Press Releases
Wyden Urges Commerce Department to Establish Clear Guidelines to Prevent the Illegal Diversion of Firearms Sold Abroad
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today called on the Commerce Department to establish clear guidelines to prevent the illegal diversion of American-made firearms sold abroad. Wyden’s letter to Commerce Department Secretary Howard Lutnick follows recent reports indicating that staffing shortages at the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), a subagency of Commerce, have hampered its ability to effectively vet foreign companies purchasing U.S.-made firearms and prevent them … Continue Reading
April 28, 2025
Wyden, Merkley Demand Trump Walk Back Dangerous Claims He Will Transfer U.S. Citizens to a Foreign Prison
Washington D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) today demanded Donald Trump immediately rescind the dangerous and offensive claim that he may transfer incarcerated U.S. citizens to El Salvador. In a letter to Trump, the senators also urged him to follow the law and adhere to all applicable court orders to immediately facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States. The senators underscore how these unprecedented actions threaten the … Continue Reading
April 25, 2025
Wyden Demands Trump Administration Restore Travelers’ Rights
Washington D.C. -U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today demanded the Trump Administration restore the rights of the one million travelers who routinely enter the U.S each day, taking note of major upcoming global sporting events like the World Cup, Summer Olympics and Paralympics to be hosted in our country In today’s letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Wyden noted, “Over the past couple months, there have been numerous troubling reports of due … Continue Reading
April 23, 2025
Wyden, Merkley Co-Sponsor Bills to Permanently Protect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans from Offshore Drilling
Washington, D.C. —U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced they are co-sponsoring two bills that would permanently protect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans from the environmental and economic costs of fossil fuel drilling off our coastal shores. Merkley also led a bill to prohibit drilling in the Arctic, which Wyden also co-sponsored. “The U.S. simply does not need to drill in the coastal waters of the Pacific. We have more than enough clean energy resources without putting … Continue Reading
April 23, 2025
Wyden, Merkley Demand Trump Administration Restore Funding for National Endowment for the Humanities
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senate and House colleagues to demand the Trump administration reverse its termination of congressionally-appropriated funding for grants administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Their letter follows the Oregon Democratic delegation’s denouncement of this administration’s egregious attacks on humanities funding earlier this month. In this latest letter to Donald Trump and NEH … Continue Reading
April 23, 2025
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Condemn Trump and Hegseth’s Trans Military Service Ban
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined colleagues in condemning President Trump’s un-American and unconstitutional transgender military service ban, calling it a blatant violation of our brave servicemembers’ civil rights and a threat to national security. The lawmakers demanded answers from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on whether the Administration is complying with the nationwide injunctions that halted the unconstitutional ban, and asked the … Continue Reading
April 16, 2025
Merkley, Wyden Join Senate Democrats to Warn About Republicans Raising Food Costs to Give Tax Breaks to Billionaires
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, Ranking Members of the Senate Budget and Finance Committees, respectively, joined their colleagues in sending an open letter to the American public warning that Congressional Republicans are trying to take food away from hungry families in order to give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans. After promising to lower prices for families, Republicans in Congress are instead raising grocery costs and making it harder for … Continue Reading
April 14, 2025
Wyden Announces Town Halls in Wasco, Umatilla, Grant, Harney, Lake, Klamath and Douglas Counties
Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will hold town halls later this month in Wasco, Umatilla, Grant, Harney, Lake, Klamath and Douglas counties. Heading into these seven open-to-all town halls between April 23-26, Wyden has held 1,110 open-to-all town halls in keeping his promise to have at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon’s 36 counties. “I promised Oregonians in every nook and cranny of our state that I would always make myself available to answer questions … Continue Reading
April 14, 2025
Oregon Delegation Condemns Trump Administration’s Decision to Eliminate Key Manufacturing Program
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06) led the Oregon delegation - including U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05) - in a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, condemning the Trump Administration’s decision to eliminate the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program. The MEP program is a public-private partnership … Continue Reading
April 14, 2025
Oregon Delegation Urges Fishery Disaster Declaration
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led his Democratic colleagues in the Oregon delegation—Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)—in urging the U.S. Department of Commerce to declare a federal fishery resource disaster for the 2024 Oregon troll salmon fishery. “This declaration is critical to provide economic relief to Oregon’s fisheries and coastal … Continue Reading
April 14, 2025
Merkley, Wyden, Hoyle Push VA to Build Roseburg Veterans’ Home
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, alongside U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04), are calling on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to prioritize funding for the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA) proposed Roseburg Veterans’ Home project. Currently, ODVA operates two high-quality, award-winning Oregon Veterans’ Homes: the Oregon Veterans’ Home in The Dalles, a 151-bed skilled nursing facility, and the Edward C. Allworth Veterans’ Home … Continue Reading
April 11, 2025
Wyden, Salinas, Pingree, Tokuda Lead Colleagues in Slamming Trump Administration for Censoring Agricultural Research Crucial to Rural Communities
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and U.S. Representatives Andrea Salinas, D-Ore., Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, and Jill Tokuda, D-Hawai’i, warned the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that Donald Trump’s politically motivated list of banned words - including “climate,” “affordable housing,” and “safe drinking water” — in research agreements being considered for federal funding would harm rural communities facing wildfires, drought, food insecurity, among other … Continue Reading
April 11, 2025
Wyden Co-Sponsors Bills Aimed at Protecting Communities from Gun Violence
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he is co-sponsoring two bills that would protect schools and communities from mass gun violence while underscoring Americans’ constitutional right to own firearms for legitimate self-defense, hunting, and sporting purposes. “The Second Amendment’s right to bear arms doesn’t preclude common-sense gun laws regulating high capacity assault weapons designed solely for mass casualties and warfare,” Wyden said. “Our children, our families, our … Continue Reading
April 11, 2025
Wyden, Warren, Schumer, Senate Colleagues Call on SEC to Launch Investigation into Possible Trump Tariff Market Manipulation, Insider Trading
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today joined with five colleagues to urge the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate whether Donald Trump, any members of his cabinet, or other donors, insiders, or Administration officials engaged in insider trading, market manipulation, or other securities laws violations. “We urge the SEC to investigate whether the tariff announcements, which caused the market crash and subsequent partial recovery, enriched administration … Continue Reading
April 11, 2025
Oregon Delegation Denounces Trump Administration’s Attacks on Humanities Funding
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today led his Democratic colleagues in the Oregon delegation—Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)—in slamming federal funding cuts at the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) following a majority of the agency’s entire staff being placed on paid administrative leave and cuts to more than 1,200 NEH grants across the … Continue Reading
April 10, 2025
Oregon Delegation Urges Reversal of Cuts, Planned Layoffs at Social Security That Hurt State’s Seniors
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today led his Democratic colleagues in the Oregon delegation - Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Janelle Bynum (OR-05) and Maxine Dexter (OR-03) - in urging the Social Security Administration to reverse its severe layoffs and threats of worse to come for services to the state’s seniors and people with disabilities. In their letter to the Social Security Administration’s … Continue Reading
April 10, 2025
Oregon Delegation Demands Immediate Restoration of Critical FEMA Program
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led his Democratic colleagues in the Oregon delegation—Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)—in calling for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to immediately restore Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grants. These federal grants are critical to ensuring that Oregon’s … Continue Reading
April 09, 2025
Wyden Places Hold on Top Cybersecurity Nominee to Force Release of Important Details on Security Threats to US Phone Networks
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today placed a hold on the nomination of Sean Plankey to serve as director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), to force the release of an unclassified report containing important details about U.S. telephone network security. Federal inaction on telephone network security has enabled foreign governments to repeatedly spy on Americans, threatening U.S. national security. Most notably the 2024 hack of several U.S. … Continue Reading
April 09, 2025
Merkley, Wyden Get Behind Legislation to Strengthen Rights of Public Sector Workers to Join Unions, Bargain Collectively
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined colleagues to reintroduce the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, bicameral legislation to guarantee the right of public sector employees to organize, act concertedly, and bargain collectively in states that currently do not afford these basic protections. This comes at a critical time after President Trump’s recent executive order?ended collective bargaining?for over a million federal workers. “As the son of a … Continue Reading
April 09, 2025
Wyden, Merkley Slam OPM for Failing to Provide Health Care Benefits to Reinstated Federal Workers
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today demanded the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) address its ongoing failure to provide federal health benefits to reinstated federal employees, despite continued paycheck deductions toward insurance premiums. In a letter to OPM Acting Director Charles Ezell, the senators wrote, “This issue has directly impacted Oregonians working at government agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, Bureau of Land Management, and … Continue Reading
