Press Releases
Merkley, Wyden Announce More than $3 Million to Help Safeguard Water Supplies around Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announce a total of $3,052,940 in federal funding is headed to three projects across the state to combat record drought conditions throughout the west, including Oregon. These federal investments are intended to safeguard local water supplies in response the extreme drought and weather events. "Between record droughts and raging megafires, Oregon and other Western states have been hit hard over the last couple of years," … Continue Reading
July 07, 2022
Wyden, Merkley, Blumenauer: More than $18.4 Million to Portland International Airport for Improvements That Will Lower Emissions
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with Congressman Earl Blumenauer today announced that Portland International Airport (PDX) will receive more than $18.4 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for improvements to heating and cooling systems that will dramatically lower energy demand by 83 percent. "Portland's airport has grown so much in the past few years-in size, overall use and in sustainability practices," Wyden said. "The Bipartisan Infrastructure … Continue Reading
July 01, 2022
Wyden Secures Commitment from Airlines To Offer X Gender Option For Nonbinary Customers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today commended domestic airlines for committing to offer a ticket option for nonbinary customers by 2024. In a letter to Airlines for America, which represents domestic carriers, he thanked them for the commitment, which came in response to inquiries by Wyden and LGBTQ+ advocates. "The right to have documents and paperwork that reflect their identity is an essential protection for trans, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming Americans - … Continue Reading
July 01, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: La Pine to Receive $17.7 Million for Crucial Water Infrastructure Upgrades
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that the City of La Pine will receive more than $17.7 million in a combination of loans and grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for municipal water improvements to transition away from septic systems which are contaminating groundwater for residents and small businesses. "The people in this part of Deschutes County have long suffered from groundwater contamination from the septic systems," said … Continue Reading
July 01, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: More than $1.2 Million to Airports in Roseburg and North Bend for Vital Improvements
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Roseburg Regional Airport and Southwest Oregon Regional Airport in North Bend will receive more than $1.2 million combined from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for improvements and expansions. "Oregonians and small businesses in rural parts of the state count on reliable air service and modern infrastructure to send their products and generate local jobs," Wyden said. "The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law I am … Continue Reading
June 30, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: OSU Earns Federal Funds to Research Ways of Limiting Wildfire Spread
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Oregon State University has earned $265,000 in federal funds to improve models used by fire managers to help them contain wildfires and employ prescribed burns as a tool to reduce the risk of wildfires in Oregon and nationwide. "This well-deserved award for OSU is timely and welcome news for communities throughout Oregon and the West facing the dire threat from wildfires to lives and livelihoods," Wyden said. "I … Continue Reading
June 29, 2022
Wyden Welcomes News Effectively Ending Process That Would Have Led to Reduced Care for Eastern Oregon Veterans
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today welcomed news effectively ending a process that threatened to reduce physical and mental health services for Eastern Oregon veterans. The news this week that Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.), U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and a bipartisan group of senators will block the veterans Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission comes amid Wyden pressing the Veterans Administration (VA) through town halls Wyden … Continue Reading
June 29, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Join Murray and Colleagues in Letter to President Biden Urging for Bold and Immediate Action to Protect Abortion Access in a Post-Roe America
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and 31 Democratic Senators in a letter to President Joe Biden pushing for bold action to protect the right to abortion after the Supreme Court released their final opinion in the case of?Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, effectively changing the precedent set by?Roe v. Wade?and forever changing the right to abortion for Americans. "Now is the time for bold action to protect the … Continue Reading
June 29, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Urge the Biden Administration to Protect Coastal Communities, Cease?Expansion?of?Offshore?Oil and Gas Leasing
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) in a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary, Deb Haaland, urging the Department to protect coastal communities across the nation by including no new leasing across all planning areas in any proposed or final five-year outer continental shelf (OCS) oil and gas leasing program?currently?under development by the Bureau?of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) within the Department of the Interior (DOI). … Continue Reading
June 24, 2022
Wyden Statement on the Overturning of Roe v. Wade
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on the Supreme Court decision to overturn of Roe v. Wade: "Today's radical decision to overturn Roe v. Wade tosses out a half century of legal precedent, curtails the fundamental rights of women, and jeopardizes the health and safety of millions of people across the country. These radical Justices have ensured American women today have fewer rights than their grandmothers had decades ago - rights that … Continue Reading
June 24, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Call on Mental Health Apps to Provide Answers on Patient Data Privacy and Sharing Practices
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden this week pressed two leading mental health companies over the use of patients' personal health data, following reports that mental health apps are collecting, mining, and disseminating private client information to third parties, including data brokers and Big Tech companies like Google and Facebook. "We have long been concerned about the misuse of personal data by Big Tech companies and unscrupulous data brokers, especially for the purpose of … Continue Reading
June 24, 2022
Wyden Announces Town Halls for Sherman and Morrow Counties
Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced upcoming live on-line town halls hosted on Wednesday, July 6 by People's Town Hall for residents of Sherman and Morrow counties. Heading into these upcoming virtual town halls, Wyden has held 1,022 town halls statewide in fulfillment of his pledge to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon's 36 counties. "I've kept my promise to hold annual town halls in each of our state's 36 counties because Oregonians in every nook and … Continue Reading
June 23, 2022
Wyden Secures Provisions to Protect Whistleblowers, Bolster Cybersecurity, and End Denial of Security Clearances Based on Past Cannabis Use in 2023 Intelligence Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., secured key provisions that protect Intelligence Community whistleblowers, bolster cybersecurity, and end the denial of security clearances for potential intelligence community employees based on past cannabis use, all in the 2023 Intelligence Authorization Act that passed the Senate Intelligence Committee Wednesday afternoon. Wyden, a senior member of the Intelligence Committee, applauded the committee for including his provisions in the … Continue Reading
June 23, 2022
Wyden, Lummis, Whitehouse, Rubio and Hagerty Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Americans’ Private Data from Hostile Foreign Governments
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Senator Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Senator Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., introduced bipartisan legislation today to create new protections against Americans' sensitive personal information being sold or transferred to high-risk foreign countries. "Right now it's perfectly legal for a company in China to buy huge databases of sensitive information from data brokers about the movements … Continue Reading
June 23, 2022
Wyden, Merkley Join Bipartisan Push to Strengthen Veteran Health Care in Rural Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week joined with senators from both parties to ask the Senate Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs for a $20 million budget increase to the VA's Office of Rural Health. "Congress must ensure the VA has the resources necessary to reach all of our veterans, no matter where they live," Wyden, Merkley and the other senators wrote. "Our rural veterans have earned the right to quality, timely, and accessible care." The senators' goal is … Continue Reading
June 22, 2022
Wyden, Fischer, Grassley, Tester Cattle Market Reform Bill Passes Agriculture Committee
Washington, D.C. - The bipartisan cattle market reform bill cosponsored by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden passed out of the Senate Agriculture Committee today by voice vote, and is now eligible for a final vote on the Senate floor. "This takes a significant step to restore fairness and reform a marketplace now benefiting only a few corporate meat packers, while unjustly hurting Oregon's family ranchers and artificially driving up beef prices for consumers," Wyden said. "I'm glad our bipartisan bill … Continue Reading
June 22, 2022
Congressman DeFazio and Senator Wyden Send Letter to Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Oregon Coast Offshore Wind Project
WASHINGTON - Today, Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-04) and Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden sent a bicameral letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) about their significant concerns with the ongoing siting process for offshore wind facilities off the southern Oregon coast. BOEM has issued Call Areas for potential offshore wind leasing off Coos Bay and Brookings. These Call Areas are the first step in the leasing process and are meant to assess commercial interest and public input on … Continue Reading
June 21, 2022
Wyden, Merkley Welcome Biden Administration Announcement on Federal Wildland Firefighter Pay, Renew Call for Immediate Implementation of Changes
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley welcomed today's announcement from the Biden administration on its plans to increase federal wildland firefighter pay and establish a new occupational series for these firefighters as required by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Following up on a letter they sent to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) last week, the senators today renewed their call for the administration to immediately implement these changes which are one … Continue Reading
June 21, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: More than $1 Million to Oregon for Sagebrush Conservation
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week announced that more than $1 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds will go to Oregon projects conserving sagebrush ecosystems. These projects will combat invasive grasses, safeguard precious water resources, prevent wildfire, and promote community and economic sustainability. "Oregon sagebrush restoration and conservation projects curb destructive, wildfire-causing invasive grasses, while also contributing to the … Continue Reading
June 21, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Introduce My Body, My Data Act to Protect Reproductive Health Data
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today introduced legislation that would protect personal reproductive health data in response to the leaked draft decision indicating the Supreme Court's plans to overturn Roe v. Wade. "The draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe shows that the fundamental rights of a woman over her own body and privacy are on the chopping block. Congress needs to step up and offer real protections for people seeking reproductive health care, and lots of people … Continue Reading
