Press Releases
Wyden Presses Administration on Family Health Coverage Gap
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today pressed an Obama administration official to help find ways to resolve a glitch in the law that would deny federal assistance to the millions of Americans of modest means who could be priced out of family health coverage at work. During a Senate Finance Committee hearing Wyden asked Gary Cohen, Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid … Continue Reading
February 14, 2013
Wyden Bill Makes Taxpayer Funded Research Available to the Public
Washington, D.C. - Every year, the federal government spends billions of dollars funding research into science, technology, energy, medicine and more. This research often leads to innovations that create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of people. However, much of it is published behind the paywall of peer reviewed journals limiting access to innovators and the American public. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act … Continue Reading
February 14, 2013
Senators Seek to Lift Restrictions on Industrial Hemp
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Rand Paul, R-Ky., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., today introduced legislation that would allow American farmers to grow and profit from industrial hemp. The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013 would remove federal restrictions on the domestic cultivation of industrial hemp. Specifically, the bill would remove hemp from the Schedule I controlled substance list under the Controlled Substances Act of … Continue Reading
February 14, 2013
Wyden and Merkley Re-Introduce Land Bills to Protect Wilderness Areas in Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Renewing their efforts to preserve and protect Oregon's most wild and environmentally important areas, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) re-introduced three bills today that will designate more than 100,000 acres of land as wilderness or preserved areas. The Oregon Caves Revitalization Act will enhance the existing Oregon Caves National Monument by including the entire Cave Creek Watershed in the park site and transferring management of more than … Continue Reading
February 12, 2013
VAWA includes Wyden Provisions to Combat Domestic Sex Trafficking of Minors
Washington, D.C. - The Senate today approved U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden's, D-Ore., provisions aimed at ending domestic sex trafficking of minors as part of an amendment to the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA). Key provisions from Wyden's Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act were included as part of an amendment by Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., to incorporate the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) as part of VAWA. … Continue Reading
February 08, 2013
Wyden Schedules Town Halls in Sherman and Morrow Counties on Sunday, February 17th, and Umatilla County on Monday, February 18th
PORTLAND, OR - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will hold his annual town halls in Sherman and Morrow counties on Sunday, February 17, 2013, and in Umatilla County on Monday, February 18, 2013. The meetings will be held in the cities of Rufus, Boardman and Hermiston. Wyden has been holding town halls in every Oregon county every year beginning in 1996. Sherman County Town Hall MeetingDate: Sunday, February 17, 2013Time: 1 p.m.Location: Rufus Community Center304 W. Second StreetRufus Morrow County … Continue Reading
February 08, 2013
Wyden Statement on Secure Rural Schools Payments
Portland, Or - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden released the following statement today urging the Secretary of the Interior to release the entire Secure Rural Schools payments to O&C counties: "Rural counties with O&C lands are desperate for these payments. They're upset by the delay, and so am I. I wrote the Secure Rural Schools and County Self-Determination Act, and extended it year after year to provide a reliable lifeline to timber-dependent communities. "My office has spent weeks … Continue Reading
February 08, 2013
Wyden Schedules Town Halls in Lincoln and Tillamook Counties on Saturday, February 16th
Portland, OR - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden will host his annual town hall meetings in Lincoln and Tillamook counties on Saturday, February 16, 2013. Senator Wyden has been holding town halls in every Oregon county every year since 1996. Lincoln County Town Hall MeetingDate: Saturday, February 16, 2013Time: 10:30 a.m.Location: Lincoln City Community Center2150 NE Oar PlaceLincoln City Tillamook County Town Hall MeetingDate: Saturday, February 16, 2013Time: 2 p.m.Location: Tillamook Public … Continue Reading
February 05, 2013
Wyden Statement on DOJ Memo on the Killing of Americans During Counterterrorism Operations
Washington, D.C. - US Senator Ron Wyden, a senior member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, made the following statement today regarding a Justice Department paper entitled "Lawfulness of a Lethal Operation Against a U.S. Citizen Who Is a Senior Operational Leader of Al-Qa'ida or An Associated Force" which was made public yesterday by NBC News: "As I and ten other senators told the President yesterday, if individual Americans choose to take up arms against the United States, … Continue Reading
February 04, 2013
Bipartisan Group of Senators Seeks Legal Justifications for the Deliberate Killing of Americans
Washington, D.C. - As the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence prepares to consider White House national security official John Brennan's nomination to be the next Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Al Franken (D- Minn.) have sent a letter to … Continue Reading
January 14, 2013
Wyden Letter to CIA Director-nominee Brennan Seeks Legal Opinions on Killing of Americans
Washington, D.C. - With the confirmation process for Deputy National Security Advisor John Brennan to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency set to be begin shortly, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, is asking Brennan to provide Congress with the secret legal opinions outlining the government's ability to target and kill Americans believed to be involved in terrorism. In a letter to Brennan sent today, Wyden reiterated his … Continue Reading
January 10, 2013
Wyden Highlights Flaws in DOE Export Study
Washington, D.C. - Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the incoming chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, voiced concerns about a recent Department of Energy study on the impact of natural gas exports on the U.S. economy, in a letter to DOE sent Thursday. The study, authored by NERA Economic Consulting for DOE, is seriously flawed, Wyden wrote. He is requesting the Department correct the flaws before using it as part of any LNG export decisions. "The shortcomings of the NERA … Continue Reading
January 09, 2013
Wyden, Murkowski Ask for Clarity on End Date for Helium Program
Washington, D.C. - In a bipartisan letter, the leaders of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, incoming Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), requested the Department of the Interior clarify for the Committee, as well as industrial helium users, when commercial access to the Federal Helium Reserve will terminate. Congress passed the Helium Privatization Act in 1996, authorizing the sale of crude helium from the Federal Helium Reserve until the … Continue Reading
January 09, 2013
Wyden Schedules Town Halls in Wasco, Hood River Counties on January 17th
Portland, OR - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will hold his annual town hall meetings in Wasco and Hood River counties on Thursday, January 17th. The meetings will be held in The Dalles and Hood River. Wyden has been holding town halls in every Oregon county every year beginning in 1996. Wasco County Town Hall Meeting Date: Thursday, January 17, 2013 Time: 9:30 a.m. Location: The Dalles Wahtonka High School 220 East 10th Street The Dalles Hood River County … Continue Reading
January 09, 2013
Wyden to Hold Annual Marion, Polk County Town Halls, Speak to Oregon Winegrowers in Salem
Portland, OR - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden will hold his annual town halls in Marion and Polk Counties on January 15, 2013. The meetings will be held in Salem and Dallas. Wyden has held town halls in each Oregon county every year since 1996. Also on January 15th, he will give a luncheon speech to the Oregon Winegrowers Association in Salem. Marion County Town Hall Meeting Date: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 Time: 9:30 a.m. Location: … Continue Reading
January 09, 2013
Wyden to Hold Annual Clackamas County Town Hall on Wednesday, January 16th in Estacada
Portland, OR - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden will hold his annual Clackamas County town hall meeting on Wednesday, January 16, 2013 in Estacada. Senator Wyden has held town hall meetings in every Oregon county every year since he was elected to the Senate in 1996. Clackamas County Town Hall Meeting Date: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 Time: 9:30 a.m. Location: Estacada High School 355 Northeast … Continue Reading
January 09, 2013
Wyden Schedules Town Halls in Clatsop and Columbia Counties on Monday, January 14th
Portland, OR - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will hold his annual town hall meetings in Clatsop and Columbia counties on Monday, January 14, 2013. The meetings will be held in Seaside and Vernonia. Wyden has been holding town halls in every Oregon county every year beginning in 1996. Clatsop County Town Hall Meeting Date: Monday, January 14, 2013 Time: 9:30 a.m. Location: Seaside High School 1901 North Holladay … Continue Reading
January 09, 2013
Wyden Announces Senior Energy and Natural Resources Committee Staff
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), incoming chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced his senior Energy and Natural Resources Committee staff on Wednesday. "The committee has a tremendous combination of veteran committee staffers and dedicated newcomers to work on issues that can give a major boost to the U.S. economy and environment, as well as families' pocketbooks," Wyden said. Senior committee staff include: Joshua Sheinkman, Staff … Continue Reading
January 04, 2013
Wyden, Murkowski Seek Answers on Coal Royalty Payments
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The leaders of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, incoming Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), called for federal regulators to ensure taxpayers receive the full value for coal mined on federal and tribal lands, in a bipartisan letter to the Department of Interior sent today. Recent press reports raised the possibility that coal companies may be shortchanging state and federal taxpayers by understating the value of coal … Continue Reading
January 02, 2013
Wyden Electric Motorcycle Amendment Passes in Fiscal Cliff Package
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) successfully included his amendment to extend and reform the tax credit for buying new electric motorcycles as part of the fiscal cliff packaged passed New Years' Day. "The electric motorcycle industry is poised to create tens of thousands of U.S. jobs over the next five years, led by companies like Oregon's Brammo," Wyden said. "This amendment helps promote the development of a promising U.S. industry and support the transition to a … Continue Reading
