DeFazio for Congress

As the dean of the Oregon House delegation, Peter DeFazio has developed a reputation as an independent, passionate and effective lawmaker. DeFazio's common-sense proposals aim to create good-paying jobs, restore economic and educational opportunities, hold government accountable and tip the scales of inequality back in favor of hard-working Oregonians.

DeFazio has served on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee since he came to Congress, including as Chairman or Ranking Member of four of the six subcommittees. In 2005, DeFazio helped negotiate a federal highway and transit spending bill that secured $2.7 billion for Oregon's roads, bridges, highways and transit systems. In 2014, DeFazio was elected to the powerful position of Ranking Member on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Coast Guard, highways and transit, water resources, railroads, aviation, and economic development. DeFazio will continue to fight for investments that result in job creation, increased safety, economic efficiency and strategic growth. As the top Democrat on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, DeFazio was most recently instrumental in passing the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization of 2018, which includes critical safety improvements and consumer protections, and the Water Resources Development Act of 2018, which will allow for improvements to our Nation’s ports, inland waterways, locks, dams, flood protection, and ecosystem restoration. In addition, DeFazio has introduced a long-term solution to replenish the Highway Trust Fund.

Peter was an early target of a Super PAC in 2010 which aired attack ads in Oregon eight months after the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court decision. It was later disclosed that the funds were derived from one individual, Wall Street billionaire Robert Mercer who has spent $1.78 million against DeFazio since 2010.

DeFazio has voted against every congressional pay raise and has refused to accept raises. Instead, he uses the money to fund scholarships at five Oregon community colleges because he believes that everyone should have access to education without crippling debt. By the end of 2018, DeFazio will have funded 270 scholarships.

DeFazio and his wife Myrnie live in Springfield, Oregon. He has logged well over five million miles traveling between his home in Oregon and Washington D.C.