A new start

Dear Constantin,

This week, I had the privilege of being sworn in to serve Oregon for a new term in the U.S. Senate. As I look ahead to the challenges and opportunities of the next six years, I wanted to let you know directly from me what my priorities will be.

I came to the Senate to fight for our middle class, and growing and strengthening America's middle class will continue to be my top priority.

The work ahead won't always be easy, but our goals are clear:

• We must create good, living-wage jobs that grow the middle class and provide a solid foundation for our families.
  
• We must take on the soaring cost of college and ensure that each and every American is able to get a high-quality, affordable education, from pre-K to college and beyond.
  
• We need to fight back against efforts to privatize or dismantle Social Security and Medicare, and pursue policies that will provide greater retirement security for all Americans.
  
• And we must continue the fight to reform what is so broken in Washington, D.C. and to make America work for working Americans.
  
  

  And of course, I'll keep fighting for every corner of Oregon and our Oregon priorities – from port dredging and saving the Newport helicopter on the coast, to implementing water-sharing agreements in Central Oregon and the Klamath Basin, to pursuing smarter forest management policies and continuing to protect Oregon's rural post offices. It's been a great honor to serve Oregon in the Senate for the last six years. And thanks to the input and partnership of folks like you, those six years proved that even in a gridlocked Congress, there's a lot that can be done with hard work, perseverance, and community support. I hope you'll continue to reach out to me with your thoughts and ideas as we take on this new chapter together. I'm excited to get to work for Oregon and our middle class in the new Congress, and I hope you are too. Let's get to work! All my best, Jeff

  Subject:	A new start
  Date:	1/8/2015 6:37:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
  From:	Senator_Merkley@Merkley.senate.gov
  To: dacialan@aol.com
  Sent from the Internet (Details)