Media Center

Synopsis: Congressman Kurt Schrader is a 25-year politician who has lost touch with Oregon’s working families. He’s taken hundreds of thousands from big pharma, oil, and gas companies and changed who he’s working for, joining with Republicans to vote against affordable prescription drug prices and against tackling climate change.

Proof Points:

Voters—especially in the Portland metro area—need to see that:

• After 25 years in elected office Kurt Schrader has lost touch with the people he represents. In Washington DC he regularly votes with Republicans, blocking a bill that would have made prescription drugs more affordable¹⁵, voting to slash stimulus checks at the height of the pandemic¹⁶, voting against a $15 minimum wage¹⁷, and opposing a bill that protected Oregon workers’ right to bargain collectively with their employer¹⁸.
• Kurt Schrader has taken millions in corporate dollars in exchange for his votes. He’s has taken $300 thousand dollars from oil and gas interests, is one of only three Democrats in Congress to get max contributions from the Koch Brothers—and has one of the worst environmental voting records of any Democrat in Congress¹⁹. He voted with Republicans to block the Democrat’s plan to address climate change and the disastrous wildfires, drought, flooding, and ice storms it causes²⁰. He’s even voted against corporate accountability for climate change²¹, against stronger regulations for fossil fuel drilling²², against clean water protections²³, and supported gutting the E-P-A²⁴.

Likely Democratic primary voters—especially women and in Multnomah, Clackamas, and Deschutes counties—need to read that:

• Kurt Schrader has taken millions in corporate dollars in exchange for his votes. He’s taken $650 thousand dollars from big pharmaceutical companies and voted to kill a bill that would have regulated the cost of prescription drugs like insulin¹. And Kurt has taken $300 thousand dollars from oil and gas interests and voted against tackling climate change² and protecting our clean water and environment³.
• Kurt Schrader has drifted so far from Oregon working family values that following the attempted coup and attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, he sided with the insurrectionists, suggesting that any attempts to hold Donald Trump accountable for inciting the attack would be akin to a quote, “lynching¹¹⁴.”
• In Washington DC Kurt Schrader regularly votes with Republicans, blocking a bill that would have made prescription drugs more affordable⁵, voting to slash stimulus checks at the height of the pandemic⁶, voting against a $15 minimum wage⁷, and opposing a bill that protected Oregon workers’ right to bargain collectively with their employer⁸.
• Kurt Schrader has one of the worst environmental voting records of any Democrat in Congress⁹. He voted with Republicans to block the Democrat’s plan to address climate change and the disastrous wildfires, drought, flooding, and ice storms it causes¹⁰. He’s even voted against corporate accountability for climate change¹¹, against stronger regulations for fossil fuel drilling¹², against clean water protections¹³, and supports gutting the E-P-A¹⁴.