ONA Convention Remarks
May 5, 2026
Hello and thank you for having me here! It’s always fantastic to be with all the frontline healthcare professionals of the Oregon Nurses Association. Thank you for what you do to keep Oregon healthy and safe!
Thank you for fighting every day for your patients and for your co-workers. I am inspired by your strength and resilience – and I am proud of what we’ve accomplished together on behalf of working people.
ONA has been a partner with me since my first days in the legislature, during my time as Speaker, and now in the Governor’s Office.
We have stood side by side to expand the Oregon Health Plan and other insurance coverage to almost every Oregonian.
We created the best paid family leave program in the country.
We have passed the strongest reproductive health care protections in the country and restored funding for Planned Parenthood.
We fought and won on safe staffing.
We passed new laws to prevent violence in the workplace and stop the corporatization of medicine.
And Oregon is the first state in the country to allow striking workers to access unemployment benefits.
None of this happened by accident. We did this together – because all of you in this room never – ever – stop fighting for a better future.
We face strong headwinds – there’s so much coming at all of us. Thank you for your solidarity with our immigrant and refugee neighbors against the unlawful actions of the Trump administration, including advocating for the immigrant justice package during this year’s session and helping to pass Senate Bill 1570 requiring hospitals to have policies to protect individuals seeking medical care from federal law enforcement. In their most vulnerable moments while seeking medical care, every Oregonian deserves to feel safe and protected.
Standing strong – together – we will not let President Trump bully Oregon into abandoning our values and abandoning our neighbors. We will not back down.
And then there’s the way private equity and out-of-state corporations are trying to control and erode access to care. Here in Eugene/Springfield, my office has been strategically engaged in standing against PeaceHealth’s recent decision to change how they run their emergency departments. We have to keep our providers local and in control of medical decisions. More disruption to this region undermines your ability to focus on your patients and provide the best care possible. I’m standing with you to hold PeaceHealth accountable for their decisions.
ONA makes health care workplaces safer, protects the quality of care people get, and allows frontline workers to have a voice on the job. Those things matter. They are worth fighting for. I have been with you – and will continue to be with you in this fight.
We have some tough tasks on the horizon, and I will need your partnership to make sure Oregon doesn’t go backwards.
The Trump Congress gave us a new ugly law that will make it difficult to maintain Medicaid coverage in our state. But we’re digging in, trying to figure out a plan. I’ve convened the Medicaid Sustainability Group to guide me on how we can provide as much coverage as possible to as many Oregonians as possible in the face of devastating federal cuts. As we continue the inexorable march to universal health care, let’s stand our ground now, hold our ground now, when it comes to maintaining the access to care we have already built here in Oregon.
My administration is also focusing on rural health, behavioral health, and maternal health. The state moved quickly to craft a strong proposal to access rural health money under H.R. 1. Grants are starting to go out. We’re also investing in and working with hospital systems to maintain pregnancy care in rural communities. And my administration is prioritizing increased capacity to serve Oregonians who need access to mental health and addiction treatment, both in new beds and new ways to support the workforce.
I’m not taking my foot off the gas when it comes to accessing health care. We will prevail regardless of what President Trump throws at health care.
Let me close with three things that are central for me when it comes to fighting for frontline healthcare workers:
First: Housing you can afford. Your paycheck needs to go further. And that means building more housing, more types of housing, all over the state. Since I took office, my administration has led the way to building more than 17,000 new units of affordable housing. Let’s make sure you can afford a home in the community you serve.
Second: Safe staffing. You should be able to do your best work with dignity and support – and that means staffing ratios that support quality care and safe workplaces.
Third: A voice on the job. I will always fight to have your voice at the decision-making table. Your expertise matters. Your experience matters. And policy and practice should reflect that.
I know that when we all work together, we can build an Oregon where working families don’t just survive, they thrive. Where a hard day’s work always pays a fair wage. And no matter where you were born, prosperity is a reality for you – not a privilege for the few, but a promise for all.
Together, we’ve got a lot of important work left to do. But I know we can do it – because when we stand together, we win.
Thank you.