Press Releases
Wyden, Merkley to Attend Astoria Bicentennial Celebration on Saturday
Portland, OR - Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley confirmed today that they will attend the celebration this Saturday honoring the 200th anniversary of the founding of the City of Astoria. Wyden and Merkley will join other state and local dignitaries in recognizing the bicentennial of the oldest settlement west of The Rockies. The Senators also announced today that they have introduced a formal Congressional Resolution honoring Astoria's bicentennial. Who: … Continue Reading
May 18, 2011
Wyden to Chair Hearing on Eastside Forest Legislation; Four Other Oregon Public Lands Bills
Washington, D.C. - Today, Wednesday May 18, 2011 at 2:30 p.m. EDT (11:30 a.m. PDT) U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) will chair a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee's Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests to discuss twenty public lands bills including five Oregon bills, among them the Eastside Forest Restoration and Old Growth Protection Act - the landmark agreement between environmental groups and the timber industry in eastern Oregon. Click here to stream the … Continue Reading
May 17, 2011
Wyden, Stabenow Bill Uses Alternative Transportation Fuels to Reduce Dependence on Foreign Oil
Washington, D.C. - As the price of gas at the pump continues to drain Americans' wallets, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Debbie Stabenow (D- Mich.) have introduced legislation to increase energy security and reduce dependence on foreign oil by integrating many types of cutting edge alternative fuel sources into our transportation infrastructure. Using a two pronged approach to increasing fuel options, the Alternative Fuels Vehicles Competitiveness and Security Act of 2011will expand … Continue Reading
May 13, 2011
Wyden, Merkley Announce Funding for National Guard Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program
PORTLAND, OR - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the State of Oregon will receive $1.83 million to fund the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program for the Oregon National Guard through the next 12 months. The program helps Guard members and their families gain have access to physical and mental health care, substance abuse treatment and prevention and marriage and financial counseling as well as help finding employment. Oregon was one of only eight states to … Continue Reading
May 12, 2011
Wyden, Lofgren Statements on the Insufficient Responses Received from Agency on Internet Seizures
Washington, D.C. - After receiving insufficient responses from the Obama Administration regarding the seizing of Internet domain names believed to be housing copyright infringing content without a court order - a massive shift in the way the U.S. had combated digital copyright infringement in the past - U.S Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) released the following statements: Senator Wyden: "It is hard to imagine that the administration can effectively deter online … Continue Reading
May 12, 2011
Senator Wyden Response to the PROTECT IP Act Introduction
Washington, D.C. - Senator Wyden offered the following response to the introduction of the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act: "I felt compelled to block senate action on COICA in December 2010 because it employed a "bunker buster" approach to a problem that could be solved with a "strategic guided missile." COICA's at-all-costs approach to protecting intellectual property would have inflicted collateral damage on the foundations of … Continue Reading
May 12, 2011
Wyden – Thune Promote Innovation by Protecting Digital Commerce from Overbearing Taxes
Washington, D.C. - Citing the crushing effect that multiple and discriminatory taxes can have on developing industries, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) introduced legislation today that will protect digital goods and services - like mobile smartphone apps and cloud computing -- from additional taxes. "Would consumers be as willing to try out a new I-Phone app if they have to pay taxes for every download? How many app's would even be available if every provider had … Continue Reading
May 11, 2011
17 Senators Call on Federal Regulators to Immediately Crack Down on Excessive Crude Oil Speculation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) led a bipartisan group of 17 Senators in calling on federal regulators to expedite long-stalled rules to rein in excessive Wall Street speculation in West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures and other energy commodities. Numerous experts have concluded that excessive trading in oil futures is causing oil price volatility unrelated to supply-and-demand fundamentals, and contributing to rising gas prices. … Continue Reading
May 06, 2011
Senators, Business Leaders Underscore the Need to Enforce U.S. Trade Laws
Washington, D.C. - During a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee subcommittee on International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness, Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), John Thune (R-SD), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and business leaders in U.S. manufacturing each vigorously expressed the need to better enforce U.S. trade law and investigate the foreign suppliers who consistently evade those laws. Wyden, … Continue Reading
May 04, 2011
Hearing to Examine: Why is Evading U.S. Trade Enforcement So Easy?
Washington, D.C. - Tomorrow, Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 2 pm in room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) will chair a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee's subcommittee on International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness to examine why federal agencies are having difficulty enforcing U.S. trade laws specifically those related to anti-dumping and countervailing duties. Click here to view the webcast. Exporters from countries like China have been … Continue Reading
May 02, 2011
Wyden Statement on Death of Osama bin Laden
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement on the death of Osama bin Laden: "Osama bin Laden was more than a killer, he was the founder and leader of a terrorist organization determined to make a name for itself by taking thousands of innocent lives and spreading chaos and fear around the globe. I congratulate the service members and intelligence professionals who made the operation … Continue Reading
April 20, 2011
Military Takes Steps to Improve Treatment of Returning National Guard, Reserve Troops
Washington, D.C. - Responding to concerns raised over the last year by Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Representative Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), the United States Army has announced changes designed to improve the treatment of National Guard and Reserve troops returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. The changes announced in documents provided to Wyden's office include ensuring each soldier receives proper medical care, improving communication about entitlements and benefits and greater … Continue Reading
April 19, 2011
Pew Mining Study Lists Chetco River Among Ten Most Threatened National Parks and Forests
Washington, D.C. - As a further demonstration of the need to take action against the invasive and threatening mining practices currently allowed along the Chetco River, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) along with Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) pointed to a newly released study from the Pew Environment Group on mining that cited the Siskiyou Wild Rivers Area and the Chetco River in particular as one of the nation's ten most endangered national parks and … Continue Reading
April 19, 2011
Wyden to Hold Wasco County Town Hall on Tuesday
Portland, OR - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden will host his annual Wasco County town hall on Tuesday, April 26, 2011. Senator Wyden has been holding town halls in each Oregon county every year since 1996. Wasco County Town Hall Meeting Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 Time: 10 a.m. Location: Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, River Gallery 5000 Discovery Drive The … Continue Reading
April 18, 2011
Wyden to Hold Hood River County Town Hall on Monday, April 25
Portland, OR - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden will host his annual Hood River County town hall in the City of Hood River on Monday, April 25, 2011. Senator Wyden has been holding town halls in each Oregon county every year since 1996. Hood River County Town Hall Meeting Date: Monday, April 25, 2011 Time: 4:30 p.m. Location: Hood River Senior Center 2010 Sterling Place Hood … Continue Reading
April 18, 2011
Wyden to Hold Town Halls in Coos, Curry Counties on April 23
Portland, OR - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden will return to Coos and Curry counties on Saturday, April 23, 2011, to hold his annual town hall meetings. Senator Wyden holds town halls in each Oregon county every year. This year's meetings will be in Brookings and Coos Bay. Curry County Town Hall Meeting Date: Saturday, April 23, 2011 Time: 11:30 a.m. Location: Chetco Activity Center 550 Chetco Lane Brookings … Continue Reading
April 14, 2011
Wyden Explains Vote Against 2011 Budget Deal
Washington, D.C. -Senator Wyden (D-Ore.) posted the following op-ed on the Huffington Post explaining his reasons for voting against the 2011 budget Continuing Resolution: Is This How You Want Your Senate To Do Business? The U.S. Senate does not allow legislative provisions to be included in appropriations bills, for much the same reason that most Americans are concerned about earmarks: it creates a slippery slope by which lobbyists and special interest groups can sneak provisions into … Continue Reading
April 13, 2011
Merkley, Wyden, DeFazio Invite Veterans Affairs Secretary Shinseki to Visit Roseburg Veterans Medical Center
Washington, D.C. - Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-4) sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki Wednesday requesting that he visit the Roseburg Oregon Veterans Medical Center before making any decisions about the future of medical services there. "In order to help you make a more informed decision, we invite you to visit the Roseburg hospital before deciding on VARHS's fate," wrote the Members. "We believe seeing the … Continue Reading
April 07, 2011
Wyden, Grassley Introduce Bill Making Medicare Claims Data Public
WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon today introduced legislation to make Medicare claims data public for the first time. The legislation is the product of the senators' combined efforts - each was working on a method of making the data public and combined approaches in the bipartisan legislation introduced today. "Medicare is a $500 billion program with billions of dollars going out in error each year," Grassley said. "The bad actors are getting bigger and … Continue Reading
April 07, 2011
Wyden, Paulsen Bill Gives Green Light to Courts to Intercept Tax Refunds from Delinquent Debtors
Washington, D.C. - In an effort to provide financial relief to crime victims and to state courts that are owed money by deadbeat debtors, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Representative Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) introduced legislation today that allows state courts to coordinate with the IRS to intercept tax refunds of individuals who owe restitution to their victims or have outstanding court fees. The Crime Victims Restitution and Court Fee Intercept Act will allow the IRS to send tax … Continue Reading
