Press Releases
Wyden, Merkley Condemn Trump Decision to Divert Funding from Military Projects in Oregon, Across the Nation for Vanity Border Wall
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today condemned the Trump administration decision to divert funding from congressionally-approved military construction in Oregon and across the country to fund Donald Trump's border wall. Wyden and Merkley released the following statement: "This decision is both an abuse of presidential authority and a dereliction of duty. Trump's border wall is a cruel vanity project, and nothing more. Americans should not foot the bill, and … Continue Reading
September 03, 2019
Wyden, Crapo, Merkley, Risch Call on TriWest to Ensure Urgent Care Access for Veterans in Rural Communities
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Jim Risch, R-Idaho, today pressed TriWest Healthcare Alliance on its implementation of the new urgent care benefit under the VA MISSION Act following reports that veterans in rural Oregon and Idaho are unable to access the benefit. The senators in a letter to the TriWest President and Chief Executive Officer David J. McIntyre, Jr. noted that veterans in rural communities in their state have … Continue Reading
August 30, 2019
Wyden Statement on Caucus Cybersecurity
Washington, D.C.- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement today on new cybersecurity recommendations for state party caucuses. "One of the biggest lessons from 2016 is that election officials and parties must make cybersecurity a key consideration for every decision in our elections process. The DNC is doing the right thing by insisting on strong security measures for voters who caucus at home. Intelligence officials have made clear that foreign governments will exploit … Continue Reading
August 29, 2019
Wyden, Colleagues Demand Trump Administration End Remain in Mexico Policy
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., this week joined Senator Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and 22 of their Democratic Senate colleagues in calling on the Trump administration to stop restricting access to the U.S. asylum system and end its Remain in Mexico policy. The deceptively named Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) policy blocks legal asylum seekers from being in the United States while they await court hearings in their cases, forcing them to wait in dangerous cities in Mexico for … Continue Reading
August 28, 2019
Wyden, Merkley: OSU to Get More Than $400,000 for Earthquake Research
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Oregon State University will receive more than $400,000 in federal funds to research how large earthquakes, like ones that could strike in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, would affect the western electrical grid. "At a time that scientists are sounding the alarm about the potential for a devastating earthquake to one day hit Oregon and the entire West Coast, it's vital to understand the risks of a quake of … Continue Reading
August 21, 2019
Wyden, Merkley Send Names of Four Finalists for Judicial Vacancy to the White House
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today sent to the White House the names of four finalists for a vacant seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The four finalists were chosen after review by a bipartisan selection committee comprised of attorneys appointed by Senator Wyden, Senator Merkley and Congressman Greg Walden. Following interviews with eight applicants for the vacancy, each committee member ranked the candidates. The four highest ranked … Continue Reading
August 15, 2019
Wyden Welcomes FCC Move Toward New National Three-Digit Mental Health and Suicide Number
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today welcomed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) staff recommendation to designate a new nationwide three-digit phone hotline for people facing a mental health crisis and for suicide prevention. Citing alarming suicide statistics from Oregon and throughout out the United States, Wyden had strongly urged the FCC in recent months to take such a step. "A three-digit number designated for people in a mental health crisis or considering suicide can … Continue Reading
August 09, 2019
Wyden Presses FCC to Protect Consumers from Cellphone Fraud
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take action that protects consumers from cellphone fraud and helps victims to understand their recourse options. "Consumer protection is a core responsibility of the FCC," Wyden wrote the FCC in a letter signed by eight colleagues. "While we recognize that consumers can take steps to better protect themselves from this fraud by securing their cellphone account with a pin number through their … Continue Reading
August 09, 2019
Wyden, Merkley Announce Investment in Conservation Program to Protect Whales Off Oregon Coast
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced a $26,205 federal grant awarded to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for its program to improve environmental conditions for whales off the Oregon Coast by reducing the risk of whales entangled in fishing gear. "Oregon has a proud history of conservation, and fishing is the lifeblood of our coastal communities economies," Wyden said. "This important investment is a win-win on both fronts, protecting threatened … Continue Reading
August 07, 2019
Wyden on Reports that Trump May Cut Refugee Cap to Zero: “A Shameful Assault on America’s Most Basic Values”
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., this week called on the Trump administration to reject its misguided plans to set the refugee cap for 2020 at zero, which would effectively shut down refugee admissions for the year. In a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Wyden called the reports "a shameful assault on some of America's most basic values." He urged the … Continue Reading
August 02, 2019
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
