Press Releases
Wyden Statement on Trump Withdrawing his Nomination of John Ratcliffe for Director of National Intelligence
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on Donald Trump withdrawing his nomination of John Ratcliffe for Director of National Intelligence:“That John Ratcliffe was even nominated speaks to the deep disregard for America’s national security at the core of this rotten administration. Given the widespread opposition to Ratcliffe’s nomination, Donald Trump had little choice but to seek a new … Continue Reading
August 02, 2019
Wyden Introduces Bill of Rights for Airline Passengers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., joined Sens. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., this week to introduce comprehensive legislation that would expand protections for American air travelers. The Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights requires airlines to pay at least $1,350 to passengers denied boarding due to an oversold flight, prevents airlines from shrinking their seats until a minimum standard size is set … Continue Reading
August 01, 2019
Wyden, Merkley Reintroduce Bill to Protect Small Businesses From Burdensome Internet Sales Tax Collection Requirement
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week reintroduced legislation that would stop states with a sales tax from creating red tape for small businesses as a result of last year's Supreme Court ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. "Small businesses in Oregon have been tied up in a sea of red tape since the Supreme Court's decision in Wayfair allowed other states to require them to collect sales tax on online purchases," said Wyden, ranking Democrat on the Senate … Continue Reading
August 01, 2019
Wyden Leads Bipartisan Group of Senators to Protect Funding for BLM and Forest Service Wildfire Prevention Efforts
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today, along with a bipartisan group of senators, urged that savings from the Wildfire Disaster Account be reinvested in the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to ensure the agencies can continue critical wildfire prevention, as intended. Wyden was joined by U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, in sending a letter to the Senate … Continue Reading
August 01, 2019
Wyden Praises Federal Funding Extension for Community Clinics
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden welcomed this week's congressional extension of federal funding for 12 community clinics in Oregon that provide localized crisis and outpatient behavioral health services. Wyden said the federal funding extension until Sept. 13 will help ensure no interruption in critical services performed by the certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs) as well as provides more time to achieve a longer-term extension for states that continue the … Continue Reading
August 01, 2019
Wyden Introduces Bill to Improve Safety of Oil Trains, Protect Local Communities Against Derailments
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., yesterday introduced legislation that would address safety concerns regarding the transport of oil via railways and to better prepare and empower local communities in the event of an accident. The Crude Oil Advanced Tracking Act would require railroads to share information regarding oil shipments with state emergency responders so they know what risk they face and allocate tens of millions in financial assistance towards emergency … Continue Reading
July 31, 2019
Wyden Announces Hold on Interior Nominee over Concerns Nominee Lied to Congress about Political Appointees Interfering with Access to Public Records
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today announced he has placed a hold on the nomination of Daniel Jorjani to serve as Solicitor General for the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI). The decision follows recently released documents revealing that, during Jorjani's confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, he appears to have knowingly given false testimony about the Department's "supplemental" Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) review policy … Continue Reading
July 30, 2019
Wyden, Hoeven Lead Bipartisan Group of Senators to Urge Delay of FCC Order on Rural Telehealth Program
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and John Hoeven, R-N.D., today led a bipartisan coalition of senators urging the delay of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) order to reform the Rural Health Care (RHC) Program. In a letter addressed to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, the senators outlined their concerns with the FCC's proposed RHC Program order. The senators highlighted unaddressed obstacles that could effectively limit rural Americans' access to high-quality health care by … Continue Reading
July 30, 2019
Merkley, Wyden, Democrats Call for Reversal Of Trump-Pence Administration’s Gag Rule
Portland, Ore. - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined 40 of their fellow Democratic senators in sending a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar slamming the Trump-Pence Administration's new "gag rule" that compromises the Title X family planning program. This rule dictates to physicians and other health care providers which government-approved medical options they may inform patients about, jeopardizing the health care of millions of people … Continue Reading
July 29, 2019
Wyden Statement on the Nomination of Rep. John Ratcliffe as Director of National Intelligence
Washington, D.C.- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued the following statement on the nomination of Rep. John Ratcliffe to serve as Director of National Intelligence: "Congressman Ratcliffe is the most partisan and least qualified individual ever nominated to serve as Director of National Intelligence. The sum total of his qualifications appears to be his record of promoting Donald Trump's conspiracy theories about the investigation into Russian … Continue Reading
July 29, 2019
Wyden Secures $3.25 Billion for Bridge Repairs in Bill Expected to Pass Committee This Week
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) announced today that they secured a $3.25 billion investment for bridge repairs in a highway package set to pass this week in the Environment and Public Works Committee. The package includes the senators' Bridge Investment Act, their legislation to establish a competitive grant program to assist the repair and replacement of deficient and outdated bridges to ease the national bridge repair … Continue Reading
July 29, 2019
Following Visit to Inspect Southern Border Facilities, Merkley, Wyden and Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Immediately Address a Number of Issues the Senators Witnessed
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined colleagues in a new a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan outlining serious concerns regarding the conditions at the southern border that the Trump administration's policies have exacerbated. The Senators demanded the administration immediately answer and remedy several issues that the Senators … Continue Reading
July 28, 2019
Wyden Returns to Southern Border with Oregon Advocates to Investigate Conditions for Migrants, Examine Damaging Impacts of Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” and “Metering” Policies
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., this weekend led a group of Oregon advocates and experts to El Paso, Texas and Otero County, New Mexico to investigate conditions for migrants - including children - at facilities on the southern border. The group also visited Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, to better understand the damaging impacts of the Trump administration's "remain in Mexico" and "metering" policies. Wyden, the Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, was joined by … Continue Reading
July 25, 2019
Wyden Renews Call for Mandatory Election Security Standards In Response to Intelligence Committee Report
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today called on Congress to act to secure federal elections, rather than leaving states to fend for themselves against hostile foreign hackers, in his response to a new Senate Intelligence Committee report issued today. “If there was ever a moment when Congress needed to exercise its clear constitutional authorities to regulate elections, this is it. America is facing a direct assault on the heart of our democracy by a determined … Continue Reading
July 24, 2019
Wyden Slams Weak FTC Facebook Decision
Washington, D.C.— Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the Federal Trade Commission’s settlement with Facebook today for the company’s repeated abuse of Americans’ privacy: “For a mere fraction of Facebook’s annual revenues, the FTC has given Facebook and executives like Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg blanket immunity for violations of the law that we know about, and even for potential crimes that are still unknown. That sweetheart deal is especially weak, given … Continue Reading
July 23, 2019
Wyden, Merkley Urge Protection of Citizen Engagement in Public Lands Management
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged Donald Trump to protect vital, volunteer-led councils which currently inform Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public land management policy. Last month, Trump issued an executive order instructing all federal agencies to review their advisory panels and terminate at least one-third of existing committees under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Wyden and Merkley today in a letter to Donald Trump expressed concern … Continue Reading
July 23, 2019
Wyden: AG Barr and Trump Want to Open Government Backdoors into Americans’ Personal Devices Video Available Here
Today I rise to rebut the deeply flawed proposal that the attorney general made this morning. Mr. President, Attorney General Barr today raised a tired, debunked plan to blow a hole in one of the most important security features protecting digital lives of the American people. Mr. Barr, echoing far right Republicans, is once again trying to undermine strong encryption and require government backdoors into Americans' personal devices. Encryption is a technical term that gets thrown around … Continue Reading
July 23, 2019
Merkley, Wyden Announce Massive Investment in Central Oregon Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a massive, $60.4 million federal grant for a transportation project on the north side of Bend that will improve U.S. 97 and U.S. 20 highways and key local routes, while also incorporating multimodal connections like bike lanes and multi-use paths. "This is the kind of significant investment our country needs to be making in infrastructure and jobs," Merkley said. "By investing in infrastructure, we're … Continue Reading
July 23, 2019
Merkley, Wyden Announce Funding to Purchase New Electric Buses for TriMet
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a $2.1 million federal grant that will allow TriMet to purchase three new electric buses, advancing the transit authority's goal to convert its fleet of diesel buses to zero-emissions. "Climate chaos is threatening our future, and we need to act boldly and quickly to stop it," Merkley said. "Electric buses mean lower operating costs, as well as better health and less pollution. This federal support will not … Continue Reading
July 22, 2019
Wyden, Merkley, Walden Urge Feds to Ensure Long-serving Local Fire Departments Can Continue to Battle Blazes on Federal Lands
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and U.S. Rep. Greg Walden today expressed concern that a number of local fire departments may no longer be able to serve as partners to the federal government in fighting wildfires. The three Oregon lawmakers' letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt follows the recent determination that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service will allow existing cooperative agreements between … Continue Reading
