Press Releases
Merkley, Wyden Announce $100 Million Investment into Climate-Smart Commodities and Rural Projects for Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced four Oregon based organizations will be receiving awards totaling $100 million to foster partnerships around Oregon to support the production and marketing of climate-smart commodities. These projects are intended to expand markets for commodities that are produced with smaller or no carbon footprints, helping reduce the carbon pollution driving climate chaos and supporting both Oregon climate-friendly … Continue Reading
September 26, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: More than $1.6 Million to Oregon Tribes to Address Sexual Violence
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that three Oregon tribal organizations will receive a combined more than $1.6 million from the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) to continue to provide victim and intervention services after sexual violence on tribal land. “Addressing the atrocity of sexual violence on tribal land couldn’t be more urgent,” Wyden said. “I am gratified to see tribal governments getting more resources to build even stronger … Continue Reading
September 26, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: USDA Investing More Than $20 Million in High-Speed Internet in Three Rural Oregon Counties
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced an investment in Eastern Oregon from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development totaling about $20.5 million to support high-speed internet in Baker, Grant and Malheur counties. “Quality of life in rural Oregon requires quality Internet connections that link children reliably and quickly to educational opportunities as well as small businesses and farms to their customers,” Wyden said. “I’m … Continue Reading
September 23, 2022
Wyden, Veasey Introduce Resolution to Recognize September as National Voting Rights Month
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden this week with Congressman Marc Veasey introduced a resolution to recognize September as “National Voting Rights Month.” “The right to vote in free and fair elections is under increasing threat from Republican politicians looking to win power at all costs - even if it means disenfranchising qualified voters,” Wyden said.“Congressman Veasey and I are standing up for the principle that ensuring all Americans can exercise their right to vote is … Continue Reading
September 22, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: More than $2.5 Million to Oregon in Housing Vouchers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that 21 public housing authorities throughout Oregon will receive a combined more than $2.5 million in additional housing choice vouchers. These 251 vouchers are in addition to the 44,500 vouchers already in use by Oregon households. “As we head into fall and winter, I’m gratified to see more Oregonians get a roof overhead,” Wyden said. “Housing is a basic human need. These permanent housing vouchers, paired … Continue Reading
September 22, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: Three Oregon Fire Departments to Receive About $3.8 Million in Federal Aid
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that the Scappoose Rural Fire District as well as the cities of Portland and Albany will receive a total of about $3.8 million in federal funds to support local firefighting operations. “Firefighters put their lives on the line protecting Oregon communities, and deserve both modern equipment and properly staffed departments to do the risky work that Oregonians count on,” Wyden said. “I’m gratified these … Continue Reading
September 22, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: More than $1.1 Million to Metro Area Schools for On-Campus Child Care
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Portland State University (PSU) and Portland Community College (PCC) will receive a combined more than $1.1 million from the U.S. Department of Education to provide on-campus child care for low-income students who are parents. “Parenting while pursuing higher education is incredibly challenging, so alleviating the added cost and commute time of off-campus child care provides parenting students a … Continue Reading
September 22, 2022
Wyden, Crapo, Stabenow, Daines Unveil Mental Health Workforce Enhancement Discussion Draft
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) today released a discussion draft of legislation aimed at expanding the mental health workforce to make it easier for Americans to get mental health care when they need it. The Senators also committed to pursue opportunities for public-private partnerships to help meet the nation’s mental health care needs. … Continue Reading
September 21, 2022
Wyden Urges for Senate Passage of the DISCLOSE Act
I'm pleased to join several of my Democratic colleagues on the floor to talk about the DISCLOSE Act. There's one element of the bill that I want to focus on briefly this afternoon. The country is now about a month and a half out from election day. In Oregon and all across the country, Americans are getting bludgeoned with political advertising each and every time they turn on the television or the radio or watch a video online. It is a nasty, aggravating, inescapable part of life in … Continue Reading
September 21, 2022
Wyden: Government Watchdogs Must Investigate Warrantless Purchases of Americans’ Internet Browsing Data by Federal Agencies
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today requested the inspectors general for the departments of Homeland Security, Defense and Justice to investigate the warrantless purchase and use of American's web browsing records, based on evidence in public records and from a government whistleblower. In a letter to three Inspectors General, Wyden revealed that public contracting records and a Defense Department whistleblower provided new details about the extent of federal internet … Continue Reading
September 21, 2022
Wyden, Eshoo Lead Bicameral Effort Urging NTIA to Protect Website Owners’ Personal Information, Quickly Adopt Strong Privacy Protections
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and U.S. Representative Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., today led a bicameral effort urging the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to upgrade its privacy practices to protect the personal information of .US users. Domain registration information contains highly sensitive personal information. These records include names, email addresses, physical addresses and phone numbers. Domain name users can be anyone, including … Continue Reading
September 20, 2022
On National Voter Registration Day, Wyden, Merkley Co-sponsor Legislation to Make Registering to Vote Easier for All Americans
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined with colleagues today on National Voter Registration Day to co-sponsor two pieces of legislation that would make it easier for Americans to register to vote and to know their registration status. The Same Day Voter Registration Act would require states to offer same-day registration at polling locations on Election Day and during early voting. The Stop Automatically Voiding Eligible Voters Off Their Enlisted Rolls in … Continue Reading
September 20, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Demand Answers about the Collection and Potential Disclosure of Women’s Reproductive Health Information
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today joined Senate colleagues to call on Heartbeat International, an anti-abortion organization that supports thousands of crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) across the country, to answer questions about its collection and use of women’s personal data, including sensitive health care information. “Heartbeat International - which is explicitly opposed to abortion rights - appears to be in a position to collect a significant amount of personal … Continue Reading
September 20, 2022
Wyden Announces Town Halls for Lake, Wheeler and Wallowa Counties
Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced upcoming live on-line town halls hosted Sept. 30-Oct. 2 by People’s Town Hall for residents of Lake, Wheeler and Wallowa counties. Heading into these upcoming virtual town halls, Wyden has held 1,024 town halls statewide in fulfillment of his pledge to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon’s 36 counties. “Listening to Oregonians’ priorities in town halls like these in Lake, Wheeler and Wallowa counties … Continue Reading
September 20, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $20 Million in FEMA Reimbursement Relating to COVID, 2020 Labor Day Fires Emergency Measures
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that Oregon will receive a total of $20,054,430.5 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help replenish costs related to emergency protective measures throughout the state of Oregon in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 Labor Day fires. “As Oregon continues to recover from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and devastating wildfire events, we cannot let up on providing federal … Continue Reading
September 19, 2022
Merkley, Wyden: Over $3.2 Million in Federal Funds to Address Domestic Violence and Expand Services for Survivors
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced a total of $3,282,231 in federal grants to help protect Oregonians from domestic violence and stalking and to support survivors. “All of us want to feel safe in our homes and as we go about our lives, and these grants will help protect more Oregonians from domestic violence,” said Merkley.? “I’ll continue working to secure resources that provide safety, support, and protection for people in these … Continue Reading
September 15, 2022
Merkley, Wyden: $350,000 in Pollution Prevention Planning Headed to Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced the Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality $350,000 to implement two pollution prevention projects in the state. These awards are intended to help states and tribes provide businesses with technical assistance to help develop and adopt practices to prevent or reduce pollution before it is created, while reducing business and liability costs. … Continue Reading
September 15, 2022
Wyden Reveals New Details About U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s ‘Egregious Violations’ of Americans’ Rights During Warrantless Electronic Device Searches
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today revealed new details about how U.S. Customs and Border Protection violates Americans' rights during warrantless searches of phones and other electronic devices, and called for immediate reforms. Wyden recently learned that when thousands of Americans' phones are searched at the border every year, their contents are downloaded into a central database, where information is held for 15 years and can be accessed by roughly 2,700 Department … Continue Reading
September 14, 2022
Wyden Further Presses USDA and Interior for Detailed Plans on Firefighter Shortage and Wildfire Prevention
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., requested again that the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Department of the Interior (DOI) provide detailed plans on how the agencies will use the recent increases he secured in funding for wildfire prevention and to further address wildland firefighter staffing shortages. Wyden's letters to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today follow the agencies' responses to his initial request on these matters. "[Increased] … Continue Reading
September 14, 2022
Wyden Speaks Out Against Republican Proposal for Nationwide Abortion Ban
M. President, there's a lot to say about the latest radical proposal restricting the right to an abortion for every woman in this country. I'm going to focus on a few key points. First of all, Senator Graham and the Republicans want the American people to believe this is a "moderate" proposal. Wrong, wrong, wrong. This is a national abortion ban. This is exactly what Republicans had in mind when they hand-picked Supreme Court nominees to overturn Roe versus Wade. Senator Graham's bill … Continue Reading
