Kurt Schrader

Kurt Schrader - Congressman - Oregon
Kurt's Work in Congress
For more than 20 years, Kurt Schrader has been a respected leader in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. His background represents many of the elements of this diverse district. He understands its agricultural heritage: he raised organic crops on Canby’s historic Three Rivers Farm, where Kurt raised five children. Kurt is also a small businessman and veterinarian, who built his veterinary clinic in Oregon City from scratch.

Kurt Schrader, however, is best known for his record of public service. After serving on Canby’s local planning board he entered the Oregon House of Representatives in 1997, moving to the State Senate in 2003 where he served as the co-chair of Oregon’s budget committee until his election to Congress in 2008.

In Congress Schrader has put his experience to work by serving on the House Agriculture Committee, House Small Business Committee and House Budget Committee. Schrader also chairs the Finance and Lending Subcommittee on small business, a rare accomplishment for a first–term member.

Accomplishments
As chairman of the Finance and Lending Subcommittee on Small Business, Schrader wrote, introduced and passed a bill to create $44 billion in new lending for small businesses and cut through much of the bureaucratic red tape that hampers small businesses growth.
Schrader fought hard to make sure Newport became the new home of NOAA’s Pacific Fleet and the hundreds of jobs and economic opportunities that base brings to the community.
Schrader has fought and won support for regional projects that provide jobs for Oregonians in these tough times. Kurt fought for a new armory in hard-hit Polk County for the Oregon National Guard, and for critical improvements to the Mill Creek Employment Center in Salem bringing thousands of jobs to the region.
Schrader has cut through red tape for his constituents, helping Oregon families win back over $1 million in stalled Social Security payments, denied veterans benefits and delayed IRS refunds.
Schrader fought and won concessions from Congressional leaders in the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) to protect Oregon agricultural interests and promote more jobs in Oregon forests through renewable biomass.
Schrader fought and won concessions from the Administration to correct the disparity in Medicare funding that has significantly hurt Oregon patients and their doctors.
Schrader joined with Oregon Republican Greg Walden to form the Congressional Healthy Forests Caucus. The Caucus advocates for forest policies that stress renewable use of our forestland while looking for opportunities to bring jobs back to our rural forests.