Walter Kurt Schrader (born October 19, 1951) is an American politician and veterinarian who served as the U.S. representative for Oregon's 5th congressional district from 2009 to 2023.

His district had undergone a major change after Oregon gained a seat, moving away from the coast and east of Salem, and taking in a chunk of Deschutes County.

He defeated Oregon House member Kathy Lowe in a contentious Democratic primary, then faced no Republican opposition in the general election.

[10] She then served as a Clackamas County commissioner until 2009, when she was appointed by the same commission (recusing herself from voting) to replace her husband in the State Senate.

[18] Commentary from The Wall Street Journal's editorial page, which called Schrader "Oregon's Joe Manchin", said that his loss was an example of how endangered conservative Democrats had become.

[21] In December 2016, Schrader criticized Nancy Pelosi's election as Minority Leader, saying, "I'm very worried we just signed the Democratic Party's death certificate for the next decade and a half".

[26] The bill proposed criminal penalties for giving abortions in special cases, notably when based on gender, race or color of the child or parent.

"[28][non-primary source needed] In July 2017, Schrader led a group of ten House Democrats who proposed to augment Obamacare with a $15 billion "annual reinsurance fund to pay health insurers that enroll higher-cost, sicker individuals.

"[29] In September 2021, Schrader, Scott Peters, and Kathleen Rice opposed allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices except in a small subset of cases.

[32] Advocacy groups have criticized Schrader for "doing the backroom bidding of Big Pharma"[30] because he has received $614,830 from the pharmaceutical industry since he became a Congressman, $144,252 of it during the 2020 election cycle.

[35][36][37] In December 2017, Schrader was one of only six House Democrats to support legislation allowing concealed handgun licensees to carry their weapons in all 50 states.

[38] On June 8, 2022, Schrader voted against the Protecting Our Kids Act, gun safety legislation the House passed in the wake of the May 2022, Robb Elementary School shooting.

[41][42] In July 2019, Schrader was one of six House Democrats to oppose a bill that would incrementally increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour by 2025.

[43] In August 2021, Schrader joined a group of conservative Democrats, dubbed "The Unbreakable Nine", who threatened to derail the Biden administration's $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package meant to tackle the nation's infrastructure.

[59] Schrader's residence is the Kraft-Brandes-Culberston Farmstead in Canby, also known as Three Rivers Farm, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.