Press Releases
Merkley, Wyden, Bonamici: FEMA Must Award Critical Disaster Mitigation Funds to an Oregon Coast Project
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, as well as U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), today demanded the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) immediately award Clatsop County and Columbia Memorial Hospital (CMH) $20,845,683 in federal funding that was provided under the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. “We urge you to honor FEMA's commitments and award Clatsop … Continue Reading
September 03, 2025
Wyden Applauds Victory for C-SPAN; After Pressure From Wyden, YouTube TV and Hulu Agree to Carry Government Access Channel In Streaming Packages
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., applauded the announcement that YouTube TV and Hulu will carry C-SPAN, following pressure from Wyden and other members on streaming TV companies to support public access to unfiltered news about government actions. “I’m glad YouTube and Hulu decided to do the right thing and support C-SPAN, one of the most reliable and non-partisan sources of information about what the government is up to. C-SPAN is a refreshing antidote to the poisonous … Continue Reading
August 28, 2025
Wyden Announces Town Halls in Tillamook and Lincoln Counties
Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will hold open-to-all town halls next week in Tillamook and Lincoln counties. Heading into these two town halls on Sept. 5-6, Wyden has held 1,134 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. “I’m very much looking forward to these two town halls on the Oregon Coast because these community meetings provide everybody an opportunity to voice opinions, ask questions … Continue Reading
August 28, 2025
Wyden, Merkley Announce More Than $17 Million to be Invested in Oregon Rural Airports under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced more than $17 million will be invested in airports throughout Oregon thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law they supported in 2021 during the Biden administration. “I’m gratified that logical policies like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continue to deliver much-needed infrastructure investments to rural communities throughout Oregon,” Wyden said. “I will keep up the fight for common-sense policies and funding … Continue Reading
August 26, 2025
Merkley, Wyden, Bonamici Express Concern Over the Closure of Providence Seaside’s Birthing Center
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, and U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), are expressing serious concern over the planned closure of labor and delivery services at Providence Seaside and call on Providence Health & Services to support families and clinicians affected by the decision. Last week, Providence announced that, on October 4, the Seaside hospital would end obstetrics and inpatient newborn care. The lawmakers sent a letter to … Continue Reading
August 25, 2025
Wyden Calls For Independent Review of Federal Judicial Cybersecurity Following Massive Hack of Secret Court Files
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called on Chief Justice John Roberts to commission a comprehensive review of the federal court system’s cybersecurity practices, following the second major hack of the courts’ electronic case management system in the past five years. This system was hacked by multiple foreign actors in 2020, and yet federal courts refused to make details about the incident public, or to require even basic cybersecurity protections such as multifactor … Continue Reading
August 20, 2025
Wyden, Merkley Call for Investigation, Sanctions for Israeli Settlers’ Violence and Obstruction of Aid in Gaza
Washington D.C.- U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., today announced they are joining Senate colleagues in demanding the Trump administration act immediately on reports that Israeli settlers are blocking humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza and attacking Palestinian civilians, including U.S. citizens, in the West Bank. “We write to express our grave concern over reports that Israeli settlers (settlers) are obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza and engaging … Continue Reading
August 19, 2025
Wyden, Merkley Announce $1 Million Grant to Establish a New Mobile Integrated Health Program in Wheeler County
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., today announced an investment of $1 million for the Oregon Office of Rural Health (ORH) to help improve access to healthcare in Wheeler County. “With Trump’s cruel cuts to Medicaid, rural healthcare is on life support right now and needs thoughtful and meaningful backing to prevent it from flatlining,” Wyden said. “I’m gratified this grant will support Wheeler County’s efforts to strengthen local health services and … Continue Reading
August 13, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici, Hoyle, Salinas, Bynum, Dexter Statement on Antisemitism and Hate
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Janelle Bynum and Maxine Dexter today issued the following statement on antisemitism and hate in response to recent hateful acts in Oregon. “Speaking out against antisemitism and hate rooted in identity tests our values as Oregonians. Standing against hate means standing up for fundamental human rights everywhere. We condemn rising antisemitism in all its forms. We … Continue Reading
August 11, 2025
Wyden Presses Trump Administration on Rural Oregon Counties’ Concerns over Republican Budget
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today pressed the Trump administration to clarify that the bill congressional Republicans passed at the president’s demand won’t hurt rural Oregon counties and communities by upending longstanding forest management revenue sharing arrangements with the federal government that provide counties significant revenues for local roads, schools, law enforcement and more. In separate letters to U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Chief Tom Schultz and Acting Bureau of … Continue Reading
August 07, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Request Report Detailing Looming Health Insurance Impacts Following Unprecedented Republican-Led Cuts to Medicaid, Premium Tax Credits
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said today he is leading Senate colleagues, including Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., in requesting a detailed analysis of how Republican-led cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act will affect Americans’ health insurance plans. “We are deeply concerned about the impacts of actions that Trump and Republicans have taken, including finalizing rules that will ensnare Americans in needless red tape, diminish benefits, increase copayments, and stand up … Continue Reading
August 07, 2025
Wyden Announces Five Oregon Town Halls in August
Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will hold open-to-all town halls this month in Polk, Jefferson, Josephine, Benton and Clatsop counties. Heading into these five town halls from August 14-23, Wyden has held 1,129 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. “I’m looking forward to these town halls in communities large and small because hearing my fellow Oregonians’ opinions and answering their … Continue Reading
August 06, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Press Private Student Loan Lenders on Plans for Borrowers After Republicans Slash Access to Federal Loans
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., said today they have joined Senate colleagues to press major private student loan lenders on their plans to serve the incoming surge of borrowers pushed their way because of the Republicans’ recently passed budget bill. The legislation, in addition to stripping health insurance and food assistance from millions of Americans, will also hurt families by drastically cutting access to federal student loans, driving families … Continue Reading
August 05, 2025
Merkley, Wyden Announce $22 Million to Support Working Forestland and Tribal Access in Eastern Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is awarding $22 million to the Qapqapa Wildlife Area project in Northeast Oregon’s Union County, which will be co-managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW). This funding through the Forest Legacy Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture will restore traditional Tribal access for … Continue Reading
August 05, 2025
Wyden, Merkley Announce $2.2 Million for Rural Broadband Technical Assistance in Oregon
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., today announced more than $2.2 million in funding to help expand high-speed internet in communities across rural Oregon. “It is more important now than ever to have reliable access to the internet, especially for rural Oregonians who depend on emergency updates for natural disasters, accessing telehealth options, student research and so much more,” Wyden said. “But for too many communities in rural Oregon, it can be … Continue Reading
August 04, 2025
Merkley, Wyden Announce Senate Passage of Critical Community-Initiated Projects
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced essential investments for Oregon families and rural and underserved communities passed the Senate, including five community-initiated projects for communities across the state championed by the Senators. These investments were included in the first package of Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) funding bills that cleared the chamber with bipartisan support. As Congress holds the power of the purse, this government … Continue Reading
August 04, 2025
Dexter, Wyden, Merkley Announce Nearly $1 Million for Clean Water Infrastructure in Gresham
GRESHAM, OR — Today, Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-03) and U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced that the City of Gresham received $959,752 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for essential upgrades to Gresham’s Wastewater Treatment Plant to remove ammonia in the waste streams created by growth in the semiconductor industry. The funding was secured by members of the Oregon delegation as an essential community project included in the Fiscal Year 2024 government … Continue Reading
August 01, 2025
Wyden Seeks Answers from Key Financial Regulator on Trump’s Crypto Conflicts of Interest
Washington, D.C. - Amid the Trump family’s explosion in wealth from its activity in cryptocurrency, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) wrote this week to the head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), a key stablecoin regulator, seeking detailed information about any steps the agency is taking to ensure Donald Trump’s enormous conflicts of interest do not interfere with its work to help maintain the stability of the U.S. financial system. “The launch of a stablecoin directly … Continue Reading
August 01, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Urge Administration to Reinstate EPA Employees Retaliated Against for Exercising Free Speech Rights
Washington, DC- U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-Ore.) said today they have joined 15 Senate colleagues in pressing the federal Environmental Protection Agency to reinstate employees placed on administrative leave after signing a “Declaration of Dissent” expressing concern with the agency’s direction under the Trump administration. “We write to you with deep concerns regarding recent reporting that you placed more than 140 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees on … Continue Reading
August 01, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Call for Restoration of Voting Rights Act
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., said today they have joined Senate colleagues in reintroducing legislation that would update and restore critical safeguards of the original Voting Rights Act of 1965 that federal court rulings have eroded in recent years. “Six decades after Congress passed the landmark Voting Rights Act, Americans face new barriers blocking their fundamental right to vote,” Wyden said. “Passing voting rights protections has never been … Continue Reading
