Press Releases
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Fight Back Against Trump’s Executive Order Restricting Vote by Mail, Press USPS on Unconstitutional Executive Order
Washington, D.C. — Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined over 30 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in introducing the Absentee and Mail Voter Protection Act (Absentee MVP Act). The bill would defend the right to vote by mail, uphold the integrity of our elections, and block President Trump’s illegal, unconstitutional executive order attacking mail and absentee ballots. “Oregonians know that vote by mail has been a cornerstone in holding secure, accessible, … Continue Reading
April 23, 2026
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Raise Concerns about Forest Service Reorganization
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, led over 30 of his colleagues—including Senator Ron Wyden—in raising strong concerns about the reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “We write with strong concerns regarding the announced reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS),” wrote the Senators. “While we have expressed support … Continue Reading
April 22, 2026
Merkley, Wyden, Democratic Colleagues Demand USPS Uphold Federal Law Over President Trump’s Illegal Executive Order to Restrict Vote by Mail
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined over 30 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in demanding the United States Postal Service (USPS) uphold existing federal law over the executive order signed by President Trump. “The Constitution provides no role for the President in regulating federal elections. And no statute delegates to the President any authority to regulate elections or voter eligibility either, including via USPS,” wrote the Senators. “By … Continue Reading
April 22, 2026
Wyden Slams Trump Administration on Abandoning Tax Dodging Oversight of Ultra-Wealthy Partnerships
Washington, D.C. - Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today slammed the Trump administration for its schemes to give big businesses and ultra-wealthy Americans the green light to avoid reporting their taxes, which will prevent Internal Revenue Service auditors from spotting abusive transactions in wealthy businesses organized as partnerships. “Removing this reporting requirement will enable tax dodging by some of the wealthiest Americans, further tilting our tax code in favor of the rich and … Continue Reading
April 21, 2026
Wyden Blasts Trump EPA Over New Drinking Water Rules Threatening Reproductive Health Care
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today demanded answers from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its recent decision to recommend that states and localities begin testing drinking water for abortion medications and oral contraceptives. Earlier this month the EPA released an updated list of “human health benchmarks” for water contaminants, containing 374 pharmaceuticals recommended for testing, following a long pressure campaign by anti-reproductive freedom … Continue Reading
April 17, 2026
Wyden Speech After House Defeats Straight Reauthorization of FISA 702: “I have never seen such bipartisan, bicameral demand for real reform”
As prepared for delivery Americans understand that every single day there are abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. And the reality is, a growing number of Democrats and Republicans are now saying that a straight extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act law is absolutely unacceptable in any way, shape, or form. So it is clear it is time for real reforms to protect Americans from warrantless surveillance by a government that they rightly do not trust. So for the … Continue Reading
April 16, 2026
Wyden Warns of AI-Powered Surveillance and Calls for Reforms to FISA Section 702 in Senate Speech
Watch a video of Wyden deliver his remarks here As prepared for delivery Soon, we will cast important votes here in the Senate on surveillance law. I rise today to share some important new developments about the surveillance practices of this administration, which are vital to this debate. Today, I want to start by warning my colleagues: Any Senator who votes to reauthorize this law without real reform will be directly responsible when the Trump team abuses their spying powers to go after … Continue Reading
April 15, 2026
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
