COCHISE COUNTY, AZ -- House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and a group of first-term Republicans visited the southern Border last week. Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-5) spoke to reporters from Arizona Thursday, "I was a former Mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon for eight years. I sat before the group today at the round table and I listened to Mayors and listened to the supervisors, and I listened to Border Patrol. And, if you could’ve heard their voices; they’re shaking, they’re not sure what to do, they’ve lost hope." Chavez-DeRemer represents Oregon's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Bend, Redmond, Sweet Home and Oregon City.

The Freshman Representative believes a lack of security allows drug cartels to funnel massive amounts of fentanyl into the U.S., "Fentanyl is attacking the streets of Oregon. We had our largest drug bust in Oregon’s history in my district this past year. It would’ve killed 4.5 million people. That is more than the population of Oregon as a whole." She added, "Why am I here? Not only to support my colleagues, not only to get this under control. We all ran on border security. It is our job. We will help; help is on the way."

On Friday, she tweeted a video saying she wanted to see firsthand what's happening to business owners, ranchers and families in the area, "We were able to take a helicopter ride up over the mountains to see exactly what they’re dealing with on a daily basis. And I can tell this is what I heard: People are scared. People are hurting." Chavez-DeRemer says she will be reviewing legislation in the coming days to help tackle the crisis.