Press Releases
Wyden Renews Call for Pentagon Audit Following Revelation of $43 Million Natural Gas Station Boondoggle
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today pressed the Department of Defense to lay out a plan to restore fiscal accountability and prevent expensive mistakes, like the $43 million natural gas filling station recently uncovered by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). In a letter to Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Wyden expressed deep concern about the DOD's apparent lack of cooperation with the Inspector General's investigation, and lack of basic efforts … Continue Reading
November 10, 2015
Oregon Lawmakers Urge Congress to Target High School Graduation Rates
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Representatives Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, Kurt Schrader and Suzanne Bonamici today urged Congressional leaders to target high school graduation rates in Oregon and across the country as part of a larger K-12 education bill. The Senate passed its version of the education bill in July, which contains a Wyden-authored provision to help schools raise their graduation rates by making more low-income and low-performing … Continue Reading
November 10, 2015
Wyden, Merkley and DeFazio Announce New, Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Staffing at VA Health Centers
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Oregon's Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Representative Peter DeFazio announced new, bipartisan legislation to improve health care at VA facilities. The Veterans Health Care Staffing Improvement Act would make common-sense changes in staffing policies at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and improve veterans care at VA health care facilities. The legislation was introduced today in the Senate by a bipartisan coalition of Senators and will be introduced … Continue Reading
November 10, 2015
Senate Passes Wyden Provision To Bring Retired Military Dogs Home after Overseas Duty
Washington, D.C. -The Senate included an amendment by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., ensuring retired military dogs can return to the United States after serving America overseas, as part of a larger defense bill that passed today. The provision is based on Wyden's Military Working Dog Retirement Act, which requires the Department of Defense to arrange and pay for transportation of trained military dogs to the United States when their service abroad has been deemed no longer necessary, including … Continue Reading
November 09, 2015
The Supreme Court Hasn’t Stopped the Government From Tracking Your Cellphone Without a Warrant. Time to Pass Wyden’s GPS Act
Washington, D.C. -After the Supreme Court today declined to hear an appeal of a decision allowing the government to access cell phone location data without a warrant, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., renewed his call to clarify a tangled mess of legal decisions around electronic tracking of Americans' movements. "It's clear the courts won't resolve this question any time soon, so Congress needs to step up and make sure that Americans' cell phones aren't being used as warrantless government GPS … Continue Reading
November 09, 2015
Wyden Calls on FCC to Foster More Competition and Choice in Pay-TV Video Box Marketplace
Washington, DC - Today, Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and six other senators called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to use its authority and initiate a rulemaking to ensure that consumers can use set-top boxes of their choice to access MVPD (multichannel video programming distributors) programming. According to information requested by Senators Markey and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., from the top ten MVPDs, almost all MVPD customers rent these video … Continue Reading
November 06, 2015
Wyden Applauds President’s Rejection of Keystone XL Pipeline
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement after the White House denied TransCanada a construction permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline to carry oil from the tar sands in Canada. "President Obama did the right thing by putting Keystone XL out of its misery. I'm thrilled this spigot for dirty tar sands is finally welded shut and no longer threatens the climate, endangered wildlife and drinking water," Wyden said. "Now it's up to Congress to get to … Continue Reading
November 05, 2015
Wyden Statement on Release of Trans-Pacific Partnership Text
Washington, D.C. -Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., promised to dig into the details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement between the United States and 11 Asian Pacific nations, which was released today. "I look forward to digging into the details of what was released today. In the days and weeks ahead I will be talking with Oregon workers, farmers and ranchers, manufacturers, and innovators to learn about what this agreement will do for them," Wyden said. "I fought hard to make this day happen … Continue Reading
November 05, 2015
Wyden, Udall, Heinrich, Bennet, Markey Introduce Bill to Ensure Hardrock Mining Companies Pay Their Fair Share
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Tom Udall, D-N.M., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., introduced legislation to reform the nation's antiquated hardrock mining laws. The Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2015 will ensure mining companies pay royalties for the privilege of extracting mineral resources from public lands. The bill helps ensure that taxpayers aren't on the hook for cleaning up abandoned mines, many of … Continue Reading
November 04, 2015
Wyden, 11 Senators Call for Full Investigation Into Wrongful Discharge of Servicemembers with Mental Health Disorders
Washington, D.C. -Today, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) along with U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), , Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), called on the Pentagon to conduct a full U.S. Army Inspector General investigation into recent allegations that the U.S. Army has, since 2009, … Continue Reading
November 04, 2015
Wyden Works to Protect Americans from Unwanted Robocalls and Texts
Washington, D.C. - Today, Senator Ron Wyden (D - Ore.), Senator Edward J. Markey (D - Mass.) and 9 of their Senate colleagues introduced the Help Americans Never Get Unwanted Phone calls (HANGUP) Act, which protects student loan and mortgage borrowers, veterans, farmers, taxpayers, and others from unwanted robocalls and texts. The HANGUP Act strikes Section 301 of the Budget Act of 2015, legislation passed last week by Congress, which exempts callers collecting debt owed or guaranteed by the … Continue Reading
October 27, 2015
Wyden on CISA Passage: ‘The Fight to Secure Americans’ Private, Personal Data Has Just Begun’
Washington, D.C. -Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the passage of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act this afternoon. "The fight to secure Americans' private, personal data has just begun. Today's vote is simply an early, flawed step in what is sure to be a long debate over how the U.S. can best defend itself against cyber threats. As even the sponsors have acknowledged, this bill will do little to protect Americans from sophisticated hacks. At the same time, … Continue Reading
October 27, 2015
Wyden: DMCA Exemptions Process is Broken
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said today's ruling on exemptions of Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) include positive steps, but emphasized that the DMCA exemptions process must be reformed to keep up with the speed of today's innovations. This ruling concludes the sixth triennial Section 1201 rulemaking proceeding. "I am pleased that the ruling recognizes many legitimate and valuable activities, such as security research of software in the devices we … Continue Reading
October 21, 2015
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
