Press Releases
Wyden Statement on Permitting Reform
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today issued the following statement on ongoing negotiations on permitting reform: “Our country is in an energy crisis of Trump’s own making," Wyden said. "I cannot support a bill that relies on a handshake promise from the same administration that’s spent the last two years waging a war on new clean energy projects to hold up its end of the bargain, and continues to do so even after negotiating the reform proposal. Furthermore, I cannot support a … Continue Reading
November 02, 2026
Salinas, Bonamici, Merkley, Wyden Secure over $500,000 for Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District
Tualatin, OR — Today, Congresswomen Andrea Salinas (OR-06) and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), alongside Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, announced they secured the release of over $530,000 in federal funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to support Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District (TSWCD). In 2022, TSWCD applied to the NRCS for funding to improve fish habitat in Washington County. This work included replacing deteriorated culverts with bridges and … Continue Reading
November 02, 2026
Bonamici, Wyden, Merkley Demand Investigation into ICE Tire Slashing Incident
WASHINGTON, DC - Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) and Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley demanded an investigation into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for slashing a couple’s tires in Hillsboro. The couple was observing and recording ICE agents in a supermarket parking lot on October 7, 2026, before multiple masked ICE agents in three vehicles tailed the couple, boxed them in, and repeatedly stabbed and slashed their tires before driving away. A video of the … Continue Reading
November 02, 2026
Oregon Delegation Celebrates Federal Support for Oregon’s Hazelnut, Seafood Industries
Washington, D.C. - Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led Oregon Congressional Delegation members—including 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)—to announce that after pressure from the delegation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will purchase hazelnuts and Pacific Whiting fillets under the agency’s Section 32 purchase program. These purchases will … Continue Reading
October 30, 2026
Merkley, Wyden, Bynum, Salinas: $16 Million Coming to Oregon for Street Safety Improvements
Washington, D.C. - Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with U.S. Representatives Janelle Bynum (OR-05) and Andrea Salinas (OR-06), announced that $16,000,000 is heading to Marion, Polk, Klamath, and Deschutes counties for the development and updating of comprehensive road and street safety plans. The federal funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program, which funds efforts to improve travel for motorists, … Continue Reading
October 29, 2026
Wyden and Markey Question Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg over Meta AI Glasses Privacy Violations, Use of Intimate Images for AI Training
Text of the Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senator Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., today launched an inquiry into reports of severe privacy violations enabled by Meta’s AI-enabled smart glasses, including capturing sensitive imagery of users and bystanders without their consent, sending intimate images to overseas contractors, and using highly sensitive images to train Meta’s AI systems. “Although Meta identified risks to bystander privacy and vulnerable … Continue Reading
October 29, 2026
Wyden Urges Trump Administration to Crack Down on Major Investment Tax Loophole Used by the Ultra-Wealthy
Text of the Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called on the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to crack down on a tax avoidance scheme known as tax-aware long-short investing which is growing in popularity and shielding billions in wealth from federal taxes. "I am alarmed by the exponential growth of these long-short accounts and the blatant tax-motivated nature of the strategy," Wyden wrote. "Something must be done … Continue Reading
October 29, 2026
Merkley, Wyden Announce $7.6 Million Federal Investment in Malheur County for Irrigation Efficiency Project
Nyssa, OR - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that $7,666,203 in federal funding is coming to the Owyhee Irrigation District (OID) in Oregon’s Mid-Snake River Basin for irrigation upgrades to improve water efficiency, reduce nutrient and sediment runoff, and enhance drought resilience for local agriculture. “This project delivers more of our precious water to farmers and helps reduce pollutants from entering nearby rivers—a win-win,” said Merkley. “These … Continue Reading
October 29, 2026
Wyden, Whitehouse, Kim and Warren Expose Trump for Rewarding Nursing Home Fraudsters and Harming Residents
Text of the Report (PDF) Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., today released a new investigation revealing harm to residents in nursing homes as Donald Trump hands out political favors and grants clemency to nursing home owners convicted of fraud and other financial crimes. “This report is the product of a Senate Finance Committee Minority investigation into how … Continue Reading
October 29, 2026
Wyden, Warren Press Treasury and IRS on Rushed Transition to ID.me for Savings Bond Investors
Text of the Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., today demanded the Department of the Treasury halt a rushed transition to the third-party identity-verification company ID.me for Americans trying to access their savings bonds online. They also demanded an explanation for why the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had not transitioned away from … Continue Reading
October 27, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Announce $1 Million to Support Addiction and Recovery Services in Southern Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced $1 million in federal awards to help support addiction treatment and recovery services in Josephine County. “Accountability and recovery must go hand-in-hand if we want safer, healthier communities across Oregon,” Wyden said. “Josephine County’s treatment court has proven that folks struggling with substance use and mental health challenges can turn their lives around when they have real wrap-around support. This … Continue Reading
October 27, 2026
Wyden, Sanders, Senate Democrats Call Out Insurance Company Collusion with Trump Administration to Kick Thousands of Americans Off Health Insurance
Text of the Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and 11 other Senate Democrats opened an inquiry into the actions of ten health insurance companies following their decision to work with the Trump administration to remove thousands of enrollees from their health coverage without due process. “Aligning with Republicans and their so-called … Continue Reading
October 26, 2026
Wyden and Schiff Demand Release of FISA Court Opinion Detailing ‘Serious Abuses of Americans’ Rights’
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., demanded that the Trump Administration stop violating federal law and immediately declassify a surveillance court opinion that details abuses by the government of warrantless surveillance under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The opinion by the FISA Court was signed on March 17, 2026, and was legally required to be declassified within 180 days, on September 13. Yet the Trump … Continue Reading
October 26, 2026
Merkley, Wyden, Bonamici, Dexter Announce $12.4 Million for Affordable Housing in Portland
Portland, OR - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, as well as U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) and Maxine Dexter (OR-03), today announced that $12,418,414 in federal funds are coming to Portland to help Oregonians continue to access affordable housing. The funds to Home Forward of Portland will ensure there is no lapse in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program—also known as Section 8—which supports families, the elderly, and Americans with disabilities in … Continue Reading
October 23, 2026
Wyden Statement on the Trump Administration Deploying Election Monitors to Oregon
Portland, OR - Senator Ron Wyden today issued the following statement in regards to the recent announcement that Trump’s Department of Justice plans to send election monitors to Oregon. “Oregon’s vote-by-mail system has proven for more than three decades to be the gold standard for elections. And what these observers deployed by Trump administration officials back in Washington, DC will find is that our state once again will hold secure, accurate and fair elections,” Wyden said. “I’m glad … Continue Reading
October 23, 2026
Wyden Statement on the Trump Administration Deploying Election Monitors to Oregon
Portland, OR - Senator Ron Wyden today issued the following statement in regards to the recent announcement that Trump’s Department of Justice plans to send election monitors to Oregon. “Oregon’s vote-by-mail system has proven for more than three decades to be the gold standard for elections. And what these observers deployed by Trump administration officials back in Washington, DC will find is that our state once again will hold secure, accurate and fair elections,” Wyden said. “I’m glad … Continue Reading
October 20, 2026
Wyden Calls on HHS Secretary to Reverse Plans for Trump Administration Lawyers to Represent Unaccompanied Children in Immigration Court
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined with five other senators urging Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to reverse the decision for HHS attorneys to represent unaccompanied children against the Trump administration’s own deportation machine and to restore independent legal counsel immediately. The senators underscored in a letter to Kennedy how failing to reverse this decision would result in a clear conflict of interest, especially … Continue Reading
October 19, 2026
Merkley, Wyden, Hoyle: $205 Million Federal Investment Coming to Port of Coos Bay Rail Project
Coos Bay, OR - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) today to announce $204,771,601 in federal funds for the Coos Bay Rail Line (CBRL) Upgrades Project in support of the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port Project (PCIP). This funding will go towards final design and construction of critical upgrades to address capacity and reliability, improve system and service performance of the Coos Bay Rail Line, and ensure the upgraded rail line will be … Continue Reading
October 19, 2026
Wyden Urges Executive Branch to Shield Sensitive Federal Websites From Spying to Protect the Privacy of Whistleblowers and All Americans
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today urged the executive branch to protect whistleblowers and Americans who visit federal websites by upgrading the security of hundreds of government websites that are currently vulnerable to surveillance. Although the government protects the contents of nearly all website data, standard web encryption does not protect the names of websites that users visit, such as “reportfraud.ftc.gov.” Wyden urged the government to adopt a security … Continue Reading
October 15, 2026
Wyden Statement on the Silver Rail Elementary School Shooting
Portland, OR - Senator Ron Wyden today issued the following statement in regards to the Silver Rail Elementary School shooting in Bend, Oregon. “My heart goes out to the innocent victims of today’s horrific shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School and their loved ones now facing the awful consequences of yet another school shooting in America. The best way to honor these victims is to at long last pass common-sense gun laws that reduce the risks of more children, parents, teachers and staff … Continue Reading