Jeff knows that decisions in Washington D.C. directly impact Oregonians, and firmly believes that businesses and families should not serve as bargaining chips during political negotiations. When President Trump decided to shut down the government from December 2018 through January 2019, this had grave consequences for many Oregonians.
One of the people who were affected by the shutdown was Jimmy Gould, a farmer in the Klamath Falls area who made a claim for disaster assistance funds after suffering damages during the 2018 drought in Southern Oregon. But when he went to the Farm Service Agency (FSA) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) office in Klamath Falls in January 2019, he was told that his check could not be released due to the government shutdown. Mr. Gould, who had previously worked with Jeff and his staff on water issues, reached out to Jeff for help on the issue.
Jeff’s office contacted the FSA to ensure that Mr. Gould would receive his check as soon as possible once field offices were reopened. The FSA assured Jeff’s team that they would send the check as soon as they finished the clerical work.
Mr. Gould sent his thanks and appreciation to the Senator and his team, saying “You folks—all of you—in that office are on the stick.” Mr. Gould said that Jeff was the only public official who responded to him, and said he is happy that “some part of government is still doing good.”
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