Taxes & Spending

Stop the waste. Protect working families.

Dr. Kahl believes government should prove it can manage the money it already has before asking families and small businesses to pay more. Her focus is simple: expose waste, demand accountability, and put taxpayers first.

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Expose Waste

Taxpayers deserve to know where money goes and whether programs are actually working.

Demand Results

Spending should be judged by outcomes, accountability, and measurable benefit to the public.

Protect Taxpayers

Families and small businesses should not be forced to carry the cost of irresponsible government.

Taxes, Spending & Federal Accountability

Oregonians already pay the bill. Congress must follow the money.

Dr. Barbara Kahl is running for Congress, not Salem. That distinction matters. A U.S. representative cannot repeal every Oregon tax or audit the governor's whole state budget. What she can do is demand accountability for federal tax dollars sent into Oregon.

Follow the federal money. Demand the receipts. Prove results before taxpayers are asked for more.

$37.9B

Federal funds in Oregon's state budget

Oregon's 2023-25 state budget included $37.90 billion in federal funds for entitlement programs, grants, and aid.

OR-1

District 1 footprint

Oregon's 1st Congressional District includes Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook, and large portions of Washington and Multnomah counties.

0.1%

Statewide transit tax remains

Oregon's statewide transit tax is still one-tenth of 1 percent after Measure 120 did not pass in the May 19, 2026 primary election.

Paid Leave Oregon contributions

For 2026, Paid Leave Oregon contributions total 1 percent of gross wages up to the annual wage limit, shared by employees and larger employers.

What Dr. Kahl can credibly fight in Congress

The strongest message is not that Congress can control every state tax. The strongest message is that Congress can press for transparency when Washington sends money to Oregon agencies, contractors, nonprofits, and local governments.

Health Care

Medicaid and health grants

Federal health dollars flow through state systems. A representative can press CMS, HHS, and federal Inspectors General for answers when costs rise, access gets worse, or funds fail to reach patients.

Housing

HUD, homelessness, and grant performance

District 1 voters see housing costs and homelessness every day. Congress can ask whether federal housing and homelessness funds are producing measurable outcomes before expanding failed approaches.

Transport

Roads, bridges, ports, and transit dollars

Federal transportation money touches highways, bridges, ports, transit, freight routes, and emergency repairs. A congresswoman can question federal agencies about Oregon projects, timelines, overruns, and reporting.

Education

Federal education funding and results

Federal education dollars should be judged by outcomes families can see: literacy, career readiness, special education support, safe schools, and transparent spending.

Disaster

Emergency management and coastal resilience

Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook, Washington, and Multnomah communities need accountable disaster, flood, wildfire, emergency response, and infrastructure funding.

Economy

Small business, farms, forests, fisheries, and workforce grants

Congress can track whether federal programs help working industries compete or simply build another layer of paperwork between taxpayers and results.

The legal line is simple.

A member of Congress cannot directly audit Oregon's general fund, order the governor to turn over purely state records, or repeal Metro and county taxes from Washington, D.C.

But she can follow federal funds wherever they go: state agencies, county programs, city projects, contractors, universities, hospitals, nonprofits, and grant recipients.

District 1 feels the stack.

Washington County families face state taxes, Metro-area taxes, bonds, levies, and the high cost of commuting.
Multnomah County communities face regional homelessness taxes, preschool taxes, property levies, and public safety pressure.
Coastal communities rely on ports, fisheries, roads, bridges, emergency services, and tourism infrastructure.
Small businesses absorb payroll charges, compliance costs, fuel costs, vehicle fees, and higher prices from every new layer.

The oversight tools are real.

Request GAO reviews of federal programs affecting Oregon.
Ask federal Inspectors General to investigate waste, fraud, abuse, or grant mismanagement.
Use oversight letters, hearings, and agency questions for the record.
Track awards through USAspending.gov by place of performance in District 1.
Back appropriations language requiring clearer performance metrics before funds are renewed.

State taxes voters already know

HB 2017 phased in a 10-cent gas tax increase from 2018 through 2024 and created the wage-based statewide transit tax. Those are state choices, but they shape how taxpayers judge any new request for money.

Metro and county tax pressure

Metro's SHS income tax, Multnomah County's Preschool for All tax, the Metro affordable housing bond, and the parks bond are not federal taxes. They are the local backdrop voters bring into the federal accountability debate.

HB 3991 and Measure 120

HB 3991 sought new transportation revenue. After Measure 120 did not pass on May 19, 2026, Oregon DOR says the statewide transit tax remains at one-tenth of 1 percent.

Not every tax is federal. Every taxpayer deserves accountability.

Dr. Kahl's congressional message should be clear: Oregon families are already paying federal, state, regional, county, and local taxes. Before Washington sends another dollar into the same broken systems, Congress should demand proof that the money is reaching people, fixing problems, and producing results.

Source notes verified May 21, 2026: Oregon's 1st District counties are listed by the Oregon Secretary of State Blue Book. Oregon's federal funds total comes from the Oregon Secretary of State government finance summary. GAO's congressional oversight role is described by the Government Accountability Office. Federal award tracking by congressional district is described by Congressional Research Service. Oregon transportation and transit tax details are from ODOT's HB 2017 fact sheet, Oregon DOR's statewide transit tax page, and ODOT's HB 3991 page. Paid Leave Oregon rates are from Paid Leave Oregon. Metro and Multnomah local tax details are summarized from the City of Portland Revenue Division and Multnomah County. Metro housing bond details are from Multnomah County Elections, and Metro parks bond details are from Metro.