Press Releases
Merkley, Wyden Continue Transformative Federal Investments in Wildfire Prevention and Response in 2023 Funding Bill
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that they have secured major investments for wildfire suppression and forest health in the 2023 funding bill that is expected to pass both chambers of Congress and be signed into law by President Biden this week. The new funding comes on top of record investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act earlier in the year. The new legislation announced by the Senators also includes … Continue Reading
December 20, 2022
Wyden Statement on Passage of End Child Exploitation Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the passage of the End Child Exploitation Act Monday evening, with new cybersecurity provisions to prevent child exploitation images and videos from being stolen and further spread online: "Senators Cortez Masto and Blackburn deserve tremendous credit for writing this important legislation and bird-dogging it across the finish line. The End Child Exploitation Act will give law enforcement more time to respond … Continue Reading
December 20, 2022
Wyden Statement on Republican Leadership Blocking SAFE Banking Action this Congress
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the SAFE Banking Act: "I am frustrated and disappointed that after coming so close to meaningful cannabis reform this Congress, the Republican Leader and a handful of Republican senators thwarted our efforts to improve public safety. Because when you are forcing businesses to operate as cash only, it is a public safety issue. While action on SAFE Banking may no longer be possible in 2022, you better believe … Continue Reading
December 20, 2022
Wyden Calls for Transparency on Government Hacking of Americans’ Devices
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., requested basic transparency about the frequency of government hacking and legal justifications for use of hacking methods, including the possible use of foreign malware, in a letter to FBI Director Chris Wray. Earlier this year, the New York Times reported that the FBI seriously considered using a controversial hacking tool made by the foreign spyware firm NSO Group, and revealed that fact months after it claimed it only reviewed NSO's tool … Continue Reading
December 20, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce $3 Million Coming to OHSU for Overdose Prevention Research
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) is expected to receive $3.17 million over five years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the effectiveness of different harm reduction strategies at preventing overdoses and ways to expand access to these services for diverse communities. "The impact of the opioid crisis across Oregon's communities is immeasurable," said Senator Merkley. "This … Continue Reading
December 20, 2022
Wyden, Portman Urge National Science Foundation to Secure Americans’ Data with Encryption Technology
Washington, D.C. - To ensure government agencies can use data for research while protecting Americans' privacy and security, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, today urged the National Science Foundation (NSF) to secure Americans' information within the National Secure Data Service (NSDS) platform using advanced encryption technology. "The NSDS platform will enable government agencies to collaborate by using data for research projects. This research will help policy … Continue Reading
December 20, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: Eastern Oregon Receives $168,570 Home Repairs Grant
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the Communities in Action nonprofit has earned a $168,570 federal rural development grant to help low-income homeowners in Harney and Malheur counties make home repairs critical to health and safety. "Keeping up with essential home repairs can pose a significant challenge for low-income Oregonians, and this federal investment in Eastern Oregon will help ensure rural families can be safe in their homes," Wyden said. … Continue Reading
December 19, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce $150,000 Coming to Detroit to Support Water Distribution Improvements
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be awarding the City of Detroit $150,000 to help the city repair its drinking water distribution infrastructure, which sustained extensive damage during and after the 2020 Labor Day fires. This grant will help provide potable water to the community and support the rebuilding of the city's water system, and builds on a previous USDA grant the City received in 2021 … Continue Reading
December 19, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce $1.7 Million Coming to OSU for Cybersecurity Workforce Development
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced Oregon State University (OSU) is receiving $1,727,359 from the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) to prepare highly qualified cybersecurity professionals to serve in federal, state, local, and tribal governments. "We must be prepared to take on the threat of cyber attacks on our critical infrastructure, as they pose a significant security risk to our nation," said … Continue Reading
December 19, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Sound Alarm on Fossil Gas Pipeline Expansion, Not in the Public’s Best Interest
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Richard Glick, and FERC commissioners urging them to listen to the Oregon Attorney General and deny permits for TC Energy's Gas Transmission Northwest (GTN) Xpress project. ?"In order to reach a net-zero emissions economy by 2050, President Biden pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 52% by 2030, below 2005 levels," wrote Merkley and … Continue Reading
December 15, 2022
Wyden Votes No on Massive Military Policy Bill: NDAA Expands Military Spending, Fails to Hold Saudi Arabia Accountable
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement after voting against the National Defense Authorization Act today. "There's a lot to like in this year's defense policy bill-particularly a much needed pay raise for military service members and important investments to support our partners, Ukraine and Taiwan, in the face of growing Russian and Chinese aggression. I'm also proud of the successful results of a decades-long fight to move prosecution of major … Continue Reading
December 15, 2022
Wyden, Merkley Applaud Passage of Critical Wildfire Prevention and Response Measure
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today applauded the passage of a critical measure that supports the training of National Guard personnel on wildfire prevention and response in Oregon and nationwide. "I'm proud that Congress has passed my provision to support the Oregon National Guard with rapid response and wildfire prevention training," Wyden said. "This provision will help make sure that Oregon communities have the support they need from well-trained and … Continue Reading
December 15, 2022
Wyden Statement on Judicial Information Bill
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement objecting to the inclusion of a bill restricting the accessibility of information about judges and their family members. "I've been raising concerns about the judge information bill since July of 2021. Unfortunately, my concerns were ignored by the bill's authors, even after a host of civil liberties and government accountability groups highlighted serious concerns about how this bill will threaten free speech and the … Continue Reading
December 15, 2022
Wyden, Eshoo, Lesko Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Prevent Domestic Abusers from Targeting Survivors with Technology
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and U.S. Representatives Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., and Debbie Lesko, R-Arizona, today introduced bipartisan legislation to help prevent domestic abusers from using technology to stalk, harass or control survivors. Technology-enabled abuse takes many forms, from the most basic social media platforms and phone-based apps to specialty spyware apps, demonstrating that this sort of abuse does not require huge financial resources or complex … Continue Reading
December 15, 2022
Merkley, Wyden: Critical Initiatives to Modernize Oregon’s Dams and Flood Control Headed to the President’s Desk
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, today, announced critical projects and policy initiatives for Oregon included in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022 have passed the Senate as part of a year-end legislative package and will be sent to President Biden's desk to be signed into law. Their authorization sets the stage to secure funding for essential water infrastructure modernization efforts across the state. "For much of Oregon, our coast and … Continue Reading
December 14, 2022
Wyden Calls for Passage of the PRESS Act
If you don't have a free press, you don't have a democracy. Individual freedom and press freedom go hand in hand. If you want to see what happens when governments undermine and then eliminate the free press, look at Russia. Look at Saudi Arabia. Look at Iran. Information becomes a tool of power, abuse, and manipulation in the hands of the government rather than a tool of education, expression and enlightenment in the hands of the people. Let's be clear, the threat of government overreach … Continue Reading
December 14, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: $500,000 to Baker Technical Institute for Job Training to Clean Up Brownfield Sites
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that the Baker Technical Institute in Baker City will receive a $500,000 federal investment as one of 29 grant recipients nationwide to recruit, train and place workers in community revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield sites, abandoned land polluted by industrial practices. "Too many communities in our state, large and small, have been hurt by polluted land, and can benefit immensely from the community … Continue Reading
December 14, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: $200,000 to Community and Shelter Assistance (CASA) to Assist in Development of Long-Term Affordable Housing
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Community and Shelter Assistance (CASA) in Oregon will receive $200,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide ongoing management of long-term affordable housing in communities all over the state. "As we enter the coldest months of the year, I'm gratified to see federal dollars go to keeping roofs overhead for Oregonians in communities throughout the state," Wyden said. "While building more … Continue Reading
December 14, 2022
Oregon Lawmakers Honor Portland Thorns in Senate and House Resolutions
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed a resolution introduced by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to congratulate the Portland Thorns for winning the 2022 National Women's Soccer League championship. A similar resolution has been introduced in the House by U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici. The Thorns' 2-0 victory on Oct. 29 in the NWSL championship game over Kansas City made the Portland franchise the first in league history to win three titles. "The … Continue Reading
December 13, 2022
Wyden, Merkley Applaud Passage of Legislation Awarding Congressional Gold Medal to Heroes Killed in 2012 Benghazi Consulate Attack
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today applauded the passage of bipartisan legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith in recognition of their service to defend the United States of America. Doherty, Woods, Stevens, and Smith were killed in the September 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. "Tyrone Woods was a native of Portland, Oregon, who died alongside Glen Doherty, J. … Continue Reading
