Fact-Checking Buehler’s Lies from Tonight’s KOBI-TV Debate

Fact-Checking Buehler’s Lies from Tonight’s KOBI-TV Debate

During tonight’s gubernatorial debate on KOBI-TV, Oregonians witnessed Republican Knute Buehler repeatedly lie about Governor Kate Brown’s record, and he deserves to be held accountable. Here are fact-checks to a few of his biggest whoppers:

Buehler claimed that the Governor has cut CTE funding. False.

Under Governor Brown’s leadership, Oregon has tripled investments for job training in schools since 2015. According to the Oregon Department of Education, the legislature allocated $22.6 million for CTE and STEM programs during the 2013-15 biennium, before Kate Brown was in the Governor’s office. In 2017-19 more than $70.6 million will be spent on these programs, more than a three-fold increase.
 

Oregon has added 248 CTE programs since Kate Brown has been in office.
 

Buehler falsely argued that the Governor hasn’t supported seismic safety measures, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

Governor Brown led the bipartisan effort to pass the most comprehensive, statewide infrastructure package in Oregon’s history — including significant investments in seismic resiliency (HB 2017). Knute Buehler voted no.

Buehler falsely accused the Governor for not executing a Good Neighbor Authority agreement.

“Furthering work to advance healthy, resilient national forests, habitat, and communities, Oregon Governor Kate Brown, U.S. Forest Service Regional Forester Jim Peña, Oregon Department of Forestry State Forester Doug Decker, and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Curt Melcher jointly signed a Good Neighbor Authority agreement [on March 29, 2016].” United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Press Release: "Oregon Governor, State Officials Sign Good Neighbor Agreement with Forest Service." 03/29/16

Buehler desperately tried to blame the Governor for Cover Oregon. False.

Instead of correcting the record after an independent news organization called Buehler out for “misleading” Oregonians in a fundraising letter, his campaign doubled down on the same false attacks on the Governor in a new digital ad and again in tonight’s debate.

Buehler falsely claimed, “the Governor may talk about increasing jobs in Southern Oregon but the record doesn’t reflect it.”

Nearly 19,000 jobs have been added in Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, and Josephine Counties since Kate Brown has been Governor.
 

In Southern Oregon, GDP is growing faster than the U.S. average. Unemployment rates are the lowest they’ve been in years.
 

###