Highlighting the Work of the Mental Health Caucus

Floor Speech

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Ms. SALINAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the work that my colleagues in the Mental Health Caucus and I are doing to address America's mental health and addiction crises.

When I first took office, my home State of Oregon ranked second to last in the Nation in terms of access to mental health services and dead last for the widespread prevalence of mental illness.

It is why I made this issue a top priority and took on a leadership role as co-chair of the Mental Health Caucus, where our Members have introduced around 200 bills during this Congress alone to address various pieces of the mental health puzzle.

Personally, I have introduced my own bills related to mental health and cosponsored dozens more. I have held listening tours, roundtables, and townhalls to hear directly from community members, to understand the challenges they face, and establish strong relationships with advocates and treatment professionals to ensure our solutions are guided by lived experiences.

These actions have helped raise awareness and reduce the stigma around seeking care, but that is merely just the first step. I know there is still so much more work to be done. I remain committed to reaching across the aisle and working with my colleagues in both parties to continue this work to make strides on this issue in the next Congress.

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