Press Releases
Merkley, Wyden Announce Increased Water Infrastructure, Tribal, Forest Funding in 2020 Spending Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the 2020 spending bill includes U.S. Department of Interior Appropriations funding that provides critical investments in earthquake preparedness, water infrastructure, and wildfire suppression and recovery activities that are of particular importance to communities across Oregon. "This bill invests in both recovery and prevention efforts to save our forests, our communities, and our farms, ranches and … Continue Reading
December 20, 2019
Merkley, Murray, Wyden, Walden Announce Spending Bill to Advance Rural Business Development Funding for the Columbia River Gorge
WASHINGTON, DC - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), and Representative Greg Walden (R-OR-5), today announced that the 2020 spending bill passed by Congress will include $2 million in new funding for rural business development grants, with priority given to National Scenic Areas that have been devastated by wildfires, such as the Columbia River Gorge. This funding is intended to be used by entities such as the Mid-Columbia Economic Development … Continue Reading
December 19, 2019
Merkley, Wyden Announce Key Priorities for Oregon Agriculture, Rural Communities Included in 2020 Spending Bill
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced key provisions in the fiscal year 2020 spending bill that will help Oregon’s agriculture industry and rural communities—from investments in rural housing; to research into the impacts of wildfire smoke on crops; to hemp, which is becoming a cash crop for Oregon. The bill has passed both chambers of Congress on bipartisan votes, and now heads to the president’s desk to become law. “Every year I visit every … Continue Reading
December 19, 2019
Merkley, Wyden Announce More than $2 Billion to Address Housing, Homelessness Included in 2020 Spending Bill
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the fiscal year 2020 spending bill includes $2.173 billion to battle unaffordable rents and homelessness. The bill, which has passed both houses of Congress and now goes to the president's desk to be signed into law, funds several federal departments, and includes Oregon priorities for transportation, housing, and other programs that local communities rely on to fund services, build parks, and … Continue Reading
December 18, 2019
Wyden Statement on the U.S. House Impeaching Donald Trump
Washington, D.C. -Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The articles of impeachment now go to the U.S. Senate, which will hear arguments and vote on whether or not Trump should be removed from office. "A senator has no weightier responsibility than to judge a president impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors. As a juror in impeachment proceedings, I intend … Continue Reading
December 18, 2019
Bill Demanding Answers About Saudi Fugitives Slated to Pass in Year-End Spending Package
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced Wyden's Saudi Fugitives Declassification Act, which requires the FBI to declassify any information it may possess about the Saudi government's role in helping accused criminals leave the United States, was added to the year-end spending bill that is slated to pass Thursday. "It is long past time to stop treating Saudi Arabia as if it were above the law," Wyden said. "My bill will finally force the federal … Continue Reading
December 18, 2019
Wyden, Colleagues Demand HUD Review Facial Recognition Technology Use in Federally Assisted Housing
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Cory Booker, D-N.J., Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Kamala D. Harris, D-Calif., and U.S. Representatives Yvette D. Clarke, D-N.Y., Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., today asked the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to review policies regarding the use of facial recognition technologies in federally assisted housing. In a letter to HUD Secretary Ben Carson, the legislators pointed … Continue Reading
December 17, 2019
Wyden, Merkley, Blumenauer, Bonamici, DeFazio, Schrader File Amicus Brief Supporting the Indian Child Welfare Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader filed an amicus brief in federal court making the case for the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), a proven and effective way to keep Native children connected to their communities and cultures. The bipartisan brief was filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit as the court re-opens its August ruling … Continue Reading
December 17, 2019
Merkley, Wyden Announce USDA Loan of Over $42.5 Million for Tillamook Electricity Infrastructure Upgrades
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the Tillamook People’s Utility has received a 30-year loan of over $42.5 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee Program for critical line expansion and improvement. “This loan will help ensure that Tillamook’s electricity needs are met for years to come, and help hundreds of Oregonians gain access to new lines,” said Merkley, the top Democrat … Continue Reading
December 17, 2019
Wyden Votes No on Defense Policy Bill
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., voted against a massive defense policy bill today, in opposition to the measure's misplaced priorities, including $740 billion in military spending, the creation of Donald Trump's Space Force, and its failure to end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's brutal war in Yemen, overturn Trump's ban on transgender troops or block the trumped-up emergency at the border. "While this bill contains a number of worthwhile provisions, including more than a dozen that … Continue Reading
December 17, 2019
Merkley, Wyden, Pacific Coast Members Announce Major Win for Trawlers in Year-End Spending Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley, joined by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Kamala Harris (D-CA), and U.S. Representatives Peter DeFazio (D-OR-4), Greg Walden (R-OR-2), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA-3), Kurt Schrader (D-OR-5), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1), and Jared Huffman (D-CA-2), today announced a major, bipartisan victory for West Coast trawlers in the 2020 spending bill that Congress is expected to pass this … Continue Reading
December 17, 2019
Wyden Introduces SAFE SEX Workers Study Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today joined Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to introduce the SAFE SEX Workers Study Act, a bill to require the first ever national study on the health and safety of sex workers, including impacts from SESTA/FOSTA - legislation that dealt with sex work and websites. Wyden was one of only two members of the Senate to vote against SESTA/FOSTA. Today, December 17, is also the International Day to End Violence … Continue Reading
December 16, 2019
Pacific Northwest Delegation Announces House Passage of Bill to Improve Safety and Sanitation at Columbia River Tribal Fishing Sites
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), along with Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1), today announced that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Columbia River In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Improvement Act, sending it to the president's desk to be signed into law. The legislation would enable the Bureau of Indian Affairs to make … Continue Reading
December 16, 2019
Wyden, Crapo, Merkley, Risch Announce Two-Year Authorization for Secure Rural Schools Program in End-of-Year Funding Package
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Jim Risch, R-Idaho, today announced that a two-year authorization of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program is included in the end-of-year funding package that will be considered by Congress this week. This significant win for rural communities in the Northwest and nationwide follows calls from the senators to reauthorize the lapsed program and provide financial certainty for counties containing … Continue Reading
December 13, 2019
Wyden, Warren and Paul Ask Credit Reporting Agencies for Transparency About Their Handling of FBI Requests for Consumer Financial Data
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., yesterday sent letters to the Chief Executive Officers of the three major credit reporting agencies - Equifax, Experian and TransUnion - regarding the companies' lack of transparency in their handling of consumer financial information requested through national security letters (NSLs) from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The letters follow the recent release of documents gained via a … Continue Reading
December 12, 2019
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Bill to Improve Water Quality and Services for Western Tribes
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., today introduced legislation to improve water quality and services for tribal communities in Oregon. Native American tribes in Oregon and across the West are suffering from inadequate water infrastructure, with aging drinking water treatment and distribution systems subjecting these communities to serious problems such as failed pressure relief valves, burst pipes and unsafe drinking water. Wyden and Merkley's … Continue Reading
December 12, 2019
Merkley, Wyden, Democratic Senators Request Update on Federal Steps Towards Critical Medical Marijuana Research
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined six of their Democratic colleagues today in writing to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), to request an update on the issuance of manufacturing licenses necessary for the completion of long-awaited federal research on medical marijuana. The senators seek guidance on how the DEA will make these … Continue Reading
December 12, 2019
Wyden, Merkley Welcome Step Forward for Secure Rural Schools Program, Recreation Opportunities and Wildfire Prevention in Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., today welcomed passage of legislation by the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to ensure much-needed funding for rural counties, as well as legislation to boost recreation opportunities in Southwestern Oregon and on the Molalla River in Clackamas County and strengthen wildfire prevention work in both of those regions. Both bills are now eligible to be considered by the full Senate. The Committee … Continue Reading
December 11, 2019
Wyden, Grassley Introduce Bill to Help Youth Aging Out of Foster Care System
Washington - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today introduced the Increasing Opportunities for Former Foster Youth Act, bipartisan legislation to improve services for older youth aging out of the foster care system. The Increasing Opportunities for Former Foster Youth Act builds on the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program, created by Sen. John Chafee (R-R.I.) in 1999 to better support youth who age out of the foster care … Continue Reading
December 11, 2019
Merkley, Wyden: More Than $7.4 Million in USDA Funds Will Help Rural Oregon Save on Energy Costs
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced 17 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awards totaling more than $7.4 million for Oregon agricultural producers and rural small businesses to invest in renewable energy infrastructure that will help lower their monthly energy costs. The awards, which are allocated through USDA's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), will provide 15 grants to install solar array systems, one grant to upgrade greenhouse vents … Continue Reading
