Press Releases
Wyden Urges Senators to Reject Handing Donald Trump Unchecked Surveillance Authority, Insist on Reforms to FISA Section 702
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today urged members of the U.S. Senate to reject efforts to rubber-stamp warrantless surveillance of Americans by the Trump Administration. “The broad surveillance enabled by Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) must be reformed to better protect Americans’ Constitutional rights and include new safeguards against abuse before it is renewed,” Wyden wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter sent today. The House is expected … Continue Reading
April 15, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Announce More than $48 Million in Secure Rural Schools Funds for Oregon Counties
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that nearly $48.7 million in federal funding from the U.S. Forest Service for fiscal year 2025 will be coming to Oregon counties following the passage of their bipartisan bill late last year to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, with more to come when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces its payments for the 18 Oregon & California counties. This fiscal year 2025 funding comes in addition … Continue Reading
April 14, 2026
Wyden, Merkley and Dexter Introduce Resolution to Honor 2026 Olympians and Paralympians from Oregon
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter, D-Ore.-03, introduced a resolution commemorating the achievements of the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic and Paralympic athletes from Oregon. “Oregonians have shown their incredible dedication and skill in the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Wyden said. “These athletes deserve to be recognized for their successes, and so does everyone in their support networks who made it … Continue Reading
April 14, 2026
Wyden Sounds Alarm on Trump Kneecapping Fire Preparedness Ahead of Historic Wildfire Season
Watch a video of Wyden delivering his Senate floor remarks here As prepared for delivery I come to the floor today to sound the alarm on a crisis that’s a freight train speeding toward the Western United States in the form of what could be one of the worst wildfire seasons in modern history. I was back home in Oregon earlier this month, where I received a fire briefing from officials in Southern Oregon. What I heard during that briefing was as equally shocking as it was … Continue Reading
April 13, 2026
Wyden Urges House Members to Reject Handing Donald Trump Unchecked Surveillance Authority, Insist on Reforms to FISA Section 702
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today urged members of the House of Representatives to reject efforts to rubber-stamp warrantless surveillance of Americans by the Trump Administration. The broad surveillance enabled by Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) must be reformed to better protect Americans’ Constitutional rights and include new safeguards against abuse before it is renewed, Wyden wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter sent today. The House … Continue Reading
April 13, 2026
Wyden, Merkley, Salinas: Two Oregon Airports to Receive Combined $641,000 in Federal Investment
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley as well as U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas today announced that airports in Yamhill and Morrow counties will receive a combined federal investment of more than $641,000 to improve their infrastructure. “Small airports throughout our state require ongoing federal support like these infrastructure awards that ensure safe and reliable flights for local businesses, emergency responses, and all Oregonians,” Wyden said. “I’ll keep battling for … Continue Reading
April 10, 2026
Wyden Statement on Revelation of Major Compliance Problems With FISA Section 702 Surveillance
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement in response to new revelations of major compliance problems with the federal government’s use of surveillance authorized by Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). “A few weeks ago, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court found major compliance problems related to the surveillance law known as section 702. These compliance problems are directly related to Americans’ … Continue Reading
April 06, 2026
Wyden, Warren, Probe Third-Party Vendors on Disruptions to Unemployment Benefits Putting Americans’ Livelihood at Risk
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said today they are questioning giant third-party vendors Deloitte, Thomson Reuters, and Geographic Solutions with concerns they may be providing states with error-ridden, ineffective technology for their unemployment insurance systems, disrupting benefits and harming Americans. “Unemployment benefits are a critical bridge for millions of Americans who have lost their jobs, yet vendors’ haphazard modernization … Continue Reading
April 06, 2026
Oregon Airports to Receive More Than $27 Million in Federal Investment
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley as well as U.S. Reps. Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Janelle Bynum and Maxine Dexter today announced that more than 25 Oregon airports will receive a combined federal investment of more than $27 million to make their infrastructure safer and better. “Oregonians rely on federal investments like these to support small businesses, emergency responses, and safe travel in communities across our state,” Wyden said. “I’ll keep battling for … Continue Reading
April 02, 2026
Wyden Calls for Reforms to FISA Section 702 In Response to Increased Spying on of Americans’ Communications By Trump-Vance Administration
Washington, D.C. — Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., renewed his call for reform of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act today, in response to two new reports released on government surveillance. The law expires on April 20 and is expected to be debated in Congress in coming weeks. The first report was on Section 702 and authored by the sole remaining member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, a former Trump appointee. The second was an annual transparency report … Continue Reading
April 01, 2026
Wyden Statement on Trump’s Unconstitutional Executive Order on Mail-In Voting
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement in response to Donald Trump’s unconstitutional executive order on vote-by-mail and elections: “This is a desperate last-ditch effort by a failing president to suppress American votes because his agenda of pardoning pedophiles, embarking on his Iran war and ripping away health care is about to lose him the midterms,” Wyden said. “Oregonians have successfully voted by mail for over thirty years, and we’ll be … Continue Reading
March 27, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Call for Automatic and Swift Tariff Tax Refunds, Real Relief for Small Businesses and Families
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) led several Senate Democrats today, including U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), in calling on the Trump administration to put in place an automatic tariff refund process that does not create more pain for U.S. small businesses and families in Oregon and nationwide. In a letter to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney S. Scott, the lawmakers wrote that the … Continue Reading
March 27, 2026
Wyden, Merkley, Dexter Reintroduce Bill to Decommission Offshore Oil and Gas Wells, Platforms and Pipelines
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley as well as U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter said today they have reintroduced legislation in the Senate and House that would address the growing threat of abandoned offshore oil and gas infrastructure to marine ecosystems and the environment in Oregon and nationwide as a result of climate change and extreme weather. The Oregon lawmakers’ Plug Offshore Wells Act would direct the Department of the Interior to submit an annual, … Continue Reading
March 27, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Demand Trump Stop Phony Fraud Crusade to Attack Medicaid Programs Across U.S. States
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today demanded Donald Trump stop his phony crusade against fraud as a disguise to attack Medicaid programs in U.S. states that millions of Americans need to live safe and independent lives. “Let us be clear: you are not going after the real fraudsters. Instead, under the guise of ‘program integrity,’ you are cutting off vital funding for services that seniors, people with disabilities, and children rely on to survive and thrive in … Continue Reading
March 27, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Slam Trump Administration Over Scheme to Undermine Reproductive Health Care in Oregon, Twelve Other States
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden and Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., today slammed the Trump administration over recent news that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched an investigation into 13 states, including Oregon, that require health insurers to cover abortion care. Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022, 21 states have banned or severely restricted abortion. Abortion care remains legal in … Continue Reading
March 27, 2026
Wyden and Balint Introduce Bill to Strengthen Protections for Journalists Against Unreasonable Government Searches
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., today introduced a bill to strengthen privacy protections against unreasonable government searches and seizures that could chill reporting critical of the government. The bill follows Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) raiding the home of a Washington Post reporter. “My father was a journalist who escaped Nazi Germany. He taught me you can’t have a functioning democracy without a free press,” Wyden said. … Continue Reading
March 26, 2026
Oregon Lawmakers Call on Trump Administration to Extend Public Comment Period for Revised Western Oregon Forest Plan
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Janelle Bynum and Maxine Dexter this week called on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to extend the public comment period for its revised Western Oregon Resource Management Plans (RMPs), which would open up forests in Western Oregon to new commercial timber harvest. “We urge the BLM to take a more robust and proactive approach to public involvement to ensure all … Continue Reading
March 26, 2026
Wyden, Padilla, Markey, Warren, Jacobs, and Jayapal Ask DNI Gabbard to Warn Americans That Using VPNs May Cause Them to Forfeit their Rights Against Warrantless Surveillance
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., with Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Sen. Ed. Markey, D-Mass., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., asked Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to warn the American public that using commercial Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), may impact their Constitutional rights against warrantless government surveillance. The members wrote to DNI Gabbard ahead of debate over renewing Section … Continue Reading
March 25, 2026
Wyden Places Hold on Three Military Officers Unfit For Promotions
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has placed holds on three officers who are unfit for promotion by the U.S. military, he announced today. Wyden placed a statement in the Congressional Record late Tuesday, stating he intends to object to any unanimous consent agreement that would speed up consideration of promotions for three officers: Lieutenant Colonel Vincent J. Noble, Lieutenant Commander Thomas P. MacNeil, and Colonel Thomas M. Siverts. Wyden objected to the nominations … Continue Reading
March 25, 2026
Wyden Unveils Report on Devastating Impacts of Trumpcare in Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today released a report detailing the destructive impacts of Donald Trump and Republicans’ health care cuts that are already occurring in Oregon. On July 4, 2025, Trump and Republicans in Congress enacted the largest health care cuts in history by slashing more than $1 trillion nationwide in Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Already, Oregon hospitals and clinics are closing, Oregonians are being laid off and losing insurance coverage, and the … Continue Reading
