Press Releases
Wyden Co-sponsors Bill To Stop Raid of Funds for Border Wall
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today announced he is co-sponsoring legislation that would prohibit Donald Trump from diverting billions of dollars authorized for critical domestic priorities to instead waste on a needless border wall. "Donald Trump can't just invent a sham emergency so he can siphon off resources already committed to vital work, then misuse that money to slap up his unnecessary vanity project on the southern border," Wyden said. "This legislation would put a stop … Continue Reading
January 28, 2020
Wyden, Rosen Question White House on Granting Press Credentials to Known Anti-Semitic Organization
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., today questioned the White House about reports that Rick Wiles and other TruNews correspondents were issued press credentials despite a history of spreading anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. In a letter to acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, the senators wrote, "[m]ake no mistake: Rick Wiles and TruNews have repeatedly made statements that can only be characterized as virulently anti-Semitic, trading in … Continue Reading
January 27, 2020
Wyden Calls for Appointment of Full, Bipartisan FERC Before It Rules on Proposed Jordan Cove Energy Project
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today expressed serious concerns about two current vacancies on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and called for Donald Trump to appoint a full and bipartisan commission before the independent regulatory agency rules on the proposed Jordan Cove Energy Project in Oregon. In a letter to Trump, Wyden noted that with only three of five commissioners in place the longstanding bipartisan tradition of FERC could be jeopardized as it … Continue Reading
January 24, 2020
Wyden Statement on Wine Tariffs
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today released the following statement on wine tariffs: "All across our state I've heard from constituents, small business owners, and wine growers how harmful tariffs would be to Oregon's economy. I'm encouraged by a recent conversation I had with Ambassador Lighthizer about the impact of additional tariffs on the Oregon wine economy. It would be to everyone's benefit to resolve these trade disputes with Europe quickly. I discouraged an escalation … Continue Reading
January 23, 2020
Bipartisan, Bicameral Coalition Roll Out New Bill To Reform NSA Surveillance and Protect Americans’ Rights
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today led a bipartisan, bicameral coalition of lawmakers proposing strong new reforms to protect Americans' rights against unnecessary government surveillance. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Reps. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., sponsored the bill, which is the first comprehensive legislation this Congress to reform Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act and prevent abuses of the Foreign Intelligence … Continue Reading
January 22, 2020
Wyden Introduces Legislation to Protect Community Television
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden this week introduced the Protecting Community Television Act, legislation to ensure that community television operations continue to receive the resources they need to educate and inform viewers in the cities and towns where they operate. "Community television provides a critical resource to citizens in Oregon and nationwide, opening the door for non-profits and civic-minded groups to access and educate local audiences on the issues most important … Continue Reading
January 17, 2020
Wyden and Merkley: Trump Must Make Clear Saudi Arabia Must Immediately Stop Aiding Saudi Fugitives Fleeing U.S. Justice System
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today called on the Trump administration to take immediate action after the FBI revealed today in a newly declassified document that the government of Saudi Arabia is assisting its citizens accused of serious crimes in fleeing the United States. The document was declassified thanks to the Wyden-authored Saudi Fugitives Declassification Act, which became law in December. Wyden and Merkley have pressed the Trump administration … Continue Reading
January 17, 2020
Wyden, Brown, Eshoo Urge FTC to Investigate Firm Collecting and Selling Americans’ Financial Data
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and U.S. Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., today demanded the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigate Envestnet for possibly violating the law by recklessly selling Americans' personal data. Envestnet operates Yodlee, the largest consumer financial data aggregator in the United States. Financial technology apps, banks and other companies use Yodlee to access, collect and analyze transaction data from consumers' … Continue Reading
January 16, 2020
Wyden, Oregon Labor, Ag and Business Leaders Hail Bipartisan Passage of New NAFTA
Washington, D.C. -Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., hailed the passage of the new NAFTA trade agreement today, by a bipartisan 89-10 vote. The updated agreement with Mexico and Canada includes strong new enforcement provisions by Wyden and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, along with modern digital trade rules to advance innovation and free speech, and new environmental protections. “The version of NAFTA the Trump administration released in 2018 was fundamentally flawed, … Continue Reading
January 15, 2020
Wyden and Bipartisan Group of Senators Request Meeting with HUD Secretary on Radon Dangers in Public Housing
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today led a bipartisan group of his colleagues requesting a meeting with Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson to get answers on why the agency has failed to protect tenants living in federally subsidized housing from the cancer-causing dangers of radon and to chart a path forward to resolve this serious health hazard. U.S. Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Bob Casey, D-Penn., … Continue Reading
January 14, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Press Trump Admin on LNG By Rail Safety
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today expressed concerns over the Trump administration’s proposed rules on the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail. In a letter to Administrator Howard Elliott, head of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation, the senators emphasized that the loosening of transportation regulations for LNG by rail in proposed rulemaking pose a risk to public … Continue Reading
January 13, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Slam FDA E-Cigarette Policy Riddled With Loopholes for Kid-Appealing Flavors
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden have joined 28 colleagues in sending a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn criticizing the Trump administration's decision to break its promise to clear all nontobacco flavored e-cigarette products from the market. Earlier this month, the administration announced a weak policy that includes huge exceptions regarding menthol-flavored products and any flavored e-liquids that are not in a … Continue Reading
January 09, 2020
Wyden Supports Proposed FTC Rule Limiting The Use Of Non-Competes
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today joined a bipartisan group of senators to urge the limiting of non-compete agreements that harm American workers. In a bipartisan letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the senators wrote, "The American workforce has experienced significantly reduced job mobility, tepid wage growth, and declining rates of entrepreneurship in recent decades. At the same time, non-compete clauses have become more prevalent." The senators … Continue Reading
January 09, 2020
Wyden and Bicameral Coalition Ask FCC To Protect Consumers From Wireless Scams
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and five House and Senate members today pressed the Federal Communications Commission to do more to protect consumers from scammers who hijack phone numbers to hack bank accounts and other personal information. Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Reps. Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., Yvette D. Clarke, D-N.Y., and Ted Lieu, D-Calif., joined Wyden to urge FCC Chair Ajit Pai to use the agency's authority over wireless … Continue Reading
January 08, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Anti-War Crimes Resolution That Denounces Trump Threats to Attack Iranian Cultural Sites
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined with five other senators today to introduce a resolution condemning Donald Trump's threats to attack cultural sites in Iran and demanding he refrain from violating the laws of armed conflict. "If Donald Trump follows through on his threat to bomb Persian cultural sites it would be an abomination on the level of what the Taliban did to Buddhist relics in Afghanistan," Wyden said. "Congress cannot let Trump commit war crimes that … Continue Reading
January 08, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce Resolution to Emphasize Requirement of Clear Congressional Approval for Military Action in Iran
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, joined by Senator Ron Wyden, today announced a bipartisan resolution to underscore that any future war must be considered and authorized by Congress. Specifically, the resolution clarifies that neither the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force passed following the September 11 attacks nor the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq legally justify the use of military force against Iran. Merkley led the resolution … Continue Reading
January 07, 2020
Wyden, Grassley Hail Passage of Updated NAFTA
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today released the following statements regarding the broad, bipartisan passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act, which was reported out of committee on a 25-3 basis and will update the North American Free Trade Agreement. “Thanks to hard work by my colleagues on the Finance Committee and in the House, this new NAFTA delivers long-overdue upgrades … Continue Reading
January 06, 2020
Wyden Supports War Powers Resolution to Prevent War With Iran
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today joined Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., to support a war powers resolution to force a debate and vote in Congress to prevent further escalation of hostilities with Iran. "At each of my town halls this past weekend, I heard from Oregonians concerned that Donald Trump is racing our country towards war. Today I cosponsored a Senate Resolution to prevent this reckless administration from launching a war against Iran," Wyden said. "We cannot allow Trump's rash … Continue Reading
January 03, 2020
Wyden Statement on the Assassination of Qassem Soleimani
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on the assassination of Qassem Soleimani: "Qassem Soleimani was a bad man with a lot of blood on his hands, but Donald Trump's decision to assassinate him was a reckless escalation that will take us further down the road to ruinous war. A president has the responsibility to ensure that all necessary steps have been taken to protect vulnerable American military and civilian targets before taking such a precipitous act. … Continue Reading
December 23, 2019
Wyden, Blumenthal, Warren and Eshoo Question Sale of .ORG Domains to Private Equity Firm
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., with Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., questioned whether nonprofit groups, free speech and internet users would be harmed selling control of .ORG domains to a private equity firm, in a letter sent today. Currently, the Internet Society, a non-profit group, controls how website names ending in .ORG are allocated. In November, the Society announced that it would sell control of the .ORG … Continue Reading
