Press Releases
Wyden To Hold Town Halls in Crook and Josephine Counties
Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will have open-to-all, in-person town halls on May 22 in Crook County and on May 24 in Josephine County. Wyden has already held 23 town halls so far throughout Oregon in 2023 - and 1,050 town halls overall statewide in fulfillment of his pledge to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon's 36 counties. "The 'Oregon Way' is all about throwing open the doors of democracy so everybody in every part of our state has the … Continue Reading
May 10, 2023
Merkley, Wyden Support Bill to Boost America’s Public School Teachers
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden are cosponsoring the EDUCATORS for America Act, major legislation that would help raise student achievement and rebuild the educator pipeline by supporting the development and retention of effective educators. The bill would strengthen the educator workforce, address the shortage of teachers, and support comprehensive educator preparation. "Teachers and educators have the ability to inspire, encourage, and spark creativity … Continue Reading
May 09, 2023
Sens. Wyden, Crapo, Reps. Kelly, Higgins Lead Legislation to Honor Medal of Honor Recipients
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and U.S. Representatives Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., today led members of Congress to introduce legislation in the Senate and House designating U.S. Highway 20 between Newport, Ore. and New England as the “National Medal of Honor Highway.” “I’m proud to have worked closely with veterans in Oregon and nationwide in the grassroots movement to designate America’s … Continue Reading
May 09, 2023
Wyden, Colleagues Urging ATF to Fully Implement Federal Rules to Help Close the Gun Seller Background Check Loophole
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today joined colleagues to urge the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to implement federal rules to help close the gun seller background check loophole. "Today, we write to highlight one directive in particular: the President's clarion call to clarify the definition of who is "engaged in the business" of dealing in firearms-a step that moves us closer to closing the background check loophole. The background check loophole in … Continue Reading
May 09, 2023
Merkley, Wyden Announce Support for Bill to Boost Child Care and Pre-K Access for Families
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden are cosponsoring the Child Care for Working Families Act, comprehensive legislation to tackle the child care crisis and ensure families across America can find and afford the high-quality child care they need. "Child care is essential for the success of working families across Oregon, but I hear at nearly every town hall from hardworking families about the burdens of the extremely high costs and lack of high-quality child … Continue Reading
May 08, 2023
Oregon Lawmakers: $52 Million USDA Seafood Purchasing Agreement to Boost Oregon’s Economy
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Oregon's U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), Val Hoyle (D-OR-04), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR-05), and Andrea Salinas (D-OR-06), announced today that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved $52 million to purchase Pacific Groundfish and Seafood Products. This approved funding comes after Merkley led colleagues this past February in a letter to USDA pushing for more support to … Continue Reading
May 05, 2023
Wyden, Brown, Sanders, Warren, Fetterman and Markey Call For Delay in New Rural Carrier Evaluation System, Raise Concerns about Use of Flawed Technology to Track Carriers
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., with Senators Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Edward Markey, D-Mass., called on Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to delay pay cuts for thousands of rural letter carriers slated to go into effect under a new U.S. Postal Service policy. The senators voiced concerns about the Rural Route Evaluated Compensation System (RRECS), an automated system to determine carrier … Continue Reading
May 04, 2023
Wyden, Merkley: Rogue Valley International Airport Earns Federal Investment of More than $800,000
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Rogue Valley International Airport has earned more than $800,000 in federal funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to rebuild its contract tower. "Safe air travel for residents of southern Oregon and visitors to the region requires regular infrastructure investments just like this one," Wyden said. "I'm glad the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I worked to pass is paying immediate dividends for the Rogue … Continue Reading
May 03, 2023
Wyden, Merkley Ask Feds to Help Oregon Communities with National Flood Insurance Program
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today asked federal officials to provide technical assistance to Oregon communities working through the potential local impacts to housing, ports and small businesses from a draft plan proposing changes in the state to the National Flood Insurance Program. The senators also requested in their letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that the upcoming May 5 deadline for public comment during the scoping process on the … Continue Reading
May 02, 2023
Wyden, Colleagues Urge IRS to Address Threat of Tax Scams Generated by ChatGPT
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today along with Senators Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and James Lankford, R-Okla., sounded the alarm on the potential use of artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT, to generate persuasive, tailored scams intended to rob Americans by getting access to their personal financial information. "In previous tax filing seasons, many scam messages could be identified by spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and inaccurate … Continue Reading
May 02, 2023
Wyden, Merkley, Democratic Colleagues File Amicus Brief Urging Fifth Circuit to Reverse Texas District Court’s Ruling on Mifepristone
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with 253 members of Congress, submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit today in the case of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, urging the Court to reverse the district court's stay on the FDA's more than 20-year-old approval of mifepristone. In April, the Supreme Court issued a stay of the lower court ruling that allows mifepristone to remain on the market while the case is under … Continue Reading
May 02, 2023
Sen. Wyden, Reps. Matsui, McHenry Urge Bakers to Stop Unnecessarily Adding Sesame to Baked Goods
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and U.S. Representatives Doris Matsui, D-Calif., and Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., today led a letter urging bakers to stop unnecessarily adding sesame to baked goods and protect consumers with sesame allergies. “The dangerous practice of adding sesame to baked goods that have not previously contained the ingredient, often without notice, undermines the trust that people with food allergies place in the food industry,” the … Continue Reading
May 01, 2023
Merkley, Wyden Announce $10 Million Coming to Oregon for Water Conservation Projects
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that Central Oregon, Eastern Oregon and the Portland metro area will receive more than $10 million collectively in federal resources from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and annual appropriations for water conservation projects. These projects will help make water supplies in the region more resilient to drought and climate change. "Reliable water supply is vital for our communities, farmers and ranchers, … Continue Reading
April 28, 2023
Wyden To Hold Town Hall in Hood River County
Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will have an open-to-all, in-person town hall at 1 pm on Sunday, May 7 at Hood River Valley High School. Wyden has already held 22 town halls so far throughout Oregon in 2023 - and 1,049 town halls overall statewide in fulfillment of his pledge to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon's 36 counties. "I'm very much looking forward to answering questions and hearing from Oregonians of all ages in Hood River County about … Continue Reading
April 28, 2023
Wyden, Merkley: Seven Oregon Airports Secure Nearly $14 Million for Improvements
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Oregon airports in Washington, Jackson, Multnomah, Morrow, Curry, Coos and Malheur counties have earned nearly $14 million collectively in federal investment for improvements. "Airports are essential pieces of infrastructure that propel the economy and contribute to better quality of life for all Oregonians in every corner of our state," Wyden said. "These federal investments will make these airports in rural and … Continue Reading
April 28, 2023
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Reintroduce Legislation to Ensure Doctors Can Provide Legal Abortion Care, Protect Providers from Out of State Extremists
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that they and Senate colleagues have reintroduced legislation that would protect abortion providers in Oregon and nationwide from Republicans' attempts to restrict their practice and create uncertainty about their legal liability. "Abortion access in Oregon remains legal and I will fight with all my heart to protect providers in Oregon and nationwide from extremist Republican schemes to undermine reproductive care and … Continue Reading
April 27, 2023
Wyden, Merkley: $3.7 Million in Federal Resources for Drought to Focus on Klamath Basin
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that the Klamath Basin will be the focus of an additional $3.7 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for drought resiliency. This Interior Department investment building on previous department investments to restore aquatic ecosystems and salmon in the basin comes in response to an October 2022 letter from Wyden and Merkley seeking drought relief for the Klamath Basin. "The major drought that's slammed the … Continue Reading
April 27, 2023
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $2 Million Coming to Oregon for Fish Passage Projects
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is awarding Oregon a total of $2,039,061 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support fish passage projects in Benton, Crook, Douglas, and Lane Counties. This funding will go to support removing barriers to Oregon rivers and streams. "Fish and wildlife play an integral part in keeping our ecosystems healthy, and the health of our communities goes … Continue Reading
April 26, 2023
Wyden Statement on Senate Republicans Blocking Veterans Bill Over Cannabis Research Provisions
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement after a group of Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan veterans bill over provisions requiring the U.S. Department of Affairs (VA) to study medical cannabis to help veterans suffering from PTSD: "This group of Senate Republicans is so caught up in 'reefer madness' they chose to deny health care and other essential benefits for our veterans, all because they don't want the VA to research cannabis. It's … Continue Reading
April 26, 2023
Wyden Co-Sponsors SAFE Banking Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today co-sponsored the SAFE Banking Act, legislation to ensure cannabis businesses in Oregon and other states with legal cannabis can access financial services. The legislation was introduced by U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Steve Daines, D-Mont., and U.S. Representatives Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. Wyden released the following statement: "It is absolutely mind-boggling that after decades of progress at the … Continue Reading
