Press Releases
Wyden, Merkley: Feds Investing $7.2 Million for Affordable Rental Housing in Morrow, Tillamook and Yamhill Counties
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today welcomed more than $7.2 million in federal resources to renovate affordable housing units in Heppner, McMinnville, Newberg, and Tillamook. "Oregonians working hard to pay rent as well as their bills for groceries, prescription drugs and more know full well how the pandemic's economic fallout has worsened the longstanding challenge of affordable housing," Wyden said. "This much-needed investment will help rural Oregonians to meet … Continue Reading
October 19, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Abandon Plans for Expanded Biometric Data Collection in Immigration System
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), are urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to abandon plans to dramatically expand U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS) collection of information about individuals' bodies, both non-citizens and U.S. citizens alike. The Department's proposal would allow DHS to collect biometric information as it … Continue Reading
October 16, 2020
Wyden, Merkley: La Pine Community Health Center Earns $5.5 Million Federal Investment
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that the La Pine Community Health Center has secured $5.5 million in federal resources that will help the non-profit clinic provide services to thousands of rural Central Oregon residents. "High-quality health care goes hand in hand with high quality of life in rural Oregon, especially now during a pandemic," Wyden said. "I'm gratified the La Pine Community Health Center has earned this investment that will help provide … Continue Reading
October 16, 2020
Walden, Merkley, Wyden Applaud Official Signing of the Bill to Rename Bend VA Clinic after Robert Maxwell
Representative Greg Walden (R-OR) and Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) applauded the signing into law of a bill introduced by the Oregon delegation to rename the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic in Bend after Robert Maxwell, a World War II veteran and Medal of Honor Recipient who lived in Bend. The bill was signed into law on Tuesday, October 13, 2020. At the time of Maxwell's passing, he was the oldest Medal of Honor recipient in the nation and one of four … Continue Reading
October 15, 2020
Wyden Demands Investigation of Federal Agencies Surveilling Black Lives Matter Protests
Washington, D.C. - Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) and Congressman Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) are urging the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), an independent federal agency, to investigate allegations that government agencies have been surveilling recent Black Lives Matter protests. The lawmakers' detailed letter states the importance of protests in advancing civil rights, cites several uninvestigated press reports of protester surveillance by federal … Continue Reading
October 15, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Expand Tribal Broadband Application Deadline
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 11 of their Senate colleagues, have introduced a bill to expand the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window to allow Tribal Nations and Native Hawaiian organizations the time they need to apply for spectrum licenses for unassigned spectrum over their own lands-a critical step to expanding broadband access in their communities. In 2019, The FCC created the 2.5 GHz Rural … Continue Reading
October 14, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce $1.7 Million in Funding for Economic Development in Eight Rural Communities
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that eight rural communities throughout Oregon will be receiving $1.7 million in federal funding to create jobs, upgrade essential facilities, and improve quality of life. The funding, which is being administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development program, will support essential services for 24,091 Oregonians in Tillamook, Lane, Lincoln, Grant, Baker, and Douglas counties. "Every … Continue Reading
October 14, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce $2.7 Million for Wildfire Resiliency, Conservation Efforts in the Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that $2.7 million in federal funding is headed to the Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests to implement a cross-boundary restoration project that will improve forest resiliency, reduce long term costs of fire management, and improve watershed conditions. This investment in the Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests will support the execution of a strategically located series of controlled … Continue Reading
October 13, 2020
Wyden, Merkley, DeFazio: Coos Bay Rail Line Secures $9.9 Million Federal Grant for Improvements
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio today announced the Coos Bay Rail Line has secured a $9.9 million federal grant to rehabilitate and replace ties and resurface track along the 121 miles of track from Coos Bay to Eugene. "The Coos Bay Rail Line plays a crucial role in supporting a robust economy that generates jobs on the South Coast and southern Oregon," Wyden said. "I'm glad the rail line has earned this key investment to make needed … Continue Reading
October 09, 2020
Wyden Co-sponsors Legislation to Make Payroll Tax Deferral Optional, including for Military Members and Federal Employees
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said today he is co-sponsoring legislation that would make Donald Trump's payroll tax deferral scheme optional for any worker whose employer chooses to participate, including federal employees and service members. "Donald Trump's phony payroll tax cut is the worst kind of election-time gimmickry - deceiving American workers for a few weeks with a sham executive order and then saddling them with a post-election double tax in 2021," said Wyden, ranking … Continue Reading
October 08, 2020
Wyden Will Hold Virtual Eastern Oregon Town Hall on October 14
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today announced he will have a live on-line town hall on Wednesday, Oct. 14 hosted by Town Hall Project for residents of Umatilla, Union, Morrow, and Wallowa counties. Anybody wanting to watch Wyden's virtual regional town hall beginning at 11:30 am on Wednesday, Oct. 14 can go to this Facebook link. Video at that link is available as well to people who don't have a Facebook account. Residents of Umatilla, Union, Morrow, and Wallowa counties who would … Continue Reading
October 08, 2020
Senate Democrats Release New Report Detailing the Assault on Our Democracy by Republican-appointed Judges
"Donald Trump's judicial nominees, as well as judges nominated by previous Republican presidents, are responsible for the vast majority of the decisions that have resulted in voter suppression and made it nearly impossible to regulate political spending" Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Tom Udall, D-N.M., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., today led Senate Democrats in releasing a new report outlining the ways campaign finance laws and the right to vote … Continue Reading
October 07, 2020
Wyden, Merkley: Baker Technical Institute Earns Federal Health Care Training Grant for Students in Eastern Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that the Baker Technical Institute has secured a $147,203 federal grant to increase access to health care training for rural students in remote and frontier areas of eastern Oregon. The rural development investment in the Baker facility will allow it to establish a state-of-the-art distance learning system that lets students participate in health care classes remotely at the Blue Mountain Hospital in John Day, Harney … Continue Reading
October 07, 2020
Wyden Will Hold Virtual Central Oregon Town Hall on October 12
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today announced he will have a live on-line town hall on Monday, Oct. 12 hosted by Town Hall Project for residents of Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties. Anybody wanting to watch Wyden's virtual regional town hall beginning at 11:30 am on Monday, Oct. 12 can go to this Facebook link. Video at that link is available as well to people who don't have a Facebook account. Residents of Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties who would like to participate … Continue Reading
October 06, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Call for Investigation into Political Interference with Coronavirus Information
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today called for an immediate investigation into allegations of political interference with public health information at the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The letter from Wyden, Merkley and 28 colleagues to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General follows alarming reports of widespread and ongoing political interference in the agencies' COVID-19 … Continue Reading
October 05, 2020
Oregon Delegation Welcomes New FEMA Wildfire Assistance
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici said today that federal officials have notified them that eight Oregon counties will get assistance for removing and disposing hazardous materials and solid waste debris as part of response and recovery to the wildfires. The news that Clackamas, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, and Marion counties would receive what's known as Category A assistance follows … Continue Reading
October 04, 2020
Oregon Delegation Urges FEMA to Approve Direct Housing Assistance for Wildfire Victims
WASHINGTON-Rep. Peter DeFazio today led the Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Reps. Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Greg Walden (OR-02), Kurt Schrader (OR-05) and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) in urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to approve the State of Oregon's request for direct housing assistance utilizing a full range of options for wildfire victims. The housing assistance, known as a Temporary Housing Mission, will allow FEMA to avail itself of a wide range … Continue Reading
October 02, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Press For Answers Regarding Beachie Creek Fire and the Potential Role of Power Lines
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today asked the role power lines may have played in the cause or spread of the Beachie Creek fire. In a letter to U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen and Oregon Department of Forestry State Forester Peter Daugherty, Wyden and Merkley wrote, "We write to ask for an analysis of the role of power lines in the cause and/or spread of the Beachie Creek fire. In a recent visit to the North Santiam Canyon, in which a number of … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Wyden, Peters, Warner, Klobuchar and Schumer: DHS Must Release Document Showing Trump’s Attacks on U.S. Election Are Consistent With Foreign Influence Campaign
Washington, D.C. - Senior Senate Democrats today requested Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf release a document that shows President Donald Trump's attacks on American Elections are consistent with a foreign influence campaign. Senate Intelligence Committee member Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., Intelligence Committee Vice-Chair Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., Rules Committee Ranking Member Sen. Amy … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce Nearly $1.5 Million Safety Investment in McMinnville Airport
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that $1,467,000 in federal grant funding is headed to the McMinnville Municipal Airport to support the reconstruction of 10,500 square yards of existing apron. Airport aprons are terminal-adjacent areas where aircraft are parked, boarded, unloaded, and refueled. "The McMinnville Municipal Airport plays a critical role in helping Yamhill county residents and businesses stay connected with other communities in … Continue Reading
