[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 126 (Wednesday, July 23, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4598-S4599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                 Oregon

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I rise today to highlight a true example of 
what we at home call the Oregon Way. At a recent open-to-all townhall 
meeting--I have held more than 1,100 of them--and this one was in Union 
County, and I was pleased to run into my friend Tim Cook. He is the 
president of Clackamas Community College, over 250 miles away on the 
other side of our State from my hometown in Portland.
  I was glad to see him, and still my curiosity got the better of me. I 
had to ask why he was so far from home. Here is Tim's story.
  He has been in the process of running to every one of Oregon's 17 
community colleges to raise awareness for community college students 
about how challenging it is for them to meet the basic needs that they 
have to address as students.
  Tim kicked off his ``Running for Oregon Community College Students'' 
campaign at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario on the Idaho 
border. He plans to run 32 miles each day to reach each community 
college in our State.
  He is on track to complete this 1,500 mile--let me repeat that--1,500 
mile journey by August 11.
  Tim told me he was inspired by so many students that have shared 
their stories with him about the hardships--particularly the financial 
hardships--they have endured while attending school.
  That includes William Morehead, a Portland Community College student 
who said he has had virtually no family support, and he had no help as 
a young adult yearning for an education.
  So there he was with zero support, and William decided he could make 
a better life for himself through training and education. He signed up 
for welding classes and attended regularly. He did that while living in 
his car.
  Despite these roadblocks, he persevered and graduated with an 
associate's degree in welding and had a 3.9 GPA. He was nominated to 
serve as the student commencement speaker at graduation.
  Now William is learning AI ethics, and he said recently:

       In welding you use metal and fire, and in computing you do 
     the same thing but in a digital realm. I want to apply this 
     degree to evaluating Artificial Intelligence systems that 
     interface with the public and make sure it does it in a way 
     that's beneficial and not harmful.

  The story I tell about William isn't unique. Many young, promising 
Americans are not living up to their best potential and not for a lack 
of trying, but there has really been a lack of support.
  When adults lecture young people to ``pull yourself up by your 
bootstraps,'' they often miss the point that some students were never 
even provided with the boots. They didn't have the boots to yank 
themselves up.
  Getting any degree is expensive enough, but it is even further out of 
reach for so many young people when you factor in everything a student 
needs to succeed beyond tuition--things like transportation, housing, 
food, books, access to technology, and an array of other necessities.
  Many talented and promising students can't fulfill their potential 
and suffer in a system that lacks the potential to see that and see it 
and get them the opportunity for them to get ahead.
  And now, with deep cuts to programs like SNAP and Medicaid under the 
Republicans' disastrous recent budget bill, coupled with high housing 
costs and rising prices from the Trump tariffs, the safety nets for 
students who fly solo are being slashed.
  Donald Trump and DOGE are even trying to take a sledgehammer to 
funding for key programs like JobCorps, which help young people get the 
resources they need to secure a degree and a good-paying job.

[[Page S4599]]

  So President Tim Cook is running not for office, but he is running 
for his students. He is pounding the pavement in the summer heat to 
highlight that when students' basic needs are met, they can focus on 
their education and create a brighter future for themselves, their 
families, and their communities.
  That is why I am here on the floor today. I want to be part of 
sending Tim a powerful message that Congress agrees with him and must 
not leave students behind. The world's next Einstein--and I say this to 
all my colleagues--may be in your town, scraping together a way to earn 
an education and make a positive impact on the community and the world.
  Let's help light the beacon of opportunity for those students. For 
America to be great, we have got to make sure that everybody in our 
country gets a fair shot. So I will close by saying I am gratified by 
the passion and insight that Tim Cook and other Oregonians are bringing 
to this cause.
  They understand the importance of investing in our kids because that 
draws a map to a brighter future for all of us. It may not be possible 
for everybody to run 32 miles a day for nearly 2 months, but as 
Senators, we can certainly make a difference.
  This country needs more commonsense policies that put students first 
and prepare us all for a brighter tomorrow. That is what Tim Cook is 
bringing us.
  Mr. President, I urge all of my colleagues to support these educators 
and others for helping students.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.