Monica Wehby in State of Oregon Archives
On Energy & Oil:
Complete the Keystone Pipeline; end EPA overreach
Dr. Wehby believes that we need leaders in Washington who will take a truly balanced approach when it comes to protecting our state's jobs and natural resources. The federal government telling our state we can't use our vast timber resources is like
telling Texans they can't drill for oil. There is a human cost to over-regulation that comes from a federal bureaucracy in Washington D.C. that doesn't seem to care about the impact their policies have on working families. Dr. Wehby supports:-
A top-to-bottom review of federal regulations to target and strip the mindless red tape that's killing jobs.
- An end to the regulatory overreach of agencies like the EPA.
- Tax relief and simplification so our small businesses can focus on growth and
creating jobs, rather than complying with a burdensome tax code.
- Completing the Keystone Pipeline to lower energy costs and create jobs here and across the nation.
Source: 2014 Oregon Senate campaign website, MonicaForOregon.com
Sep 1, 2014
On Corporations:
Gov't should encourage growth, not squeeze businesses out
Q: How would you help Americans save so they can secure their future and live independently as they age?A: From ranchers, to loggers, to coffee shop and hair salons owners, [Monica] hears the same thing over and over again--
that uncertainty about what the federal government is doing in healthcare, in the regulatory fields, and the changing tax climate is forcing small business to hunker down.
Government should be encouraging growth, not squeezing small businesses out.
As a U.S. Senator, Dr. Wehby will fight for the small businesses of Oregon so that our kids can have good middle class jobs available to them.
Source: AARP Voter Guide on 2014 Oregon Senate race
Aug 31, 2014
On Civil Rights:
Paycheck Fairness Act hurts women in the workplace
What Merkley says: "It's wrong that even today, women in Oregon make just 79 cents for every dollar a man makes. I [voted for &] am now fighting to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, the next step we must take to ensure women earn equal pay for equal work."
Wehby's response: "Based on actual experience, I know that Senator Merkley's approach to this issue is not only wrong, but will only exacerbate the problem of discrimination against women in our economy. The bill that Senator Merkley supports adds
additional regulations, documentation and other administrative requirements that will have a harmful effect on women in the workplace. Senator Merkley's answer to this issue is typical of career politicians--more regulation, more red tape, and more
government interference on small businesses. A bill like this will encourage job creators to look for labor substitution. I would have voted no based on my workplace experiences and knowledge of how this legislation would have hurt women in the workplace
Source: The Oregonian on 2014 Oregon Senate race
Jul 18, 2014
On Families & Children:
2007: Ex-husband filed police report, but good friends now
The ex-husband of Monica Wehby accused her of "ongoing harassment" as they were going through a divorce in 2007 and also called the police on her in December 2009 over a dispute about seeing their children.Jim Grant, Wehby's ex-husband, accused
Wehby of slapping him with a pad of paper during a verbal dispute, according to a Portland police report from Dec. 16, 2007. "Jim said they are currently in a divorce situation and is tired of the ongoing harassment by his wife," the police report said.
"Jim said over the last year Monica has pulled his hair, slapped him and thrown items at him. Jim said he had been violent with her in the past."
Wehby denied touching him with the pad of paper, according to the report. She told police that Grant had
been physical with her in the past and that she had documented it with her doctors.
[When asked about] any major issues from her divorce that opponents might dig up, Wehby responded, "No, we live four houses apart. And we're good friends."
Source: The Oregonian on 2014 Oregon Senate race
May 19, 2014
On Families & Children:
2013: Ex-boyfriend filed police report, but now regrets it
Oregon GOP Senate candidate Monica Wehby was accused by her ex-boyfriend last year of "stalking" him, entering his home without his permission and "harassing" his employees, according to a Portland, Oregon police report. Wehby was questioned by a
police officer on April 3, 2013. Miller, the wealthy owner of a timber company, had been romantically involved with Wehby but their relationship was ending at that time, they both say now. Wehby was not arrested in the incident.
Miller has helped fund
radio and billboard ads slamming one of Wehby's rivals for the Senate nomination, state Rep. James Conger. Miller has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years backing GOP candidates in Oregon.
Wehby said she was unaware that a police
report had been filed over the 2013 incident and downplayed the episode. Miller said he now regrets calling the police on Wehby. The couple had dated for about two years, but broke up in 2013. Miller, divorced with 4 children, said they remain friendly.
Source: Politico.com on 2014 Oregon Senate race
May 16, 2014
On Free Trade:
Support free-trade, but wait on Trans-Pacific Partnership
In Congress, the crucial Oregon forest issue centers on legislation dealing with some 2.8 million acres of federal forests in western Oregon known as the Oregon & California Railroad lands. Both Wehby and Conger prefer the House-passed bill sponsored
by three Oregon congressman, that would put much of the land in a state-managed trust aimed at boosting timber harvests.Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has his own somewhat more restrictive O&C plan. Conger flatly says he would vote against it if the
Wyden plan came to the Senate floor. Wehby says she'd wait to see the final form.
Both lean toward supporting free-trade pacts. But neither is ready to commit on the upcoming Trans-Pacific Partnership or
on legislation--known as Trade Promotion Authority--that would allow an up-or-down congressional vote on any trade agreement approved by negotiators.
Source: The Oregonian on 2014 Oregon Senate race
May 2, 2014
On Principles & Values:
Declined to debate on live TV in Senate primary
Wehby has turned down what would have been the only live televised debate of the primary race between her and state Rep. Jason Conger. Wehby rejected an offer to debate Conger on KGW TV in the last weeks of the race.KGW, in partnership with The
Oregonian, has for several years held several influential political debates that reach a statewide television audience, and it's been rare for candidates to refuse offers to participate. Said KGW's Executive News Director, "I can't remember the last time
it's happened" [that KGW was turned down].
Wehby's campaign manager said that Wehby had already agreed to another debate [that same day] before being approached by KGW, adding, "We have done 11-plus debates so far."
But Conger's campaign manager
dismissed most of those events as joint appearances before small crowds that included other candidates in the race. [There has been only one] head-to-head debate between the two [frontrunners], and its organizers did not allow the event to be recorded.
Source: The Oregonian on 2014 Oregon Senate race
Apr 30, 2014
On Principles & Values:
AdWatch: Parents trust her as a pediatric neurosurgeon
Monica Wehby features a patient whose child she helped as a pediatric neurosurgeon in a new emotional television ad. The ad, titled "Trust," runs a minute long and highlights the story of Lexi Liebelt, whose daughter needed reconstructive surgery
on her spinal cord shortly after she was born. In the ad, Liebelt tells the story of how Wehby helped her daughter that day:"She just hugged me and kissed my forehead and she said, 'It's gonna be okay sweetheart. I've got her and
I'm gonna see you in a couple hours,'" Liebelt recounts. "I gave her the most precious thing I had. I trusted her." A shot of Liebelt's daughter, now 12, flashes on the screen, with Wehby brushing her hair from her face, as
Liebelt touts the candidate for Senate. "Dr. Wehby would make an incredible senator. She will always do the right thing. She will act with integrity. All of Washington needs to be full of people like Dr. Wehby," she says.
Source: AdWatch by The Hill e-zine on 2014 Oregon Senate race
Apr 23, 2014
On Budget & Economy:
Problem is uncertainty in federal regulation & tax climate
This January, Monica headed out on a tour of 100 small businesses in 100 days to listen and hear what is ailing the workforce in Oregon. Dr. Wehby has been hearing the concerns of a variety of business owners and their employees.
From ranchers, to loggers, to coffee shop and hair salons owners, she hears the same thing over and over again--that uncertainty about what the federal government is doing in healthcare, in the regulatory fields, and the changing tax climate is forcing
small business to hunker down. Government should be encouraging growth, not squeezing small businesses out. As a U.S. Senator,
Dr. Wehby will fight for the small businesses of Oregon so that our kids can have good middle class jobs available to them.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MonicaForOregon.com, "Issues"
Mar 18, 2014
On Education:
Increase school choice options for our families
Federal tax dollars aren't reaching Oregon classrooms. Dr. Wehby will work to bring our federal education dollars back to Oregon, increase school choice options for our families, and decrease frivolous mandates.
Monica will take on Common Core standards, protect our children's privacy, and promote block-grants that empower our teachers and local communities.
Source: 2014 Ore. Senate campaign website, www.MonicaForOregon.com
Mar 18, 2014
On Environment:
Fisherman, miners, and loggers need a partner in D.C.
Monica has traveled all across Oregon meeting with farmers, fisherman, ranchers, miners, and loggers. These hard-working Americans have seen their industries and their jobs decimated by a federal government they believe is not on their side. Dr. Wehby
believes that we need leaders in D.C. who will take a truly balanced approach when it comes to protecting our state's jobs and natural resources. The Federal government telling our state we can't use our timber resources is like telling
Texans they can't drill for oil. There is a human cost to over-regulation that comes from a federal bureaucracy in Washington D.C. that doesn't seem to care about the impact that their policies have on working families.
The people who live in these
areas have been good stewards of their lands for generations. They are not looking to harm the environments they live in. They just want an honest partner in D.C. that isn't looking to take away their right to work.
Source: 2014 Ore. Senate campaign website, www.MonicaForOregon.com
Mar 18, 2014
On Government Reform:
Founders never imagined a permanent political class
The problem with career politicians is that they become so out of touch that they lose the ability to relate to every day Americans. It's time for a return to a problem solvers approach, an approach our nation was founded upon. Five physicians signed
the Declaration of Independence. Josiah Bartlett was a renowned innovator in the field of medicine and is also considered one of the chief architects of the US Constitution. Our founding fathers intended that we elect people to office who have excelled
in non-political fields and who can bring their experience, knowledge and talents to a deliberative body for the betterment of every day Americans.The founders didn't add term limits to the constitution because they never imagined that we would
create a permanent political class. Serving in office was considered a sacrifice. When you got the job done you returned to your family. That's why Dr. Wehby supports a two-term limit for US Senators. Twelve years is enough time to get the job done.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MonicaForOregon.com, "Issues"
Mar 18, 2014
On Gun Control:
Protect all constitutional rights, especially 2nd Amendment
Our founders created this country because they felt like they were being oppressed by a distant government who was not adequately representing their concerns or protecting their livelihood. The leaders of this nation banded together to create a
document that would enshrine forever what they fought for into a system of laws. The constitution they created is without question the most perfect document man has ever produced on how to balance liberty and government.
As a doctor, Monica Wehby has taken her oath to protect a patient's right to privacy very seriously. As Oregon's US Senator she will take that same seriousness to her pledge to protect and defend the US Constitution. Wehby will fight to protect all of
our constitutional rights and especially the 2nd Amendment. She will strongly oppose the UN Arms Treaty which infringes upon our right to keep and bear arms. A constitutional right is an inalienable one and our politicians must always remember that.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MonicaForOregon.com, "Issues"
Mar 18, 2014
On Health Care:
Prominent and early opponent of ObamaCare
In 2009, while ObamaCare was rolling down the legislative pike, Monica was a prominent opponent of the ACA. She was enlisted to be in a TV commercial which ran across the nation warning people about the dangers of that bill. Monica got a lot of hate mail
for that ad campaign and had to change her home phone number, but every one of her predictions has come true.150,000 people have had their health insurance plans cancelled in Oregon. Premiums have increased. Medicare Advantage benefits for our
state's seniors have been cut. The Obama administration is constantly changing its rules and regulations and delaying its mandates. As one person told her, "The Affordable Care Act has made my health insurance un-affordable."
This system is so
flawed that it needs to be repealed and replaced with a patient-centered, market-based approach like the one Monica outlined in November of 2013 that increases access that is actually affordable.
Source: 2014 Senate campaign website, MonicaForOregon.com, "Issues"
Mar 18, 2014
On Homeland Security:
Put the needs and care of our veterans first
Our nation's veterans are entitled to every gratitude and accommodation our country can afford to give them in honor of their special contribution to our nation's freedoms. As our soldiers return home from the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan, we must not lose sight of their sacrifice and the commitment our government owes them for their service. As our U.S. Senator, Monica will put the needs and care of our veterans first.
She would also work to revitalize and help streamline the VA medical system. She has a long history in medical policy and reform and will make that a special emphasis during her tenure as Oregon's U.S. Senator.
We must take exceptional care of those who have voluntarily put themselves in harm's way to protect and defend our country.
Source: 2014 Ore. Senate campaign website, www.MonicaForOregon.com
Mar 18, 2014
On Homeland Security:
Strengthening our armed forces protects our freedoms
Monica believes in the idea that the best way to keep America and the world safe is by keeping America's military strong and unrivaled. As Teddy Roosevelt said, "Walk softly, but carry a big stick."
Dr. Wehby will do everything possible in her capacity as our U.S. Senator to strengthen our armed forces and protect our freedoms.
Source: 2014 Ore. Senate campaign website, www.MonicaForOregon.com
Mar 18, 2014
On Immigration:
Secure the border but increase H1B visas & guest workers
Dr. Monica Wehby believes that before we make any reforms to our immigration system that we must secure the border. Border security must be the immediate priority. Monica is also against amnesty for those who came here illegally.
That simply isn't fair to the people who came here through the proper channels. Dr. Monica Wehby also believes that we need to increase the amount of H1B visas for skilled workers.
It doesn't make any sense to train and educate these workers in the U.S. and then force them to take the skills they learned here to another country.
Dr. Monica Wehby also believes we should work with Oregon's agriculturists to develop a temporary guest worker program that works.
Source: 2014 Ore. Senate campaign website, www.MonicaForOregon.com
Mar 18, 2014
On Social Security:
Put entitlements on a path to being financially secure
Our seniors spent their entire lives paying into those systems and Monica will oppose any change to the benefits that have already been promised to seniors who are at or near retirement. However, these programs are on track to become
insolvent, leaving the next generation of seniors to face the possibility that they will face serious cuts to their benefits. In order to make sure that doesn't happen, we need to enact legislation that puts them on a path to being financially secure.
Source: 2014 Ore. Senate campaign website, www.MonicaForOregon.com
Mar 18, 2014
On Tax Reform:
40% of budget on debt servicing is generational theft
Our nation spends forty cents on the dollar just to pay for our debt servicing. If we don't do something to end this fiscal insanity our entire country will end up like Greece or Detroit. This is generational theft. As Oregon's U.S. Senator,
Monica would enact a Balanced Budget Amendment so that we don't leave our kids with our legacy of debt. It's a moral imperative that we as Americans strive to ensure that the next generation has access to the same opportunities we had growing up.
Source: 2014 Ore. Senate campaign website, www.MonicaForOregon.com
Mar 18, 2014
On War & Peace:
Ensure that Iranian nukes don't threaten Israel
Monica also believes that the bond between the United States and Israel must remain rock solid. We must always stand by our strongest allies, especially in a region that is going through such turmoil.
As the nuclear negotiations proceed with Iran we must be ever mindful that whatever deal is struck does not jeopardize the security of Israel.
Source: 2014 Ore. Senate campaign website, www.MonicaForOregon.com
Mar 18, 2014
On Abortion:
Abortion is a personal choice
Wehby has said the government shouldn't be involved in same-sex marriage and abortion is a personal choice. "We already have a Democratic senator, we don't need another one," [her primary opponent] Conger said. "No Republican candidate will win by
being more of a Democrat than a Democrat." Conger opposes abortion
Wehby believes she could pull women voters and independents into her camp because the "normal attacks" used against Republicans like the "war on women" would be ineffective against her.
Source: Statesman Journal on 2014 Oregon Senate debate
Mar 9, 2014
On Civil Rights:
Government shouldn't be involved in same-sex marriage
Rep. Jason Conger wasted no time taking a swipe at Portland physician Monica Wehby. In his opening remarks, Conger said Republicans won't win by "running candidates who fit the 'D narrative'" or by "running a rich, disconnected Republican."
Wehby has said the government shouldn't be involved in same-sex marriage and abortion is a personal choice. Wehby countered Conger by saying she thinks "logically not ideologically," adding that "we need a little bit more of that in D.C."
Source: Statesman Journal on 2014 Oregon Senate debate
Mar 9, 2014
On Foreign Policy:
Russia emboldened in Ukraine by Obama's weak foreign policy
[Wehby and Conger] agreed that federal funding for education is increasing the cost of college tuition and that
Russia felt emboldened to intervene in Ukraine because of President Barack Obama's weak foreign policy stances.
Source: Statesman Journal on 2014 Oregon Senate debate
Mar 9, 2014
On Health Care:
We need more MDs and fewer JDs in Congress
Conger accused Wehby of being too cozy with Oregon's Democratic senator, Ron Wyden, in working on an ObamaCare-like plan and warned that the Oregon GOP should not run a "rich, disconnected Republican" in the fall.Wehby, whose compensation at Legacy
Emanuel has topped $1 million a year, countered that Conger was the one who has been squishy on opposing the new federal health care law.
And she was quick to insist that Congress needed fewer career politicians and "more MDs and less JDs," the latter
being a reference to those, like Conger, with law degrees.
Wehby said, "It sounds a lot to me like those politicians who voted for ObamaCare and Cover Oregon and who are all of a sudden leading the charge to get rid of the laws they voted for in the
first place," she said. "That's not me." She was clearly referring to the votes Conger took in the state Legislature to establish a state-run health exchange known as Cover Oregon under the terms of the federal health care law.
Source: The Oregonian on 2014 Oregon Senate debate
Mar 8, 2014
On Health Care:
I was against ObamaCare when it wasn't cool
Conger ran a radio ad that criticized Wehby's support of a health care reform bill--The Healthy Americans Act--that Sen. Wyden drafted with the support of a bipartisan group of senators in 2007. In the debate, Conger said Wyden's plan was "pretty much
exactly the same as ObamaCare" because it had such provisions as a mandate that individuals be insured or face penalties and it set up exchanges with a limited number of acceptable insurance plans. "If it regulates like ObamaCare and it taxes like
ObamaCare and its costs like ObamaCare, it is ObamaCare," he said."I was against ObamaCare when it wasn't cool to be against ObamaCare," replied Wehby, noting that she appeared in a 2009 ad opposing the health care plan before it became law. She also
insisted that Wyden's plan had several important differences from ObamaCare: "It was not the same as ObamaCare," she said. "It's a free market-based approach. It had bipartisan support, and it was budget neutral. That is a far cry from ObamaCare."
Source: The Oregonian on 2014 Oregon Senate debate
Mar 8, 2014
On Homeland Security:
Opposes reduction in size of America's military force
[Wehby and Conger] held their first head-to-head debate on the opening night of the Dorchester Conference, the annual issues conference for Republicans.For the most part, both were quick to follow Republican orthodoxy. The two, for instance,
both insisted that the Russians were emboldened to take the Crimean Peninsula because of the weakness of President Barack Obama's foreign policy. And each opposed the Obama administration's plans to reduce the size of America's military force.
Source: The Oregonian on 2014 Oregon Senate debate
Mar 8, 2014
On Abortion:
Abortion is a personal decision
Portland pediatric neurosurgeon Monica Wehby was once again the only one of the GOP candidates to express support for abortion rights, which she called a "personal decision." That won her a fair amount of applause among the
150 conservative activists at a Portland debate sponsored by the Western Liberty Network.The other three candidates --Rep. Jason Conger, County Republican Chair Jo Rae Perkins and Mark Callahan--all expressed their opposition to abortion.
Source: The Oregonian on 2016 Oregon Senate race
Jan 25, 2014
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