Press Releases
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
March 27, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Demand Trump Stop Phony Fraud Crusade to Attack Medicaid Programs Across U.S. States
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today demanded Donald Trump stop his phony crusade against fraud as a disguise to attack Medicaid programs in U.S. states that millions of Americans need to live safe and independent lives. “Let us be clear: you are not going after the real fraudsters. Instead, under the guise of ‘program integrity,’ you are cutting off vital funding for services that seniors, people with disabilities, and children rely on to survive and thrive in … Continue Reading
March 27, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Slam Trump Administration Over Scheme to Undermine Reproductive Health Care in Oregon, Twelve Other States
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden and Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., today slammed the Trump administration over recent news that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched an investigation into 13 states, including Oregon, that require health insurers to cover abortion care. Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022, 21 states have banned or severely restricted abortion. Abortion care remains legal in … Continue Reading
March 27, 2026
Wyden and Balint Introduce Bill to Strengthen Protections for Journalists Against Unreasonable Government Searches
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., today introduced a bill to strengthen privacy protections against unreasonable government searches and seizures that could chill reporting critical of the government. The bill follows Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) raiding the home of a Washington Post reporter. “My father was a journalist who escaped Nazi Germany. He taught me you can’t have a functioning democracy without a free press,” Wyden said. … Continue Reading
March 26, 2026
Oregon Lawmakers Call on Trump Administration to Extend Public Comment Period for Revised Western Oregon Forest Plan
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Janelle Bynum and Maxine Dexter this week called on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to extend the public comment period for its revised Western Oregon Resource Management Plans (RMPs), which would open up forests in Western Oregon to new commercial timber harvest. “We urge the BLM to take a more robust and proactive approach to public involvement to ensure all … Continue Reading
March 26, 2026
Wyden, Padilla, Markey, Warren, Jacobs, and Jayapal Ask DNI Gabbard to Warn Americans That Using VPNs May Cause Them to Forfeit their Rights Against Warrantless Surveillance
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., with Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Sen. Ed. Markey, D-Mass., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., asked Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to warn the American public that using commercial Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), may impact their Constitutional rights against warrantless government surveillance. The members wrote to DNI Gabbard ahead of debate over renewing Section … Continue Reading
March 25, 2026
Wyden Places Hold on Three Military Officers Unfit For Promotions
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has placed holds on three officers who are unfit for promotion by the U.S. military, he announced today. Wyden placed a statement in the Congressional Record late Tuesday, stating he intends to object to any unanimous consent agreement that would speed up consideration of promotions for three officers: Lieutenant Colonel Vincent J. Noble, Lieutenant Commander Thomas P. MacNeil, and Colonel Thomas M. Siverts. Wyden objected to the nominations … Continue Reading
March 25, 2026
Wyden Unveils Report on Devastating Impacts of Trumpcare in Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today released a report detailing the destructive impacts of Donald Trump and Republicans’ health care cuts that are already occurring in Oregon. On July 4, 2025, Trump and Republicans in Congress enacted the largest health care cuts in history by slashing more than $1 trillion nationwide in Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Already, Oregon hospitals and clinics are closing, Oregonians are being laid off and losing insurance coverage, and the … Continue Reading
March 25, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Legislation to Modernize Power Grid, Lower Energy Costs and Reduce Wildfire Risk
WATCH: Wyden unveils legislation at Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on power grid resilience Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today introduced legislation that would overhaul aging power line infrastructure and improve efficiency in order to bring down energy costs and reduce wildfire risks in Oregon and nationwide. “It’s time for the federal government to stop pretending like our outdated energy infrastructure can keep up with growing demand … Continue Reading
March 25, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Push to Stop Trump’s Education Department From Politicizing Civil Rights Investigations
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today called on the Trump administration to stop weaponizing the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights by refusing to investigate legitimate claims of discrimination. Wyden and Merkley underscored that the types of cases the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is failing to investigate are concerning - all while failing to provide standard transparency into its work. OCR has been reportedly neglecting to investigate and resolve … Continue Reading
March 25, 2026
UPDATED: Wyden Announces Town Halls in Columbia Gorge; Eastern, Central and Southern Oregon
This release has been updated to reflect the new addition of a Jackson County town hall on Friday, April 3 in Medford Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will hold 10 open-to-all town halls starting March 28 in eastern, central and southern Oregon as well as in the Columbia Gorge. Heading into these 10 town halls from March 28-April 2, Wyden has held 1,152 open-to-all town halls statewide in keeping his promise to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon’s 36 … Continue Reading
March 19, 2026
Wyden, Merkley, Warren, Schumer, Democrats Publish Report Revealing Trump, Republicans Stripped Health Care Access, Raised Costs for Americans With “Defund” Planned Parenthood Provision
Text of Report (PDF) Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) led 23 colleagues - including Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) -- in publishing a new report revealing the harm Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have caused to Americans in the six months since their dangerous provision to “defund” Planned Parenthood buried in their Big, Beautiful Bill went into … Continue Reading
March 19, 2026
Wyden, Merkley, Senate Democrats Unveil Plans to Lower Health Costs Amid Trump's Broken Promises to Americans
Text of the Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and eleven Senate Democrats - including Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. -- today announced a new initiative to lower the cost of health care and improve health coverage for American families. The letter, sent to Senate colleagues and signed by Senators Mark Warner, D-Va.; Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.; Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.; Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del.; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.; … Continue Reading
March 19, 2026
Wyden, Warren, Schumer Demand Trump Terminate Illegal Tariffs, Deliver Relief From Iran War’s Higher Costs
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee; U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (BHUA) and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; and U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) today released the following statement: “Donald Trump’s economy is a full-blown disaster, and working families need relief now. Trump promised to lower costs ‘on … Continue Reading
March 18, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Demand Transparency from Meta on Facial Recognition Technology in Smart Glasses
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-Ore.) today demanded transparency from Meta on the company’s plans to integrate facial recognition into its smart glasses. Smart glasses are designed to be worn throughout the day as their user passes hundreds, if not thousands, of people whose faces could be scanned without any practical way for a bystander to consent to or even know about this real-time identification. While facial recognition may offer real benefits for … Continue Reading
March 12, 2026
Wyden, Lee, Davidson and Lofgren Introduce Bill to Reform FISA Section 702, Protect Americans’ Constitutional Rights and Plug Data Broker Surveillance Loophole
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., with Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., today introduced an updated version of the Government Surveillance Reform Act to enact new protections for Americans’ rights, including stopping the Federal government from buying data on Americans from shady data brokers, while reauthorizing and reforming Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The Government Surveillance Reform … Continue Reading
March 12, 2026
Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Restore Student Loan Assistance for Students, Boost Health Care Workforce
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today said he has joined his colleagues in introducing legislation that would reverse a provision in the Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill that reduced federal student loan availability for graduate and professional students, including social workers, nurses, and educators. “Buried in the Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill was a provision to make it harder for students to pursue careers in industries that are in desperate need of expanded workforces, like social … Continue Reading
March 12, 2026
Wyden Presses Trump Administration Over USPS Changes Jeopardizing Americans’ Tax Returns, Mail-In Ballots
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today pressed the Trump administration over how its recent postmarking rule change and consolidation of mail processing facilities will undermine the timing of Americans' tax returns and mail-in ballots. “Donald Trump and Republicans will stop at nothing to suppress the rights of Americans to make their voices heard this November,” Wyden said. “Between Trump’s feverish attempts to coerce Congress into passing the … Continue Reading
March 11, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Demand Answers from Defense Department on the School Bombing and Civilian Casualties in Iran
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today pressed the Department of Defense to provide answers to the American people regarding the airstrikes on a school and civilian casualties in Iran. Trump’s Defense Department airstrikes on a girls’ elementary school reportedly killed 168 people - mostly children - in Minab, Iran, during the opening attack from the United States and Israel on February 28. In their letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the senators … Continue Reading
