Press Releases
Oregon Lawmakers Demand Sessions and Nielsen Reverse Zero Tolerance Policy
Washington, D.C. - Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer and Kurt Schrader today demanded Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen immediately reverse the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy that's left asylum seekers dumped in federal prisons. The Oregon lawmakers said their letter follows a troubling meeting Saturday, June 16 with many of the 123 asylum seekers held at the Federal Correctional Institution … Continue Reading
June 19, 2018
Following Wyden’s Investigation, Verizon Pledges to End Contracts With Companies that Sell Americans’ Location
UPDATE - Following news reports that Verizon would end its contracts with major location aggregators, AT&T announced it would follow suit. Please see Sen. Wyden's latest statement on twitter: While @Verizon & @ATT have now pledged to stop selling customer location data to shady middlemen, @TMobile & @sprint seem content to keep selling customers' private information, Americans' privacy be damned. - Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) June 19, 2018 Washington, D.C. - Following an … Continue Reading
June 18, 2018
Wyden Votes No on Defense Authorization Bill
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act: "After Republicans in Congress spent almost $2 trillion in tax breaks that are overwhelmingly skewed to multinational corporations, they're now pushing through legislation that green-lights billions more for open-ended military commitments," Wyden said. "While I applaud the Senate's rejection of Donald Trump's ZTE giveaway and I support pay raises for … Continue Reading
June 18, 2018
Wyden, Merkley Warn Secretary Zinke Not to Skirt Environmental Laws with Plan to Drill in Arctic
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined 28 of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary Zinke in response to the Department of the Interior's notice it will begin an Environmental Impact Statement for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The letter, sent in response to Interior's plan to move forward with drilling, demands that any actions taken in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge be in full compliance with environmental laws in order to … Continue Reading
June 15, 2018
Merkley, Wyden Join New Legislation To Provide A Better Deal For Workers
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today joined their colleagues in the Senate and House to introduce the Workers' Freedom to Negotiate Act, legislation that would strengthen workers' freedom to join unions and negotiate collectively to win better pay and conditions; stiffen penalties on corporations; protect workers' right to strike; streamline procedures to secure worker freedoms; and protect the integrity of union elections. "When workers get together to … Continue Reading
June 13, 2018
Wyden Applauds Step Forward for His Soil Health Provision in Senate Farm Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today applauded a step forward for a provision he secured in the Senate Farm Bill that would improve soil health and crop resilience and address climate change. Wyden's provision would establish a pilot project for farmers across the country to implement advanced farming practices to capture carbon in soil. These farming practices have been shown to improve soil health and crop resilience while lowering the amount of carbon in the … Continue Reading
June 13, 2018
Wyden, Merkley Legislation to Legalize Hemp Moves Forward in Senate Farm Bill
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced their bipartisan legislation to legalize hemp passed the Senate Agriculture Committee today as part of the Senate Farm Bill. Wyden worked with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to ensure their bipartisan Hemp Farming Act of 2018 was included in legislation released last week. Wyden, Merkley and McConnell introduced the bill in April with Rand Paul, R-Ky. The bill now has the support of another 25 senators. "Lifting … Continue Reading
June 12, 2018
Wyden, Gillibrand, Markey, Merkley, Murray and Warren Introduce Bill to Secure Elections
Washington, D.C. -Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., today introduced legislation to require state and local governments to take basic steps to secure elections from hackers, and ensure every American's vote counts. The Protecting American Votes and Elections Act of 2018 requires paper ballots and statistically rigorous "risk-limiting" audits for all federal … Continue Reading
June 12, 2018
Oregon Congressional Delegation Presses ICE on Rights of Immigrant Detainees at Federal Prison in Oregon
PORTLAND, OR - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, with House members Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader, on Monday demanded that the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immediately allow individuals being held at a federal prison in Sheridan, Ore., under the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance policy" to access legal services through free phone calls. "We are deeply concerned by reports that [Bureau of … Continue Reading
June 12, 2018
Wyden Presses FERC: Trump Administration’s Coal Bailout Will Raise Americans’ Utility Rates
Washington, D.C. - Following questioning from U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a Trump-appointed commissioner from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today testified the Trump administration's scheme to prop up uncompetitive coal plants would raise utility rates for American families. At a hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today, FERC commissioner Richard Glick told Wyden the administration's effort would "clearly" raise utility rates for American … Continue Reading
June 11, 2018
Merkley, Wyden Announce Expanded Collaborative Forest Investment in the Farm Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the 2018 Farm Bill proposed by the Senate doubles the size of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) and extends it through 2023. This critical program, which helps fund collaborative and community-based forest management, has a proven track record of improving forest health, reducing wildfire risk, and supporting rural communities. In May, Merkley and Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) led a … Continue Reading
June 11, 2018
Merkley, Wyden Announce Mass Wood Products Provisions Included in Farm Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that most provisions in the Timber Innovation Act are included in the 2018 Farm Bill proposed by the Senate, supporting the development of mass timber products for building construction. In May, Merkley co-led a letter with Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) which urged the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry to include the Timber Innovation Act in the 2018 Farm Bill. Other cosigners included Sens. Wyden, … Continue Reading
June 08, 2018
Wyden Introduces Bill to End Trump Administration’s Cruel Policy of Separating Families at the Border
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today joined 31 of his Senate colleagues in introducing legislation to keep immigrant families together by preventing the Department of Homeland Security from taking children from their parents at the border. "Children and their parents seeking asylum and safety in the United States should not have to live in fear that they will be forcibly separated once they reach the border," Wyden said. "This bill will put an end to the Trump … Continue Reading
June 08, 2018
Wyden, Merkley Call on Speaker Ryan to Hold House Vote on Net Neutrality
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined their Democratic colleagues in the Senate in urging House Speaker Paul Ryan to schedule a vote on the Senate resolution to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) disastrous decision to repeal the agency's net neutrality rules. "Without these protections, broadband providers can decide what content gets through to consumers at what speeds and could use this power to discriminate against their competitors … Continue Reading
June 08, 2018
Wyden, Merkley Secure Provision to Legalize Hemp in Senate Farm Bill
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today announced he and Sen. Jeff Merkley secured a provision in the Senate Farm Bill to legalize industrial hemp. Wyden worked with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to ensure their bipartisan Hemp Farming Act of 2018 was included in legislation released today. The Senate Agriculture Committee will officially consider the legislation on Wednesday, June 13. In April, Wyden, Merkley and McConnell introduced the bill with Rand Paul, R-Ky. The … Continue Reading
June 08, 2018
Wyden Secures Provision in Senate Farm Bill to Improve Soil Health, Address Climate Change
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced he secured a provision in the Senate Farm Bill released today to improve soil health, in a way that helps Oregon agriculture and addresses climate change. Wyden’s provision would establish a pilot project managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote the use of advanced farming practices to capture carbon in soil. These practices improve soil health and crop resilience while lowering the amount of carbon in the … Continue Reading
June 07, 2018
Wyden, Merkley Statement on Karin Immergut
Washington, D.C. - Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley issued the following statement about today's White House announcement that Karin Immergut has been nominated to fill a vacancy for the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. "Karin Immergut has a long and distinguished record of public service as U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon and most recently on the bench in Multnomah County Circuit Court. The choice of Judge Immergut for the U.S. District Court for the District of … Continue Reading
June 07, 2018
Wyden, Merkley Statement on Ryan Bounds
Washington, D.C. - Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley issued the following statement on today's 11-10 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee to send the nomination of Ryan Bounds to the full Senate for a vacancy on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals: "It's a sad day for justice when Senator Grassley feels free to shatter an agreed-upon process that has long proved itself as a fair and bipartisan way to ensure nominees for a lifetime appointment to the bench meet the highest standards for … Continue Reading
June 06, 2018
Wyden, McConnell, Merkley, Paul Lead Senate in Designating Hemp History Week
Washington, D.C. - Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., cheered the passage of their bipartisan Senate resolution designating June 4-10, "Hemp History Week." Federal law currently prohibits American farmers from growing hemp on U.S. soil, except in certain limited circumstances. That means American farmers cannot capitalize on a retail industry for which sales in the United States totaled $820 million last year. The United States is the … Continue Reading
June 05, 2018
Wyden to Forest Service: Ensure Enough Air Tankers Are Ready to Fight Fires This Wildfire Year
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's Sen. Ron Wyden today pressed Interim Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen to ensure enough air tankers are available to fight fires in another significant fire year facing western communities. At a hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today, Wyden highlighted ongoing concerns he heard from Oregonians last week at town halls and other public meetings about how the agency will protect communities from wildfires using air tankers. Wyden … Continue Reading
