Earl Blumenauer is the
U.S. RepresentativeThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since 1996. He is a member of the
Democratic PartyThe Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. The district includes most of Portland east of the
Willamette RiverThe Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
. A native of
PortlandPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, he previously spent over 20 years as a public official representing the city.
Early life
Blumenauer was born in Portland, Oregon, on August 16, 1948. In 1966, he graduated from
Centennial High SchoolCentennial High School is a public high school located in Gresham, Oregon, United States.-Academics:In 1989, Centennial High School was honored in the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, the highest honor a school can receive in the United States....
on the eastside of Portland and then enrolled at
Lewis & Clark CollegeLewis & Clark College is a private institution of higher learning located in Portland, Oregon. Made up of an undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences, a School of Law, and a Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Lewis & Clark is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges with athletic...
in the southwest part of the city. He majored in political science and received a
Bachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Lewis & Clark in 1970. Blumenauer completed his education in 1976 when he earned a
Juris DoctorJuris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from the school's Northwestern School of Law (now
Lewis & Clark Law SchoolLewis and Clark Law School is a private American law school located in Portland, Oregon. In the last ten years, L&C's Environmental Law program has been the highest-rated in the United States eight times....
). Starting before law school in 1970 and continuing until 1977, he worked as an assistant to the president of
Portland State UniversityPortland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
.
Early political career
In 1972, Blumenauer was elected to the
Oregon House of RepresentativesThe Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
as a Democrat representing District 11 in
Multnomah CountyMultnomah County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous as its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city...
. He won re-election in 1974 and 1976, and continued representing Portland and Multnomah County until the 1979 legislative session. From 1975 to 1981 he served on the board of
Portland Community CollegePortland Community College is Oregon's largest community college, located in Portland, United States. It serves over one million residents in the five county area of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Columbia...
. Following his time in the Oregon Legislature, Blumenauer was elected as a Commissioner of Multnomah County and was a member of the county's governing board from 1979 to 1987.
In 1987, he joined the Portland City Council where he remained until 1996. During his time on the city council Oregon Governor
Neil GoldschmidtNeil Edward Goldschmidt is an American businessman and former Democratic politician from Oregon who held local, state, and federal offices over three decades. After serving as the governor of Oregon, Goldschmidt is widely considered the most influential figure in the state's politics, both as an...
appointed him to the
commission on higher educationThe Oregon State Board of Higher Education is the statutory governing board for the Oregon University System. The board is composed of eleven members appointed by the Governor of Oregon and confirmed by the Oregon State Senate...
, serving in 1990 and 1991. In 1992, Blumenauer was defeated by
Vera KatzVera Katz is a Democratic politician in the state of Oregon. She was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives and was the 45th mayor of Portland, Oregon's most populous city. Growing up in New York City, she moved to Portland in 1962 and was elected to the Oregon...
in an open race for
mayor of Portland. At the time he was described as "the man who probably knows the most about how Portland works," but left local politics to run for Congress.
U.S. Congress
Blumenauer was elected to the
United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 1996 in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the election of then-U.S. Representative
Ron WydenRonald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
to the
U.S. SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. He won 69% of the vote and defeated Republican Mark Brunelle. He won the seat for a full term that November, and has been re-elected six more times by wide margins, most recently in
2010The United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon, 2010 were held on November 2, 2010, to determine who would represent the state of Oregon in the United States House of Representatives. Oregon has five seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. All...
, winning 70% of the vote over Republican Delia Lopez who won 25%.
Blumenauer served as Oregon campaign chair for both
John KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
's and
Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's presidential campaigns.
In Congress, Blumenauer is noted for his advocacy for mass transit, such as Portland's MAX Light Rail and the
Portland StreetcarThe Portland Streetcar is a streetcar system in Portland, Oregon, that opened in 2001 and serves areas surrounding downtown Portland. It is currently a single line that is almost long and serves some 12,000 daily riders, but a second line is expected to open in 2012.As with the heavier-duty MAX...
, and, as a strong supporter of legislation that promotes
bicycle commutingBicycle commuting is the use of a bicycle to travel from home to a place of work or study — in contrast to the use of a bicycle for sport, recreation or touring....
, cycles from his Washington residence to the
CapitolThe United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
and even to the
White HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
for meetings.
Among the bills that Blumenauer has sponsored that have become law are the
Bunning-Bereuter-Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004The Bunning-Bereuter-Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 reformed the National Flood Insurance Program and the terms of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. It was designed to "reduce losses to properties for which repetitive flood insurance claim payments have been made." The...
and the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005. In addition, the Legal Timber Protection Act passed as part of the 2008 Farm Bill, while the Bicycle Commuter Act passed with the 2008 bailout bill.
He is active in pressuring the United States to take greater action on the
Darfur conflictThe Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
.
In the
political aftermath of Hurricane KatrinaCommentators have discussed the likely effects of the disaster on a wide range of political issues.-Political controversies and electoral consequences:Political disputes have arisen over several issues:-Issues relating to the cause of the damage to New Orleans:...
Blumenauer noted that he was among those who had pointed out the vulnerability of New Orleans and encouraged Congress to help that city and the gulf coast get better prepared:
- September 15, 2004: Mr. Speaker
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
, barely have we recovered from Hurricane HugoHurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...
and we are seeing Hurricane Ivan pose the threat that has long been feared by those in Louisiana, that this actually might represent the loss of the City of New Orleans. Located 15 feet below sea level, there is the potential of a 30-foot wall of water putting at risk $100 billion of infrastructure and industry and countless lives.
- January 26, 2005: Mr. Speaker, I recently had the opportunity to view the devastation in Southeast Asia as a result of the tsunami
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
. As appalled as I was by what I saw, I must confess that occasionally my thoughts drifted back to the United States. What would have happened if last September, Hurricane IvanHurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde-type hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...
had veered 40 miles to the west, devastating the city of New Orleans? One likely scenario would have had a tsunami-like 30-foot wall of water hitting the city, causing thousands of deaths and $100 billion in damage....The experience of Southeast Asia should convince us all of the urgent need for congressional action to prevent wide-scale loss of life and economic destruction at home and abroad. Prevention and planning will pay off. Maybe the devastation will encourage us to act before disaster strikes.
Blumenauer is a supporter of the
World Trade OrganizationThe World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
(WTO) and has voted for "free trade" agreements with Peru, Australia, Singapore, Chile as well as Africa and the Caribbean. Blumenauer's support for these free trade agreements has angered progressives, environmental and labor activists. In 2004, he voted against the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). On September 24, 2007, four labor and human rights activists were arrested in Blumenauer's office protesting the congressman's support for the
Peru Free Trade AgreementThe United States – Peru Trade Promotion Agreement is a bilateral free trade agreement, whose objectives are eliminating obstacles to trade, consolidating access to goods and services and fostering private investment in and between the United States and Peru...
.,
In February 2009, after an incident in
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
wherein a domesticated
chimpanzeeChimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
severely mauled a woman gained national attention, Blumenauer sponsored the Captive Primate Safety Act to bar the sale or purchase of non-human
primateA primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
s for personal possession between states and from outside of the country. The previous year, in June 2008, Blumenauer had sponsored legislation to ban interstate trafficking of great apes, which had passed in the House but been tabled by the
SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
Blumenauer has received some media attention during the
political debateThe health care reform debate in the United States has been a political issue for many years, focusing upon increasing coverage, decreasing the cost and social burden of healthcare, insurance reform, and the philosophy of its provision, funding, and government involvement...
over
health care reformHealth care reform in the United States has a long history, of which the most recent results were two federal statutes enacted in 2010: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , signed March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 , which amended the PPACA and...
for sponsoring an amendment to the
America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009The proposed America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 was an unsuccessful bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on July 14, 2009. The bill was introduced during the first session of the 111th Congress as part of an effort of the Democratic Party leadership to enact health...
to change current procedures to mandate that
MedicareMedicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
pay for
end-of-lifeIn medicine, end-of-life care refers to medical care not only of patients in the final hours or days of their lives, but more broadly, medical care of all those with a terminal illness or terminal condition that has become advanced, progressive and incurable....
counseling. The amendment, as introduced, is based on an earlier proposal cosponsored by Blumenauer and Republican Representative
Charles BoustanyCharles William Boustany, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and medical career:...
of
LouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The amendment has generated controversy, with conservative figures as well-known as
2008The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
vice presidential candidateJohn McCain, the senior United States Senator from Arizona, launched his second candidacy for the presidency of the United States in an unsuccessful bid to win the 2008 presidential election. His candidacy, in the works for a number of years, was informally announced on February 28, 2007 during a...
and former Governor of
AlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
Sarah PalinSarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
suggesting that the amendment, if made law, will be used as a cover for the United States federal government to set up "
death panel"Death panel", , is a term that originated during a 2009 political debate regarding health care reform in the United States. The death panel claim portrayed the health care bills then pending before the U.S. Congress as encouraging euthanasia for the elderly and as rationing health care for the...
s" to determine which people will receive medical treatment. Blumenauer sharply criticized the claim as "mind-numbing" and called it an "all-time low". His rebuke was echoed by Republican Senator
Johnny IsaksonJohn Hardy "Johnny" Isakson is the junior United States Senator from Georgia and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he represented in the House....
of
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, who scorned the "death panels" claim as "nuts".
Committee assignments
- Committee on the Budget
The U.S. House Committee on the Budget, commonly known as the House Budget Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress...
- Committee on Ways and Means
The Committee of Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Members of the Ways and Means Committee are not allowed to serve on any other House Committees unless they apply for a waiver from their party's congressional leadership...
- Subcommittee on Health
The U.S. House Energy Subcommittee on Health is a subcommittee within the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.-Jurisdiction:The House Subcommittee on Health has general jurisdiction over bills and resolutions relating to issues within the scope of the Subcommittee's jurisdiction, and has...
House Caucuses
- Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus
- Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition
- National Guard and Reserve Component Caucus
- Animal Protection Caucus
- Historic Preservation Caucus
- International Conservation Caucus
The U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus is a bipartisan congressional organization that was founded in September 2003 with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for...
- Coalition on Adoption
- Fitness Caucus
- Bosnia Caucus
- Korea Caucus
- Diabetes Caucus
- Congressional Bike Caucus
- Caucus to Control and Fight Methamphetamine
- Human Rights Commission
- House Oceans Caucus
- Internet Caucus
- Congressional Asian and Pacific American Caucus
- Dem Caucus Congressional Taskforce on Seniors
- Wild Salmon Caucus
- High Performance Building
- Congressional Human Trafficking Caucus
- Congressional Land Conservation Caucus
- Urban Caucus
- Wine Caucus
- Small Brewers Caucus
- Quality Care Caucus
- Congressional Arts Caucus
Electoral history
Earl Blumenauer (born August 16, 1948) is the U.S. RepresentativeThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for {{ushr|OR|3}}, serving since 1996. He is a member of the Democratic PartyThe Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. The district includes most of Portland east of the Willamette RiverThe Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
. A native of PortlandPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, he previously spent over 20 years as a public official representing the city.
Early life
Blumenauer was born in Portland, Oregon, on August 16, 1948. In 1966, he graduated from Centennial High SchoolCentennial High School is a public high school located in Gresham, Oregon, United States.-Academics:In 1989, Centennial High School was honored in the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, the highest honor a school can receive in the United States....
on the eastside of Portland and then enrolled at Lewis & Clark CollegeLewis & Clark College is a private institution of higher learning located in Portland, Oregon. Made up of an undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences, a School of Law, and a Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Lewis & Clark is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges with athletic...
in the southwest part of the city. He majored in political science and received a Bachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Lewis & Clark in 1970. Blumenauer completed his education in 1976 when he earned a Juris DoctorJuris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from the school's Northwestern School of Law (now Lewis & Clark Law SchoolLewis and Clark Law School is a private American law school located in Portland, Oregon. In the last ten years, L&C's Environmental Law program has been the highest-rated in the United States eight times....
). Starting before law school in 1970 and continuing until 1977, he worked as an assistant to the president of Portland State UniversityPortland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
.
Early political career
In 1972, Blumenauer was elected to the Oregon House of RepresentativesThe Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
as a Democrat representing District 11 in Multnomah CountyMultnomah County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous as its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city...
. He won re-election in 1974 and 1976, and continued representing Portland and Multnomah County until the 1979 legislative session. From 1975 to 1981 he served on the board of Portland Community CollegePortland Community College is Oregon's largest community college, located in Portland, United States. It serves over one million residents in the five county area of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Columbia...
. Following his time in the Oregon Legislature, Blumenauer was elected as a Commissioner of Multnomah County and was a member of the county's governing board from 1979 to 1987.
In 1987, he joined the Portland City Council where he remained until 1996. During his time on the city council Oregon Governor Neil GoldschmidtNeil Edward Goldschmidt is an American businessman and former Democratic politician from Oregon who held local, state, and federal offices over three decades. After serving as the governor of Oregon, Goldschmidt is widely considered the most influential figure in the state's politics, both as an...
appointed him to the commission on higher educationThe Oregon State Board of Higher Education is the statutory governing board for the Oregon University System. The board is composed of eleven members appointed by the Governor of Oregon and confirmed by the Oregon State Senate...
, serving in 1990 and 1991. In 1992, Blumenauer was defeated by Vera KatzVera Katz is a Democratic politician in the state of Oregon. She was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives and was the 45th mayor of Portland, Oregon's most populous city. Growing up in New York City, she moved to Portland in 1962 and was elected to the Oregon...
in an open race for mayor of Portland. At the time he was described as "the man who probably knows the most about how Portland works," but left local politics to run for Congress.
U.S. Congress
Blumenauer was elected to the United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 1996 in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the election of then-U.S. Representative Ron WydenRonald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
to the U.S. SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. He won 69% of the vote and defeated Republican Mark Brunelle. He won the seat for a full term that November, and has been re-elected six more times by wide margins, most recently in 2010The United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon, 2010 were held on November 2, 2010, to determine who would represent the state of Oregon in the United States House of Representatives. Oregon has five seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. All...
, winning 70% of the vote over Republican Delia Lopez who won 25%.
Blumenauer served as Oregon campaign chair for both John KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
's and Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's presidential campaigns.
In Congress, Blumenauer is noted for his advocacy for mass transit, such as Portland's MAX Light Rail and the Portland StreetcarThe Portland Streetcar is a streetcar system in Portland, Oregon, that opened in 2001 and serves areas surrounding downtown Portland. It is currently a single line that is almost long and serves some 12,000 daily riders, but a second line is expected to open in 2012.As with the heavier-duty MAX...
, and, as a strong supporter of legislation that promotes bicycle commutingBicycle commuting is the use of a bicycle to travel from home to a place of work or study — in contrast to the use of a bicycle for sport, recreation or touring....
, cycles from his Washington residence to the CapitolThe United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
and even to the White HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
for meetings.
Among the bills that Blumenauer has sponsored that have become law are the Bunning-Bereuter-Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004The Bunning-Bereuter-Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 reformed the National Flood Insurance Program and the terms of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. It was designed to "reduce losses to properties for which repetitive flood insurance claim payments have been made." The...
and the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005. In addition, the Legal Timber Protection Act passed as part of the 2008 Farm Bill, while the Bicycle Commuter Act passed with the 2008 bailout bill.
He is active in pressuring the United States to take greater action on the Darfur conflictThe Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
.
In the political aftermath of Hurricane KatrinaCommentators have discussed the likely effects of the disaster on a wide range of political issues.-Political controversies and electoral consequences:Political disputes have arisen over several issues:-Issues relating to the cause of the damage to New Orleans:...
Blumenauer noted that he was among those who had pointed out the vulnerability of New Orleans and encouraged Congress to help that city and the gulf coast get better prepared:
- September 15, 2004: Mr. Speaker
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
, barely have we recovered from Hurricane HugoHurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...
and we are seeing Hurricane Ivan pose the threat that has long been feared by those in Louisiana, that this actually might represent the loss of the City of New Orleans. Located 15 feet below sea level, there is the potential of a 30-foot wall of water putting at risk $100 billion of infrastructure and industry and countless lives.
- January 26, 2005: Mr. Speaker, I recently had the opportunity to view the devastation in Southeast Asia as a result of the tsunami
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
. As appalled as I was by what I saw, I must confess that occasionally my thoughts drifted back to the United States. What would have happened if last September, Hurricane IvanHurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde-type hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...
had veered 40 miles to the west, devastating the city of New Orleans? One likely scenario would have had a tsunami-like 30-foot wall of water hitting the city, causing thousands of deaths and $100 billion in damage....The experience of Southeast Asia should convince us all of the urgent need for congressional action to prevent wide-scale loss of life and economic destruction at home and abroad. Prevention and planning will pay off. Maybe the devastation will encourage us to act before disaster strikes.
Blumenauer is a supporter of the World Trade OrganizationThe World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
(WTO) and has voted for "free trade" agreements with Peru, Australia, Singapore, Chile as well as Africa and the Caribbean. Blumenauer's support for these free trade agreements has angered progressives, environmental and labor activists. In 2004, he voted against the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). On September 24, 2007, four labor and human rights activists were arrested in Blumenauer's office protesting the congressman's support for the Peru Free Trade AgreementThe United States – Peru Trade Promotion Agreement is a bilateral free trade agreement, whose objectives are eliminating obstacles to trade, consolidating access to goods and services and fostering private investment in and between the United States and Peru...
.,
In February 2009, after an incident in ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
wherein a domesticated chimpanzeeChimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
severely mauled a woman gained national attention, Blumenauer sponsored the Captive Primate Safety Act to bar the sale or purchase of non-human primateA primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
s for personal possession between states and from outside of the country. The previous year, in June 2008, Blumenauer had sponsored legislation to ban interstate trafficking of great apes, which had passed in the House but been tabled by the SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
Blumenauer has received some media attention during the political debateThe health care reform debate in the United States has been a political issue for many years, focusing upon increasing coverage, decreasing the cost and social burden of healthcare, insurance reform, and the philosophy of its provision, funding, and government involvement...
over health care reformHealth care reform in the United States has a long history, of which the most recent results were two federal statutes enacted in 2010: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , signed March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 , which amended the PPACA and...
for sponsoring an amendment to the America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009The proposed America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 was an unsuccessful bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on July 14, 2009. The bill was introduced during the first session of the 111th Congress as part of an effort of the Democratic Party leadership to enact health...
to change current procedures to mandate that MedicareMedicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
pay for end-of-lifeIn medicine, end-of-life care refers to medical care not only of patients in the final hours or days of their lives, but more broadly, medical care of all those with a terminal illness or terminal condition that has become advanced, progressive and incurable....
counseling. The amendment, as introduced, is based on an earlier proposal cosponsored by Blumenauer and Republican Representative Charles BoustanyCharles William Boustany, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and medical career:...
of LouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The amendment has generated controversy, with conservative figures as well-known as 2008The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
vice presidential candidateJohn McCain, the senior United States Senator from Arizona, launched his second candidacy for the presidency of the United States in an unsuccessful bid to win the 2008 presidential election. His candidacy, in the works for a number of years, was informally announced on February 28, 2007 during a...
and former Governor of AlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
Sarah PalinSarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
suggesting that the amendment, if made law, will be used as a cover for the United States federal government to set up "death panel"Death panel", , is a term that originated during a 2009 political debate regarding health care reform in the United States. The death panel claim portrayed the health care bills then pending before the U.S. Congress as encouraging euthanasia for the elderly and as rationing health care for the...
s" to determine which people will receive medical treatment. Blumenauer sharply criticized the claim as "mind-numbing" and called it an "all-time low". His rebuke was echoed by Republican Senator Johnny IsaksonJohn Hardy "Johnny" Isakson is the junior United States Senator from Georgia and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he represented in the House....
of GeorgiaGeorgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, who scorned the "death panels" claim as "nuts".
Committee assignments
- Committee on the Budget
The U.S. House Committee on the Budget, commonly known as the House Budget Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress...
- Committee on Ways and Means
The Committee of Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Members of the Ways and Means Committee are not allowed to serve on any other House Committees unless they apply for a waiver from their party's congressional leadership...
- Subcommittee on Health
The U.S. House Energy Subcommittee on Health is a subcommittee within the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.-Jurisdiction:The House Subcommittee on Health has general jurisdiction over bills and resolutions relating to issues within the scope of the Subcommittee's jurisdiction, and has...
House Caucuses
- Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus
- Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition
- National Guard and Reserve Component Caucus
- Animal Protection Caucus
- Historic Preservation Caucus
- International Conservation Caucus
The U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus is a bipartisan congressional organization that was founded in September 2003 with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for...
- Coalition on Adoption
- Fitness Caucus
- Bosnia Caucus
- Korea Caucus
- Diabetes Caucus
- Congressional Bike Caucus
- Caucus to Control and Fight Methamphetamine
- Human Rights Commission
- House Oceans Caucus
- Internet Caucus
- Congressional Asian and Pacific American Caucus
- Dem Caucus Congressional Taskforce on Seniors
- Wild Salmon Caucus
- High Performance Building
- Congressional Human Trafficking Caucus
- Congressional Land Conservation Caucus
- Urban Caucus
- Wine Caucus
- Small Brewers Caucus
- Quality Care Caucus
- Congressional Arts Caucus
Electoral history
Earl Blumenauer (born August 16, 1948) is the U.S. RepresentativeThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for {{ushr|OR|3}}, serving since 1996. He is a member of the Democratic PartyThe Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. The district includes most of Portland east of the Willamette RiverThe Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
. A native of PortlandPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, he previously spent over 20 years as a public official representing the city.
Early life
Blumenauer was born in Portland, Oregon, on August 16, 1948. In 1966, he graduated from Centennial High SchoolCentennial High School is a public high school located in Gresham, Oregon, United States.-Academics:In 1989, Centennial High School was honored in the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, the highest honor a school can receive in the United States....
on the eastside of Portland and then enrolled at Lewis & Clark CollegeLewis & Clark College is a private institution of higher learning located in Portland, Oregon. Made up of an undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences, a School of Law, and a Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Lewis & Clark is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges with athletic...
in the southwest part of the city. He majored in political science and received a Bachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Lewis & Clark in 1970. Blumenauer completed his education in 1976 when he earned a Juris DoctorJuris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from the school's Northwestern School of Law (now Lewis & Clark Law SchoolLewis and Clark Law School is a private American law school located in Portland, Oregon. In the last ten years, L&C's Environmental Law program has been the highest-rated in the United States eight times....
). Starting before law school in 1970 and continuing until 1977, he worked as an assistant to the president of Portland State UniversityPortland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
.
Early political career
In 1972, Blumenauer was elected to the Oregon House of RepresentativesThe Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
as a Democrat representing District 11 in Multnomah CountyMultnomah County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous as its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city...
. He won re-election in 1974 and 1976, and continued representing Portland and Multnomah County until the 1979 legislative session. From 1975 to 1981 he served on the board of Portland Community CollegePortland Community College is Oregon's largest community college, located in Portland, United States. It serves over one million residents in the five county area of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Columbia...
. Following his time in the Oregon Legislature, Blumenauer was elected as a Commissioner of Multnomah County and was a member of the county's governing board from 1979 to 1987.
In 1987, he joined the Portland City Council where he remained until 1996. During his time on the city council Oregon Governor Neil GoldschmidtNeil Edward Goldschmidt is an American businessman and former Democratic politician from Oregon who held local, state, and federal offices over three decades. After serving as the governor of Oregon, Goldschmidt is widely considered the most influential figure in the state's politics, both as an...
appointed him to the commission on higher educationThe Oregon State Board of Higher Education is the statutory governing board for the Oregon University System. The board is composed of eleven members appointed by the Governor of Oregon and confirmed by the Oregon State Senate...
, serving in 1990 and 1991. In 1992, Blumenauer was defeated by Vera KatzVera Katz is a Democratic politician in the state of Oregon. She was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives and was the 45th mayor of Portland, Oregon's most populous city. Growing up in New York City, she moved to Portland in 1962 and was elected to the Oregon...
in an open race for mayor of Portland. At the time he was described as "the man who probably knows the most about how Portland works," but left local politics to run for Congress.
U.S. Congress
Blumenauer was elected to the United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 1996 in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the election of then-U.S. Representative Ron WydenRonald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
to the U.S. SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. He won 69% of the vote and defeated Republican Mark Brunelle. He won the seat for a full term that November, and has been re-elected six more times by wide margins, most recently in 2010The United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon, 2010 were held on November 2, 2010, to determine who would represent the state of Oregon in the United States House of Representatives. Oregon has five seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. All...
, winning 70% of the vote over Republican Delia Lopez who won 25%.
Blumenauer served as Oregon campaign chair for both John KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
's and Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's presidential campaigns.
In Congress, Blumenauer is noted for his advocacy for mass transit, such as Portland's MAX Light Rail and the Portland StreetcarThe Portland Streetcar is a streetcar system in Portland, Oregon, that opened in 2001 and serves areas surrounding downtown Portland. It is currently a single line that is almost long and serves some 12,000 daily riders, but a second line is expected to open in 2012.As with the heavier-duty MAX...
, and, as a strong supporter of legislation that promotes bicycle commutingBicycle commuting is the use of a bicycle to travel from home to a place of work or study — in contrast to the use of a bicycle for sport, recreation or touring....
, cycles from his Washington residence to the CapitolThe United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
and even to the White HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
for meetings.
Among the bills that Blumenauer has sponsored that have become law are the Bunning-Bereuter-Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004The Bunning-Bereuter-Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 reformed the National Flood Insurance Program and the terms of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. It was designed to "reduce losses to properties for which repetitive flood insurance claim payments have been made." The...
and the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005. In addition, the Legal Timber Protection Act passed as part of the 2008 Farm Bill, while the Bicycle Commuter Act passed with the 2008 bailout bill.
He is active in pressuring the United States to take greater action on the Darfur conflictThe Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
.
In the political aftermath of Hurricane KatrinaCommentators have discussed the likely effects of the disaster on a wide range of political issues.-Political controversies and electoral consequences:Political disputes have arisen over several issues:-Issues relating to the cause of the damage to New Orleans:...
Blumenauer noted that he was among those who had pointed out the vulnerability of New Orleans and encouraged Congress to help that city and the gulf coast get better prepared:
- September 15, 2004: Mr. Speaker
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
, barely have we recovered from Hurricane HugoHurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...
and we are seeing Hurricane Ivan pose the threat that has long been feared by those in Louisiana, that this actually might represent the loss of the City of New Orleans. Located 15 feet below sea level, there is the potential of a 30-foot wall of water putting at risk $100 billion of infrastructure and industry and countless lives.
- January 26, 2005: Mr. Speaker, I recently had the opportunity to view the devastation in Southeast Asia as a result of the tsunami
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
. As appalled as I was by what I saw, I must confess that occasionally my thoughts drifted back to the United States. What would have happened if last September, Hurricane IvanHurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde-type hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...
had veered 40 miles to the west, devastating the city of New Orleans? One likely scenario would have had a tsunami-like 30-foot wall of water hitting the city, causing thousands of deaths and $100 billion in damage....The experience of Southeast Asia should convince us all of the urgent need for congressional action to prevent wide-scale loss of life and economic destruction at home and abroad. Prevention and planning will pay off. Maybe the devastation will encourage us to act before disaster strikes.
Blumenauer is a supporter of the World Trade OrganizationThe World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
(WTO) and has voted for "free trade" agreements with Peru, Australia, Singapore, Chile as well as Africa and the Caribbean. Blumenauer's support for these free trade agreements has angered progressives, environmental and labor activists. In 2004, he voted against the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). On September 24, 2007, four labor and human rights activists were arrested in Blumenauer's office protesting the congressman's support for the Peru Free Trade AgreementThe United States – Peru Trade Promotion Agreement is a bilateral free trade agreement, whose objectives are eliminating obstacles to trade, consolidating access to goods and services and fostering private investment in and between the United States and Peru...
.,
In February 2009, after an incident in ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
wherein a domesticated chimpanzeeChimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
severely mauled a woman gained national attention, Blumenauer sponsored the Captive Primate Safety Act to bar the sale or purchase of non-human primateA primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
s for personal possession between states and from outside of the country. The previous year, in June 2008, Blumenauer had sponsored legislation to ban interstate trafficking of great apes, which had passed in the House but been tabled by the SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
Blumenauer has received some media attention during the political debateThe health care reform debate in the United States has been a political issue for many years, focusing upon increasing coverage, decreasing the cost and social burden of healthcare, insurance reform, and the philosophy of its provision, funding, and government involvement...
over health care reformHealth care reform in the United States has a long history, of which the most recent results were two federal statutes enacted in 2010: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , signed March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 , which amended the PPACA and...
for sponsoring an amendment to the America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009The proposed America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 was an unsuccessful bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on July 14, 2009. The bill was introduced during the first session of the 111th Congress as part of an effort of the Democratic Party leadership to enact health...
to change current procedures to mandate that MedicareMedicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
pay for end-of-lifeIn medicine, end-of-life care refers to medical care not only of patients in the final hours or days of their lives, but more broadly, medical care of all those with a terminal illness or terminal condition that has become advanced, progressive and incurable....
counseling. The amendment, as introduced, is based on an earlier proposal cosponsored by Blumenauer and Republican Representative Charles BoustanyCharles William Boustany, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and medical career:...
of LouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The amendment has generated controversy, with conservative figures as well-known as 2008The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
vice presidential candidateJohn McCain, the senior United States Senator from Arizona, launched his second candidacy for the presidency of the United States in an unsuccessful bid to win the 2008 presidential election. His candidacy, in the works for a number of years, was informally announced on February 28, 2007 during a...
and former Governor of AlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
Sarah PalinSarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
suggesting that the amendment, if made law, will be used as a cover for the United States federal government to set up "death panel"Death panel", , is a term that originated during a 2009 political debate regarding health care reform in the United States. The death panel claim portrayed the health care bills then pending before the U.S. Congress as encouraging euthanasia for the elderly and as rationing health care for the...
s" to determine which people will receive medical treatment. Blumenauer sharply criticized the claim as "mind-numbing" and called it an "all-time low". His rebuke was echoed by Republican Senator Johnny IsaksonJohn Hardy "Johnny" Isakson is the junior United States Senator from Georgia and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he represented in the House....
of GeorgiaGeorgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, who scorned the "death panels" claim as "nuts".
Committee assignments
- Committee on the Budget
The U.S. House Committee on the Budget, commonly known as the House Budget Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress...
- Committee on Ways and Means
The Committee of Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Members of the Ways and Means Committee are not allowed to serve on any other House Committees unless they apply for a waiver from their party's congressional leadership...
- Subcommittee on Health
The U.S. House Energy Subcommittee on Health is a subcommittee within the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.-Jurisdiction:The House Subcommittee on Health has general jurisdiction over bills and resolutions relating to issues within the scope of the Subcommittee's jurisdiction, and has...
House Caucuses
- Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus
- Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition
- National Guard and Reserve Component Caucus
- Animal Protection Caucus
- Historic Preservation Caucus
- International Conservation Caucus
The U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus is a bipartisan congressional organization that was founded in September 2003 with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for...
- Coalition on Adoption
- Fitness Caucus
- Bosnia Caucus
- Korea Caucus
- Diabetes Caucus
- Congressional Bike Caucus
- Caucus to Control and Fight Methamphetamine
- Human Rights Commission
- House Oceans Caucus
- Internet Caucus
- Congressional Asian and Pacific American Caucus
- Dem Caucus Congressional Taskforce on Seniors
- Wild Salmon Caucus
- High Performance Building
- Congressional Human Trafficking Caucus
- Congressional Land Conservation Caucus
- Urban Caucus
- Wine Caucus
- Small Brewers Caucus
- Quality Care Caucus
- Congressional Arts Caucus
Electoral history
{{ushr|Oregon|3|}
}: Results 1996–2008
!|Year
!
!|Democrat
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Republican
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|3rd Party
!|Party
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|3rd Party
!|Party
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|3rd Party
!|Party
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
|-
|1996
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|Earl Blumenauer}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |165,922
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |67%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Scott BruunLorentz Scott Bruun is a Republican politician from the US state of Oregon. He served in the Oregon House of Representatives representing District 37, which encompasses some of the southern suburbs of Portland, Oregon, including part or all of the cities of Durham, Lake Oswego, Rivergrove,...
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |65,259
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |26%
|
|{{Party shading/Independent}} |Joe Keating
|{{Party shading/Independent}} |PacificThe Pacific Green Party of Oregon is a political party in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is a member of the Green Party of the United States.The party first gained widespread public attention during Ralph Nader's presidential campaign in 2000....
|{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |9,274
|{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |4%
|
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} |Bruce A. Knight
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} |LibertarianThe Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} align="right" |4,474
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} align="right" |2%
|
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} |Victoria P. Guillebeau
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} |Socialist
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} align="right" |2,449
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} align="right" |1%
| |*
|-
|1998
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |Earl Blumenauer
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |153,889
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |84%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |(no candidate)
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |
|
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} |{{nowrap|Bruce A.}} Knight
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} |LibertarianThe Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} align="right" |16,930
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} align="right" |9%
|
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} |Walt Brown
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} |Socialist
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} align="right" |10,199
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} align="right" |6%
|
|{{Party shading/Independent}} |Write-insA write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the person's name. Some states and local jurisdictions allow a voter to affix a sticker with a write-in candidate's name on it to the ballot in lieu...
|{{Party shading/Independent}} |
|{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |2,333
|{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |1%
|
|-
|2000
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |Earl Blumenauer
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |181,049
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |67%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |{{nowrap|Jeffery L. Pollock}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |64,128
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |24%
|
|{{Party shading/Green}} |Tre ArrowTre Arrow is a green anarchist who gained prominence in the U.S. state of Oregon in the late 1990s and early 2000s for his environmental activism, bid for Congress as a Pacific Green Party candidate, and then for his arrest and later conviction for committing acts of arson on cement and logging...
|{{Party shading/Green}} |Pacific GreenThe Pacific Green Party of Oregon is a political party in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is a member of the Green Party of the United States.The party first gained widespread public attention during Ralph Nader's presidential campaign in 2000....
|{{Party shading/Green}} align="right" |15,763
|{{Party shading/Green}} align="right" |6%
|
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} |{{nowrap|Bruce A.}} Knight
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} |LibertarianThe Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} align="right" |4,942
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} align="right" |2%
|
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} |Walt Brown
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} |Socialist
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} align="right" |4,703
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} align="right" |2%
| |*
|-
|2002
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |Earl Blumenauer
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |156,851
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |67%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Sarah Seale
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |62,821
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |27%
|
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} |Walt Brown
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} |Socialist
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} align="right" |6,588
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} align="right" |3%
|
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} |Kevin Jones
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} |LibertarianThe Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} align="right" |4,704
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} align="right" |2%
|
|{{Party shading/ConstitutionUSA}} |David Brownlow
|{{Party shading/ConstitutionUSA}} |ConstitutionThe Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...
|{{Party shading/ConstitutionUSA}} align="right" |3,495
|{{Party shading/ConstitutionUSA}} align="right" |1%
| |*
|-
|2004
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |Earl Blumenauer
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |245,559
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |71%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |Tami Mars
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |82,045
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |24%
|
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} |Walt Brown
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} |Socialist
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} align="right" |10,678
|{{Party shading/Socialist}} align="right" |3%
|
|{{Party shading/ConstitutionUSA}} |Dale Winegarden
|{{Party shading/ConstitutionUSA}} |ConstitutionThe Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...
|{{Party shading/ConstitutionUSA}} align="right" |7,119
|{{Party shading/ConstitutionUSA}} align="right" |2%
|
|{{Party shading/Independent}} |Write-insA write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the person's name. Some states and local jurisdictions allow a voter to affix a sticker with a write-in candidate's name on it to the ballot in lieu...
|{{Party shading/Independent}} |
|{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |1,159
|{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |<1%
|
|-
|2006
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |Earl Blumenauer
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |186,380
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |73%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |{{nowrap|Bruce Broussard}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |59,529
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |23%
|
|{{Party shading/ConstitutionUSA}} |David Brownlow
|{{Party shading/ConstitutionUSA}} |ConstitutionThe Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...
|{{Party shading/ConstitutionUSA}} align="right" |7,003
|{{Party shading/ConstitutionUSA}} align="right" |3%
|
|{{Party shading/Independent}} |Write-insA write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the person's name. Some states and local jurisdictions allow a voter to affix a sticker with a write-in candidate's name on it to the ballot in lieu...
|{{Party shading/Independent}} |
|{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |698
|{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |<1%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|2008
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |Earl Blumenauer
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |254,235
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |75%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |{{nowrap|Delia Lopez}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |71,063
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |21%
|
|{{Party shading/Green}} |Michael Meo
|{{Party shading/Green}} |Pacific GreenThe Pacific Green Party of Oregon is a political party in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is a member of the Green Party of the United States.The party first gained widespread public attention during Ralph Nader's presidential campaign in 2000....
|{{Party shading/Green}} align="right" |15,063
|{{Party shading/Green}} align="right" |4%
|
|{{Party shading/Independent}} |Write-insA write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the person's name. Some states and local jurisdictions allow a voter to affix a sticker with a write-in candidate's name on it to the ballot in lieu...
|{{Party shading/Independent}} |
|{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |701
|{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |<1%
|
|
|
|
|
|
{{s-end}}
External links
{{wikisource author|Earl Blumenauer}}
- U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer official U.S. House site
- Profile at SourceWatch
SourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...
- Oregon Secretary of State
- Willamette Week
Willamette Week is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon, United States. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business and culture....
stories:
{{s-start}}
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{{USRepSuccessionBox |
state=Oregon|
district=3 |
before=Ron WydenRonald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
|
start=1996}}
{{s-prec|usa}}
{{s-bef|before=Elijah CummingsElijah Eugene Cummings is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1996. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes just over half of Baltimore City, as well as most of Howard County...
D-MarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
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{{s-aft|after=Jo Ann EmersonJo Ann Emerson is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1996. The district consists of Southeast and South Central Missouri and includes the Bootheel, the Lead Belt and the Ozarks. Emerson is a member of the Republican Party....
R-MissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
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{{USCongRep-start|congresses= 105th–112th United States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
es |state=OregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
}}
{{USCongRep/OR/105}}
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{{Persondata
| NAME =Blumenauer, Earl
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH =1948-08-16
| PLACE OF BIRTH =Portland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blumenauer, Earl}}