Press Releases
Wyden, Colleagues Slam Trump Ballroom “Vehicle for Politicized Fundraising, Influence Peddling, and Donor Access”
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and four colleagues today pressed National Park Service Comptroller Jessica Bowron, and President and Trust for the National Mall Chief Executive Officer Catherine Townsend on how their organizations have seemingly become a vehicle for politicized fundraising, influence peddling, and donor access to Donald Trump, amid his effort to pay for and build his $300 million ballroom at the White House. The new letter comes shortly after Trump … Continue Reading
November 06, 2025
Wyden Introduces Bill to Support SNAP Recipients During Trump Government Shutdown
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today introduced legislation that would allow grocery stores nationwide to voluntarily offer discounts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients whenever a government shutdown prevents them from getting their full benefits, if they choose to. Introduction of the Emergency Relief for Hungry Families Act follows reporting earlier this week that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is trying to block grocery stores from … Continue Reading
November 05, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Blast Trump for Rising Health Care Costs and Affordability Crisis for American Families
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he is leading a letter with his Senate colleagues, including Oregon U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, slamming Trump for his failure to address rising health care costs for American families. Wyden, Merkley, and the lawmakers highlighted the worsening affordability crisis, especially for health care — the crux of the fight surrounding Donald Trump and Republicans’ ongoing government shutdown. “Over 90 percent of American voters say it is … Continue Reading
November 04, 2025
Wyden, Merkley Blast Trump Administration for Illegally Ending Program to Help Students with Disabilities
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today said they are joining their colleagues in pressing the Trump administration on its illegal efforts to shut down the Department of Education’s administration and enforcement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which guarantees educational opportunities and protections for individuals with disabilities. A recent report from The Washington Post revealed that the Trump administration intends to move … Continue Reading
November 03, 2025
Wyden, Krishnamoorthi Urge FTC to Investigate Surveillance Tech Company on Negligently Handling Americans’ Personal Data
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore. and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., today called for a federal investigation into surveillance technology company Flock Safety, for failing to implement cybersecurity protections and needlessly exposing Americans’ personal data to theft by hackers, foreign spies, and criminals. Flock does not require its law enforcement customers to use multi-factor authentication (MFA), a cybersecurity best practice. The methods of MFA that Flock … Continue Reading
November 03, 2025
Wyden, Colleagues Demand Transparency on Secretive ICE Operations and Abuse of Immigrants
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today said he is pressing the Trump administration for answers in light of troubling reports detailing secretive immigration enforcement actions, including inhumanely treating immigrants in government custody. Wyden and 10 other senators raised concerns with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Air Operations’ (IAO) “near-total secrecy” as part of its mass deportation agenda. IAO has been centrally involved in immigration enforcement actions … Continue Reading
November 03, 2025
Merkley, Wyden, Bonamici, Salinas, Dexter, Bynum Demand Trump Reverse Plan to Open New Offshore Oil and Gas Leases
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden—along with U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.-01), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.-06), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.-03), and Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.-05)—joined over 100 federal lawmakers in demanding President Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum immediately cease any plans to open new offshore oil and gas leases in U.S. federal waters off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, in the Arctic Ocean and northern Bering Sea off of … Continue Reading
November 03, 2025
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Bill to Pause Student Loans for Federal Workers, Contractors, and Military During Ongoing Trump Shutdown
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., said today they are introducing legislation that would pause student loan payments for federal workers when a federal government shutdown lasts longer than two weeks. “While Donald Trump and his Republican yes-men aren’t lifting a finger to stop their government shutdown, federal workers continue to experience more financial pain,” Wyden said. “Federal workers in Oregon and nationwide shouldn’t have to suffer because of … Continue Reading
October 31, 2025
Merkley, Wyden, Entire Senate Democratic Caucus: Trump Administration Must Stop Illegally Withholding Funding for Nutrition Assistance Programs That Feed American Families
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined the Senate Democratic Caucus to demand the Trump Administration stop illegally withholding available funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Led by Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Senate Democrats introduced the Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act of 2025 to direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to … Continue Reading
October 30, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Demand Trump Protect U.S. National Security in Trade Negotiations
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senate colleagues to urge Donald Trump to protect the national security of the United States and our allies in trade negotiations with China. The letter comes as Trump has already made significant concessions to China - highlighted in the letter - including weakening U.S. export controls on semiconductor chips, barring Taiwan’s president from making a planned layover in the U.S., and offering little detail … Continue Reading
October 29, 2025
Merkley, Wyden Joint Statement on Republicans’ Attempt to Overturn Northern Spotted Owl Protections
Washington, DC - Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden issued the following joint statement after opposing a procedural vote on a measure on the Senate floor to disapprove and overturn the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s plan to manage the barred owls: “We support saving the Spotted Owl, an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that has been the focus of decades of conservation efforts. The Fish and Wildlife Service’s plan was developed after a decade of research, … Continue Reading
October 29, 2025
Merkley, Wyden Backing Bills to Stand Up for Federal Workers During Republican Shutdown
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden said today they joined their Senate colleagues to co-sponsor two bills to pay all federal employees, federal contractors, and servicemembers during the ongoing Republican-led government shutdown. “President Trump and Congressional Republicans don't get to pick and choose who they want to pay and not pay during a government shutdown—full stop,” Merkley said. “If Republicans are serious about ensuring all federal workers get … Continue Reading
October 29, 2025
Wyden, Colleagues Slam Trump Administration for Increasing Costs of Air Travel
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to urge the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to reverse its decision to roll back consumer protections for airline passengers in Oregon and nationwide that built on the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act and kept costs low. Specifically, Donald Trump’s DOT is rolling back protections implemented under the Biden administration that required airlines to compensate passengers for flight delays and … Continue Reading
October 28, 2025
Wyden, Padilla Lead Colleagues in Slamming RFK Jr. for Purging Staff on Frontlines of Opioid Crisis
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif., today led their Democratic Senate colleagues in slamming the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., for firing federal employees working on the frontlines of America’s opioid crisis at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). HHS has now terminated more than 100 SAMHSA employees since the start of the Trump administration, reducing its staff … Continue Reading
October 28, 2025
Dexter, Wyden, Merkley, and Bonamici Secure Release of Portland Mother After Months of Unlawful ICE Detention
PORTLAND, OR— Today, Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-03), Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) announced that Jackie Merlos has been released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody following her prolonged and illegal detention. Her release came hours after Dexter announced that a petition for a writ of habeas corpus was filed on behalf of Merlos—an action challenging the legality of her continued detention in federal … Continue Reading
October 27, 2025
Wyden Leads Bipartisan Amicus Brief Challenging Trump’s Unlawful and Inflationary Tariffs
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he is leading Senate and House colleagues in filing a bipartisan amicus brief before the U.S. Supreme Court in the consolidated case challenging Donald Trump’s unlawful use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs on imported goods. The sweeping tariffs imposed by Trump have raised average tariffs to their highest rate since the Great Depression and added more than $1,800 to costs for the average … Continue Reading
October 24, 2025
Wyden, Colleagues: Trump’s Ballroom is a Political Fundraiser for Big Corporations to Earn Backroom Favors
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today joined colleagues in decrying the Trump administration for giving major corporate donors undue government influence in exchange for funding his White House ballroom project. Wyden and four other senators raised questions about politicized fundraising, influence peddling, and donor access to Donald Trump, amid his effort to pay for and build his $300 million ballroom at the White House. The letter comes after Trump demolished the entire East Wing … Continue Reading
October 24, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Call out Trump Administration’s Dismantling of Education Offices Responsible for Supporting People with Disabilities
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-OR) today called out the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle U.S. special education with its decision to illegally fire Department of Education workers who provide education services and resources in Oregon and nationwide for people with disabilities and their families. “We write today with outrage at your reported decision to fire nearly everyone at the Department of Education (the Department) dedicated to delivering … Continue Reading
October 23, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Urge Donald Trump to Reinforce Opposition to West Bank Annexation
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senate colleagues to urge Donald Trump to reinforce his stated opposition to Israel’s annexation of territory in the West Bank amid the ongoing focus on implementing and sustaining the much-needed ceasefire in Gaza. Trump previously expressed his opposition to annexations, saying he would “not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.” The recent ceasefire plan for Gaza omits any mention of the West Bank. “In … Continue Reading
October 23, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Urge Trump USDA to Immediately Release November SNAP Benefits
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-OR) today urged the Trump administration to release the billions of dollars at its disposal to ensure Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits continue next month in Oregon and nationwide. “We were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November and were surprised by your recent comments that the program will ‘run out of money in two weeks,’” the … Continue Reading
