Press Releases
As Wildfires Burn 1+ Million Acres Across Oregon, Merkley, Wyden Press FEMA on Denial of Emergency Federal Assistance
Salem, OR - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden demanded urgent answers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in response to the agency’s denial of Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) for two wildfires in Oregon: the East Evans Creek Fire and Rowe Creek Fire Complex. Both fires were under Level 3 “Go Now” Evacuation at the time of application, and the Rowe Creek Fire Complex was the largest in the nation. The current fire situation in Oregon remains the worst … Continue Reading
July 28, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Join Colleagues in Effort to Guarantee Nationwide Access to IVF
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined Senate colleagues today in reintroducing a landmark legislative package designed to establish a nationwide right to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and hold insurance companies accountable to cover essential fertility treatments for families. The Right to IVF Act, comes nearly two years after Donald Trump promised free IVF for all Americans, despite his continued attacks on reproductive freedom. IVF provides a critical path … Continue Reading
July 27, 2026
Wyden Urges Federal Government to End Use of Insecure Remote-Access Software
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today called on the Trump administration to phase out and replace insecure Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology, which foreign adversaries repeatedly exploit to steal sensitive government data. In a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Wyden urged executive agencies to set mandatory security standards and ban … Continue Reading
July 27, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Secure $488,500 for Key Veteran Health Care Program in Rural Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced today that they secured $488,500 in federal funding for key veteran health care programs in rural parts of eastern and southern Oregon. The funding, part of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) highly rural transportation grants program, will support no-cost transportation services for veterans living in rural areas. Specifically, the grant program expands the capacity of veteran service organizations and state veterans … Continue Reading
July 27, 2026
Wyden, Merkley, Bynum: Redmond Secures $1.25 Million Investment for Water Infrastructure
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum today announced that the city of Redmond has earned a $1.25 million federal infrastructure investment from the Environmental Protection Agency to expand the city’s sustainable wastewater treatment system. “Modern and dependable infrastructure is essential to quality of life in Redmond and every other corner of our state,” Wyden said. “I’m glad the teamwork with the delegation and the community has … Continue Reading
July 24, 2026
Wyden, Colleagues Demand FTC Reject X’s Petition to Evade Privacy Obligations
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to urge the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to reject X’s petition to end the company’s privacy responsibilities under a unanimously approved 2022 order. In its petition, X makes the extraordinary and baseless claim that rebranding Twitter as X frees the company from the privacy obligations it inherited. Beyond this claim, X’s other arguments that the order’s compliance is too costly, the company should be … Continue Reading
July 24, 2026
Wyden Leads Congressional Democrats in Fifth Circuit Fight to Protect Mifepristone Access, Women’s Health Care
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he is leading Senate and House Democrats in filing an amicus brief pushing back against Louisiana’s attempt to reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone that would restrict critical access for patients in Oregon and across the nation. Following the Supreme Court’s stay of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ nationwide ban on telehealth access to mifepristone, Louisiana v. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) went back to … Continue Reading
July 23, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Demand Enhanced Wildfire Prevention and Response Assistance from Trump Administration
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today said they joined Senate colleagues in urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure all communities receive the federal resources they need to respond to and prevent wildfires in Oregon and across the nation. States can request financial assistance from FEMA through fire management assistance grants to help cover costs relating to emergencies, firefighting activities, and administrative costs. After a grant is … Continue Reading
July 21, 2026
Wyden Votes ‘No’ on Clayton for Top Intelligence Post
Washington, D.C. — Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., voted ‘no’ on the nomination of Jay Clayton to serve as the Director of National Intelligence, in a Senate Intelligence Committee vote today. “Mr. Clayton refused to tell the truth about the 2020 election because Donald Trump would not let him. He spread conspiracies about mail-in-voting and then hid behind the excuse that he was just asking questions. Finally, there are credible allegations that he provided false testimony to the committee during … Continue Reading
July 20, 2026
Wyden, Merkley Demand Civilian Protections, Greater Transparency for ICE Officers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today demanded stronger accountability measures for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers., urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to fulfill its previous commitments to deploy and expand the usage of body-worn cameras, strengthen officer identification requirements, and review enforcement protocols. The measures suggested by the Oregon senators along with more than 30 of their colleagues in a letter to … Continue Reading
July 16, 2026
Wyden: Clayton’s Humiliating Hearing Proves Reform Is the Only Path Forward on FISA Section 702
Washington, D.C. — Following the confirmation hearing for Director of National Intelligence nominee Jay Clayton, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the state of FISA Section 702: “Jay Clayton’s humiliating performance yesterday proved what I have said for months: the only path forward to renew Section 702 of FISA is reform. A man who will not even acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 election cannot be trusted to protect the American people from abuses of the most … Continue Reading
July 16, 2026
Wyden Demands Trump Admin to Protect Americans from Surveillance Backdoors and Stand Up to Proposed Canadian Spying Law
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today urged the Trump Administration to act quickly to protect U.S. national security and the safety of Americans’ communications from the serious threat posed by a proposed Canadian spying law, known as Bill C-22. Wyden warned that the law threatens to weaponize American technology, by forcing U.S. companies to secretly conduct surveillance of Americans, in a letter to Marco Rubio, in his capacity as the President’s National Security Advisor, … Continue Reading
July 16, 2026
Wyden, Colleagues Reintroduce Legislation to End Federal Ban of Marijuana
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to reintroduce legislation that would end the harmful federal prohibition of cannabis by removing cannabis from the list of federally controlled substances and empowering states to create their own laws. The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act would take a historic step toward fixing the failed policies of the War on Drugs, and would help federal law better reflect the will of the vast majority of … Continue Reading
July 15, 2026
Wyden, Blumenthal, Padilla Introduce Bill to Crack Down on Nitrous Products, Protect Kids
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif., today introduced legislation that would curb the rising abuse of nitrous oxide-related products among young Americans. “Companies need to be held accountable for predatory advertising that pushes these addictive products to kids,” Wyden said. “This is a public health issue, and just like I took on Big Tobacco years ago, I’m going to be on the forefront of protecting kids and … Continue Reading
July 15, 2026
Wyden, Colleagues Demand Action on Hidden Price-Gouging Delivery Fees
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to call on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to act swiftly to stop food and grocery delivery apps from using deceptive fees, surveillance pricing, and anti-consumer marketing tactics that drive up costs for consumers. The senators’ demand comes as the FTC is considering a rule to address these deceptive fees. “For millions of Americans, including busy parents and people with mobility issues, food delivery … Continue Reading
July 14, 2026
Wyden Votes ‘No’ on Flawed Military Bill to Fund Trump’s Idiotic War in Iran, Raise Gas Prices and Threaten Americans’ Privacy
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today voted no on the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, a massive bill that would have greenlit Trump’s endless war in Iran, devoted billions in unchecked military spending and included a host of provisions that would threaten Americans’ privacy and security. The bill failed to advance on a procedural vote. “I cannot support an outrageous $1.15 trillion in military spending while Donald Trump engages in an idiotic war with … Continue Reading
July 14, 2026
Oregon Delegation Welcomes Major Federal Investment in State’s Semiconductor Industry
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senate and House members welcomed today’s announcement that Frontiers of Advanced Semiconductor Technology (FAST), an Oregon consortium including nearly 100 partners from across the state, will receive up to $160 million from the U.S. National Science Foundation over the next decade to grow the state’s semiconductor ecosystem. Oregon State University is the administrative home for FAST. “It’s always a good day when Oregon takes our deserved spot in the “FAST … Continue Reading
July 14, 2026
Oregon Lawmakers Demand Trump Reverse Course on Plan to Suppress Oregon Voters
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Andrea Salinas, Val Hoyle, Maxine Dexter and Janelle Bynum today sounded the alarm on the Trump administration’s threat against Oregon election officials unless they adhere to the administration’s plan to create a national voter database, potentially nullifying the voter registration of millions of registered Oregon voters. “It is clear that after these attempts to secure access to sensitive … Continue Reading
July 14, 2026
Wyden, Pallone Sound Alarm on Devastating Impact of Big Ugly Bill on Maternal Health Care
Text of the Report (PDF) Washington, D.C. — Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., D-N.J., are sounding the alarm on the devastating impact that Trump and Republican’s Big Ugly Bill is having on the already weak maternal health care system in the U.S. “Maternity wards across America are shuttering their doors as a direct result of Republican Medicaid cuts,” said Wyden. “For all their talk about … Continue Reading
July 14, 2026
Wyden, Senate Democratic Leaders Blast Trump Family Greed Following New Financial Disclosures
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said today he has joined Senate Democratic colleagues in sounding the alarm on the Trump family’s blatant and unprecedented misuse of the office of the President to line their pockets with billions of dollars from the cryptocurrency industry. Joining Wyden, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, in sending the letter were the ranking members of four other influential committees in the Senate. These include Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., … Continue Reading