Press Releases
Wyden Blasts DOE Hanford Contractor for Wasting Millions of Taxpayer Dollars, Demands Investigation
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today demanded an investigation into questionable contracting practices at the Department of Energy's Hanford nuclear site in Washington State and blasted the DOE for its lack of oversight, citing an internal report from a project management contractor obtained earlier this year. The report from Bechtel National, Inc., dated January 9, 2015, shows that about $277 million of taxpayer money has been spent on work orders that have not been completed at … Continue Reading
April 27, 2015
Wyden: Rural Oregon to Receive Nearly $61 Million for Roads, Schools and Other Essential Services
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today welcomed the news that Oregon's rural communities will receive about $60.8 million this year in Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funding for roads and schools. The funding announcement by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack follows Senator Wyden's successful work earlier this month to win passage in the Senate of a two-year renewal for the SRS program. "Renewing county payments for two years provides the time rural Oregon deserves to fund … Continue Reading
April 24, 2015
Wyden Hails News Comcast will Abandon Takeover of Time Warner Cable
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) issued the following statement after the announcement that Comcast would not proceed with its takeover of Time Warner Cable. "For the second time this year, America's consumers stood up to Big Cable and won, refusing to make their monopoly any bigger," Wyden said. "The decision will lead to more choices, better services and lower prices - a win for consumers and small businesses." Earlier this week, Sen. Wyden along with Sens. Al Franken … Continue Reading
April 23, 2015
Wyden Statement on the Confirmation of Loretta Lynch to be Attorney General
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D- Ore., today issued the following statement after the Senate confirmed Loretta Lynch to be Attorney General of the United States: "Loretta Lynch is uniquely and unquestionably qualified to be Attorney General and I'm pleased the Senate acted today - finally - to confirm her. Though it took far longer than it should have, the confirmation of the nation's first African American women to be Attorney General will rightly be remembered as historic and I have no … Continue Reading
April 22, 2015
Wyden on Earth Day Introduces Clean Energy Bills to Fight Climate Change
Washington, D.C. - As part of his continued work to find new ways to fight climate change while lowering energy prices for U.S. consumers, Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today introduced a pair of bills that would boost domestic clean energy production and reduce carbon emissions. The first, the Geothermal Energy Opportunities (GEO) Act, encourages geothermal energy production by breaking down barriers that prevent prospective geothermal projects from getting in the ground. Wyden also … Continue Reading
April 21, 2015
Wyden, Lofgren, Paul Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Aaron’s Law to Reform Abused Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) introduced bipartisan legislation today to better target serious criminals and curb overzealous prosecutions for non-malicious computer and Internet offenses. The legislation, inspired by the late Internet innovator and activist Aaron Swartz, who faced up to 35 years in prison for an act of civil disobedience, would reform the quarter-century old Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) … Continue Reading
April 16, 2015
Wyden Introduces Package to Boost Transparency, Oversight, Enforcement and Oregon Values in Trade Agreements
Washington, D.C. - Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden today introduced a bipartisan bill to send the message that our country should only accept trade deals that will boost middle-class U.S. families and advance Oregon values. The bicameral bill includes unprecedented new provisions to improve transparency, boost Congressional oversight and require stronger enforcement for existing trade agreements, U.S. trade laws, any new trade agreement. The Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and … Continue Reading
April 16, 2015
Wyden, Polis Introduce Breaking Down Barriers to Innovation Act to Modernize Outdated Copyright Laws
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Representative Jared Polis, D-Colo., today introduced a bill to boost security research, journalism and freedom of expression by reforming outdated provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). "The DMCA's copyright restrictions make us more vulnerable to cyberattacks and stifle innovation," Wyden said. "Today Rep. Polis and I introduced the Breaking Down Barriers to Innovation Act. It reforms a bad law that inhibits … Continue Reading
April 14, 2015
Wyden: Senate Renews a Lifeline for Rural Oregon Roads, Schools and First Responders
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., praised the Senate's move tonight to extend a lifeline to rural Oregon communities with passage of a two-year renewal of the Secure Rural Schools program. "This extension ends months of uncertainty for Oregon's rural communities, who have grappled with on-again, off-again funding for roads, schools and first responders," Wyden said. "Renewed county payments buy us time to build support for solutions that address the broader economic issues … Continue Reading
April 09, 2015
Representative Blumenauer and Senator Wyden Announce Commonsense Tax Reform for Legal Marijuana Businesses
PORTLAND, Ore. - Today, Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced plans to introduce bicameral legislation next week that would reconcile state marijuana laws and federal tax law. The Small Business Tax Equity Act, which was introduced last Congress by Congressman Blumenauer, would create an exception to Internal Revenue Code Section 280E to allow marijuana businesses operating in compliance with state law to take deductions associated with the sale of … Continue Reading
April 08, 2015
Wyden, Klobuchar Call on Administration to Conduct National Report Detailing Economic Benefits of Outdoor Economy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., today called on the Interior and Commerce Departments to conduct a national report detailing the economic benefits of our country's outdoor economy. While the federal government currently collects certain data on the benefits of the outdoor economy, we lack clear and comprehensive data on its contributions to growth and job creation at the national level. In a letter to the Secretaries of the Departments of … Continue Reading
April 06, 2015
Wyden: NTSB Recommendations Show Need for New Rail Tank Car Standards
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement after the National Transportation Safety Board issued urgent recommendations for trains carrying crude oil and other flammable liquids: "Six weeks ago, I asked the White House to take a hard look at the newer, supposedly safer rail tank cars hauling crude oil and other hazardous materials through communities," Wyden said. "Today, I'm encouraged the watchdogs at the NTSB echoed my call for increased safety by … Continue Reading
April 04, 2015
Wyden: Cyber Bill Allows Massive Increase in Government Surveillance, Fails on Security
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today reiterated his concerns about a cybersecurity bill that would create new ways for the government to comb through Americans' private information without a warrant, without addressing the real threats to U.S. networks. "Any information-sharing legislation that lacks adequate privacy protections is not simply a cybersecurity bill, but a surveillance bill by another name," Wyden said, in dissenting views on the bill released today. "I … Continue Reading
March 27, 2015
Wyden, Crapo Move Wildfire Funding Fix Forward
Washington, D.C. - Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, early this morning moved another step forward in providing a bipartisan wildfire funding solution that will ensure vital resources in the fight against catastrophic wildfires across the West. The senators attached a provision to the Senate budget that sets the stage for passing the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, which Wyden and Crapo reintroduced on Jan. 22. The bill ends the cycle of underfunding fire suppression, which … Continue Reading
March 26, 2015
Wyden, Heinrich Introduce Budget Amendment To Protect America's Treasured Public Lands From Being Sold Off
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 26, 2015) - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced an amendment to the Senate's budget resolution that would protect America's parks and public lands, including national forests, wildlife refuges, and conservation lands, from being sold off as a deficit reduction tactic. The amendment is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.). "Americans depend on clean water and treasure … Continue Reading
March 24, 2015
Wyden: Glad House Leadership Decided to Stop Playing Politics with Rural Oregon Safety Net
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the importance of extending the Secure Rural Schools and County Self-Determination Act. "It is good news the House Leadership has decided to stop playing politics with the safety net for Oregon counties. Their decision is a concrete recognition that linking the safety net to unsustainable and unacceptable logging practices can never become law," Wyden said. "As the author of the bipartisan Secure Rural … Continue Reading
March 19, 2015
Wyden Fights to Renew Rural Oregon Safety Net
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., fought to restore a crucial lifeline for roads, schools and first-responders in Oregon's cash-strapped rural communities, in an amendment he attached to the federal budget bill today. Wyden's amendment is a first step to renewing the expired Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, which provided more than $107 million to 32 Oregon counties last year. It also supports the extension of the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program and full funding for the … Continue Reading
March 19, 2015
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Bill to Spur Geothermal Energy
Washington, D.C. - Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today introduced legislation to encourage geothermal energy production on public lands. The Geothermal Production Expansion Act prevents speculative bidders from driving up the price of leases for developers seeking to use the land for geothermal projects. The bill streamlines the federal geothermal leasing program by allowing for the non-competitive leasing of a limited amount of federal land at fair market value to spur the … Continue Reading
March 19, 2015
For Sunshine Week, Wyden Renews Calls for Answers from DOJ on Drones, Secret Law, Torture Report
Washington, D.C. -For Sunshine Week, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., renewed his call for Attorney General Eric Holder to answer crucial questions on everything from when the government believes it has the right to kill an American to secret interpretations of law. The Justice Department has ignored these questions or declined to answer them, in some cases for years. Sen. Wyden previously called on Holder to answer these questions in a Feb. 3 letter, which is available here. "It is never … Continue Reading
March 12, 2015
Wyden: Cybersecurity Bill Lacks Privacy Protections, Doesn’t Secure Networks
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore. issued the following statement after voting against the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act during a Senate Intelligence Committee markup today: "Cyber-attacks and hacking against U.S. companies and networks are a serious problem for the American economy and for our national security. It makes sense to encourage private firms to share information about cybersecurity threats. But this information sharing is only acceptable if there are strong … Continue Reading
