Press Releases
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $52 Million in PILT Payments to Support Vital Services in Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced counties throughout Oregon will receive a combined total of $52,016,022 in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2026. Because local governments cannot tax federal lands, annual PILT funding helps to defray the costs associated with maintaining important community services in counties with federal lands. “Rural communities shouldn’t have to wonder if they will have the resources they need to pay for … Continue Reading
June 29, 2026
During Pride Month, Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Resolution Apologizing for Government Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ Civil Servants, Servicemembers
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined a resolution led by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) to acknowledge and apologize for the mistreatment of and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals who have served in the uniformed services, as civil servants, or in the Foreign Service. “America is at its best when everyone can live as their authentic self—no matter who they are or whom they love,” said Merkley, author of the Equality … Continue Reading
June 29, 2026
Wyden Cosponsors Resolution to Protect Disability Rights and Condemn Trump Administration’s Latest Attack
Washington, D.C. - In the wake of the Trump administration’s latest attack against people with disabilities, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said today he is cosponsoring a Senate resolution that would protect disability rights and uphold the true promise of the Supreme Court’s landmark Olmstead decision protecting the rights of Americans with disabilities to live full, independent lives in their own homes and communities. “This is yet another attempt by Trump and Republicans to roll back … Continue Reading
June 29, 2026
Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Landmark Bill to Raise the National Minimum Wage to a Living Wage of $25 an Hour
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to introduce legislation that would phase in an increase of the federal minimum wage to $25 an hour. The Living Wage For All Act would change the lives of tens of millions of American workers and their families. An estimated 45 percent of American workers make less than $25 an hour. Under the bill’s two-track phase-in, large corporate employers would be required to implement a $25-an-hour wage floor by 2032, … Continue Reading
June 29, 2026
Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Landmark Bill to Raise the National Minimum Wage to a Living Wage of $25 an Hour
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to introduce legislation that would phase in an increase of the federal minimum wage to $25 an hour. The Living Wage For All Act would change the lives of tens of millions of American workers and their families. An estimated 45 percent of American workers make less than $25 an hour. Under the bill’s two-track phase-in, large corporate employers would be required to implement a $25-an-hour wage floor by 2032, … Continue Reading
June 26, 2026
Wyden, Cloud Secure Major Privacy Victory as ATF Cancels Warrantless Location Data Contract
Washington, D.C. —U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and U.S. Representative Michael Cloud, R-Texas, today announced that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has canceled a controversial contract for Americans’ commercial location data following bipartisan oversight. Following bipartisan questioning by Wyden and Cloud’s offices, the ATF informed the lawmakers on June 18 that the agency’s director decided to terminate a contract with the data broker Penlink for its … Continue Reading
June 26, 2026
Wyden, Colleagues Demand Answers on Failed Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Rehabilitation Project
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues in demanding answers from the Trump administration about its rushed rehabilitation project of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The lawmakers note that the issues facing the reflecting pool are not simply maintenance concerns, but failures by the Department of the Interior in project execution and government oversight. "The American people deserve to know why the rehabilitation project has failed and the … Continue Reading
June 26, 2026
Oregon Delegation Submits State Items for Congressional Time Capsule to Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senate and House members this week submitted for a congressional time capsule to celebrate America’s 250th birthday multiple items that sample from the state’s natural treasures, history, culture, sports, music and more. Among the items included in the Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule to be sealed at the Capitol Visitor Center and opened on July 4, 2276 are the following: A ballot and envelope, to celebrate Oregon’s status as America’s first … Continue Reading
June 25, 2026
Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Support Direct Care Workforce and Family Caregivers
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to introduce legislation that would provide funding to states and other eligible entities that supports direct care workers and family caregivers who provide essential daily care and support for many older adults and people with disabilities. “One of the top concerns I hear consistently from Oregonians is access to healthcare and support services, especially for older folks in rural areas,” Wyden said. “With … Continue Reading
June 24, 2026
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Demand Major Credit Bureau CEOs Protect Student Loan Borrowers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined Democratic Senate colleagues today in demanding the CEOs of three major credit report bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, immediately take steps to fix their firms’ administrative and technical issues that have burdened student loan borrowers with inaccurate credit report errors and higher interest rates. “If just one data point is reported incorrectly by the servicer and the credit reporting company does not address … Continue Reading
June 23, 2026
Wyden Statement on Passage of Bipartisan Housing Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement after the Senate passed bipartisan legislation to address the housing crisis: “The housing crisis deepens every year in Oregon and across the country, dimming people’s dreams of homeownership and pushing more working-class families onto the street because they can’t afford rent,” Wyden said. “There are some good provisions in this bill, but this crisis demands bolder solutions. I remain committed to … Continue Reading
June 23, 2026
Wyden Announces Six July Town Halls in Eastern Oregon
Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will hold open-to-all town halls in six Eastern Oregon counties from July 6-8. Heading into these four town halls, Wyden has held 1,168 open-to-all town halls statewide in keeping his promise to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon’s 36 counties. “Eastern Oregon is thousands of miles away from Washington, DC but these open-to-all town halls shorten that distance so everybody can make their voice heard,” Wyden said. “I … Continue Reading
June 23, 2026
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Push to Overturn Trump Affordable Care Act Rule that Will Increase Costs, Terminate Care for Millions
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, joined by U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and other colleagues, today introduced a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to repeal the Trump Administration’s rule that will undermine the Affordable Care Act marketplace, and produce worse health care coverage for higher costs for Oregonians. The Trump Administration’s rule promotes the use of catastrophic health plans with extremely high deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, … Continue Reading
June 18, 2026
Wyden Demands Answers from Trump Administration On Poor Treatment of World Cup Visitors
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today demanded the Trump administration explain its sorry record of entry denials and visa problems for fans, players, referees, and family members traveling to World Cup games played in the United States. “I wrote to the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department more than a year ago expressing concerns about your Departments’ unhelpful and unbalanced policies with respect to travelers visiting our country for major sporting events,” … Continue Reading
June 17, 2026
Wyden on Delay of Clayton Nomination Hearing: Depending on Trump Henchmen to Defend Americans’ Rights is Pointless; the Senate Must Reform Government Surveillance
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released the following statement in response to Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton cancelling a confirmation hearing for Director of National Intelligence Nominee Jay Clayton, pursuant to a rambling Truth Social post by Donald Trump. Over recent weeks, Trump has demanded that Congress pass the SAVE Act voter suppression legislation before he will sign an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. He has … Continue Reading
June 16, 2026
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Press Trump Admin On Growing Threat of Ebola and Hantavirus After Devastating Foreign Aid Cuts
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined their Democratic Senate colleagues in sounding the alarm on how the Trump administration’s foreign aid cuts under DOGE have led to a humanitarian health crisis as Ebola and Hantavirus continue to spread throughout central Africa. “The Trump Administration’s withdrawal of global health funding that once supported outbreak detection and surveillance across parts of Africa has led to the erosion of the … Continue Reading
June 15, 2026
Merkley, Wyden Unlock Critical Federal Funding for I-5 Wildlife Crossing in Southern Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that, thanks to their efforts, the Trump Administration has released critical federal funds for the Mariposa Preserve Wildlife Crossing over I-5 in Southern Oregon through the heart of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Earlier this month at a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee hearing reviewing the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Merkley … Continue Reading
June 15, 2026
Merkley, Wyden, Bonamici, Lawmakers Urge Trump Administration to Immediately Address Largest Student Loan Default Crisis on Record
Washington, D.C. — Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), joined a group of their colleagues in pressing the Department of Education (ED) to immediately address the largest student loan default and delinquency crisis on record, which has been made worse by the Trump Administration’s policies. “(I)nstead of pursuing solutions that protect borrowers, the Trump administration has deflected blame, punted responsibility for the default … Continue Reading
June 12, 2026
Wyden, Oregon Delegation Demand Postal Service Rescind New Rule Suppressing Mail-In Voting
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Andrea Salinas, Maxine Dexter, Janelle Bynum, and Val Hoyle, today demanded the U.S. Postal Service rescind its proposed rule that would limit mail-in voting to federally registered voters. The rule would require state elections officials in Oregon and other states with vote-by-mail to provide the federal government with detailed voter lists including names, addresses, and unique barcodes … Continue Reading
June 12, 2026
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Sound Alarm on Trump Administration Use of Election Crimes Prosecutions to Interfere in Midterm Elections
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined their Senate colleagues in demanding answers over the Trump Administration’s decision to remove the most recent version of the Federal Prosecution of Election Offenses manual from the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) website without explanation. In their letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the Senators highlighted the alarming actions taken by the Administration regarding election interference, … Continue Reading