Val T. Hoyle · TranslatePolitics.com

House of Representatives

Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025

2026-09-02

“This bill is bad. It does not do what I want. I tried to change it but the changes were not accepted. Tribes should have a say in mining projects. The other side does not want that. A foreign company wants to mine in my district. That would be bad. I don't want to be a cheap date for foreign companies. This bill will not help American workers. I want my colleagues to oppose this bill. We should do better for Americans.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill. This administration's corruption playbook is impacting industries across the board and raising costs for working families like the ones I represent. Their next target is the mining industry. Representative Grijalva offered an amendment that would require the Secretary to ensure there is meaningful and robust Tribal consultation for any mining project to be eligible to be covered under FAST-41. This amendment was not accepted. I represent four of Oregon's nine Tribal nations and one-third of the members of two others. Tribal consultation is critical to my district and to our State. We tried to make this bill better and protect Tribal consultation, but Republicans voted against it. Too often, essential Tribal consultation and community engagement are treated as a box-checking exercise. Consultation is a process, not an event, and it is our trust responsibility to ensure this happens. Tribes deserve a real say in mining projects that could forever alter and destroy the lands they have stewarded since time immemorial. This legislation does not make our supply chains more secure or even ensure that more of the domestic critical minerals that we need will get mined for American workers. This issue affects mine and Representative Huffman's district in that there is a foreign company that is looking to mine low-value minerals that will destroy drinking water, fish habitat, and recreational opportunities on the Smith River. We do not need to be a cheap date for foreign entities so the President and his family and his donors can get rich off the companies that they are personally invested in. That is not in the best interests of Americans or American workers. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill and work on something better for the American people and the resources that we depend on.

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House of Representatives

Elections Clause

2026-09-01

“I want more people to vote by mail. The Constitution lets Congress make election rules. A court order says the administration should not change how we vote by mail. My colleagues should uphold the Constitution and let people vote. I want my colleagues to stand up for voting by mail.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 of the Constitution says: The time, place, and manner of elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the legislature thereof, but Congress may at any time by law--by law--make or alter such regulations. There is a court order saying the administration may not interfere with vote by mail. In Oregon, we only vote by mail and have done so since 1995, and yet, here we are. Where are my colleagues who took an oath to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law? Where are my colleagues who took an oath to uphold the separation of powers between Congress and the executive branch and representative democracy? Where are my colleagues who took an oath to uphold the peaceful transfer of power, to allow every eligible citizen to vote? Where are my colleagues? History will not judge this cowardice well. Where the hell are you? Stand up and uphold the Constitution. You took a damn oath.

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House of Representatives

Congratulating Oregon State University

2026-07-23

“I want to cheer for spending in my district. Our university and businesses will get money. We will spend it on training and jobs. I want our region to create technology. I am excited about Oregon getting more of that business. That's good for my district. Go local sports team.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share that Oregon State University has received 1 of 12 National Science Foundation's Regional Innovation Engines. This investment in Oregon's semiconductor industry will strengthen educational partnerships across the State, meaningfully influence regional economic development, improve pathways to semiconductor careers, and create thousands of new high-paying, high-tech jobs outside the Portland Metro area. Oregon could receive up to $160 million to grow the State's semiconductor industry that already employs 30,000 Oregonians. Oregon's FAST coalition brings together State partners across education, government, the technology industry, nonprofits, small businesses, and investors. It will also bring our innovation corridor closer together across 12 counties and foster innovation. Demand for semiconductors is rising, and the NSF FAST Engine will help Oregon State University design the world's most advanced semiconductor chips and reaffirm our position as leaders in that space. Go Beavers.

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House of Representatives

Farewell to Doge

2026-07-15

“I am sad the President hired Elon Musk to fix the government. Elon Musk fired some workers. Some people left their jobs. One worker knew how to warn people about a tsunami. Now he is gone. I don't like that a company will make people pay to file their taxes. Some people at an agency died. That's sad. A health agency cut some grants. Some weather workers lost their jobs. Elon Musk wanted to fire more people. He looked at people's private data. Some companies got a lot of money from the military. They did bad things. Why are we not stopping that? The government should spend money to help people. Elon Musk stopped some things that cost money. That's bad. Elon Musk quit his job. He didn't write a report about his work.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of the 119th session, I was ready to work with anyone to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in the government. We are here to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, and we should want our government to be efficient. That is not what happened. We started with a bipartisan congressional effort, and then President Trump appointed Elon Musk, who stood there with a chainsaw, brought in a bunch of unqualified DOGE bros, who said that they were going to make $2 trillion in savings from the Federal budget, but made no meaningful impact in spending. They tortured and went after our public employees that cost the taxpayers $10 billion through the deferred resignation program. Mr. Speaker, 300,000 Federal workers were fired or urged to retire, including 100,000 veterans. This wasn't done in a strategic way. People were fired without understanding what their jobs were. For instance, off the Oregon coast, they fired the people who knew how to operate the tsunami warning system. That isn't rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse. They shut down promising innovations, like direct file, at the request of big businesses that stood to financially benefit. That hurt low-income and working Americans who now have to pay to file their taxes. They slowed response time to complaints made to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which had previously helped return $21 billion to Americans. They purged USAID by getting rid of 83 percent of USAID projects. Impact Counter estimates that 757,000 people died, mostly children. We lost the benefit of soft power that we had when we invested in this very effective program. They tried to end NIOSH and canceled $3.8 billion in NIH grants. They laid off 1,300 critical Federal workers from NOAA. If you want to talk about government overreach and small government, that is not what happened with DOGE. They gained access to personal data, like our Social Security numbers, our tax returns, and our health records. Waste, fraud, and abuse still exist in the Federal Government. For instance, if we want to root out waste, fraud, and abuse, let's start with the Pentagon that failed the last eight audits. There is a ton of waste, fraud, and abuse. They have awarded more than $208 billion in contracts to companies that have been cited for repeated or willful violations. Why are we not addressing that? We should want government to be more efficient. We should want to root out waste, fraud, and abuse. I will work with anyone to make that happen. Instead, we gave a chainsaw to a trillionaire who made his money off of Federal grants, Federal research, and Federal projects, and we cut critical investments to make our government work better for the working people. On July Fourth, DOGE shut down. It doesn't intend to publish a final report because they would have to report a giant failure that cost taxpayers $10 billion. I say, good-bye, good riddance, and let's not do this again.

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House of Representatives

Honoring Commander Gabriel Edwards

2026-07-15

“I want to honor a soldier who died. He flew helicopters. He did a good job. He is a hero. I am sad for his family. The Navy gave him a higher rank after he died. I want people to remember him. I want people to thank him.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in honor of Commander Gabriel Edwards, from Oakland, Oregon, who died while serving as the commanding officer of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 5 in the Arabian Sea. After 4 days of searching over 14,000 square miles, the Navy declared him lost at sea during an emergency helicopter landing. Gabriel earned his wings as a helicopter pilot in 2008 and received several awards during his service, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. He knew he wanted to be a pilot at just 4 years old. This is how his wife, Rebecca, described him: ``Gabe has dedicated his life to serving his country with honor, courage, and commitment. He led with humility, integrity, and compassion, always putting his people before himself. To those who served alongside him, he was a respected leader and mentor.'' My thoughts are with Rebecca and their two children during this time. I am glad to know the Secretary of the Navy has directed that Edwards be posthumously promoted to the rank of captain. His heroism will never be forgotten, and I know all of us in Oregon and around the country thank him for his honorable service. May his memory be a blessing.

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