Maxine Dexter · TranslatePolitics.com

House of Representatives

Working Families Falling Behind

2026-09-03

“I want the government to spend money to make things cheaper for working families. I'm angry that the government isn't doing more. I blame Republicans and corporations. I want people to be angry at them too. I fought a big company because I think it's wrong for them to get a lot of taxpayer money. I believe government should help people like it helped me. I want us to fight for that.”

Official Congressional Record

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.

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House of Representatives

Standing up for Cuba

2026-07-21

“I went to Cuba. Their life is bad. They have no food or electricity. It is America's fault. We should not restrict trade with Cuba. We should be more like them. They have free healthcare for everyone. That is good. I want that here. I don't like Trump. He is bad. We need to open trade. We need to normalize relations. I want my colleagues to support this bill. I will do everything to make it happen. This is about basic human decency. We need to do what Cuba does.”

Official Congressional Record

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.

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House of Representatives

Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act

2026-07-14

“I wasn't here today. I want you to know how I would have voted. No for H.R. 139. Yes for sending H.R. 1181 back. No for H.R. 1181.”