Oregon
New Oregon US Rep. Janelle Bynum looks for 'low-hanging fruit' in divided Congress • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Janelle Bynum’s journey to Washington, D.C., to begin her work as the U.S. representative for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District was a homecoming of sorts.
The Democratic former state lawmaker, who swam against a red wave in November to flip Oregon’s most competitive congressional district and make history as the state’s first Black member of Congress, grew up in D.C. She left the Beltway three decades ago, first to seek an engineering degree in Florida, then for a job at General Motors while she earned her master’s in business administration from the University of Michigan and finally for her husband’s home state of Oregon.
She had hoped to work as an electrical engineer in Oregon’s Silicon Forest, but employers weren’t hiring in the 2002 recession. So, Bynum and her husband, Mark, took over his mother’s McDonald’s franchise and raised their four children — and when she had the chance to set policy as a member of the state Legislature, she pushed for state investments in the high tech industry to ensure young people graduating from high school or college aren’t turned away like she was.
After winning a bruising campaign last fall against incumbent Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Bynum told the Capital Chronicle she’s looking for ways to make a difference for Oregon and find the “low-hanging fruit” on which Democrats and Republicans can agree.
“I’ve always been an optimist and a person that would stare big challenges down, and I think just the success of my legislative career over the last eight years has proven that Number 1, I will always work across the aisle with my Republican colleagues, even when I don’t have to,” she said. “In this case, I do.”
Most people, she said, ultimately want the same thing — great schools for their kids, child care and good hospitals and doctors in their communities. She sees opportunities to work with Republicans on maternal health care, as research shows that babies born to healthy mothers are less likely to be premature or born with health problems and mothers with access to health care are less likely to die in childbirth.
And she hopes Republicans and Democrats can work together to reduce the ferocity of wildfires, like the Santiam Fire that burned a scar across her district in 2020 and all but wiped out the cities of Detroit and Gates. Congress is now sparring over disaster relief for California’s ongoing wildfires, with Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, pushing for “conditions” on spending.
Bynum also wants to bring her personal experience to congressional conversations about the NCAA. Her older son, Ellis, is a running back for the Oregon Ducks, and she believes it’s important for student athletes to be represented and protected from people who would take advantage of them as sports betting grows in popularity.
Highs and lows
Bynum is one of two new congressional members from Oregon, with Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter representing the Portland-based 3rd Congressional District. Both took the oath of office on Friday, Jan. 3, a day Bynum said was exhilarating. She took her oath of office with her family watching and spent time meeting with colleagues with offices on her floor of the Capitol. But on Monday, when she spoke with the Capital Chronicle, she experienced a profound low, with news that Arizona, not Oregon, would receive the last of three semiconductor research hubs. It was a blow for the state’s economy, and it especially stung for Bynum, who led legislative efforts to draw federal funding to Oregon.
The Biden administration opted to place its three research hubs from the $52 billion 2022 CHIPS Act in New York, Silicon Valley and Arizona, skipping Oregon’s Silicon Forest. The administration went on to announce this week that it would award $53 million to HP in Corvallis and $45 million for Oregon State University’s microfluidics research, but those grants are far below the level of federal investment Oregon lawmakers hoped the state would receive from being named a research hub.
“That center would have been an opportunity for us to grow the workforce, and opportunities that our students would have had to intern there and maybe potentially work there,” Bynum said. “So it was a huge missed opportunity for us, and I feel like I’m starting over from scratch again, screaming from the mountaintop like ‘Hey, these are good jobs. This is a good opportunity for our kids, and we have to invest in what we want,’ and we just missed the mark there. I’m bummed.”
That day, Jan. 6, was also the anniversary of an attempted insurrection at the Capitol led by supporters of President-elect Donald Trump trying to block Congress from certifying his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden. It was a somber day, Bynum said, with many of her colleagues clad in black to watch Vice President Kamala Harris certify her own loss to Trump.
“What I experienced in the electoral count acceptance was Vice President Harris exhibiting way more grace than was even fair to ask of her,” Bynum said. “She did her job. She put country over politics, and she did it with a very strong personal constitution. It was tough to watch.”
While she supported Harris and was disappointed in the results of the presidential election, Bynum said she’s open to working with Trump. She thinks they both believe in being disruptive because that’s how businesses advance and innovate.
“What I stand firm on is not allowing him to be destructive,” Bynum said. “Destructive of our democracy, destructive of our families, destructive of our national integrity. That’s where I draw the line. And so where we want to be disruptive and shift the status quo in favor of working families and Americans, I’m willing to do that, but the destructive part, I’ll take a strong stance against that.”
Financial Services Committee
She’ll serve on her top pick of committee, the Financial Services Committee. During her first week in D.C., Bynum took her children on a tour of the White House and told them it wasn’t a coincidence that the Treasury Department is right next door.
She has always been interested in understanding how money moves through the economy, she said, and she wants to make sure that Congress provides the infrastructure and oversight to make sure money moves in a way that unleashes opportunity for families and gives everyone a fair deal.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-California and the ranking member of the committee, said in a statement that she was pleased to welcome Bynum.
“Congresswoman Bynum has a strong track record of fighting to address the affordable housing crisis and lower rising costs for consumers and working-class families in Oregon,” she said. “I have no doubt she will draw on her background and expertise to continue this important effort and I look forward to working alongside her.”
Throughout her eight years in the Legislature, Bynum was one of only a few Black members and frequently the only Black woman. In Congress, she’s part of a historic contingent of 67 Black lawmakers, 62 of whom, including Waters, are members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
“It’s been interesting to be in a much more diverse workplace, I will say that, and it’s been interesting to not have to explain myself as much in D.C.,” Bynum said. “And so I think, on behalf of the kids of Oregon 5 and the residents, I think that I’ll be much more effective here.”
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and attorneys general from 11 other states filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to block Paramount Skydance Corp.’s proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, arguing the merger would reduce competition and ultimately raise costs for consumers.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges the merger violates the Clayton Act by substantially lessening competition in the film and television industries.
California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Washington are the other states involved in the lawsuit.
The coalition said it is prepared to seek a temporary restraining order if the companies do not pause the deal as the case moves forward.
“If this massive corporate merger is allowed to go through, Oregonians will pay the price – through higher bills, fewer jobs, less choice at the box office, and fewer editorial voices,” Rayfield said in a press release on Monday. “Despite the federal regulators rubber-stamping this bad deal, we’re stepping up to protect families, small businesses, and Oregon’s film industry.”
READ ALSO | Warner Bros shareholders back $81B Paramount takeover in preliminary vote
According to the lawsuit, the combined company would control nearly one-third of U.S. theatrical film distribution and basic cable programming. The states argue the merger would eliminate competition between two of Hollywood’s five major film distributors and two of the nation’s five largest basic cable companies.
The complaint alleges the merger would reduce competition in theatrical film distribution, blockbuster movie releases and licensing basic cable television channels.
The filing follows Oregon’s investigation into the proposed merger. In early July, Rayfield asked a Multnomah County judge to compel Paramount to produce records the state said it had sought since June, including documents related to the company’s lobbying of the White House and U.S. Department of Justice.
“Paramount has already shown that they think they’re above the law by refusing to comply with Oregon’s investigation,” Rayfield said. “This litigation is the next step to protect Oregonians before irreparable harm is done.”
The U.S. Justice Department isn’t challenging the deal — and instead released an unusually lengthy statement in support, maintaining a Paramount-Warner combo would “increase competition across the media and entertainment ecosystem, with benefits for American consumers and workers,” according to a report from the Associated Press.
In a statement sent out on Monday, Paramount said the lawsuit “distorts settled antitrust law” and maintained its merger would create a “stronger competitor against dominant streaming and technology platforms who have harmed the market for theatrical exhibition and jobs in the entertainment industry.” Paramount went on to say it will “vigorously defend” the transaction.
ROGUE RIVER, Ore. (KATU) — Firefighters working the East Evans Creek Fire about seven miles west of Shady Cove continued making progress overnight, but predicted windy conditions are expected to test fire lines as crews push to strengthen containment.
The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest Oregon District said the fire was estimated at 3,154 acres as of Sunday, July 12, with 0% containment.
Fire activity increased Saturday evening as gusty winds, dry fuels and steep terrain contributed to more active fire behavior. Coordinated ground and aerial suppression efforts limited significant growth, with air tankers used extensively to slow the fire’s spread and helicopters making water drops to cool hotspots and support firefighters in difficult terrain.
On Sunday morning, crews took advantage of more favorable conditions created by an inversion and moderate overnight relative humidity recovery. Firefighters are working to strengthen containment ahead of critical fire weather expected from Sunday into early next week. Winds were expected to gust up to 30 mph Sunday afternoon, with elevated fire weather concerns continuing through the weekend and the potential for thunderstorms on Monday. Aerial suppression operations were expected to be limited Sunday morning by the inversion but remain available as visibility improves and conditions allow.
Structural resources remained in place to protect threatened residences, with structural firefighters focused on protecting homes and critical infrastructure and improving defensible space around threatened properties. Wildland firefighters continued working at the fire’s edge where possible. In areas of extreme and steep terrain, crews also opened alternate lines from previous fires as a precaution in case direct line construction along the fire’s edge is not possible.
The fire started Friday afternoon at 2:41 p.m. after a car crashed into a power pole, sparking dry vegetation, according to ODF. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the cause of the crash.
Evacuation notices remained in effect Sunday for areas surrounding the fire, issued by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management.
Level 3 – Go Now: JAC-148A. All residences adjacent to East Evans Creek Road from 19385 through 21899 are included, along with residences at 21612 Antioch Road and 21615 Antioch Road.
Level 2 – Be Set: JAC-016, JAC-124, JAC-147 and JAC-148B.
Level 1 – Be Ready: JAC-003, JAC-004, JAC-017, JAC-026, JAC-036, JAC-109, JAC-126 and JAC-149B.
Evacuation areas can be seen on a map through genasys.com. Users can plug in their address and see whether they are within an evacuation zone.
An evacuation shelter for residents and domestic pets was established at Hanby Middle School, 806 6th Ave., Gold Hill.
Horses can be taken to The Expo at 21 Penninger Road, Central Point, but owners are asked to call 541-776-7206 first to confirm space is available. The Josephine County Fairgrounds can take pigs, goats and smaller animals at 1451 Fairgrounds Road, Grants Pass.
For livestock sheltering assistance, call 541-776-7206.
Traffic was closed to the public on East Evans Creek Road at Meadows Road. Officials asked the public to avoid the fire area to allow firefighters and heavy equipment to operate safely.
A temporary flight restriction was in place for the fire area daily, 24 hours a day, until further notice. Officials warned that flying a drone near or around a wildfire is illegal and can interfere with firefighting operations.
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The Olive Butte Fire is one of several blazes burning in Eastern Oregon, as of Sunday morning.
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