Press Releases
Wyden, Merkley statement on Senator Murray and Governor Inslee establishing a joint federal-state process on Snake River salmon recovery
U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today issued the following statement in response to U.S. Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Washington Governor Jay Inslee announcing a joint federal-state process on salmon recovery in the Columbia River Basin and the Pacific Northwest: "Ensuring the long-term viability of the Columbia River Basin is essential to the Pacific Northwest and all who live here. We look forward to working with Senator Murray and Governor Inslee as they build on previous … Continue Reading
October 22, 2021
Wyden Statement on FTC Report on Big Cable Selling Americans’ Personal Data
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement in response to the Federal Trade Commission report documenting how Big Cable companies sold detailed personal information about their customers' browsing history to advertisers: "If Congress needed any more proof that America desperately needs a consumer privacy law, the Federal Trade Commission's report about internet service providers' rampant abuse of their customers' private, personal browsing information should be … Continue Reading
October 21, 2021
ENR Committee Holds Hearing on Wyden's National Prescribed Fire Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today made the case for how his National Prescribed Fire Act would reduce wildfire risks in Oregon and nationwide, during a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the bill and other pending legislation. Witnesses on behalf of the Biden administration voiced support for the legislation as a key tool to reduce fire risks nationwide. "These are not your grandfather's fires. They are bigger, they are hotter, they are more … Continue Reading
October 21, 2021
Wyden Urges Federal Review of Pharmacy Closures
Washington, D.C. - Citing the recent announcement by Bi-Mart that it's begun closing 56 pharmacies in Oregon and the Northwest, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden this week urged the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to review pharmacy closures nationwide in the last five years with a focus on how fees imposed by Medicare Part D plans and middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers are driving those closures -- many of which are in rural communities. Wyden noted in his letter to … Continue Reading
October 20, 2021
Wyden, Van Hollen, Blumenthal, Durbin and Markey Ask FCC to Act on National Security Risks from Foreign Telecommunications Services Companies
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., with Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., asked the Federal Communications Commission to take action in response to national security risks posed by foreign companies that manage and service U.S. wireless phone networks. Although the U.S. government has responded forcefully to risks from Chinese hardware manufacturers, including Huawei and ZTE, it has not yet accounted for … Continue Reading
October 19, 2021
Wyden, Merkley, DeFazio, Bonamici Call for Expanded Agricultural Assistance to Oregon & Washington Farmers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio and Suzanne Bonamici today called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take all statutory eligibilities into account when distributing the $10 billion in aid to agricultural producers hit hard by extreme heat, drought, and wildfires this summer. The letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack from the Oregon lawmakers as well as 12 of their colleagues from Washington noted that $10 billion in … Continue Reading
October 19, 2021
Wyden Statement at ENR Hearing on the Nomination of Oregonian Chuck Sams to lead the National Park Service
It is a pleasure to be able to introduce Chuck Sams, of Oregon, President Biden's nominee to be the next Director of the National Park Service. The National Park Service is not all about pretty places and photo ops. As Director, Chuck Sams will be responsible for an organization of more than 22,000 employees and almost 222,000 volunteers at National Park Units in every state in the country generating almost $40 billion for our national economy. The Park Service does it all - from education … Continue Reading
October 19, 2021
Wyden Statement at ENR Hearing on the Nomination of Oregonian Chuck Sams to lead the National Park Service
It is a pleasure to be able to introduce Chuck Sams, of Oregon, President Biden's nominee to be the next Director of the National Park Service. The National Park Service is not all about pretty places and photo ops. As Director, Chuck Sams will be responsible for an organization of more than 22,000 employees and almost 222,000 volunteers at National Park Units in every state in the country generating almost $40 billion for our national economy. The Park Service does it all - from education … Continue Reading
October 19, 2021
Wyden, Merkley: Seven Candidates To Be Interviewed For Job As U.S. Attorney for Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that seven Oregonians will be interviewed by the selection committee assembled by the senators to be the next U.S. Attorney for Oregon. The seven candidates under consideration by the selection committee are as follows, in alphabetical order: Craig Gabriel John Hummel Joseph Huynh Vivek Kothari Vamshi Reddy Rachel Sowray Natalie Wight Anybody who wants to weigh in with the selection committee about any of … Continue Reading
October 19, 2021
Merkley, Wyden Announce Federal Grants to Assist Oregon Tribes with Water Quality and Wetlands Restoration
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that several major grants will be going from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help tribal communities in Oregon improve water quality and restore wetland habitats. Merkley chairs the Senate's Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds the EPA and the grant programs that awarded this funding to Oregon tribes. "Nothing is more critical to the health and vitality of a community than … Continue Reading
October 14, 2021
Merkley, Wyden Announce $2 Million Grant to Oregon State University for Offshore Wind Research
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today Oregon State University will receive a $2 million grant from the Department of Energy to study the impact of offshore winds on the environment. "Moving rapidly to a clean energy future requires having the best and brightest minds provide robust research on ways to make that vision a reality," said Merkley. "I am pleased OSU will use this grant to lead efforts on offshore wind development research and find … Continue Reading
October 13, 2021
Wyden Raises Concerns about New "Fast Tracks" Pass Pricing Out Families at Mt. Bachelor
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today expressed concerns in a letter to the parent company of Mt. Bachelor that the introduction of the "Fast Tracks" pass at the Central Oregon ski resort will result in inequitable access to public lands. "Given the serious concerns this policy raises about equitable access to the public lands on which Mt. Bachelor operates under its U.S. Forest Service Special Use permit, I request that POWDR abandon its plans to adopt this new pass system," Wyden … Continue Reading
October 13, 2021
Oregon Delegation Requests Answers on Reported Mistreatment of Oregon National Guard Servicemembers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-04), along with Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Representatives Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Kurt Schrader (OR-05), and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) today requested answers on alleged mistreatment of Oregon National Guard (ORNG) servicemembers deployed to assist with the state's COVID response. In a letter to Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Major General Michael E. Stencel, the lawmakers called attention to reports they've received from ORNG … Continue Reading
October 12, 2021
Wyden, Merkley Urge Administration to Support Long-Term Stability in Haiti After Mistreatment of Migrants at Border
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley expressed their disappointment over the United States' inhumane treatment of Haitian migrants at the southern border and their summary deportations. In a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Wyden, Merkley and 14 of their Senate colleagues also called for the immediate appointment of a new Special Envoy for Haiti as the country reels from natural disaster, gang … Continue Reading
October 08, 2021
Merkley, Wyden Announce $10 Million for Oregon State University Hemp Research
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that Oregon State University (OSU) will receive a $10 million federal grant for research on sustainable hemp production. The grant is part of more than $146 million awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to invest in research aimed at addressing agriculture-related issues, including climate change impacts. "Hemp is already becoming a cash crop in Oregon, and its many different uses-from hemp … Continue Reading
October 07, 2021
Wyden, Paul Bill Requires Warrants to Search Americans’ Digital Devices at the Border
Washington, D.C. - Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., today introduced the Protecting Data at the Border Act to stop the government from forcing Americans to face indiscriminate and suspicionless searches of their phones, laptops and other digital devices just to cross the border. Sens. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., are lead co-sponsors and Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., is introducing the House companion bill. The bipartisan bill prevents law enforcement … Continue Reading
October 07, 2021
Merkley, Wyden Join West Coast Colleagues to Demand Offshore Drilling Ban in Reconciliation Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden are co-leading an effort amongst West Coast senators urging Senate leadership to include the West Coast Ocean Protection Act in the "Build Back Better" budget reconciliation bill. In a letter written to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the senators argued that action must be taken after numerous oil spills in recent years have been … Continue Reading
October 05, 2021
Merkley, Wyden Urge Treasury Secretary to Establish an Office of Tribal Affairs
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden have teamed up with United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) in a bipartisan push to urge U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to establish an Office of Tribal Affairs within the Treasury Department. Establishing a dedicated office would help to provide enough permanent personnel to help improve the department's tribal consultation process, strengthen the … Continue Reading
October 04, 2021
Wyden, Merkley Tell Ag Dept. That Proposed New Rule Could Hurt Oregon Onion Producers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today raised concerns with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that a proposed new federal rule could hurt U.S. onion growers in Eastern Oregon and nationwide by letting foreign producers unfairly flood the domestic market. The letter from Wyden and Merkley to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack covers the proposed elimination of what's known as Federal Marketing Order 959. "Eastern Oregon and Idaho together make up one of the largest … Continue Reading
October 04, 2021
Wyden, Merkley Urge DHS and USCIS to Waive Afghan Humanitarian Parole Application Fees
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley urged Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Mayorkas and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Jaddou to implement a blanket waiver on fees for Afghans applying for humanitarian parole to come to the United States. They, along with 25 other senators, also requested that the agencies issue guidance to provide clarity on the current status of these types of applications. Afghans applying … Continue Reading
