk us off the ledge.
We’d also note, as Wyden has, that we have allies issuing their citizens warnings over traveling to our land of the (free?) whatever it is now. You should really read his letter about that. Anyhow, without further ado, your DC crew’s week, last week…
Hoyle’s week…
Rights on top, fade at the bottom: Newly blazing across the top of Hoye’s website is a Know Your Rights banner that’s really a guide to resources to, you know, pursue one’s rights… maybe like when those rights are being threatened.
The guide is broken into sections for federal employees, LGBTQ+ folks, ethnic and minority groups and immigrant families. Given the current administration, many of the resources cited are Oregon state offerings – but there’s some federal helps noted as well.
Our take: No notes on just how long those resources will be in place. After all, it’s only been a short while since the red, white and blue was tossed into the washer. And it turns out those colors do run when improperly laundered, and now the fabric is taking on the kind of orange-ish hue that would generally motivate a body to run to the doctor. But let’s not start talking about medical care in this country. Nope, not going do that. Moving right along…
Pope Francis’ passing: Last Monday, Hoyle released a statement on the passing of Pope Francis:
“Today we lost a great and moral leader of the Catholic faith who epitomized the vision of social justice that I learned growing up in the Church. Pope Francis lived his faith and prioritized the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable. He recognized and put forward that the dignity of work could not be separated from the rights of workers to decent and fair wages, to the ability to organize and join unions.”
Hoyle continued, “In his encyclical letter, Fratelli Tutti, the core message was that universal fraternity and social friendship must be practiced together. His inspiring words and legacy for the Catholic Church, bringing it closer to the needs of the people, and to the world will not be forgotten:
“A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.” “Too often we participate in the globalization of indifference. May we strive instead to live global solidarity.” “Kindness is firm and persevering intention to always will the good of others, even the unfriendly.”
Merkley and Wyden’s week…
For ocean’s sake: On Wednesday, Wyden and Merkley announced they are co-sponsoring two bills that would permanently protect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans from the environmental and economic costs of fossil fuel drilling off our coastal shores. Merkley also announced he’s leading a bill to prohibit drilling in the Arctic, which Wyden also co-sponsored.
“The U.S. simply does not need to drill in the coastal waters of the Pacific. We have more than enough clean energy resources without putting Oregon’s outdoor recreation and seafood industries at risk,” Wyden said. “These bills are all about looking out for small businesses that depend on tourism and the fishing industry, rather than capitulating to the ‘oiligarchs’ whose only goal is to fatten their wallets, no matter the environmental and economic toil it could bring to our shores.”
“Offshore drilling guarantees future oil spills with devastating consequences: from oiled beaches to catastrophic damage to tourism, commercial sport fishing, and ocean ecosystems,” Merkley said. “Trump’s Dirty Energy First strategy would see his administration expand offshore drilling—all to enrich billionaire corporate polluters—but Senator Wyden and I are leading the charge to protect the Oregon Coast and beyond from dangerous offshore oil and gas drilling.”
The West Coast Protection Act would permanently prohibit new oil and gas leases for drilling off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington.
The Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism (COAST) Anti-Drilling Act would permanently prohibit the U.S. Department of the Interior from issuing leases for the exploration, development, or production of oil and gas in the North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida Planning Areas of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.
The Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act, led by Merkley, would permanently ban new or renewed leases for oil, gas, or mineral extraction in the Arctic Ocean Planning Areas of the Outer Continental Shelf, protecting one of the planet’s most fragile ecosystems.
This legislation comes following the 15th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which resulted in the deaths of 11 workers, 134 million gallons spilled into the Gulf of Mexico over 87 days, the demise of thousands of marine mammals and sea turtles, and billions of dollars in economic losses from the fishing, outdoor recreation, and tourism industries.
“The Pacific west coast economy provides over $80 Billion in GDP via industries like tourism, outdoor recreation, fishing, retail, and real estate, supporting more than 825,000 jobs. And BAPPC’s 8,100 business members rely on a clean ocean to drive their revenues and provide for their customers, employees and families. We strongly support the West Coast Protection Act and other legislation to prohibit new offshore drilling and protect our businesses by prioritizing a healthy coastal ecosystem,” said Grant Bixby, Founding Member, The Business Alliance for Protecting the Pacific Coast.
Full text of the West Coast Protection Act is here. Full text of the COAST Anti-Drilling Act is here. Full text of the Stop Arctic Drilling Act is here. To date, no Republicans have joined these bills.
For the humanities of it: Also on Wednesday, Wyden and Merkley said they joined several of their Senate and House colleagues to demand the Trump administration reverse its termination of congressionally-appropriated funding for grants administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Their letter follows the Oregon Democratic delegation’s denouncement of the administration’s egregious attacks on humanities funding earlier this month.
In this latest letter to Donald Trump and NEH Acting Chair Michael McDonald, the lawmakers wrote: “Overnight, on April 2, 2025, the NEH terminated all current five-year General Operating Support grants awarded to state and jurisdictional humanities councils. This funding provides the majority of operating support for state humanities council partners of NEH. The administration is also targeting NEH with the aim of terminating more than 1,400 other grant awards, substantially reducing its staff, and eliminating many of the agency’s previously announced grant programs. Such reckless actions will have a devastating impact on museums, historic sites, universities, educators, libraries, public television and radio stations, research institutions, and local humanities programming throughout our nation.
“For over 60 years, NEH staff have helped grantees, from individuals to museums and nonprofits, provide high-quality humanities programs to communities across the country, including 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils. NEH funds, allocated to state humanities councils, are for local use and allow councils to leverage $2 in private investment for every federal dollar spent. The loss of NEH funding to humanities councils will decimate the ability of these nonprofits to serve localities in their states, eliminating programs that are essential to each state’s cultural infrastructure. This will lead to significant job loss in communities that are the most vulnerable to the lack of federal support,” the lawmakers continued.
“These cuts will not provide significant savings for the federal government nor the American taxpayer, but they will impact millions who benefit from the far-reaching humanities programs, including our veterans, students, educators, and seniors. We urge the Administration to reconsider this decision. Supporting the NEH is not merely an investment in cultural preservation; it is also a crucial investment in community health, education, social development, and economic vitality,” the lawmakers concluded.
NEH funding provides the majority of operating support for state humanities councils. The Trump administration is also threatening to terminate more than 1,400 other grant awards at the NEH, substantially reducing its staff, and eliminating many of the agency’s previously awarded and announced grant programs.
Full text of the letter is here. No word on a White House response thus far.
Travel travails: For the one million folks who routinely travel into the U.S. daily, things have been, of late, not routine at all. And we are talking travel that is absolutely legal and had in the past been encouraged. So, on Friday, Wyden burned off a letter to the Trump administration demanding a return to normality. He made specific note of major upcoming global sporting events coming to our country like the World Cup, Summer Olympics and Paralympics.
In Wyden’s letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, he noted, “Over the past couple months, there have been numerous troubling reports of due process violations, mistreatment, prolonged questioning and detention, lengthy visa interview wait times, visa revocations, and arbitrary denials of entry of visitors and returning residents of the United States. This has turned ordinary travel into a needlessly grueling ordeal for tourists, business travelers, lawfully permanent residents, and U.S. citizens.”
Wyden pointed out that this administration’s approach to international travelers has prompted many countries around the world–including our allies–to issue warnings to their citizens against travel to the U.S. Additionally, law-abiding noncitizens are expressing concerns with travel to and within the U.S. and have either canceled travel plans or refrained from making them. This is leading to a noticeable decline in travel to the United States, resulting in a loss of revenue for businesses and American job losses.
Wyden went on to warn, “The United States is slated to host three major international sporting events in the coming years. These events should be a boon for local economies and the broader U.S. economy, but your actions toward travelers will jeopardize their success. The 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup is expected to be the largest sporting event in U.S. history, likely bringing five million international visitors and generating $5 billion in expected economic activity. Similarly, the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic games are expected to generate an additional $5 billion in economic activity for the United States.
Wyden expressed concern for the travelers seeking entry to the U.S. for these events, including the “extraordinary athletes, support staff, government officials, journalists, business owners and spectators,” who may be hesitant, or unable, to travel here because of this administration’s harsh and chaotic treatment of incoming travelers, including foreign-born athletes who proudly and lawfully represent U.S. teams.
“The United States has been preparing for these sporting events for years — billions of dollars are being spent — and your Departments should be working to ensure their success. Your Departments’ policies and practices must uphold travelers’ rights and maintain the security interests of the United States — these are not mutually exclusive. I therefore ask that you immediately cease activities that harm the constitutional rights of travelers, which in turn harm the U.S. economy, and rectify your practices to support the needs of those traveling to and from our country,” Wyden concluded.
Full text of the letter is here.
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