Press Releases
Wyden, Oregon Delegation Demand Postal Service Rescind New Rule Suppressing Mail-In Voting
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Andrea Salinas, Maxine Dexter, Janelle Bynum, and Val Hoyle, today demanded the U.S. Postal Service rescind its proposed rule that would limit mail-in voting to federally registered voters. The rule would require state elections officials in Oregon and other states with vote-by-mail to provide the federal government with detailed voter lists including names, addresses, and unique barcodes … Continue Reading
June 12, 2026
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Sound Alarm on Trump Administration Use of Election Crimes Prosecutions to Interfere in Midterm Elections
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined their Senate colleagues in demanding answers over the Trump Administration’s decision to remove the most recent version of the Federal Prosecution of Election Offenses manual from the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) website without explanation. In their letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the Senators highlighted the alarming actions taken by the Administration regarding election interference, … Continue Reading
June 12, 2026
Wyden, Colleagues Demand Trump And Thune to Stop Gutting Independent Agencies, Blocking Democratic Nominees, And Handing Bipartisan Watchdogs To Loyalists
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined his fellow Senate Democratic Ranking Members to demand Republicans stop the Trump administration's concerted efforts to undermine independent agencies. Wyden, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, and the other senators expressed concern over Trump’s refusal to nominate or confirm Democratic commissioners and board members for openings that are required to have bipartisan membership, which threatens Americans’ safety … Continue Reading
June 12, 2026
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Launch Inquiry into Administration’s Corrupt Redirecting of Taxpayer Dollars for National Parks to Pay for Trump’s Vanity Projects
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined their Senate colleagues in pressing the Trump Administration on its redirection of tens of millions of dollars from fees paid to the National Park Service (NPS) to fund President Donald Trump’s vanity projects in Washington, D.C. “Visitors to our national parks contribute millions of dollars to the National Park Service’s (NPS) budget by purchasing recreation passes and digital versions of the America the Beautiful … Continue Reading
June 12, 2026
Wyden, Hoyle Reintroduce Bill to Tackle Housing Affordability Crisis, End Homelessness
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Congresswoman Val Hoyle (OR-4) yesterday reintroduced the Decent, Affordable, Safe Housing for All Act (DASH Act), comprehensive housing legislation that would spur construction of millions of housing units for working-class and middle-class Americans, create a new down payment tax credit for first-time homebuyers, lower costs, and make a landmark investment to end homelessness. “The housing crisis deepens every … Continue Reading
June 12, 2026
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $37.4 Million in Federal Funds for Oregon to Support Safe Drinking Water Infrastructure
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that Oregon will receive more than $37.4 million in federal funding through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to support critical drinking water infrastructure projects across the state. “Reliable access to clean water is essential for the health and safety of Oregon communities,” said Merkley, Ranking Member of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations … Continue Reading
June 11, 2026
Wyden, Cruz Introduce Legislation to Guard First Amendment Speech Rights Against Government Jawboning
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today introduced the Justice Against Weaponized Bureaucratic Overreach to Networked Expression Act (JAWBONE) Act, legislation to hold the government accountable for censorship and violations of the First Amendment. Jawboning occurs when the government pressures private companies to censor speech protected by the First Amendment. Americans face significant hurdles in proving these … Continue Reading
June 10, 2026
Republicans Block Wyden Bill to Extend FISA for Five Weeks To Cover Up Ongoing Surveillance Abuses
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement after Senate Republicans objected to Wyden’s request to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for five weeks, with basic new transparency requirements about warrantless government surveillance. “Every day that Section 702 is in effect without reforms is a day that Americans’ rights are under threat,” Wyden said. “If there is going to be an extension of these authorities, there needs to … Continue Reading
June 10, 2026
Republicans Block Wyden Legislation to Protect Roadless Rule
Washington, D.C. - Senate Republicans today blocked an amendment offered by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., during a key Senate committee vote to preserve a 25-year-old rule that protects more than 58 million acres of national forest and public lands across Oregon and the country from new road construction, irresponsible mining and logging, and other environmentally-harmful commercial projects. In Oregon alone, nearly 2 million acres are protected under the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation … Continue Reading
June 10, 2026
Wyden, Warren Press Trump Treasury and U.S Mint Over Sourcing of 24-Karat Trump Gold Coins
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said today he and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have requested the Mint cease its production of 24-karat gold coins with Donald Trump’s image on them, until a thorough investigation proves the gold is not illegally sourced. In April 2026, The New York Times discovered the U.S. Treasury Department has been buying gold from illicit sources for decades. These sales have directly benefited terrorist and cartel groups, including some … Continue Reading
June 09, 2026
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Press Trump to Justify His Claim that Hostilities in Iran Have Ended
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined Senate colleagues in refuting the Trump administration’s claim to Congress that the hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, in Iran have “terminated” and requested President Trump release the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinion supporting his claim. The senators emphasize the already unconstitutional war in Iran has violated its 60-day statutory deadline set by the War Powers Act and argue that the ongoing naval … Continue Reading
June 08, 2026
Wyden, Merkley, Murray Demand Trump Administration Restore Key BLM Roles
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., today demanded the Trump administration immediately reinstate 13 federal employees in Oregon and Washington state who received “reassignment letters” terminating their roles at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in May, with no apparent plan at the start of fire season to replace them. The employees worked in BLM district offices as Public Affairs Officers or Public Information Officers often … Continue Reading
June 05, 2026
Wyden Calls for Republicans To Put Real Surveillance Reform On the Table; Pulte Shows that No Administration Should be Given Warrantless Domestic Spying Powers
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called for Republican leaders to negotiate on real reforms to warrantless government surveillance, instead of insisting on repeating their failed effort to extend FISA Section 702 without a single meaningful reform. The Senate voted 47-52 early Friday morning against taking up a FISA extension bill. “Americans aren’t going to stand for law-abiding people being spied on. There’s bipartisan agreement in Congress that the status quo isn’t good … Continue Reading
June 04, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Laud Stewardship Agreement for Malheur National Forest
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today praised the announcement of a 20-year stewardship agreement between the Malheur National Forest and Iron Triangle LLC in John Day that covers forest restoration, hazardous fuels reduction, timber harvesting, watershed improvement, and habitat restoration for that federal forest in Eastern Oregon. “As a long-time champion of stewardship agreements that provide fresh and balanced solutions for rural Oregon communities, I am … Continue Reading
June 04, 2026
Wyden: The Only Reason to Nominate Todd Blanche for Attorney General is to Abuse the Law, Illegally Protect Trump And Persecute Trump’s Critics
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released the following statement in response to Donald Trump’s announcement that he will nominate Todd Blanche as Attorney General of the United States. Blanche served as Trump’s personal attorney before joining the Department of Justice, ordered investigations of Trump’s perceived enemies, greenlit the $1.8 billion slush fund for Trump’s allies, handed Trump and his family immunity from future investigations for tax crimes, and played a key … Continue Reading
June 02, 2026
Wyden Statement on Appointment of Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the longest-serving member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued the following statement on Donald Trump’s announcement that he will appoint Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence. “Trump is appointing his top political henchman to one of the most important positions for protecting the safety of Americans and preventing terrorist attacks like September 11th,” Wyden said. “Bill Pulte appears to be unscathed by … Continue Reading
May 29, 2026
Merkley, Wyden, Lawmakers Urge Nonpartisan Congressional Scorekeeper to Determine True Cost of War in Iran
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, partnered with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to lead a coalition of lawmakers—including Oregon’s U.S. Senator Ron Wyden—in urging the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to determine the true cost of war in Iran and set the record straight regarding inaccurate and incomplete estimates provided by the Trump … Continue Reading
May 28, 2026
Foreign Adversaries Are Using Commercial Location Data to Target U.S. Servicemembers In the Middle East, Wyden, Harrigan and 12 other bipartisan Members of Congress, Reveal; Members Call on Department to Adopt Commonsense Safeguards to Protect U.S. Troops
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore. and Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., released information today confirming for the first time that hostile foreign adversaries are using commercial location data to target American servicemembers in an active war zone, they wrote in a letter to the Pentagon, along with 12 bipartisan members of Congress. The letter was also signed by Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and … Continue Reading
May 22, 2026
Wyden Votes ‘No’ on Flawed 2027 Intelligence Authorization Act
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., voted against advancing the 2027 Intelligence Authorization Act out of the Senate Intelligence Committee, he announced today. “The bill is a dramatic retreat for congressional oversight, at precisely the moment when scrutiny of Intelligence Community activities is needed most,” Wyden said. “This bill would deny the U.S. Senate any opportunity to scrutinize and vet key Intelligence Community leaders. It also omits critical, bipartisan … Continue Reading
May 22, 2026
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Raise Concerns about Food and Nutrition Service Reorganization
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined Senate colleagues in raising strong concerns about the plan to reorganize the Food and Nutrition Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “We write with strong concern regarding the reorganization of the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” the Oregon senators wrote. “After dramatic cuts to nutrition assistance programs and the significant staff losses at FNS in the past year, … Continue Reading