Maxine Dexter

Electoral integrity

Criminal justice

Fiscal policy

Healthcare

Education

Economy and labor

Environment and energy

Immigration

National security and foreign policy

Civil rights and liberties

Social policy

Technology and data

Civil liberties and government power

Government accountability and transparency

Infrastructure and public investment

Dexter described her visit to a detention facility at Dilley where she met with detained immigrants and helped them fill out privacy release forms so their Members of Congress could advocate for them, stating that the immigration system should follow the rule of law, not imprison children, keep families together, and guarantee access to due process.

Defending American Property Abroad Act of 2026 — This bill gives the President tools to protect American assets and enforce consequences against Western Hemisphere allies that seize U.S. property by restricting their vessels from U.S. ports.

Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act — This bill allocates federal spending to the Department of Homeland Security for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, representing a direct government expenditure that affects the overall budget.

Expressing the support of the House of Representatives for the Department of Homeland Security. — Passing this bill would affirm support for continued funding of the agency responsible for protecting the country from domestic threats and security risks.

Dexter spoke for 60 minutes about immigration enforcement at the Dilley child family detention facility in Texas, describing conditions including inadequate food and water, lack of sleep and healthcare, and reports of self-harm among detained children and families.

Dexter stated that the White House is sending ICE agents into airports instead of working with Democrats to fund TSA, and that ICE agents are not trained in aviation security or customer service and create fear and confusion in airports.

Dexter addressed the House for 5 minutes to state that Americans deserve a say in decisions to go to war and called on Republicans to stand up for their constituents and oppose a military conflict being led by Pete Hegseth.

Dexter spoke on the House floor about tax dollars being used to fund family detention facilities, describing the case of a 7-year-old child detained by DHS agents and sent to a reopened family detention facility in Texas, and called for Congress to end the practice of using taxpayer dollars to imprison children.

Dexter addressed the House for one minute to discuss DHS agents deploying tear gas on peaceful protesters in Portland, including children, and called for ICE employees to resign.

Dexter spoke on the House floor in opposition to a Republican proposal to divert federal funding from families in need to crisis pregnancy centers, stating that such centers are not medical facilities, do not require licensed medical professionals, and often provide misleading or false information to women.

Dexter stated that RFK, Jr. upended the childhood immunization schedule by reducing the number of universally recommended vaccines without substantive input from relevant medical experts, and called for his resignation.

Dexter announced that she secured over $6 million in Community Project Funding for seven community-led initiatives across Oregon's Third Congressional District.

Dexter voted in favor of H. Con. Res. 61, which directed the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with presidentially designated terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere.

Dexter stated that vaccines are one of mankind's greatest inventions, noted that WHO vaccine efforts have saved 154 million lives in the last 50 years, expressed opposition to a recommendation by RFK Jr.'s panel to end immediate Hepatitis B vaccination of newborns, called on acting CDC Director O'Neill to reject the recommendation, and called for RFK Jr. to resign from HHS.

Dexter stated that her office has helped constituents recover more than one-half million dollars owed to them by the Federal Government through casework services since coming to Congress.

Dexter signed on to a resolution recognizing Israel's actions in Gaza led by the Netanyahu government as a genocide.

Dexter held the first meeting of her Youth Advisory Council, a group of two dozen high school students from her district, and stated that she will continue to consult with them to help shape future policies.

Dexter pressed the U.S. Forest Service chief during a House Natural Resources Committee hearing to increase protections for wildland firefighters from wildfire smoke exposure, resulting in the Forest Service making masks available to wildland firefighters within hours.

Dexter spoke on the House floor opposing the threatened deployment of troops to Portland by Donald Trump, stating it was political retribution rather than a safety measure and pledging to use legislation, litigation, and public pressure to stop what she called a dangerous overreach of federal power.

Dexter described the detention of the Merlos family, a Portland family with four U.S. citizen children who were held by Customs and Border Protection and separated from their parents in ICE custody, and called for an immigration system rooted in dignity and justice rather than fear.

Dexter stated that Palestinians in Gaza deserve safety, dignity, and the right to self-determination, and called for the immediate reinstatement of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency in Gaza for large-scale aid delivery.

Dexter introduced the Climate Health Emergency Act, which directs the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to declare the climate crisis a public health emergency.

Dexter spoke to the House for one minute about air pollution and climate change affecting national parks, citing wildfire smoke and haze as threats to air quality and stating that clean air and healthy parks require action.

Dexter addressed the House for 1 minute regarding Crater Lake National Park, stating that Trump's administration has driven out public servants protecting the park, including Superintendent Kevin Heatley's resignation and cuts to half of the permanent staff, and called for protecting national parks and their public servants.

Dexter spoke for 1 minute on the House floor about the impact of Republican tax and budget policies on families, citing the example of Tiffany George from Hood River whose child requires Medicaid-covered medications costing $9,000 per month.

Dexter addressed the House for 1 minute to say that Donald Trump's advisers are threatening to suspend habeas corpus, characterizing this as authoritarianism and a direct assault on the rule of law, and called on her colleagues to defend the Republic by standing up and speaking out against threats to American freedoms.

Dexter spoke on the House floor for 1 minute opposing House Republicans' proposed cuts to Medicaid, stating that over 255,000 Oregonians including 59 percent of children in her district rely on Medicaid for healthcare, and argued that cutting Medicaid to fund tax breaks for the wealthy is unconscionable because healthcare is a human right.

Dexter stated that she traveled to El Salvador to meet with the U.S. Embassy regarding detained individuals including Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and called for action to bring detainees home.

Dexter spoke on the House floor for 1 minute opposing the SAVE Act as a voter suppression bill that would jeopardize ballot access for women and called on Senate colleagues to defeat it.

Providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 42) providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Energy relating to "Energy Conservation Program for Appliance Standards: Certification Requirements, Labeling Requirements, and Enforcement Provisions for Certain Consumer Products and Commercial Equipment"; providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 61) providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Rubber Tire Manufacturing"; and providing for consideration of the joint resolution (S.J. Res. 11) providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management relating to "Protection of Marine Archaeological Resources". — This bill enables Congress to exercise its constitutional oversight power by allowing votes to disapprove specific federal agency rules, reinforcing legislative checks on executive branch regulatory authority.

SPUR Act — This bill advances small business economic opportunity by requiring federal agencies to track and report on contracts awarded to underrepresented small business owners, including veterans and disadvantaged entrepreneurs.

Midnight Rules Relief Act — This bill allows Congress to more easily overturn multiple regulations at once, which could reduce executive branch regulatory power but may also weaken the detailed scrutiny each regulation would normally receive.

Midnight Rules Relief Act — This bill allows Congress to more easily overturn multiple regulations at once, which could reduce executive branch regulatory power but may also weaken the detailed scrutiny each regulation would normally receive.

Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 77) to amend chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, to provide for en bloc consideration in resolutions of disapproval for "midnight rules", and for other purposes. — This bill would make it easier for Congress to quickly review and reject last-minute regulations issued by outgoing administrations, increasing legislative oversight of executive agency actions.

Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 471) to expedite under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and improve forest management activities on National Forest System lands, on public lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, and on Tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forested lands, and for other purposes, and providing for consideration of the bill (S. 5) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft, and for other purposes. — This bill would streamline environmental reviews to speed up forest management projects aimed at reducing wildfire risk through vegetation removal and forest thinning on public and tribal lands.

MAPWaters Act of 2025 — This bill advances environmental stewardship by improving public access to information about federal waterways, which can help people better utilize and care for these natural resources.

Hershel Woody Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act — This bill directs federal resources toward constructing a public monument on the National Mall, representing a public investment in commemorative infrastructure.

Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act — This bill would make it easier to deny entry to and deport immigrants convicted of or admitting to certain violent crimes, particularly those involving women and children.

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for the taxation of certain residents of Taiwan with income from sources within the United States. — This bill would create a special tax rule for certain Taiwan residents earning U.S. income, potentially reducing federal tax revenue from this specific group.

POWER Act of 2025 — This bill enables federal funding for utilities to combine power restoration with hazard mitigation improvements, increasing public investment in infrastructure resilience.

Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 — This bill restricts transgender girls and women from participating in school sports programs consistent with their gender identity, which some view as protecting opportunities for cisgender women while others view as limiting the civil rights and liberties of transgender students.

Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 — This bill restricts transgender girls and women from participating in school sports programs consistent with their gender identity, which some view as protecting opportunities for cisgender women while others view as limiting the civil rights and liberties of transgender students.

Post-Disaster Assistance Online Accountability Act — This bill advances government accountability by requiring federal agencies to publicly disclose detailed information about disaster assistance spending on a regular basis.

Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act — This bill requires FEMA to study ways to reduce paperwork burdens on disaster applicants while reporting its findings to Congress, which increases oversight and transparency in federal disaster assistance processes.

Amtrak Executive Bonus Disclosure Act — This bill advances government accountability by requiring a publicly-funded company to disclose executive compensation details to Congress and the public.

Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act — This bill would protect Americans from prosecution by the International Criminal Court and use sanctions to deter foreign cooperation with ICC investigations, asserting U.S. sovereignty in national security matters.