Press Releases
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Bring Transparency to Presidential Pardons
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led three of his colleagues-including Senator Ron Wyden-today in introducing the Presidential Pardon Transparency Act of 2021, legislation that would require all current and future presidents to provide the American people with critical information about any and all pardons they issue. The legislation was also introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-8) in January. "Our founding fathers … Continue Reading
February 05, 2021
Wyden, Merkley Sponsor Bill to Protect Workers’ Right to Organize and Make our Economy Work for Everyone
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined colleagues to introduce the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, comprehensive legislation to protect workers' rights to stand together and bargain for fairer wages, better benefits and safer workplaces. "Some of our most vital rights and protections - child labor laws, sick leave, and even weekends - exist due to the tireless efforts of unions in Oregon and all over this country," Wyden said. "With wages … Continue Reading
February 04, 2021
Wyden Pushes to Ensure Stimulus Payments Reach Americans Experiencing Homelessness
Washington, D.C. - Oregon U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today joined his Senate Democratic colleagues in calling on the Department of the Treasury to ensure Americans receive the relief they are entitled to, including those who are experiencing homelessness. The bipartisan COVID-19 relief package enacted into law on December 27 of last year provided a round of direct payments worth up to $600 per adult, and efforts are currently underway to provide additional direct payments in future relief … Continue Reading
February 04, 2021
Wyden, Gillibrand, Brown, Hirono and Eshoo Reintroduce Invest in Child Safety Act to Protect Children from Online Exploitation
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., today reintroduced legislation to confront online child exploitation and reverse a decade of underfunding key enforcement and prevention efforts. The Invest in Child Safety Act would direct $5 billion in mandatory funding to investigate and target the predators and abusers who create and share child sexual abuse material … Continue Reading
February 04, 2021
Wyden, Merkley: President Biden Can and Should Cancel up to $50,000 in Federal Student Loan Debt Immediately
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined colleagues in reintroducing a resolution outlining a bold plan for President Biden to tackle the student loan debt crisis by using his authority to cancel up to $50,000 in student loan debt for Federal student loan borrowers. The resolution calls on the President to use executive authority under the Higher Education Act to cancel student loan debt and ensure there is no tax liability for Federal student loan … Continue Reading
February 04, 2021
Wyden Supports $5 Billion Library Modernization and Investment Plan to Connect More Americans to Opportunities for Advancement
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today announced his support for legislation to invest $5 billion nationwide to build and modernize public libraries to better serve local communities, boost economic development and connect more families to opportunities for advancement in Oregon and across the country. Wyden was joined by U.S. Senators Jack Reed, D-R.I., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., in introducing the Build America's Libraries Act. This legislation … Continue Reading
February 03, 2021
Wyden Asks President to Remove Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today requested that President Joe Biden remove Dr. Robert Marbut from his post as the Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). Wyden wrote that Dr. Marbut -- a holdover appointee from the Trump administration -- has repeatedly stonewalled the progression of permanent housing solutions for Americans and has failed to work with local leaders and service providers, allowing important partnerships to decay. And … Continue Reading
February 03, 2021
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Unveil Groundbreaking Legislation to Boost Sustainability Among America’s Ports
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley is leading five of his Senate colleagues-including U.S. Senator Ron Wyden-in introducing the Climate Smart Ports Act-legislation that would create a $1 billion per year federal program dedicated to improving sustainability measures at America's ports. The legislation was also introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragan. Greenhouse gas pollution from mobile sources at ports is on the rise. The … Continue Reading
February 03, 2021
Wyden, Merkley Urge Biden Administration to Hold Saudi Arabian Government Accountable for Lawless Actions
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged the Biden administration to hold the Saudi Arabian government accountable for helping Saudi nationals accused of crimes flee the United States to avoid trial. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the senators wrote, "We urge you to do what the Trump administration would not: impose consequences on the Saudis for their indefensible behavior. We also urge you to seek a waiver of any relevant immunity … Continue Reading
February 03, 2021
Wyden and Merkley Introduce Legislation to Protect 4,700 Miles of Oregon Rivers Nominated by Nearly 2,500 Oregonians
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today introduced the River Democracy Act to add nearly 4,700 miles of rivers and streams in Oregon to the national Wild and Scenic Rivers system - the largest Wild and Scenic Rivers effort in our nation's history. Those named rivers and streams were among more than 15,000 nominations submitted by 2,500 Oregonians as part of Wyden's statewide public effort to protect more of Oregon's waterways and reduce catastrophic wildfire risks, … Continue Reading
February 03, 2021
Wyden Asks Feds to Answer Health Questions Raised Under Trump Administration About Use of Tear Gas, Chemical Agents in Portland
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden has asked the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) head about health questions left unanswered for months by the federal agency under the Trump administration that deal with the department's sustained use of tear gas and chemical agents during protests in Portland. In his letter Feb. 2 to newly confirmed DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Wyden noted that the questions he raised last summer to Trump's DHS now take on renewed importance in the wake of … Continue Reading
February 02, 2021
Western Democrats Call for Investigation into Potential Scientific Meddling by Trump Administration in its Rule Threatening Spotted Owl
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today led a group of Western Democrats requesting federal investigators determine whether former Secretary David Bernhardt overruled guidance by career officials to push the Trump administration's destructive rule to remove critical habitat protections for the Northern Spotted Owl on 3.4 million acres of federal lands in the Pacific Northwest. Joining Wyden in the request for the U.S. Department of Interior Inspector General to review the U.S. … Continue Reading
February 02, 2021
Amid Pandemic and Plunging Temperatures, Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Work to Help Low-Income Americans Pay Heating Bills
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden teamed up with 42 of their Senate colleagues in pushing for a significant funding boost for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the next pandemic relief package. LIHEAP is a bipartisan, federally funded program that has a proven track record of helping low-income households pay their home energy bills. The program gave $33.8 million in assistance to Oregonians in 2020. "The LIHEAP program is … Continue Reading
January 29, 2021
Wyden and Booker Question NSA Response Following Supply Chain Hacks of SolarWinds And Juniper Networks
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and eight U.S. House members today asked the National Security Agency to explain the NSA's actions to protect the government from supply chain attacks, like the recent SolarWinds hack, in which malicious code is snuck into commercial software used by the government. The recent SolarWinds hack has brought attention to the vulnerability of the government to supply chain attacks. However, five years ago another vendor … Continue Reading
January 28, 2021
Wyden and Blumenauer Introduce Bill to Expand Voting Access and Allow Every American to Vote At Home
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., today introduced new legislation to fight voter suppression by ensuring every American voter has the option to vote at home. The Oregon lawmakers introduced the Vote at Home Act, new legislation to massively expand vote-at-home ballot access, provide voters with pre-paid ballot envelopes and enact automatic voter registration. The legislation follows the successful expansion of voting at home and by mail in … Continue Reading
January 27, 2021
Wyden Statement Following Energy Secretary-Designate Jennifer Granholm's Nomination Hearing
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, released the following statement after Energy Secretary-Designate Jennifer Granholm's nomination hearing: "The Biden administration on day one was ready for immediate action on climate, and Governor Granholm as the President's choice for Energy Secretary is an All-Star in that lineup. As Governor of Michigan she worked relentlessly on the climate crisis, showing a deep … Continue Reading
January 27, 2021
Wyden Will Hold Virtual Eastern Oregon Town Hall on Feb. 5
Portland - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today announced he will have a regional on-line town hall at noon PT (1 pm MT) on Friday, Feb. 5 hosted by Town Hall Project for Eastern Oregon residents in Harney, Malheur and Baker counties A two-time winner of Town Hall Project's MVP award as well as a winner of Town Hall Project's Democracy Defender award, 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 … Continue Reading
January 25, 2021
Rep. Peter DeFazio, Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, Lane County Commissioner Heather Buch Applaud FEMA’s Approval of Direct Housing Mission for Lane County following September’s Deadly Wildfires
EUGENE-Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Lane County Commissioner Heather Buch today applauded the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) approval of Lane County's request for a direct housing mission following September's deadly wildfires. The housing assistance will allow FEMA to provide a range of temporary housing options including transportable temporary housing units, direct lease, and multi-family lease and repair. Housing … Continue Reading
January 22, 2021
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $5.2 Million in USDA Resources for Fremont-Winema and Deschutes National Forest Resiliency Projects
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that over $5.2 million in federal resources from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Joint Chiefs' Landscape Restoration Partnership are headed to Oregon's Lake County All Lands Restoration Initiative and the Buttes to Basins All Lands Forest Resiliency Project in Jefferson and Deschutes counties to support critical forest restoration and maintenance efforts. "Last year's catastrophic wildfire season is a … Continue Reading
January 21, 2021
Wyden, Senators File Ethics Committee Complaint Regarding Colleagues’ Role in Jan. 6 Insurrection
Washington, DC - Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) lodged today a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee concerning the behavior of Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) related to the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. As the senators note, the Senate has the exclusive power to determine whether the members' actions violated … Continue Reading
