About Earl

For more than 50 years, Earl Blumenauer has dedicated his career to building livable communities: places where people are safe, healthy, and economically secure.

A lifelong Oregonian, Earl was raised in SE Portland and attended Centennial High School. While a student at Lewis and Clark College, he led the fight to lower the voting age in Oregon. His advocacy helped fuel the passage of the 26th amendment to the Constitution. In 1972, Earl was elected to the Oregon House as one of the youngest legislators in the state’s history during a groundbreaking legislative session for school funding, ethics reform, and Oregon’s land use laws. In 1978, he left the legislature to serve his hometown more directly, first as a County Commissioner, then on the Portland City Council as Commissioner of Public Works. There, his advocacy for public transportation, land use planning and environmental protection earned him an international reputation as a leader for livability.

In 1996, Earl was elected to the US House of Representatives. During his 28 years in Congress, he developed a reputation for approaching controversial issues in a way that breaks through gridlock and brings people together around common-sense solutions. Some of his accomplishments include:

Leading the Ways and Means Committee to craft provisions included in the single largest bill to combat the climate crisis in American history: the Inflation Reduction Act.
Enacting more than a dozen major infrastructure policies, including multiple priorities included in the $1.5 trillion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to increase federal funding for active transportation.
Elevating cannabis reform from a fringe position to a pillar of progressive politics; passing the first and only comprehensive legislation to decriminalize, tax, and regulate cannabis out of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Championing the cycling movement for 28 years in Congress and across the country, founding the Congressional Bike Caucus and achieving unprecedented federal investment in bike and pedestrian infrastructure.
Creating the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund to save more than 100,000 independent restaurants at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leading the reform of the North American Free Trade Deal, securing key enforcement resources for environmental protection, stripping the agreement of patent protections for big pharma, and enacting a first-of-its-kind Rapid-Response labor enforcement mechanism.
Authoring the first federal standalone marijuana reform enacted into law, which eased federal restrictions on researching medical cannabis and mandated the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a report on barriers to research.
Leading Portland to create the first modern streetcar program and passing the Small Starts program which resulted in over 22 streetcar projects across the nation.
Creating the Special Immigrant Visa program for Iraqi and Afghan nationals who directly supported the U.S. military mission in their country; annually leading the effort to replenish visas.
Championing major legislation to stop imports of illegally harvested timber coming into the United States, which became a model for the EU, Japan, and countries around the world.
Helping expand healthcare coverage through the Affordable Care Act.
Leading the successful effort to ensure the federal government put a value on end-of-life care counseling despite enormous political controversy, giving families critical resources at a time of great vulnerability.
Authoring the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act, the most comprehensive piece of international water policy to date affecting the lives of hundreds of millions of people.
Protecting 127,000 acres of wilderness and 80 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers in the Mt. Hood National Forest and Columbia River Gorge.

Earl chose not to run for reelection for another term in Congress in 2024, but instead to concentrate his efforts directly on so many of the issues he cares passionately about. One of the ways that he will be engaged is as a Senior Fellow and Special Advisor to the Portland State University President and as a Presidential Fellow of the Institute for Metropolitan Studies.

Earl looks forward to speaking, writing and collaborating with the many stakeholders that share our passion. Portland State University is an ideal place to build on and strengthen those relationships.