Press Releases
Wyden, Merkley, Blumenauer ask President to Review Federal Prison Terms for Oregonians Serving Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Nonviolent Offenses
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Rep. Earl Blumenauer asked President Obama to review the cases of Oregonians serving mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenses in federal prison. Their letter urged the president to commute the sentences of those who are eligible when appropriate to a shortened sentence or time-served. "We write to express our deep concern for the many Oregonians who are currently serving mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent … Continue Reading
January 09, 2017
Wyden, Merkley Pledge to Fight for More Funding to Restore Northwest Fisheries
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today renewed their pledge to fight for more resources to restore Northwest fisheries, in a letter to Oregon fishers and irrigators. Their legislation, the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act (FRIMA), was passed into law at the end of December as part of a larger water infrastructure funding bill. However, the funding included for fishery restoration through FRIMA was cut from $25 million per year for 7 years … Continue Reading
January 07, 2017
Wyden Statement on Selection of Senator Coats to Serve as Director of National Intelligence
Washington, D.C. - Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, released the following statement on the announcement Sen. Dan Coats will be nominated to serve as the next Director of National Intelligence: "Dan Coats has been a friend and respected colleague for years. We worked closely on bipartisan partners on tax reform, and never let our strong disagreements about surveillance and other intelligence issuesget in the way of a friendship," Wyden said. "I … Continue Reading
January 06, 2017
Wyden Statement on Russia Interference in U.S. Election
Washington, D.C. - Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, released the following statement on today's report regarding Russian interference in the U.S. election: "More than a month ago, I and other members of the Senate Intelligence Committee urged that more information should be publicly released so the American people could make their own judgments. This report and its analysis are a significant step in that direction," Wyden said. "This continues … Continue Reading
January 05, 2017
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Bill to Protect the Pacific Coast from Offshore Drilling
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined their fellow West Coast senators in introducing the West Coast Ocean Protection Expansion Act this week to permanently ban offshore drilling on the outer continental shelf of Oregon, Washington and California. The legislation, first introduced in 2010, would amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to permanently protect the coastal economies of the three states, which are worth about $60 billion and support more … Continue Reading
December 28, 2016
Wyden, Merkley, DeFazio Praise $1.2 Million Federal Grant for Douglas County and the City of Roseburg to Assist with UCC Recovery
PORTLAND - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Rep. Peter DeFazio today welcomed a $1.2 million federal grant to Douglas County and the City of Roseburg that will help the community's recovery from the Oct. 1, 2015 campus shooting at Umpqua Community College. These funds will help county and city agencies continue their exemplary work to support victims and all those affected by the 2015 shooting. "Umpqua Community College, Douglas County and Roseburg displayed remarkable resiliency … Continue Reading
December 23, 2016
Wyden, Merkley Welcome Federal Railroad Administration’s Additional Safety Standards for Union Pacific Railroad
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., today issued the following joint statement following the Federal Railroad Administration's announcement that it has reached an agreement with Union Pacific Railroad Co. that will require the railroad to meet higher safety standards. The agreement follows an oil train derailment near Mosier, Ore., earlier this year. "We welcome the Federal Railroad Administration's decision to hold Union Pacific to higher safety … Continue Reading
December 23, 2016
Wyden Slams U.N. Resolution Unfairly Targeting Israel
Washington, D.C. - Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today slammed a United Nations resolution that unjustly targets Israel, and expressed deep disappointment the White House chose not to veto the resolution. "I am deeply disappointed that the administration set aside longstanding U.S. policy to allow such a one-sided resolution to pass," Wyden said. "Actions like this will only take us further from the peace we all want to … Continue Reading
December 22, 2016
Wyden, Merkley Push for Oregon Counties to Receive Federal Timber Payments
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged federal officials to make much-needed federal timber sales payments as quickly as possible to Oregon counties in need of funding for schools, roads and law enforcement. In letters to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the senators noted that congressional failure to reauthorize Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funding puts a premium on ensuring the federal timber payments are sent in a timely … Continue Reading
December 21, 2016
Wyden Praises Oregon’s Selection in Demonstration Program Treating Mental and Substance Use Disorders
Washington - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden praised today's selection of Oregon for participation in a federal community health clinic demonstration program as a well-deserved boost to high-quality care for people in all parts of the state with mental and substance use disorders. Oregon is one of eight states chosen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the two-year Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic demonstration program. "This program will help rural and urban Oregonians … Continue Reading
December 21, 2016
Bipartisan Group of Pacific Northwest Senators Announces $40 Million for First U.S. Wave Energy Test Facility
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Patty Murray, D-Wash., today announced funding will be awarded to build the United States' first open-ocean, power grid-connected wave energy test facility at a site off the Oregon coast. The U.S. Department of Energy will provide up to $40 million to build the wave energy test site about six nautical miles off the coast of Newport, Ore. A partnership made up of Oregon State University, the … Continue Reading
December 16, 2016
Wyden Calls for Immediate Declassification and Public Release of Intelligence Related to Russian Interference in U.S. Election
Washington, D.C. - In response to statements by the executive branch that it may be weeks before new information is released to the public about Russian interference in the U.S. election, Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said the American people cannot wait that long to get the facts. "This is a national crisis that must be fully explained to the American people right now," Wyden said. "When a foreign nation interferes in our election, delays and closed-door investigations are not good enough. We … Continue Reading
December 15, 2016
Wyden Statement on President-elect’s Nominee for Interior Secretary
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on President-elect Donald Trump's decision to nominate Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., to lead the U.S. Department of the Interior: "The Secretary of the Interior is charged with protecting and properly managing our public lands, which belong to every American. I am encouraged by indications that Rep. Ryan Zinke recognizes the importance of keeping our public lands in public ownership, as well as his apparent … Continue Reading
December 14, 2016
Wyden Statement on President-elect’s Nominee for Secretary of Energy
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on President-elect Donald Trump's decision to nominate Texas Gov. Rick Perry to lead the U.S. Department of Energy: "Gov. Rick Perry campaigned on a promise to eliminate the department he is now being nominated to run. I will be asking Gov. Perry how he plans to continue fulfilling the Energy Department's crucial role in creating good-paying energy jobs - which include clean, renewable energy jobs - and … Continue Reading
December 14, 2016
Bipartisan Group of Senators Presses Federal Regulator for Clear Guidance on Banking Services for Vendors Working with Legal Marijuana Businesses
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, a bipartisan group of Senators led by Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley pressed a key federal regulator to take further action to ensure that vendors working with legal marijuana businesses in states that have legalized recreational or medicinal marijuana do not have their banking services taken away. In states that have legalized recreational or medicinal marijuana, conflicting federal policies have led most financial institutions to deny banking services to legal … Continue Reading
December 12, 2016
Wyden Calls for Preservation, Distribution and Declassification of Torture Report
Washington, D.C. - Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today renewed his call for the president to preserve, distribute and declassify the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's Study of the CIA's Detention and Interrogation Program. He said the president's decision to establish the study as a presidential record falls far short of what's necessary. "We're going to start on the very first day of the new session building a bipartisan coalition to get the study declassified. The American people … Continue Reading
December 09, 2016
Wyden Statement on End-of-Year Government Funding Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today voted against the end-of-year, must-pass bill to fund the government because the bill leaves out essential reforms for vulnerable children in foster care and protections for the families of mine workers. "Republican leaders touted this as a clean extension of noncontroversial, already agreed-upon policies. Instead, Republicans are skipping town without extending tax policies that protect middle class homeowners and jobs and without … Continue Reading
December 08, 2016
Senators Urge President-Elect Trump to Live Up to Campaign Promises and Clarify Whether He Opposes Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) andalong with 19 fellow senators, today sent a letter calling on President-Elect Donald Trump to remind him of his campaign promises to reject cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and to ask that he clarify whether he still intends to do so. The letter was signed by Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), … Continue Reading
December 08, 2016
Wyden, Merkley Urge Senate to Extend Critical Lifeline for Rural Communities
Washington, D.C. - Today, Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley urged the Senate to keep the government's promise to rural communities in Oregon, 40 other states and Puerto Rico by passing legislation that would provide vital funding for schools, law enforcement and essential road repairs. Since payments through the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) Act expired last year, Wyden and Merkley have been working to reauthorize the program to ensure counties will receive a payment next spring … Continue Reading
December 07, 2016
Wyden Asks Congress to Pass Historic Bipartisan, Bicameral Child Welfare Reform Bill
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today voted against the 21st Century Cures Act because Republican leaders stripped bipartisan, bicameral child welfare legislation out of the final bill. Wyden then asked for unanimous consent that the Senate pass the Family First Prevention Services Act, which has the support of almost 500 child welfare organizations across the country, including the Children's Defense Fund, the American Academy of Pediatrics and … Continue Reading
