Press Releases
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
December 13, 2022
Wyden and Federal Agencies To Host Dec. 14 Webinar for Oregonians on New Broadband Map
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he and federal broadband officials will be hosting a virtual discussion on Wednesday, Dec. 14 for Oregonians to provide their input on the design of new broadband maps that accurately capture where dead spots must be addressed. The virtual discussion beginning at 12:30 pm PT (1:30 pm MT) on Dec. 14 with officials from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Technology and Information Administration (NTIA) is … Continue Reading
December 08, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce $42 Million to Support Oregonians' Health Care and Supportive Services for Oregonians
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that Oregon is receiving $39,664,611 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve critical public health infrastructure serving Oregonians and $2,347,258 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support the housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. "It's vital that patients and their families receive timely, quality care and crucial wraparound supports," said … Continue Reading
December 07, 2022
Wyden, Merkley, Senators Emphasize Western Drought and Conservation in Bipartisan Letter
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to give parity to the priorities of growers and communities in Oregon and the West through existing authorities, new funding, and collaboration across government. "The American West is in crisis. Across the major basins of the American West - including the Colorado River Basin, the Rio Grande Basin, the Great Basin, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Basin, the Columbia … Continue Reading
December 06, 2022
Wyden, Merkley Announce New River Democracy Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced a new River Democracy Act that reflects input from communities across Oregon over the past year to update the total mileage of rivers and streams in Oregon that would be added to the national Wild and Scenic Rivers system. The total mileage of rivers and streams in the revised bill is approximately 3,215 miles (updated maps here), compared to 4,700 miles in the original bill. "This bill is called the River Democracy … Continue Reading
December 01, 2022
Key Committee Holds Hearing on Wyden Bill to Boost Economic Development in Malheur County
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources today held a hearing on U.S. Senator Ron Wyden's legislation to provide Malheur County with much-needed economic development opportunities by developing scenic loop roads and by maintaining and improving rangeland to support local ranchers and protecting the Owyhee River Canyonlands and surrounding public lands for ranching, recreation and wildlife habitat. The legislation is also co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Jeff … Continue Reading
December 01, 2022
Wyden, Merkley Statement on Committee Vote on Associate Justice Adrienne Nelson Nomination to U.S. District Court
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a vote on the nomination of Oregon Supreme Court Associate Justice Adrienne Nelson to the U.S. District Court in Oregon. Justice Nelson received a vote of 12-10. Her nomination will next be considered by the full U.S. Senate. "We are pleased to see Justice Nelson's nomination clear this major hurdle," the senators said. "With a deep understanding of the … Continue Reading
