Press Releases
Wyden, Smith Introduce "Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2007"
Washington, D.C. - Working for the permanent preservation of an additional 128,600 acres surrounding Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith today introduced the "Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2007." The legislation builds on previous efforts to establish a Mount Hood wilderness area, incorporating comments from over 100 community groups and local governments, members of the Oregon Congressional delegation, the governor and the Bush … Continue Reading
April 04, 2007
Wyden to Head Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
Washington , D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) was today appointed chairman of the U.S. Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee. The chairmanship will provide an important platform for Wyden to act on the nation's foremost environmental and natural resource issues."I am honored by this opportunity to assist Chairman Bingaman in protecting our nation's wilderness and public lands, promote sustainable and wise use of our natural resources, and champion important legislation like … Continue Reading
April 04, 2007
Senators Introduce Multi-Year County Payments Renewal
Washington, D.C. - Struggling rural schools and communities were thrown a lifeline today by a bipartisan coalition of U.S. Senators, when they offered a multi-year proposal to restore funding for the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act, commonly known as the county payments law. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden offered the amendment to the 2007 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill with the support of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and U.S. Senators Max Baucus … Continue Reading
April 04, 2007
Senate Moves to Declassify CIA Report on 9/11
Washington, DC - U.S. Senate legislation to implement unfinished recommendations of the 9/11 commission includes a bipartisan amendment to declassify the Executive Summary of the CIA Inspector General's Report on 9/11. The CIA report is the only major 9/11 government review that has not been made public, a fact that the Vice Chairman of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Kit Bond (R-MO) and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), a senior member of the Intelligence Committee, have spent … Continue Reading
April 04, 2007
Bipartisan Blueprint for Health ReformTen Senate Leaders Say, "Let's Fix Health Care Now."Senators of Both Parties Hope to Work with the President
Washington, D.C. - In an strong message to President George W. Bush, 10 senators - five from each party - today sent a straightforward letter to the President inviting him to work with them to fix the nation's health care system. The Senators, from different parts of the country and different parts of the political spectrum, have one thing in common: each of them believes that that the status quo on health care is unacceptable. Further delay is intolerable as costs continue to skyrocket, our … Continue Reading
April 04, 2007
Snowe, Wyden Act to Require HHS Secretaryto Negotiate or Medicare Prescription Drugs
Washington D.C. - U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), both members of the Senate Finance Committee, are slated tomorrow to introduce legislation to make the Medicare program a "smarter shopper" by requiring the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate with drug companies for prices under certain circumstances."The rapidly escalating price of prescription drugs threatens to undermine the very drug benefit Congress passed to deliver real savings to … Continue Reading
April 04, 2007
Wyden Introduces the "Stop Arming Iran Act"
Washington , D.C. - Working to end the Iranian government's acquisition of sensitive military equipment, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, introduced legislation today that would prohibit the Pentagon from selling surplus parts and equipment for F-14 fighter aircraft. Wyden's legislation would also prohibit the export of F-14 parts already sold. "There is no good reason for the United States to be putting surplus F-14 parts on the … Continue Reading
April 04, 2007
Senators Demand that EPA Protect Northwesterners' Health in Setting National Benzene Standards
Washington, D.C. - Citing how an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed rule could fail to significantly reduce levels of a cancer-causing chemical in the Pacific Northwest, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Gordon Smith (R-OR), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) today wrote EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson questioning why the agency is proposing to regulate the chemical in a way that could leave levels in the Northwest higher than other parts of the country.EPA currently … Continue Reading
January 24, 2007
West Coast Senators Put County Payments on Senate Agenda
Washington, D.C. - A bipartisan coalition of West Coast Senators today announced the introduction of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Reauthorization Act of 2007, legislation that would restore funding for the critical "county payments" law by reauthorizing the successful program for seven years. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests, introduced a bill with U.S. Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK), Patty Murray (D-WA), … Continue Reading
January 23, 2007
Wyden Reacts to the State of the Union
Statement of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) in response to President George W. Bush's State of the Union speech:"At community meetings from Oregon to Maine, two topics dominate: Iraq and health care. I want to work in a bipartisan manner on both issues and I want to keep my door open to the Bush Administration on both of these issues."Thus far, the President has not convinced me that overstretching our military even further is going to make a bit of difference in Iraq and I will oppose the … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Pension Reform Bill with Key Provision for PGE Employees Now Heads to President
Washington, DC A provision by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith to help Portland General Electric (PGE) employees catch up on their retirement savings was included in a major pension reform bill passed by the full U.S. Senate late last night.Many PGE employees lost much of their retirement savings through Enrons unforgivable actions, Wyden said. This catch-up language will help the folks hurt by Enron to rebuild their retirement savings."No one should be faced with a loss of their … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden, Dorgan Raise Security Concerns at Army Explosives Plant
Washington, DC - After learning of disturbing allegations of lax security at the Holston Army Ammunition Plant in Kingsport, Tennessee, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) are calling for an immediate investigation into the practices of Wackenhut Corporation, the private contractor responsible for security at the facility. The Holston plant produces explosives used in U.S. weapons systems, including the Sidewinder, Hellfire, Tomahawk and Javelin missiles. As one Army … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden Blocks Two Interior Department Nominees over County Payments Funding
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, keeping his promise to block Administration nominees until there is "an acceptable way to fully fund county payments," today placed a "hold" on the nominations of two Interior Department nominees: John Ray Correll, nominated to be Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and Mark Myers, nominated to be a Director of the United States Geological Survey. The county payments law provides vital funding for rural schools, roads … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden, Grassley, Senate Rules Committee Leaders Announce Offensive Against Secret Holds
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Trent Lott (R-MS) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) today announced a new offensive against the Senate's practice of secret holds, under which a single Senator can block legislation or a nominee without revealing his or her identity.Wyden has worked with Grassley for more than a decade to end the practice of secret holds. Their amendment requiring a Senator who places a hold to make it public within three days was included in the … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden slams Administrationproposal for salmon disaster relief
Newport, OR - After meeting with commercial fishers in Newport to discuss the Administration's latest response to the salmon fishery crisis, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today blasted the Commerce Department for proposing Small Business Administration (SBA) loans to help salmon fishers instead of direct aid or a declaration of a commercial fishery failure."What our fishing communities needed to hear from the Secretary of Commerce is that real help is on the way now," Wyden said. "Instead, our … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
White House budget proposes 50% cutto County Payments funding
Portland, Ore. The Administration today released its FY2007 budget plan, which includes a 50 percent funding cut to the successful Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (or county payments). Under the White House proposal, Oregon counties would see a $650 million reduction, including $85 million that currently goes into Oregon classrooms.Governing is about priorities, and this proposal to cut funding to rural counties by 50 percent tells rural Oregon that were not very … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden: Intelligence Reports Overclassified, Public Should Have Access to More
Washington, DC - Following the Senate Intelligence Committee's release of two of five planned reports on pre-war Iraq intelligence, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today criticized the excessive classification of the report and said he would urge an independent board that oversees classification of information to review the documents to determine if in fact too much was kept secret.Wyden, who serves on the Intelligence Committee, said he would ask the Public Interest Declassification Board to examine … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
U.S. Senate passes Defense spending bill with millionsfor Oregon nanotech, other defense projects
Washington, D.C. - The full U.S. Senate last night approved its Defense appropriations bill, which includes millions of dollars in funding for Oregon projects advocated by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith. In addition to more than $11 million for Oregon nanotechnology projects through the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), the legislation includes significant funding for research and development of new medical, energy and other technologies with the potential … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden, Smith Introduce Mount Hood and Columbia River Gorge Wilderness Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith today will introduce legislation to permanently protect more than 128,000 acres of wilderness on Mount Hood and in the Columbia River Gorge - an increase of almost 70 percent over existing wilderness protections.The Senators' bill also would grant Wild and Scenic River protections to more than 80 additional miles of rivers in Oregon. It would create more than 18,000 acres of Mount Hood National Recreation Areas, improving access for … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Sen. Wyden co-sponsors no permanent bases resolution for Iraq
Washington, DC U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today signed on as a co-sponsor of an amendment to express the sense of Congress that the United States should not establish permanent military bases in Iraq or exercise control over the natural resources of Iraq. The provision will be offered as an amendment to the emergency supplemental appropriations bill currently being debated in the U.S. Senate."We need to send a message to the Iraqi people and the rest of the world that the United States is not in … Continue Reading
