Press Releases
Wyden, Merkley Aim to Lower the Cost of College
WASHINGTON - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today introduced legislation to make college more affordable for students and families in Oregon and across the country. The PARTNERSHIPS Act would encourage states to freeze or reduce college tuition costs by creating a program that provides federal matching funds for states that agree to end tuition growth at their public colleges and universities, which enroll nearly three-quarters of all students. The bill sets federal … Continue Reading
October 15, 2015
Wyden, Booker, Colleagues to FCC: End Exorbitant Phone Rates for Prison Inmates and Their Families
WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today joined a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Thomas Wheeler applauding the Commission's proposal to cap intrastate prison phone rates. Joining Sen. Wyden on the letter are Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Chris … Continue Reading
October 13, 2015
Wyden: Remove Roadblocks to Outdoor Recreation Access
Washington, D.C. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released a draft bill to boost outdoor recreation in Oregon and across the country. The proposal addresses concerns Oregonians raised about government roadblocks to recreation during a series of listening sessions Wyden hosted on his statewide tour of Oregon's Seven Wonders this summer. "The beauty of the recreation and tourism economy is that Oregonians working in it are all over the state, supporting communities large and small," I'm asking … Continue Reading
October 08, 2015
Wyden, Merkley Call for Action to Stop Gun Violence
Washington, D.C.- Today Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley called on Congress to take action to stop gun violence, in remarks on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. They spoke one week after the massacre in Roseburg claimed 9 lives and injured 9 others. "The victims and their families deserve better than a Congress that shrugs its shoulders and waits for the next tragedy. They deserve action," Wyden said. "Today, we call on Americans from Roseburg to Blacksburg to speak with one voice: End … Continue Reading
October 08, 2015
Wyden Highlights Importance of Mt. Hood and Frank Moore Bills in Senate Hearing
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today stressed the importance of two bills that would protect and enhance Oregon's land and habitat conservation priorities in a hearing before the Subcommittee on Public Lands. In the hearing, Wyden pushed for the Senate to move forward with a bill he and Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., wrote to help resolve a decades-long dispute over proposed land development on the northeast side of Mt. Hood. The Mt. Hood Cooper Spur Land Exchange … Continue Reading
October 08, 2015
Wyden and Brown “Gold Star Fathers” Act Signed into Law by the President
Washington, DC - A bill sponsored by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, that extends the same federal hiring preference to fathers that is available to mothers of servicemembers killed or permanently and totally disabled in action was signed into law by President Obama. "Families whose sons and daughters have been killed or disabled in combat have suffered grievously," Wyden said. "While no action can remove that grief, this bill provides long-overdue recognition to these … Continue Reading
October 06, 2015
Wyden Blasts EU ‘Safe Harbor’ Ruling
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., condemned the European Union Court of Justice ruling today, which struck down a key agreement allowing the free flow of information between Europe and the United States. Wyden has long warned of the economic dangers of overbroad surveillance, including at a roundtable in Silicon Valley last year. "By striking down the Safe Harbor Agreement, the European Union Court of Justice today called for open season against American businesses. This misguided … Continue Reading
October 01, 2015
Senators Introduce Iran Policy Oversight Act of 2015
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), with Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mark Warner (D-VA), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), today introduced the Iran Policy Oversight Act of 2015, legislation that builds upon the bipartisan commitment to oversight outlined in the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 that passed the U.S. Senate 98 to 1. Cosponsors of the legislation … Continue Reading
September 29, 2015
Wyden Announces Grant To Protect Homes In Forest Communities
Washington, DC - Senator Ron Wyden today announced that Oregon has received a $3 million federal grant to reduce fire risks to more than 2,200 homes in parts of Crook, Deschutes and Klamath counties that are adjacent to forests. The grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will fund the thinning and limbing of trees, clearing out of undergrowth, and other vegetative debris removal to create a defensible space around buildings and other structures on about 3,780 acres of … Continue Reading
September 28, 2015
Wyden and Brown “Gold Star Fathers” Act Passes House
Washington, DC - A bill sponsored by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, that would extend the same federal hiring preference to fathers that is available to mothers of servicemembers killed or permanently and totally disabled in action has cleared the House. The Gold Star Fathers Act, which passed the Senate in May, takes its name from an unofficial symbol of parents whose children are killed in action. Such parents are referred to as "Gold Star parents" because they … Continue Reading
September 24, 2015
Wyden Statement on Vote to Defund Planned Parenthood
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement after the Senate voted on a funding bill to limit reproductive rights and access to health care for women in Oregon and across the country: "It is deeply disappointing that the Senate has voted today on a bill that undermines the fundamental right of all women to access health care. At a time when Congress should be working towards a bipartisan agreement to fund our government, the far right in the Senate … Continue Reading
September 22, 2015
Wyden Unveils Next-Generation Clean Energy Tax Incentives
Washington, DC - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today announced his proposal to measurably reduce carbon pollution over the next decade through a series of incentives for clean energy and the promotion of new technologies in the private sector. Wyden unveiled his series of next-generation tax incentives at a news conference with Senate colleagues as part of a joint energy bill sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Chuck Schumer, … Continue Reading
September 22, 2015
Wyden: Sage Grouse Decision A Win for Rural Jobs and Wildlife
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released the following statement following the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that the sage grouse will not be listed under the Endangered Species Act. "I am thrilled by today's announcement that the greater sage grouse does not require protection under the Endangered Species Act," Wyden said. "I applaud the efforts of ranchers, conservationists, governors and others who have come to the table, signed agreements and worked hard on the ground to fight … Continue Reading
September 21, 2015
Wyden Applauds Win for Free Speech and Common Sense in Revised Intelligence Authorization Bill
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., praised the removal of a flawed Intelligence Authorization bill provision to require companies like Twitter and Facebook to notify the government about vaguely defined "terrorist activity" by social media users. Wyden placed a hold on the 2016 Intelligence Authorization bill in July over concerns about the provision after an outcry from technology companies that the bill could force companies to take drastic steps to police users' speech online. … Continue Reading
September 21, 2015
Wildfire Aid Meetings Set for Sept. 28-29 in Eastern Oregon
Portland - Eastern Oregon residents who suffered losses from recent wildfires will have the opportunity at meetings Sept. 28-29 in John Day and Baker City to talk with federal and state officials about what resources may be available to help after the devastating wildfires this summer. "The wildfires that have ripped through our state have left many Oregonians trying to put their lives back together,'' said U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, whose staff is convening the Sept. 28 meeting in Baker City and … Continue Reading
September 21, 2015
Wyden joins Senator Markey, Rep. Eshoo in Amicus Brief Supporting FCC Net Neutrality Rules
Washington, D.C. - Senator Wyden (D-Ore.) joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Ranking Member Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.) and 26 members of Congress today in filing an Amicus Brief with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Open Internet rules. The Amicus supports the FCC's decision that broadband Internet access is a telecommunications service and lies at the heart of the Commission's Title II authority to put in place strong Open … Continue Reading
September 17, 2015
Wyden, Bonamici Release Draft Bill to Protect Student Privacy
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., today released draft legislation to better protect student privacy on college campuses in Oregon and across the country. The draft bill would change portions of the federal law that governs student records by putting additional privacy procedures in place before a school's lawyers can access a student's personal information, including medical records. The current law, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act … Continue Reading
September 15, 2015
Wyden, Barrasso Introduce Bill to Help American Soda Ash Producers Compete in Global Market
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and John Barrasso, R-Wyo., introduced bipartisan legislation to maintain competitive royalty rates on America's natural soda ash, which is critical in manufacturing industrial products like glass. The Soda Ash Competitiveness Act will set the royalty rate on sodium compounds (and related products) produced from federal land at 2 percent for five years. "Natural soda ash produced in the United States directly supports hundreds of jobs … Continue Reading
September 14, 2015
Wyden, Rubio, Warner: New College Scorecard Lays Groundwork for Student Right to Know Before You Go Act
Washington, D.C. - The authors of a bill to provide powerful new tools for comparing colleges and universities on measures such as total cost, likelihood of graduating and potential earnings, today called the White House's new college scorecard database a step in the right direction toward giving students the information they need to make more informed decisions about their college education. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Mark Warner, D-Va., introduced the Student Right to … Continue Reading
September 08, 2015
Wyden Statement on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
The Senate has no weightier responsibility this fall than consideration of the nuclear agreement recently negotiated by the United States, key world powers, and Iran. The decision facing each Senator this week will be whether to support the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or to reject it. For me, this decision has been as difficult as they come. The fundamental question for me is what this agreement means for the prospects of Iran getting a nuclear bomb. This agreement with the duplicitous … Continue Reading
