Dear friends,

“Resist.”

As we approach the presidency of Donald Trump, this is one word that I have heard from thousands of people in Oregon.

On the day of his inauguration, here are some of the actions I’ve taken over the last few months to fight back on the attacks on our values and ideals, including:

• NOT attending the inauguration, and instead spending the week in my district meeting with Oregonians and hearing their concerns;
  

• Calling on Congress to launch a bipartisan, independent investigation of Russian interference in our election;
  

• Demanding that the president-elect follow not just precedent, but the Constitution, and address what I believe are many conflicts of interest – as well as disclosing his tax returns;
  

• Demanding the firing of Steve Bannon as chief strategist to the White House;

• Renouncing presidential cabinet nominations, including Jeff Sessions, Rick Perry, Rex Tillerson, to name but a few. I believe their policies are reckless, reprehensible, and put the future of all Americans at risk;

• Defending the progress made in the last seven years under the Affordable Care Act, as well as defending Medicare, Medicaid, and critical funding for Planned Parenthood – all under attack;

• Opposing the establishment of ANY kind of Muslim registry;

• Decrying an increase in hate speech in Portland schools and across America;

• Calling for the protection of DREAMers, those brought to the United States as children who put their faith in us by registering under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program;

• Standing up for science and the environment, fighting against attempts to undermine President Obama’s important work to combat climate change.

I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Things are not good. We have our work cut out for us.

We may lose more battles than we win, but it’s important to fight for our ideas and values – even in the face of defeat.

You never win if you don’t fight. The recent failure of attempts to weaken ethics oversight was a result of millions of American voices speaking out in unison for what is right. We can change even the worst behavior if we are united.

I promise to continue resisting in the months and years ahead and working with you to try to make progress on the issues that are critical to Oregon and the nation.

As we go through this incredibly dangerous time in our history, I hope you will keep me informed of your thoughts, ideas, and opinions on matters facing our country. You can connect with me here.

I also send out short, but frequent, updates on key issues to let you know what is happening, when it happens. If you want to be added to that list, sign up here.

Courage,

Earl