Press Releases
Wyden, Merkley Reintroduce Legislation to Defend Property Owners’ Rights from Eminent Domain Claims for Natural Gas Pipelines
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today reintroduced their legislation that would strengthen the rights of landowners facing eminent domain claims from private companies exploiting public interest provisions to confiscate property in Oregon and nationwide for natural gas pipeline development. The bills, which Wyden and Merkley first introduced last fall, come in response to the natural gas industry's increased use of eminent domain for pipeline development … Continue Reading
March 08, 2021
Wyden Will Hold Online Clatsop County Town Hall on March 13
Portland - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today announced he will have a live on-line town hall for Clatsop County residents beginning at noon on Saturday, March 13 hosted by People's Town Hall. Wyden has held 970 in-person town halls statewide in fulfillment of his pledge to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon's 36 counties. Wyden has postponed in-person town halls until there are clear-cut public health guidelines that a large open-to-all public meeting poses no unusual health risk … Continue Reading
March 05, 2021
Wyden, Colleagues Introduce “No Check, No Sale” Bill to Close Charleston Loophole
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden is introducing a bill that would close a loophole allowing gun sales to proceed if a background check is not completed after 72 hours, even if the gun buyer is not legally allowed to purchase a gun. The gap in existing law has allowed thousands of gun sales to prohibited buyers, including the sale of the firearm used by the shooter in the deadly 2015 attack at Charleston's Emanuel AME Church. "Firearm buyers should be able to clear a background check … Continue Reading
March 04, 2021
DOE Deputy Secretary Nominee Commits to Wyden to Improve Power Grid Resiliency
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today asked Deputy Secretary of Energy nominee David Turk about his commitment to improve power grid resiliency following recent extreme weather events leaving hundreds of thousands of Oregonians without power. "Last year, Mr. Turk, wildfires hit Oregon like a wrecking ball, and just last month a winter storm left thousands of Oregonians with no power," Wyden said during Turk's nomination hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and … Continue Reading
March 04, 2021
Wyden, Merkley Urge Biden Administration to Use Live Event Venues as Vaccine Sites
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they are joining with a dozen other colleagues in a bipartisan letter urging the Biden administration to use live event venues as vaccination administration sites. In a letter to White House Coronavirus Task Force Response Coordinator Jeff Zients, the lawmakers said leveraging live venue facilities could further assist the federal pandemic response by helping expand the availability of vaccination centers as the … Continue Reading
March 04, 2021
Wyden, Merkley Reintroduce Bill to Reduce Gun Violence
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are joining with 43 senators in reintroducing legislation that would expand federal background checks to all gun sales. "Our country needs airtight background checks without any loopholes," Wyden said. "'Thoughts and prayers' won't stop unlicensed sellers from selling firearms online or at gun shows to people whose actions demonstrate they should not own a gun. Congress must take common-sense action to reduce the chances for … Continue Reading
March 04, 2021
Wyden, Murray, Booker Re-Introduce Resolution Recognizing the Impact of COVID-19 on Women and Girls Globally
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) have re-introduced a resolution recognizing the disproportionate impact that the coronavirus pandemic has had on women and girls globally. The resolution introduced this week urges Congress and the executive branch to protect the rights of women and girls in the United States and abroad, provide robust humanitarian aid that supports women and girls, and ensure the needs of women and girls are part of … Continue Reading
March 03, 2021
Wyden Urges Investigation of Potential Violations by Ocean Carriers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said today he is urging the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to continue investigating reports of unreasonable practices by ocean carriers, including refusal to carry certain agriculture products from U.S. ports back to Asia. In a bipartisan letter from Wyden and 23 other senators, the lawmakers expressed support of the FMC's current fact-finding efforts and asked that it take appropriate action against vessel-operating common carriers (VOCCs). "As you … Continue Reading
March 02, 2021
Wyden Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Help Oregon Ranchers Stay in Business
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today with U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), introduced legislation that would restore transparency and accountability in the cattle market by establishing regional cash minimums and equipping producers with more market information. "Cattle ranchers and rural economies have been hit especially hard during the COVID-19 public health crisis. And that economic fallout gets compounded for Oregon producers who face both a lack of processing facilities … Continue Reading
March 02, 2021
Wyden Asks Federal Agency How It’s Preventing Tenant Screening Technologies From Hurting Tenants of Color
Washington, DC - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and five colleagues said today they're asking the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for information about its oversight authority and regulatory history of tenant screening technology companies, which about 90 percent of landlords use for reviewing income and employment history, eviction history, and criminal background in deciding about whether to rent to potential tenants. Wyden and the five senators noted in their letter to the CFPB that these … Continue Reading
March 02, 2021
Wyden Introduces Bill to Improve Child Support Enforcement on Tribal Lands
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today reintroduced legislation to improve child support enforcement by allowing the 60 Native American tribes that currently operate their own child support agencies to access a federal tax refund program that will help them collect past-due child support from non-custodial parents. "Tribes in Oregon and across the nation deserve access to the same tools as state child support agencies, especially when it comes to making sure families and children get … Continue Reading
March 01, 2021
Wyden, Merkley: Hermiston, Roseburg Airports Each to Receive $23,000 in Federal Grants
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that the Hermiston Municipal and Roseburg Regional Airports will each receive $23,000 in federal funds for costs related to operations, personnel, cleaning, sanitization, janitorial services, debt service payments, and combating the spread of COVID-19 at the airports. "Oregon is a small business state situated on some of the largest swaths of fertile land in the nation, so regional and municipal aviation play a … Continue Reading
March 01, 2021
Oregon Delegation Presses for Infrastructure Improvements and Disaster Recovery Resources
Washington, D.C. - In the wake of recent weather disasters striking Oregon and the entire country, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden led U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley and U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici today in asking top congressional appropriators to prioritize funding on infrastructure improvements and disaster recovery with an emphasis on energy resiliency and housing. The letter from the Oregon lawmakers notes that much of the state recently endured the added challenge of a destructive … Continue Reading
March 01, 2021
Merkley, Oregon Delegation Colleagues Push Biden Administration to Provide Critical Assistance for Dredging, Jetty Maintenance Along Oregon Coast, Columbia River
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representatives Peter DeFazio (D-OR-4), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), Kurt Schrader (D-OR-5), and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1), are pushing the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to provide the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) with annual funding for maritime infrastructure maintenance crucial to public safety and the vitality of economies up and down the Oregon Coast and throughout the Columbia River system. "Oregon's … Continue Reading
February 26, 2021
Wyden Praises Release of Unclassified Khashoggi Report; Naming Mohammed bin Salman Marks Beginning of Justice for Jamal Khashoggi
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today commended President Joe Biden and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines for releasing an unclassified report naming Prince Mohammed bin Salman as responsible for ordering the brutal murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi: "Jamal Khashoggi never backed down from holding the powerful to account. His courageous journalism cost Jamal his life. Yet, for years, the last administration shielded the Saudi regime from any … Continue Reading
February 26, 2021
Transportation & Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio, Senators Ron Wyden & Jeff Merkley, Announce $13.1 Million for Oregon Office of Emergency Management for 2020 Wildfire Costs
WASHINGTON-Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded the Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM) $13.1 million for costs tied to the 2020 wildfires. "Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the catastrophic wildfires that ravaged our state last fall, Southwest Oregon is recovering from multiple crises at once," the lawmakers said. "Thanks … Continue Reading
February 26, 2021
Wyden Leads Bipartisan Effort to Protect the Separation of Powers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today reintroduced the Reforming Emergency Powers to Uphold the Balances and Limitations Inherent in the Constitution (REPUBLIC) Act, which preserves the president's power to act immediately in cases of national emergencies but also upholds Congress' constitutional responsibility to check the executive branch. "Checks and balances are a bedrock principle of American democracy," Wyden said. "Congress cannot allow any White House to declare phony … Continue Reading
February 25, 2021
Wyden, Leahy Lead Colleagues in Urging Biden-Harris Administration To Abandon Broken, Trump-Era Cuba Policy
Washington, D.C. - Six Senate Democrats, led by Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore. and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., today urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Biden administration to end Donald Trump's failed, counterproductive Cuba policies. Wyden and Leahy, with Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Mark Warner, D-Va., urged Blinken to reverse Cuba sanctions, remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and re-engage with Cuba … Continue Reading
February 25, 2021
Wyden Statement on Confirmation of Jennifer Granholm as Secretary of Energy
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on the Senate confirmation of Jennifer Granholm as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy: "Big congratulations to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on her bipartisan Senate confirmation today. With her at the helm of the Energy Department, the United States can get to work in big ways to tackle the climate emergency and create good-paying clean energy jobs at a time when we need them most. I look forward to working with … Continue Reading
February 25, 2021
Oregon, Idaho Senators Lead Bipartisan Push For Critical County Payments
Washington, D.C. - Oregon and Idaho congressional leaders are pushing to ensure counties do not lose out on essential services due to federal land ownership. The bipartisan push for reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program is led by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho). The bill would reauthorize the SRS program through September 2022. The program, which helps fund essential services in rural communities … Continue Reading
