Dexter’s recent statements center on two themes: affordability for working families and U.S. policy toward Cuba, which she raised after a congressional delegation trip. She often supports her arguments with concrete specifics—a $3,800 household cost figure, a $27 billion VA contract, details from a Havana hospital she toured—and draws on personal history, including her working-class upbringing and her career as a physician. She attributes blame directly to Republicans and the Trump administration, at times in strong terms such as accusing them of ‘lying to the American people’ and describing policy as ‘intentionally suffocating’ Cuba, and frequently poses rhetorical questions she does not pause to answer. Her stated goals are specific where they appear—restoring normalized relations and fuel access for Cuba, lowering rent, groceries, healthcare and gas costs—and she closes with direct appeals to action such as ‘Stay loud.’Written by AI from their statements. Updated .
“Working families are falling behind because life is too expensive. Republicans are helping billionaires instead of lowering the cost of rent, groceries, healthcare, and gas. The government should invest in working families and put regular people first.”
“Mr. Speaker, I care deeply about the people who I represent. Working families in Oregon are doing everything right, and still they are falling behind. Instead of making life more affordable, this administration has cost the average American household an additional $3,800 since last year. What are Republicans doing about it? Not a single thing. That is why I fought to subpoena Oracle executives over a $27 billion VA contract yesterday. Corporate greed should never come before veterans and our taxpayers. We kept the government funded, but where are the votes to lower rent, grocery bills, healthcare costs, or gas prices? Republicans are focused on giving tax breaks to billionaires and lining their pockets, all while lying to the American people about what is going on. Mr. Speaker, I grew up as a working-class kid. I had the shot at the American Dream because the government chose to invest in families like mine. My opportunity should be there for every child across this country. The Federal Government should put the American people first and not billionaires and corporations. A better future is possible if we fight for it. Mr. Speaker, I can assure you that I came to Congress to do just that. Stay loud.”
Mr. Speaker, I care deeply about the people who I represent. Working families in Oregon are doing everything right, and still they are falling behind. Instead of making life more affordable, this administration has cost the average American household an additional $3,800 since last year. What are Republicans doing about it? Not a single thing. That is why I fought to subpoena Oracle executives over a $27 billion VA contract yesterday. Corporate greed should never come before veterans and our taxpayers. We kept the government funded, but where are the votes to lower rent, grocery bills, healthcare costs, or gas prices? Republicans are focused on giving tax breaks to billionaires and lining their pockets, all while lying to the American people about what is going on. Mr. Speaker, I grew up as a working-class kid. I had the shot at the American Dream because the government chose to invest in families like mine. My opportunity should be there for every child across this country. The Federal Government should put the American people first and not billionaires and corporations. A better future is possible if we fight for it. Mr. Speaker, I can assure you that I came to Congress to do just that. Stay loud.
“I want Congress to support a bill that ends the trade embargo on Cuba and restores normal relations. U.S. sanctions are cutting off Cuba's fuel, which causes blackouts, shuts down hospitals, and hurts everyday Cuban families.”
“Mr. Speaker, the American people need to know that their government is intentionally suffocating the nation of Cuba. There is no other way to describe what is happening. Earlier this month, I traveled to Cuba with a congressional delegation to see firsthand how U.S. policy is affecting this country that is just 90 miles off our shore. This is a country that is known for its joy and for its culture. It is a country that has had a glimpse of prosperity and promise during the Obama administration when relations were normalized and decades of sanctions lifted, only to have Trump reinstate the blockade in 2017. Normalized relations led to an explosion of opportunity for small businesses, international investment, and cultural exchange. Hope was contagious. Today, much of that hope has disappeared. Ultimately, it comes down to fuel. Immediately after coming back into office in January of 2025, Trump decisively cut off the ability for any fuel to get into their country--fuel the country depends on to run its electrical power plants, vehicles, and generators. Cuba is not a nation that can produce its own, so without imported fuel, there is no electricity. This has reverberations across every aspect of Cuban life. Families cannot go to the grocery store as they always have done and keep their groceries in a fridge or a freezer because they do not have reliable electricity. Meat, milk, and medicine spoil with the power outages that plague the nation. Basic services have broken down. Daily life is a constant struggle. Cuba’s public health system and its medical training programs are the envy of much of the world. Their healthcare system is filled with highly qualified, well-trained physicians, and yet the hospital I toured in Havana was nearly empty. Physicians have no patients because they have no transportation, no buses to get there. They have tens of thousands of people waiting for surgeries because supplies are insufficient and only a fraction of their operating rooms are running. I saw three CT scanners, their only scanners in this hospital, all broken down, an MRI machine also not working, and a handful of working ultrasounds, because parts cannot be imported. I sat face-to-face with these doctors and understood the deep pain that they are feeling, having the skills and the will to care for people but being denied the opportunity for political reasons. The difference is here in the U.S. we have never had the political will to ensure that every American has access to healthcare. As a physician, I do not know what it is like to care for every patient that comes in my door without worrying whether they can afford it. In Cuba, they have spent decades fulfilling their promise to make healthcare a human right. Every person has access to healthcare for free. Can you imagine? They made it a reality. We should be aspiring to that commitment to human health, not punishing an entire population for it. Congress must not continue standing by while our own government intentionally inflicts hardship on an entire nation. The Cuban people deserve dignity, safety, and self-determination. It is past time for the United States to choose engagement over isolation and humanity over cruelty. I am calling on every Member of this Congress to cosponsor Representative McGovern’s legislation to end the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba and move this nation toward normalized relations. As Trump continues to act erratically abroad, Congress must send a clear and unified message: There will be no military action against Cuba. It is time to stand up for the people of Cuba. This is about basic human decency. Congress cannot look to this administration to find that. From Havana to Portland, we will stand up, and that means ending this cruel blockade now. I will use every tool at my disposal to make this happen, and I am asking every one of my colleagues to join me.”
Mr. Speaker, the American people need to know that their government is intentionally suffocating the nation of Cuba. There is no other way to describe what is happening. Earlier this month, I traveled to Cuba with a congressional delegation to see firsthand how U.S. policy is affecting this country that is just 90 miles off our shore. This is a country that is known for its joy and for its culture. It is a country that has had a glimpse of prosperity and promise during the Obama administration when relations were normalized and decades of sanctions lifted, only to have Trump reinstate the blockade in 2017. Normalized relations led to an explosion of opportunity for small businesses, international investment, and cultural exchange. Hope was contagious. Today, much of that hope has disappeared. Ultimately, it comes down to fuel. Immediately after coming back into office in January of 2025, Trump decisively cut off the ability for any fuel to get into their country--fuel the country depends on to run its electrical power plants, vehicles, and generators. Cuba is not a nation that can produce its own, so without imported fuel, there is no electricity. This has reverberations across every aspect of Cuban life. Families cannot go to the grocery store as they always have done and keep their groceries in a fridge or a freezer because they do not have reliable electricity. Meat, milk, and medicine spoil with the power outages that plague the nation. Basic services have broken down. Daily life is a constant struggle. Cuba’s public health system and its medical training programs are the envy of much of the world. Their healthcare system is filled with highly qualified, well-trained physicians, and yet the hospital I toured in Havana was nearly empty. Physicians have no patients because they have no transportation, no buses to get there. They have tens of thousands of people waiting for surgeries because supplies are insufficient and only a fraction of their operating rooms are running. I saw three CT scanners, their only scanners in this hospital, all broken down, an MRI machine also not working, and a handful of working ultrasounds, because parts cannot be imported. I sat face-to-face with these doctors and understood the deep pain that they are feeling, having the skills and the will to care for people but being denied the opportunity for political reasons. The difference is here in the U.S. we have never had the political will to ensure that every American has access to healthcare. As a physician, I do not know what it is like to care for every patient that comes in my door without worrying whether they can afford it. In Cuba, they have spent decades fulfilling their promise to make healthcare a human right. Every person has access to healthcare for free. Can you imagine? They made it a reality. We should be aspiring to that commitment to human health, not punishing an entire population for it. Congress must not continue standing by while our own government intentionally inflicts hardship on an entire nation. The Cuban people deserve dignity, safety, and self-determination. It is past time for the United States to choose engagement over isolation and humanity over cruelty. I am calling on every Member of this Congress to cosponsor Representative McGovern’s legislation to end the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba and move this nation toward normalized relations. As Trump continues to act erratically abroad, Congress must send a clear and unified message: There will be no military action against Cuba. It is time to stand up for the people of Cuba. This is about basic human decency. Congress cannot look to this administration to find that. From Havana to Portland, we will stand up, and that means ending this cruel blockade now. I will use every tool at my disposal to make this happen, and I am asking every one of my colleagues to join me.
“I missed today's votes because I had to go to the emergency room. If I had been here, I would have voted no on roll call 238, yes on roll call 239, and no on roll call 240.”
“Mr. Speaker, due to an emergency department visit, I missed votes today. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 238, H.R. 139; YEA on Roll Call No. 239, motion to recommit H.R. 1181; and NAY on Roll Call 240, H.R. 1181.”
Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, due to an emergency department visit, I missed votes today. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 238, H.R. 139; YEA on Roll Call No. 239, motion to recommit H.R. 1181; and NAY on Roll Call 240, H.R. 1181.
