[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 135 (Tuesday, August 5, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E751]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF DIANE LUND-MUZIKANT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MAXINE DEXTER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 5, 2025

  Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of 
Diane Lund-Muzikant--a fearless journalist, a tenacious truth-teller, 
and the founder of The Lund Report, Oregon's pioneering nonprofit 
dedicated to health care reporting. Diane passed away on Saturday, July 
26, 2025, at the age of 86, leaving behind an indelible mark on 
Oregon's media and public health landscape.
  Before I was elected to serve in this body, I spent more than two 
decades as a physician. I saw firsthand how opaque, inequitable, and 
profit-driven our health care system can be, and I also saw the vital 
role of journalists who were willing to peel back the curtain. Diane 
was one of those few. She understood that behind every headline about 
health care policy are real people--patients, families, and 
communities--impacted by decisions made in boardrooms and back rooms. 
She made it her mission to hold those in power accountable.
  Diane began her reporting career covering local government and 
community issues before turning her focus to health care in the 1980's. 
Her work with the Medical Society of Metropolitan Portland helped 
illuminate the growing dysfunction in our health care system, a story 
too often ignored or misunderstood by the broader media.
  She went on to found the Oregon Health Forum to convene critical 
dialogue around health policy, and then, at age 70, launched The Lund 
Report, a nonprofit news outlet that quickly became the gold standard 
for health care journalism in Oregon and across the Pacific Northwest. 
Relentless in her pursuit of truth, Diane asked hard questions, chased 
hard facts, and never shied away from hard truths. She built a legacy 
that will long outlive her.
  Diane Lund-Muzikant embodied the best of what journalism can be: 
independent, courageous, and grounded in service to the public good. 
Her work strengthened Oregon's health care system and made our 
communities more informed, more compassionate, and more just.
  As we continue to witness the erosion of local news and independent 
media, Diane's example reminds us why supporting journalists--and 
especially those committed to covering complex systems like health 
care--is essential to our democracy.
  We owe her our gratitude. May her memory be a blessing, and may her 
legacy continue to inspire the next generation of truth-tellers.

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