Press Releases
Wyden, Schumer Demand Consumers and Small Businesses Be Made Whole After Trump’s Reckless Tariffs
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., today demanded that big businesses and corporations use any tariff refunds they receive to compensate small businesses and U.S. consumers for any costs they incurred from Donald Trump’s reckless tariffs. Trump’s trade war and reckless tariffs have resulted in higher prices, lost jobs, and chaos for businesses up and down the supply chain. Estimates show the average U.S. family paid nearly $2,000 because of the … Continue Reading
March 05, 2026
Wyden, Brown Call on Federal Watchdog to Investigate Risks of Little-Known Surveillance Technique, Warn of Serious Threat to National Security
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, today called on a federal watchdog agency to investigate whether the federal government and consumer electronics manufacturers have adequate defenses against so-called “side-channel” attacks, a surveillance technique that exploits the signals that leak from computers and other electronics. The U.S. government has failed to warn the American public about the risks from this vulnerability. According to a … Continue Reading
March 05, 2026
Wyden Announces March 14 Town Hall in Washington County
Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will hold an open-to-all town hall on Saturday, March 14 in Washington County. Heading into this 1 pm town hall on March 14 at the Century High School gym (2000 SE Century Blvd, Hillsboro), Wyden has held 1,151 open-to-all town halls statewide in fulfillment of his promise to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon’s 36 counties. This Washington County town hall will be his 12th so far in 2026. “I’ve kept this town hall … Continue Reading
March 05, 2026
Wyden Questions Major AI Companies About Federal Contracts After Pentagon Bans Anthropic
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden questioned four major American artificial intelligence companies about their government contracts, after the Defense Department banned government agencies from using Anthropic, reportedly over a disagreement about whether the company’s AI software could be used to conduct mass surveillance of Americans, in a letter released today. Wyden requested information from Anthropic, Google, OpenAI and X.AI about how the companies’ government customers — in the … Continue Reading
March 04, 2026
Wyden Votes Against Trump’s War With Iran
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the longest-serving member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, today voted against giving Donald Trump authority to wage war with Iran and criticized Republicans for handing Trump a blank check to wage yet another open-ended war in the Middle East. “Despite campaigning against forever wars, Donald Trump has dragged our country into yet another costly and counterproductive war in the Middle East that is already costing American lives. Rather … Continue Reading
March 04, 2026
Amid Record-Low Snowpack, Wyden Presses Trump Administration Over Wildfire Preparedness Ahead of Fire Season
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today called on the Trump administration to provide a detailed plan for how it plans to help communities in Oregon and the West prepare for what has the potential to be a catastrophic fire season amid record-low snowpack and worsening drought conditions. Most regions of Oregon have just one-third of their average annual snowpack. In his letter, Wyden highlighted that Donald Trump’s staffing and budget cuts in 2025 led directly to a reduction … Continue Reading
March 03, 2026
Wyden, Espaillat and 70 Democrats Call for Investigation of ICE, DHS Warrantless Purchases of Americans’ Location Data
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-NY., and 70 Democrats called for a new investigation of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), over warrantless purchases of Americans’ location data. The members called on DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari to investigate ICE and other DHS agencies restarting warrantless purchases of Americans’ location data. The DHS Inspector General previously found … Continue Reading
March 02, 2026
Wyden, Fetterman, Cassidy, Bipartisan Members of Congress Introduce Bill to Protect SNAP Benefits Against Theft
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Bill Cassidy, R-La., and John Fetterman, D-Pa., today introduced their bipartisan, bicameral Enhanced Cybersecurity for SNAP Act to boost security of electronic SNAP benefit cards amid a sharp rise in theft by hackers and scammers. Representatives Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y. are leading the legislation in the House. Tens of millions of dollars in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have been stolen by … Continue Reading
March 02, 2026
Wyden, Beyer Lead Colleagues Calling on Judicial Center to Restore Critical Climate Judicial Guidance
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Representative Donald S. Beyer Jr., Va.-08, today said they are leading their bicameral colleagues in pushing the Federal Judicial Center (FJC) to reverse course on its decision to rescind critical judicial guidance on climate science following politically-motivated pressure by Republicans. “After facing political pressure from Republican attorneys general and conservative organizations, you made the decision to eliminate the entire … Continue Reading
February 26, 2026
Wyden Presses Trump’s Commerce Secretary on Conflict of Interest After Family’s Firm Brokers Investment in Critical Minerals
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today pressed U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on the extent of his involvement with his department’s recent investment in a rare earth mineral company that also conducts business with his former firm, which is now managed by his two sons. Last month, the Commerce Department announced a tentative deal worth up to $1.6 billion with USA Rare Earth, Inc. (USAR), acquiring around 10% stake in the critical mineral company. On the same day, USAR … Continue Reading
February 25, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Call on Supreme Court to Protect Birthright Citizenship Against Trump’s Unconstitutional Attacks
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined 27 colleagues in calling on the Supreme Court to protect birthright citizenship by striking down Donald Trump’s unconstitutional attempts to roll back a 150-year-old precedent. “Children born in this country have only called the United States their home, and they are no different than any other U.S. citizen,” Wyden said. “The Supreme Court must uphold the U.S. Constitution and long-settled precedent to stop Donald … Continue Reading
February 25, 2026
Wyden, Daines, Booker and Lee Reintroduce Bill to Create Transparency for Court-Ordered Surveillance
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., today reintroduced legislation to require public reporting and notice of the hundreds of thousands of criminal surveillance orders issued by courts each year. Those orders are typically sealed, indefinitely, keeping government surveillance hidden for years, even when the targets are never charged with any crime. Unlike phone wiretaps or bank record subpoenas, there is no requirement for people to be notified when … Continue Reading
February 25, 2026
Wyden Demands Answers on the White House Hiding the Financial Cost of Tariffs to American Families
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today demanded answers from the White House about its interference with an independent report concluding that tariffs are harming businesses and consumers in Oregon and nationwide. In a letter with eight Senate colleagues, Wyden demanded that White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett formally retract his suggestion that Federal Reserve staff be “disciplined” for producing data demonstrating the true cost of Trump’s tariffs. “We are … Continue Reading
February 23, 2026
Wyden, Merkley, Salinas Announce $3 Million for Salem Bus Transit Center
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley with U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas today announced $3 million to support the construction of a bus transit center in Salem. “Ensuring safe and reliable public transportation is essential for Oregonians to easily get from Point A to Point B,” Wyden said. “This federal award for Salem will help keep Oregon communities connected and local economies rolling, and I will continue to fight for more resources to support transportation … Continue Reading
February 23, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Announce Nearly $49 Million in Retroactive Secure Rural Schools Funds for Oregon Counties
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that nearly $49 million in retroactive federal funding from the U.S. Forest Service for fiscal year 2024 will be coming to Oregon counties following the passage of their bipartisan bill late last year to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, with more to come when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces its payments for the 18 Oregon & California counties. Wyden first authored the law that … Continue Reading
February 20, 2026
Wyden, Colleagues Launch Investigation into Trump Labor Department Slashing Worker Protections, Putting American Workers at Risk
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues in launching a new investigation into the federal Department of Labor after releasing new data revealing the Trump administration’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) performed 20% fewer inspections and issued 42% fewer fines for severe workplace violations in 2025. Both figures indicate that the Department of Labor may be discouraging inspectors from enforcing workplace safety laws. The … Continue Reading
February 20, 2026
Wyden, Merkley, Dexter, Colleagues Demand Accountability for Israel’s Detention and Abuse of Palestinian-American Teenager Mohammed Ibrahim
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley with U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter today joined Senate and House colleagues to demand accountability for the Israeli military’s nearly ten-month detention of Mohammed Ibrahim, a Palestinian-American minor. On February 16, 2025, U.S. citizen and Florida resident Mohammed Ibrahim was arrested in his home in the town of al-Mazraa ash-Sharqiya, near Ramallah in the West Bank, at 3 am by heavily armed Israeli soldiers. For nearly ten … Continue Reading
February 19, 2026
Wyden Announces Town Halls in Multnomah, Benton counties
Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will hold open-to-all town halls next week in Multnomah and Benton counties. Heading into these two town halls on Saturday, Feb. 28 and Sunday, March 1, Wyden has held 1,149 open-to-all town halls statewide - including 11 so far in 2026 -- in keeping his promise to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon’s 36 counties. “I’ve kept this town hall pledge because the First Amendment is a vital American muscle that builds … Continue Reading
February 19, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Won’t Attend State of The Union, Will Instead Hold Virtual Town Hall for Oregonians on February 24
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced they will not attend the State of the Union speech on Tuesday, February 24 and will instead co-host a live on-line town hall that day with People’s Town Hall to offer all Oregonians the opportunity to ask questions as well as share their ideas and viewpoints. “Sitting through Donald Trump’s unhinged ramblings about his unconstitutional schemes does nothing to help Oregonians justifiably concerned about his attacks on … Continue Reading
February 19, 2026
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Investigate Trump’s Repeal of Bedrock Climate Safeguard
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senate colleagues in launching an investigation into Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin’s decision to repeal the bedrock scientific determination underpinning the EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The endangerment finding, which was finalized in 2009, was repealed as a part of the Trump administration’s rollback of pollution standards for vehicles. The repeal … Continue Reading
