Press Releases
Wyden: Untested Government Mass Hacking Techniques Threaten Digital Security, Critical Infrastructure
Washington, D.C. - Speaking at the Open Technology Institute today, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., warned that proposed changes to expand government hacking and surveillance powers pose a dangerous threat to the security of power plants and other critical infrastructure connected to the internet, as well as Americans' digital devices. "Our PCs aren't the only devices connected to the internet. Factories, power plants, transportation grids and all kinds of critical infrastructure can be accessed … Continue Reading
June 29, 2016
Wyden and Colleagues Urge Senate Leadership to Support Funding for Gun Violence Prevention Research, Remove Anti-Gun Safety Riders from Appropriations Legislation
Washington, D.C. - As the Senate considers Fiscal Year 2017 appropriations legislation, Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and 22 other Democratic Senators are urging Senate leadership to remove from appropriations legislation any anti-gun violence prevention research riders, including a rider that is commonly known as the "Dickey amendment". A 1996 Republican appropriations rider authored by former Congressman Jay Dickey, R-Ark., prohibits federal funds from being used to "advocate or promote" gun … Continue Reading
June 27, 2016
Wyden Places Hold on Intelligence Authorization Bill that Needlessly Expands FBI surveillance, Undermines Independent Oversight
Washington, D.C. - Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today placed a hold on the 2017 Intelligence Authorization bill, over provisions that would let the FBI demand Americans' web browsing histories and other digital data without court oversight. A bipartisan coalition of senators defeated a similar FBI spying proposal in a Senate floor vote last week. Wyden was the only senator to vote against the bill in the Senate Intelligence Committee. Wyden also objects to a provision placing new restrictions … Continue Reading
June 27, 2016
Wyden: Women Have a Constitutionally Protected Right to Make Choices about Their Bodies
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas state law known as HB-2, which would have placed burdensome requirements on health care clinics and doctors who offer abortion care: "In the United States, women have a constitutionally protected right to make their own choices about their bodies," Wyden said. "The Supreme Court's decision today reaffirms that guaranteed right and begins to reverse the tide of … Continue Reading
June 24, 2016
Senators Wyden & Markey and Reps. Cicilline & Lowenthal Lead 81 Members of Congress in Call for Support for LGBT Community Worldwide
Senators Ron Wyden (D - Ore.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressmen David N. Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) today were joined by 81 Democrats from the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in calling on the Department of State and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support programs that address the global challenges of the LGBT community. In the past two years, USAID has created a Senior LGBT Coordinator position and the State Department … Continue Reading
June 23, 2016
Wyden statement on Bipartisan Gun Reform Bill
Sen. Wyden issued the following statement on the Senate's test vote on a bipartisan bill to prevent suspected terrorists from buying guns. "I have long supported the idea that someone who is on the terrorist watch list should not be able to buy a gun. This bipartisan amendment is a commonsense measure to close the dangerous loophole that allows suspected terrorists to legally buy guns. Today's vote demonstrated that a majority of the U.S. Senate is ready to take real steps to keep innocent … Continue Reading
June 23, 2016
Wyden, Crapo: Keep Wildfire Funding Fix Central Part of Wildfire Budgeting Debate
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho today issued the following joint statement during a hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on a draft wildfire funding bill: As prepared for delivery "The issue of fixing fire borrowing has been a bipartisan issue for as long as we all have been working on it. And so, before I ask my questions, I want to give a little perspective on behalf of Senator Crapo and myself. When Senator … Continue Reading
June 21, 2016
Wyden Statement on Amendment to Expand Warrantless FBI Spying
Washington, D.C. -Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today slammed a new amendment that would let the FBI demand broad amounts of Americans' digital data without any court oversight. "Yesterday the Senate rejected measures that would help keep guns out of the hands of terrorists and lone gunmen. Instead, Senate Republicans are pushing fake, knee-jerk solutions that will do nothing to prevent mass shootings or terrorist attacks. Like so many other proposals this amendment is a lose-lose: It won't make … Continue Reading
June 16, 2016
Wyden Corrects the Record on Encryption Following Open Hearing with CIA Director
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement today correcting CIA Director John Brennan's inaccurate description of the foreign encryption market at today's open hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence: "It is clearly inaccurate to say that foreign encryption is a 'theoretical' capability. Strong encryption technologies are available from foreign sources today - half of them of them are inexpensive and the other half are free. U.S. tech companies … Continue Reading
June 15, 2016
Oregon Lawmakers Announce $650,000 Grant to Oregon Tradeswomen
Washington, DC - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici said that a $650,000 federal grant earned by Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. shows clearly the success of the Portland non-profit's pioneering path to help women achieve economic self-sufficiency. The U.S. Department of Labor announced that Oregon Tradeswomen was one of three organizations nationwide to split more than $1.9 million in grants to recruit, train and retain women in high-skill jobs, such as advanced … Continue Reading
June 14, 2016
Wyden Cheers Court Ruling Affirming Strongest Open Internet Rules Ever
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) issued the following statement on today's ruling by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding the FCC's rules to preserve the free and open internet: "The open internet is a cornerstone of free speech, education and commerce in the 21st century. It gives businesses the freedom to compete no matter the size of their wallet," Wyden said. "Today's ruling is the biggest win in our fight for the open internet. It's a win for Americans, for free speech … Continue Reading
June 10, 2016
Bipartisan House, Senate Leaders Announce Proposed Child Welfare Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., along with Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and Ranking Member Sander Levin, D-Mich., released a proposal to keep more children safely at home and out of unnecessary foster care. In the coming days, the Family First Prevention Services Act will be introduced in the House by Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee Chairman Vern Buchanan, R-Fl., … Continue Reading
June 10, 2016
Senate Approves Wyden, Merkley Bill to Rename Clinic for War Hero Loren Kaufman
Washington, D.C. - A bill co-sponsored by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to designate the veterans community-based outpatient clinic in The Dalles the Loren R. Kaufman Memorial Veterans' Clinic passed the Senate today. The Oregon senators said their bill provides long-overdue recognition to a local Army soldier who served with great distinction in both World War II and the Korean War. "Loren Kaufman's service and ultimate sacrifice has earned him a permanent place of honor in his … Continue Reading
June 09, 2016
Wyden, Merkley Call on National Transportation Safety Board to More Closely Examine Future Oil Train Derailments
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today called on the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate future oil train derailments in order to find ways to better prevent such accidents. In their June 9 letter to NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart, the senators expressed their concern that the safety board did not fulfill its unique safety mission or provide its transportation expertise when it declined to investigate the cause of the train derailment near … Continue Reading
June 09, 2016
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Mineral Withdrawal Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today introduced legislation that would protect more than 2 million acres of the world-renowned high desert in southeastern Oregon from outside mineral exploitation, including oil and gas drilling, and build on long-time local economic strengths by helping farmers and ranchers. Wyden and Merkley said the Southeastern Oregon Mineral Withdrawal and Economic Preservation and Development Act recognizes that public lands in Southeastern … Continue Reading
June 06, 2016
Oregon Leaders call for Oil Train Moratorium in the Columbia River Gorge
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, Governor Kate Brown and Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici released the following statement today calling for a temporary halt to oil train traffic in Columbia River Gorge in light of last Friday'sderailment of a Union Pacific oil train in Mosier, OR: "Oil train tankers are still lying on their sides in Mosier, the ground and water have yet to be cleaned up, and there's still no good explanation for the cause of … Continue Reading
June 03, 2016
Wyden Statement on Oil Train Derailment Near Mosier
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement after a train carrying crude oil derailed near Mosier, Oregon today: "It's clear with this crash - as it has been for years - that more must be done to protect our communities from trains carrying explosive hazardous fuels," Wyden said. "That's why I've repeatedly called for more resources and notification for first responders, and why I'm continuing to push for my bill to move unsafe cars off the tracks and away from … Continue Reading
May 31, 2016
Wyden Commends Energy Department Office of Inspector General Review of Hanford Vapor Exposures
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., commended the Department of Energy's Office of Inspector General for beginning a review today of chemical vapor exposures to workers at the Hanford nuclear site in Washington state. "This is a good step toward providing the workers at Hanford with some assurance that someone is looking out for their safety," Wyden said. "I look forward to a thorough review by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Energy's response to working … Continue Reading
May 27, 2016
Wyden Outlines Priorities for Reforming Federal Coal Leasing Program
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and 13 other senators outlined three priorities for upcoming reforms to the federal coal leasing program, in a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell today. The Interior Department announced earlier this year that it would review the program and update the programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) under which federal coal is leased. In the letter, the senators commended Secretary Jewell for her efforts to modernize the federal … Continue Reading
May 25, 2016
Sens. Wyden, Murkowski, Cantwell, Crapo, Risch Work to Improve Forest Management and Wildfire Budgeting
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho and Jim Risch, R-Idaho, released draft legislation aimed at improving forest management and wildfire budgeting. The bipartisan discussion draft reflects the work of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to examine and find solutions for these issues over the past two congresses. The bill uses a cap adjustment to end the practice of fire borrowing similar to … Continue Reading
