Press Releases
Wyden Wins Passage of Expanded Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
Washington - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said today that the expanded low-income housing tax credit in the larger government spending bill that passed the Senate will provide much-needed affordable housing help for families in Oregon and nationwide. The 12.5 percent increase in the allocation of low-income housing tax credits for the states and income-test adjustments benefiting the lowest-income renters is expected to generate 35,000 new affordable housing units and 40,000 jobs all across America … Continue Reading
March 22, 2018
Wyden Statement on Voting for Must-Pass Spending Bill that Includes Long-term Wildfire Funding Fix, Lifeline Funding for Rural Communities
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on voting for the must-pass government spending bill approved tonight by the Senate: "Congress tonight took significant steps toward addressing the infernos that are ravaging Oregon and the West,"Wyden said. "I have fought for years to end 'fire borrowing' and provide a long-term, bipartisan fix to the Forest Service's common-sense defying wildfire budget. I'm proud that my solution with Sen. Crapo will now become … Continue Reading
March 22, 2018
Wyden Warns Against Allowing Foreign Access to Americans’ Data In Must-Pass Spending Bill
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the inclusion of the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act in the omnibus spending bill. This provision allows foreign governments to directly order American companies to hand over data stored in the U.S., without American oversight. "Tucked away in the omnibus spending bill is a provision that allows Trump, and any future president, to share Americans' private emails and other information with countries … Continue Reading
March 22, 2018
Wyden, Merkley, Walden Secure Two Years of Lifeline Funding for Rural Oregon Counties
Washington, DC - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, and Jeff Merkley and Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., secured two years of critical funding for education, transportation and law enforcement services for residents in rural counties in Oregon and nationwide. Wyden, Merkley and Walden successfully included a two-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program in legislation Congress must pass by Friday to fund the government. SRS payments are crucial to keeping schools and libraries open, maintaining … Continue Reading
March 22, 2018
Bipartisan Efforts Secure Fire Funding Provisions
WASHINGTON - Federal agencies struggling to combat record-breaking wildfires using current budgeting guidelines will receive relief thanks to a provision in a government funding bill introduced last evening. Securing this legislative proposal is the result of bipartisan, bicameral efforts undertaken by Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Idaho Congressmen Mike Simpson (R-Idaho-2) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR-5) in response to … Continue Reading
March 21, 2018
Wyden Renews Call for Paper Ballots and Mandatory Audits, after DHS Secretary Says Paperless Voting Machines Pose “A National Security Concern”
Washington, D.C. -Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called for all states to adopt paper ballots and post-election audits, following a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on election security today. “Americans don't expect states, much less county officials, to fight America's wars,” Wyden said. “The Russians have attacked our election infrastructure and leaving our defenses to states and local entities, in my view, is not an adequate response. Our country needs baseline, mandatory, federal … Continue Reading
March 21, 2018
Wyden Renews Call for Paper Ballots and Mandatory Audits, After DHS Secretary Says Paperless Voting Machines Pose “A National Security Concern”
Washington, D.C. -Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called for all states to adopt paper ballots and post-election audits, following a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on election security today. "Americans don't expect states, much less county officials, to fight America's wars," Wyden said. "The Russians have attacked our election infrastructure and leaving our defenses to states and local entities, in my view, is not an adequate response. Our country needs baseline, mandatory, federal election … Continue Reading
March 20, 2018
Wyden Presses Energy Secretary over Possible Hanford Cleanup Cover-up, Trump Administration Proposal to Privatize Bonneville Power
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today pressed Energy Secretary Rick Perry over new reports that an Energy Department project manager was transferred after raising concerns about the safety and viability of the steel used to build a plant meant to treat radioactive nuclear waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State. The employee, Bill Hamel, had been the federal project director overseeing construction at the Waste Treatment Plant at Hanford until last week, when … Continue Reading
March 20, 2018
Wyden Introduces School Safety Bill
Washington - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today co-sponsored the Safe Schools Improvement Act, a bill that works to ensure that no child is afraid to go to school for fear of unchecked bullying and harassment. "Students and their parents should know their schools as safe and welcoming places to learn, with assurances there is a zero tolerance policy on bullying," Wyden said. "This legislation would ensure school districts across the country take every possible step to protect children from … Continue Reading
March 19, 2018
Wyden Questions Facebook on Misuse of Users’ Private Information
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked Facebook to detail the extent of misuse of its users' private information, in a letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg sent today. His letter follows reporting by the New York Times and Facebook's own admission that about 50 million users' data was downloaded and subsequently used by Cambridge Analytica, a political advertising firm, without the affirmative knowledge or consent of those users. "The troubling reporting on the ease with which Cambridge … Continue Reading
March 15, 2018
Wyden, Paul Ask DOJ to Clarify Protection of Email Communications under Fourth Amendment
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., this week asked the Department of Justice to clarify whether they believe that an individual's emails are protected from warrantless government searches under the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment protects Americans against warrantless search and seizure by the government. The Department of Justice has long taken the position that these protections do not extend to electronic communications stored in the cloud, … Continue Reading
March 15, 2018
Wyden, Colleagues Call on Key Senate Committee to Take Action on Legislation to Fund Gun Violence Research at CDC
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and 25 other senators today called on leaders of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee to immediately act on legislation to fund gun violence prevention research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Wyden and his colleagues introduced legislation last year (S. 834) to provide $60 million for the CDC to conduct or support research on firearms safety and gun violence prevention. In today's letter, the … Continue Reading
March 15, 2018
Wyden, Merkley, Tester, Shaheen, Hassan Introduce Legislation to Push Back Against Nationwide Internet Sales Tax
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) are taking a stand against a nationwide online sales tax. The senators representing states without a sales tax introduced a resolution opposing a bill that would require businesses selling products or services over the internet to collect sales tax, even if the seller is located in a state without a sales tax. "Passage of the Marketplace Fairness … Continue Reading
March 14, 2018
Wyden Votes Against Anti-Consumer Senate Banking Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today voted against legislation that would cut protections for consumers Congress put in place after the 2008 financial crisis. The Senate banking bill weakens regulatory protections enacted after the 2008 financial crisis by substantially relaxing consumer protections and reducing the number of banks subject to heightened regulatory scrutiny. "After the Equifax security breach and Wells Fargo customer abuses, it's clear there's more work to be … Continue Reading
March 14, 2018
Wyden Co-sponsors Legislation to Fully Fund Special Education
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today announced he is co-sponsoring a bill that would finally ensure Congress' commitment to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), decades-old legislation to ensure every child with a disability has access to educational opportunity. Wyden said the IDEA Full Funding Act introduced by Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., would fix Congress' failure to provide funding promised by the historic IDEA when it … Continue Reading
March 13, 2018
Wyden Response to Klamath Basin Drought Declaration
Washington, DC - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement in response to today's drought declaration by Gov. Kate Brown for the Klamath Basin: "Ahead of what looks to be another devastating drought year facing the Klamath Basin, I heard one thing clearly last weekend at my Klamath Falls town hall and throughout Klamath County: everybody is hurting - the tribes, ranchers, farmers, small businesses, fishing families, conservationists, and we're going to have to work together … Continue Reading
March 13, 2018
Wyden Slams Zinke over Efforts to Gut the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Washington, DC - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today slammed Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke over the Trump administration's budget that would gut funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). During today's Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing, Wyden noted that Zinke said nine times during his Senate confirmation hearing last year that he considered himself a Teddy Roosevelt Republican - one committed to preserving our country's national treasures. Wyden said Zinke's record in … Continue Reading
March 13, 2018
Wyden Opposes Nominations of Pompeo and Haspel
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued the following statement opposing the nominations of Mike Pompeo to serve as secretary of state, and Gina Haspel to serve as director of the Central Intelligence Agency "I oppose the nominations of both Mike Pompeo to be secretary of state and Gina Haspel to be CIA director. Before and after his confirmation as CIA director, Mike Pompeo has demonstrated a casual relationship to truth and … Continue Reading
March 08, 2018
Wyden, Hatch Introduce Legislation to Increase Access to Retirement Savings
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today introduced the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act of 2018 (RESA), which aims to increase voluntary retirement savings and includes a provision to establish more flexible multiple employer plans. "Working Americans are struggling to set money aside for retirement," Wyden said. "This bipartisan bill gives employers incentives to make it easier for their employees to save. … Continue Reading
March 07, 2018
Wyden, Hood River Student Call on Congress to Act on Gun Safety
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today said at a hearing with Senate Democratic leadership that Congress can no longer do nothing in the face of gun violence ripping through schools and communities across America. Testifying at the hearing was 16-year-old Eva Jones, a sophomore at Hood River Valley High School, who Wyden invited to share her experience as a student working to prevent gun violence. "Mass shootings and school massacres have become disturbingly common in our country. … Continue Reading
