Press Releases
Wyden and Merkley Call for Congress to Reconvene to Address Zika Crisis
Portland, OR - Today, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined with 39 other Senate Democrats in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan urging the Republican leaders to immediately call Congress back into session to pass emergency funding legislation to address the growing Zika crisis. Merkley and Wyden have been outspoken about the need for more resources to address this growing threat and recently held a roundtable discussion with Oregon … Continue Reading
August 02, 2016
Wyden, Senate Dems: More To Do To Further Strengthen Education Dept. Rule for Debt Relief In Higher Education
WASHINGTON, D.C - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., joined Senator Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., a Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and 18 other Senators in sending a letter to the Department of Education ("the Department") to express support for the proposed "borrower defense" rule and to suggest a number of ways to strengthen the rule to protect students who have been the victims of unlawful, unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices in higher education. In … Continue Reading
July 19, 2016
Wyden and Senate Colleagues Request Obama Issue Presidential Memo to Promote Diversity at Federal Land Management Agencies
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and 23 other senators have sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking him to issue a Presidential Memorandum to promote diversity at federal land management agencies like the National Park Service, which celebrates its centennial this August. A renewed focus on diversity will more fully reflect and celebrate the numerous cultures, communities, and people that have … Continue Reading
July 15, 2016
Wyden Statement on Declassification of 28 Pages
Washington, D.C. -Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the declassification of 28 pages of the congressional Joint Inquiry into the September 11 attacks: "There is no excuse for keeping these 28 pages secret for more than a decade, so this release is welcome and long overdue," Wyden said. "It helps illuminate additional details about a major event in our country's history. The FBI believes that they investigated all of these leads in the years after 9/11. But the best … Continue Reading
July 14, 2016
Tribal Lands Legislation Passes Key Senate Committee
Washington, DC - A package of tribal land bills sponsored by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley that will help the economic self-sufficiency of Native Americans in Oregon passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "These Tribes have all waited patiently for these bills, each of which will help them as sovereign nations to build their economies," said Wyden, a senior member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "I am gratified this legislation that both corrects … Continue Reading
July 14, 2016
Backed By Coalition of Voting Rights Advocates, Wyden, Merkley, Blumenauer, Cicilline Introduce National Vote-By-Mail Bill
Washington, D.C. - Backed by a broad coalition of voting rights groups, Oregon's Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley and Representative Earl Blumenauer and David Cicilline, D-R.I., today introduced a new bill to expand Oregon-style vote-by-mail nationwide and cut through bogus obstacles to voting. "Too many states are making working Americans, people of color, young people and those with disabilities go to absurd lengths just to exercise their constitutional right to vote," Wyden said. "When … Continue Reading
July 14, 2016
Wyden, McCaskill, Markey: New Report Finds Whistleblowers at Risk at Energy Department Sites
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., today released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that documents examples of retaliation and intimidation against whistleblowers by Energy Department contractors, while the department did little to monitor or stop these abuses. The senators were joined by two whistleblowers who were fired by contractors at the Department of Energy. Sandra Black, a contractor employee at DOE's … Continue Reading
July 13, 2016
Wyden Applauds Rail Transportation Notification for Emergency Responders
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., applauded a proposed rule announced today by the Department of Transportation that would require railroads to provide more notification about shipments of crude oil and other flammable liquids. "First responders must be informed when trains carrying hazardous materials are going to travel through their communities. Today's proposal moves toward greater transparency by requiring railroads to better notify emergency responders about large … Continue Reading
July 13, 2016
Wyden Legislation Helps Oregon UAS sites in Pendleton, Tillamook and Warm Springs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Legislation by Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden to provide much-needed certainty for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) test sites in Oregon and nationwide to continue their economic growth was approved today by the Senate. The inclusion in a larger FAA bill of Wyden's legislation extends congressional authorization for the test sites in Pendleton, Tillamook and Warm Springs as well as three test sites outside Oregon until Sept. 30, 2019. "Creating greater certainty for Oregon's growing … Continue Reading
July 13, 2016
Frank Moore Steelhead Management Area Bill Advances to Full Senate
Washington, DC - A bill sponsored by Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley that would designate nearly 100,000 acres of public lands in Oregon as the "Frank Moore Wild Steelhead Special Management Area" today passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The committee action sends to the full Senate the measure designating 99,653 acres of Forest Service land north of the North Umpqua River around Steamboat Creek in Douglas County. "Frank's extraordinary dedication conserving … Continue Reading
July 13, 2016
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Legislation to Address Oil Train Derailments
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., introduced legislation that will take on the threats posed by oil trains and help prevent horrific accidents like what happened in Mosier, Oregon last month. The Mandate Oil Spill Inspections and Emergency Rules (MOSIER) Act would require the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to investigate every major oil train derailment, clarify the Federal Rail Administration's authority to place moratoriums on … Continue Reading
July 12, 2016
Wyden Named to Energy Bill Conference
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement after the Senate voted to proceed to the energy bill conference today: "I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find a path forward on an energy bill that advances the low-carbon economy," Wyden said. "I will be working to keep a permanent wildfire funding fix as part of conference talks in order to put an end to the fire borrowing that's bankrupting the Forest Service and … Continue Reading
July 08, 2016
ADVISORY: Wyden, Markey, McCaskill to Hold Press Conference on Whistleblower Retaliation by Contractors at the Energy Department
Washington, D.C. - Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., will be joined by federal contractor whistleblowers Sandra Black and Walt Tamosaitis at noon ET on Thursday, July 14, to release a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on whistleblower retaliation at the Department of Energy (DOE). Sandra Black, a contractor employee at DOE's Savannah River site in South Carolina for more than 30 years was fired for cooperating with the GAO during its … Continue Reading
July 07, 2016
Wyden, Senate Dems: VA must do more to prevent and correct abuse of veterans in higher education
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash., and 25 other Senate Democrats sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) calling for strengthened "oversight, enforcement, and accountability" of colleges receiving Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to fulfill the "Principles of Excellence" Executive Order signed by President Obama in April 2012. The VA's failure to use its full authority to hold colleges accountable … Continue Reading
July 05, 2016
Wyden and Merkley: Port of Coos Bay Earns $11 Million Transportation Grant
Washington - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced today that the Port of Coos Bay has earned an $11 million federal grant to fund critical tunnel projects that will improve transportation connections for southwestern Oregon businesses. Both senators strongly supported the Port of Coos Bay's application for a Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies (FASTLANE) grant. "Today's good news provides essential support to … Continue Reading
July 01, 2016
On Anniversary of Violence Against Women Act Reforms, Senators Call on Administration to Hold Colleges & Universities Accountable for Underreporting Sexual Violence on Campus
New campus safety data suggests substantial underreporting of sexual violence by schools: out of 11,600 measured in 2014, 91% reported having no incidents Senator Wyden and 30 Senate Colleagues urge Departments of Education and Justice to ensure compliance with the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reforms to the Clery Act, which require higher ed institutions to document and report gender-based violence Senators: "Educational equity for women and all students requires fair, responsive, … Continue Reading
June 30, 2016
Wyden Statement on Allowing Openly Transgender People to Serve in the Military
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement after the Department of Defense announced it will lift its ban on allowing openly transgender people to serve in the military: "Eligibility to serve in the military should depend on a person's ability to do the job, not on how they identify," Wyden said. "I'm glad to see the Defense Department take this step toward equality and I remain committed to fighting for equal treatment for all Americans." … Continue Reading
June 30, 2016
Wyden, Merkley Join Effort to Reduce Food Waste
Washington, D.C. - In response to the staggering amount of food wasted in the United States every year, Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Cory Booker, D-N.J., to introduce comprehensive legislation to reduce food waste in stores and restaurants, at schools and institutions, on farms, and in American homes. Forty percent of food across the food supply system in the United States is never eaten- damaging … Continue Reading
June 30, 2016
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
