Press Releases
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Provide Universal Paid Leave
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that they joined their colleagues in introducing legislation that would guarantee up to 12 weeks of partial income for workers who are forced to take leave for serious medical and family events. Paid medical and family leave is especially helpful for new parents and older Americans who are more likely to have health issues or caregiving obligations. Despite research showing that paid leave improves workers’ mental health, … Continue Reading
September 18, 2025
Wyden Introduces Legislation Banning Corporations from Bypassing Courts to Settle Legal Disputes Behind Closed Doors
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today said that he is joining legislation that would stop corporations from bypassing the court system to settle legal disputes behind closed doors. From workplace discrimination and sexual harassment to consumer complaints, corporations are writing forced arbitration clauses in the fine print of contracts, allowing them to escape accountability for any harms they may have caused workers or consumers. Since corporations have made it … Continue Reading
September 17, 2025
Merkley, Dexter, Oregon Delegation Sound the Alarm Over EPA’s Proposal to Declassify Greenhouse Gases as Public Health Threat
Washington, D.C. - Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter (OR-03) led a letter with their Oregon delegation colleagues—U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)—in raising the alarm over the threat of the Trump Administration’s proposal to eliminate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finding that greenhouse gases are harmful and a contributor … Continue Reading
September 17, 2025
Wyden Announces Town Halls in Multnomah and Lane Counties
Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will hold open-to-all town halls next week in Multnomah and Lane counties. Heading into these two town halls on Sept. 24th and 26th. Wyden has held 1,135 open-to-all town halls in keeping his promise to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon’s 36 counties, including 34 so far this year. “It’s more important than ever that our state show the entire country the “Oregon Way” where open-to-all town halls provide everybody the … Continue Reading
September 17, 2025
Wyden, Veasey Reintroduce Bicameral Resolution Recognizing September as National Voting Rights Month
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and U.S. Representative Marc Veasey, D-Texas, reintroduced their resolution recognizing September as “National Voting Rights Month.” This resolution follows Republicans’ recent attacks on voting rights from the halls of Congress to state legislatures. In July, Donald Trump ordered states like Texas to draw new gerrymandered Republican congressional districts, and Trump recently began threatening to prevent people from voting at home. … Continue Reading
September 16, 2025
Wyden, Merkley Lead Colleagues in Calling on Senate Leaders to Protect Hemp Legalization in Government Funding Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today led their Senate colleagues in calling on Senate leadership to make sure no government spending bill re-criminalizes hemp products, and instead work together to consider legislation that would fully regulate these products and improve consumer safety. In 2018, Wyden and Merkley worked closely with then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Rand Paul to secure language in the Farm Bill to legalize hemp products at … Continue Reading
September 15, 2025
Wyden Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Fair Pay for Workers with Disabilities
Washington, D.C. - Senator Ron Wyden said today that he has cosponsored bipartisan legislation that would end subminimum wage and prohibit employers from under-paying workers with disabilities. Under current law, employers are able to under-pay workers with disabilities below the federal minimum wage. The Biden administration previously issued a proposed rule prohibiting this practice. In July, the Trump administration announced its plans to withdraw that proposed Biden-era rule, allowing … Continue Reading
September 15, 2025
Wyden Leads 11 Members of Congress Urging Appeals Court to Uphold Independence of Privacy Oversight Board
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., led 11 members of Congress calling on a federal appeals court to uphold the independence of a critical privacy and surveillance watchdog, in an amicus brief they filed on Friday. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) members Travis LeBlanc and Edward Felten are challenging their illegal firing by Donald Trump. In May, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that Trump could not fire LeBlanc and Felten, and … Continue Reading
September 15, 2025
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Tax Fairness Bill for Striking Workers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-OR) said today they have introduced legislation that would ensure workers in Oregon and nationwide are not taxed on the small stipends they receive while on strike. “Americans battling for fair wages, working conditions and benefits count on strike funds from their union to keep providing food, shelter and more for their families,” said Wyden, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee. “This bill provides a fair shake … Continue Reading
September 12, 2025
Wyden, Colleagues Demand Reinstatement of Critical Wildfire Preparedness Program
Washington D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined colleagues from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to question the Trump administration’s sudden elimination of the Women in Wildfire (WIWF) Bootcamps program and demand its reinstatement. This year alone, the U.S. has experienced 48,458 wildfires that have burned more than four million acres across Oregon and dozens of states. The WIWF Bootcamps provided essential training to women considering careers as … Continue Reading
September 12, 2025
Bynum, Merkley, Wyden Demand Funding for Kids with Disabilities in Central Oregon Be Restored
Washington, DC - Today, after the Trump Administration announced the termination of a grant for the Central Oregon Disability Support Network, Inc. (CODSN), Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) led a letter to the U.S. Department of Education demanding the reinstatement of the federal funding. CODSN is an organization that has provided essential support to families in rural Oregon raising children with disabilities for decades. Rep. Bynum has continued to advocate for children and students with … Continue Reading
September 11, 2025
Wyden, Merkley and Markey Demand ICE Stop Using Mobile Facial Recognition App
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-Ore.) today joined with U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) to urge the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to stop using a new biometric mobile phone app, “Mobile Fortify,” to surveil individuals in the United States. Biometric scanning technology — such as facial recognition — is often biased and inaccurate, especially against communities of color. Even when accurate, this type of on-demand surveillance … Continue Reading
September 11, 2025
Wyden, Merkley Join Amicus Brief Slamming Trump for the Abuse of Deploying Military into American Cities
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they are joining 16 senators to file an amicus brief on a lawsuit against Donald Trump for abusing military force, including deploying thousands of troops in Los Angeles without seeking approval from state and local officials. “Donald Trump is using our military like political pawns to target cities and groups he’s labeled as his political enemies,” Wyden said. “The military deployment in Los Angeles is just the tip of the … Continue Reading
September 11, 2025
Wyden, Jayapal, Welch, Bennet Reintroduce Legislation to Improve Child Nutrition
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., today reintroduced legislation that would improve child nutrition by expanding access to locally-grown, unprocessed fruits and vegetables for school meal programs. “It’s not rocket science: healthy foods at school set up kids to be successful in and outside of the classroom,” Wyden said. “That’s why I am working to bring fresh foods grown from … Continue Reading
September 10, 2025
Wyden Calls for FTC Investigation of Microsoft for Enabling Ascension Hospital Ransomware Hack with Insecure Software
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., urged the Federal Trade Commission to launch an investigation of Microsoft for contributing to ransomware attacks against critical U.S. infrastructure, including the hack of millions of patient records from Ascension, the major hospital system, in 2024. “I urge the FTC to investigate Microsoft and hold the company responsible for the serious harm it has caused by delivering dangerous, insecure software to the U.S. government and to critical … Continue Reading
September 10, 2025
Merkley, Wyden, Padilla, Bonamici, Bipartisan Colleagues Urge Administration to Release $52.1 Million in Federal Education Funds for Agricultural Farmworker Students
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, California’s U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, and U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) today led 26 lawmakers to demand Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought and Education Secretary Linda McMahon immediately release $52,123,000 for the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) and the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), which support educational opportunities for agricultural farmworker … Continue Reading
September 10, 2025
Wyden Introduces Bill to Protect Food Assistance Benefits for People with Student Loans
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today said he is joining legislation that would improve food access for families with student loans. The legislation would allow people in need of food assistance to exclude monthly student loan payments - for both private and federal loans - from their income; improving borrowers’ eligibility and increasing their benefits. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) already contains deductions for some expenses such as housing and child … Continue Reading
September 09, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Dexter Announce More Than $2 Million for Wildfire and Watershed Resilience in Mt. Hood National Forest
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley with U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter today announced more than $2 million in federal investments for fuels reduction work across private and public lands in Mt. Hood National Forest to reduce the risk of wildfire. “During another destructive wildfire season, I have heard directly from Oregonians living and working on the frontlines of these blazes about the urgent need for more resources,” Wyden said. “Funding the work to protect our public … Continue Reading
September 08, 2025
Wyden, Democratic Colleagues Press Trump Administration Decision to Raise Student Loan Payments for Low-Income Americans
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today led 11 of his Democratic Senate colleagues in demanding answers from the Trump administration about its plans to deny 460,000 student loan borrowers that have applied for lower repayment plans. "We write with grave concern regarding the Trump Administration’s decision to summarily reject 460,000 borrowers’ applications for more affordable monthly student loan payments under income-driven repayment,” the Senators wrote in their letter to … Continue Reading
September 08, 2025
Wyden Announces More Than $6 Million for Infrastructure Upgrades in Southern Oregon
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced more than $6 million in federal investments he worked with Gold Hill to secure so city residents can be connected to the regional waste water system and support upgrades to that local infrastructure. “Having reliable water infrastructure like functioning sewer utilities is absolutely essential to keeping Oregonians safe and healthy,” Wyden said. “I’m glad the teamwork with the City of Gold Hill has produced this federal investment, and I … Continue Reading
