Press Releases
Wyden and Merkley Introduce Bills to Ban Taxpayer Payouts for January 6 Insurrectionists
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-Ore.) said today they have introduced a pair of bills that would prevent January 6 rioters from receiving taxpayer-funded payouts from the federal government. Leaders of the “Proud Boys” far-right militant organization are suing the federal government for $100 million. Senior Department of Justice (DOJ) official Ed Martin reportedly supports compensating violent January 6 insurrectionists. “Donald Trump is a disgrace for … Continue Reading
January 06, 2026
Wyden, Colleagues Demand Answers on Harms of Diverting Federal Agents for Immigration Enforcement
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to demand the Trump administration explain the impact of its decision to pull thousands of federal law enforcement agents away from their work keeping dangerous criminals off the streets and reassign them to arrest, detain and deport primarily non-violent immigrants. “You have pulled agents away from some of the federal government’s most critical criminal investigations, weakening the very work that ensures … Continue Reading
January 03, 2026
Wyden Statement on Trump’s Unauthorized Military Action in Venezuela
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement in response to Donald Trump’s illegal military action in Venezuela: “President Trump’s attack on Venezuela, without congressional authorization or imminent threat to the United States, is exactly the same global interventionism that Americans soundly rejected after decades of failed wars and disastrous meddling in other nations’ affairs. No matter what you think of Maduro, Trump’s threat to ‘run’ the … Continue Reading
December 24, 2025
Wyden, Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Pause Discriminatory National Park Entry Fees
Washington, DC — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said today he has joined colleagues in calling on the Trump administration to pause its expensive new national park entry fees and annual passes for non-residents scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026. Wyden and the other senators emphasized these new passes and fees were not properly noticed in accordance with the law, will slow park entry, and will further limit international visitation. In late November, the federal Department of … Continue Reading
December 24, 2025
Wyden, Merkley Raise Alarm Over Loss of Mental Health Access in Eastern Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today wrote health care providers serving Malheur County to ask how they’ll ensure nearly 800 residents keep access to the mental health services they need in the wake of new coordinated care organization (CCO) coverage changes brought on by the devastating cuts by Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to Medicaid. “We understand your organization faces unprecedented financial strain as Oregon braces for nearly $4 billion in … Continue Reading
December 23, 2025
Merkley, Wyden Announce $960,881 Coming to Wasco County for Distance Learning
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced a federal investment of $960,881 for the Dufur School District 29 to support distance learning in Wasco County. With this funding, instructors at Portland Community College in Multnomah County, Baker Technical Institute in Baker County, Columbia Gorge Community College in Wasco County, and the Oregon Veterans Home in Wasco County will deliver technical training, STEM coursework, and certified nurse assistant … Continue Reading
December 22, 2025
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Urge Trump Administration to End Staffing Crisis at Fish and Wildlife Service, Warn of Devastating Impacts to Ecosystems and Public Lands
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)—the top Democrat overseeing funding for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)—and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)—former chairman and current senior member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources—joined their colleagues in urging the administration to immediately address and reverse the staffing crisis at the FWS, which has lost the capacity to properly manage most of America’s wildlife refuges, putting in jeopardy the … Continue Reading
December 19, 2025
Wyden, Warren Press Trump Administration Over Compass-Anywhere Real Estate Merger, Sound Alarm on Impact to Housing Costs
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., today sent a series of letters to the Trump administration, pressing the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to closely scrutinize the proposed $1.6 billion merger between real estate brokerage giants Compass, Inc. (“Compass”) and Anywhere Real Estate, Inc. (“Anywhere”), over concerns the merger could drive up housing costs. "The Compass-Anywhere merger threatens to stifle consumer choice and … Continue Reading
December 19, 2025
Merkley, Wyden Announce $2.2 Million in Federal Support for Coastal Erosion Work in Lincoln County
Washington, D.C. - Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is awarding $2,210,835 to the MidCoast Watersheds Council to restore 125 acres of tidal wetlands and 6.2 miles of stream channels across Oregon's Siletz and Yaquina estuaries in Lincoln County to enhance habitat for salmonids and buffer communities from storm surge. Tidal wetlands on Oregon's central coast are increasingly threatened by coastal erosion, … Continue Reading
December 19, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Celebrate SRS Reauthorization for Rural Oregon Counties
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today celebrated the signing of their bipartisan Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act into law, reauthorizing funding for the U.S. Forest Service’s Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Program (SRS) through FY 2026 and providing lapsed payments to counties in Oregon and nationwide for FY 2024 and 2025. “The Secure Rural Schools program has been a lifeline for rural communities across Oregon and nationwide since I … Continue Reading
December 18, 2025
Wyden Statement on Cannabis Rescheduling
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement on Donald Trump’s executive order to reschedule cannabis from a schedule I drug to a schedule III: “This is just a half step that doesn't include legalization, doesn't put the nascent industry on stronger footing, and doesn't do anything for the many Black and Latino Americans who are behind bars for the kind of cannabis use that millions of Americans engage in freely every day,” Wyden said. “I'll continue … Continue Reading
December 18, 2025
Wyden, Colleagues Blast Trump FCC for Weakening Consumer Broadband Protections, Raising Costs
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reverse its decision to weaken broadband pricing labeling rules that inform consumers about the types of internet services they are buying before committing to a provider. “The broadband label framework was designed to work like nutrition labels, giving consumers a clear, consistent way to understand what services they are buying before they commit,” the senators wrote to FCC Chairman Brendan … Continue Reading
December 18, 2025
Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Increase Transparency of Supreme Court Shadow Docket Decisions
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to introduce legislation to increase transparency of decisions on the Supreme Court’s emergency docket, also known as the “shadow docket,”a backdoor way for the Supreme Court to hand down consequential rulings with limited public argument or transparency. “Trump’s hand-picked Supreme Court is increasingly relying on the shadow docket to legislate from the bench to push a far-right agenda,” Wyden said. “As the … Continue Reading
December 17, 2025
Wyden Votes No on Bloated Military Authorization Bill
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement after voting against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA): “I cannot support a bill that increases military spending by tens of billions of dollars and fails to include guardrails against Donald Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s authoritarian abuses. “Donald Trump has repeatedly used the military to occupy major U.S. cities, including Portland—endangering our servicemembers, disrupting our economy, and … Continue Reading
December 17, 2025
Wyden Applauds Passage of Prescribed Fire Legislation Through Key Senate Committee
Senator’s bipartisan legislation would support hazardous fuels cleanup to reduce wildfire risk Watch Wyden deliver remarks at today’s Committee meeting here Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today applauded the passage of his bipartisan legislation through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee that would increase funding and resources for prescribed fires during colder, wetter months, to reduce wildfire risk during the hotter, drier months of fire … Continue Reading
December 17, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Demand Answers from ICE on Racial Profiling of Tribal Members, Refusal to Accept Tribal IDs
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined Senate colleagues to demand answers regarding the outrageous mistreatment of Tribal citizens by ICE in a number of recent incidents. In their letter, the lawmakers called out reports of ICE improperly stopping or detaining Tribal citizens for no apparent reason aside from their physical appearance, and urged Department of Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem to develop policy and trainings to ensure all ICE agents are trained … Continue Reading
December 16, 2025
Wyden Leads Colleagues Calling on Trump Administration to Crack Down on Growing Threat of Synthetic Opioids
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today led his colleagues in pressing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on how it is prioritizing a federal response to the growing threat of synthetic opioids, specifically a class of drugs known as “nitazenes.” Although nitazenes were originally developed as pain relievers in the 1950s, these synthetic opioids are now illicitly manufactured abroad and then trafficked across the United States. Illicitly-manufactured nitazenes … Continue Reading
December 15, 2025
Wyden, Colleagues Press Lutnick on Administration’s Decision to Sell Out National and Economic Security by Greenlighting the Sale of Advanced Chips to China
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to raise concerns over the Trump Administration’s decision to disregard warnings from its own Department of Justice and allow NVIDIA to export its advanced H200 AI chips to China. “The President’s dangerous decision to give away critical national security controls represents a significant departure from longstanding bipartisan efforts to ensure that U.S. technology does not turbocharge China’s military and … Continue Reading
December 12, 2025
Merkley, Wyden, Hoyle Secure Written Commitment from Coast Guard Acting Commandant Lunday that Newport Helicopter Will Remain
Washington, D.C. - Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, along with Senator Ron Wyden and Congresswoman Val Hoyle (OR-04), announced that they secured written commitments from Admiral Kevin Lunday, Acting Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, to ensure the rescue helicopter located at the Newport Air Facility remains in the community, as well as a pledge from Lunday to visit the Newport area within one year. “After hearing from countless Oregonians about the importance of the search and … Continue Reading
December 12, 2025
Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Codify Fee-Free Days of Public Service on Federal Lands
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate and House colleagues to introduce legislation that would guarantee that visitors can enter National Parks and other federal lands free-of-charge six days a year. The Encouraging Public Service in Our National Parks and Public Land Act would direct the Secretary of the Interior to officially designate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, the first day of National Park Week, Juneteenth, Great American Outdoors Day, … Continue Reading
