Press Releases
Wyden Renews Calls to Increase Domestic Critical Mineral Production, Reduce Dependence on Foreign Mineral and Energy Imports
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing today renewed his calls for an overhaul of domestic critical mineral production to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign mineral imports, as well as reliance on foreign energy. "It is past time for the United States to become a competitive producer of critical minerals and wean itself off of both foreign oil and gas imports," said Wyden, a senior member of the Energy and Natural Resources … Continue Reading
March 30, 2022
Wyden, Western Colleagues Urge the Department of Interior to Fund Sagebrush Ecosystem Restoration and Conservation Efforts
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and seven western colleagues from both parties this week urged the Department of Interior (DOI) to allocate a significant portion of funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law toward sagebrush ecosystem restoration in the American West to boost wildfire mitigation efforts, create jobs and support the economy in Oregon and the West. "As Senators representing Western states, we urge you to allocate a significant portion of these funds to address the … Continue Reading
March 30, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce Nearly $2 Million in Federal Funds headed to Northeast Oregon for Forest Resiliency, Wildfire Prevention
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced critical project funding headed to Northeast Oregon. The U.S. Forest Service (FS) will be investing $1.8 million into the La Grande Valley West Resilience Project over the next three years to support forest management and outreach to private forestland owners to support and promote resilient forests, helping prevent out-of-control wildfires. "The La Grande Valley West Resilience Project has multiple benefits, … Continue Reading
March 30, 2022
Wyden, Rubio, Warner Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Clarify Costs of Higher Education
Washington, D.C. - Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Mark Warner, D-Va., today reintroduced legislation that would make the costs and outcomes associated with higher education clear in order to help students, families, policymakers and taxpayers. The bipartisan Student Right to Know Before You Go Act makes data available to prospective college students about schools' graduation rates, debt levels, how much graduates can expect to earn and other critical education and … Continue Reading
March 30, 2022
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Demand Answers from Justice Thomas for Violating Federal Conflict-of-Interest Law
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week co-signed a letter with Senate and House colleagues to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts demanding answers regarding Justice Thomas's potential violation of federal ethics law, after last week's explosive reporting on the efforts of his wife, Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Justice Thomas was the lone dissenting vote in a Supreme Court case requiring … Continue Reading
March 29, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce $32 Million to Oregon for Drinking Water, Wastewater Infrastructure Advancements
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a total of $32 million in federal funds from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headed to Oregon to fund safe drinking water projects and strengthen wastewater infrastructure. "Reliable access to clean drinking water is vital to the health and safety of any community-especially during an ongoing global pandemic," said Merkley, Chair of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds this … Continue Reading
March 28, 2022
Wyden, Fischer, Grassley, Tester, Unveil Updated Cattle Market Reform Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and, Jon Tester (D-MT) today released an updated version of their Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act. The senators first introduced the bipartisan bill in November. "Oregon's ranchers shouldn't face an unfairly tilted marketplace that favors corporate meat packers and undercuts their small family businesses from producing nationally renowned beef for consumers," said Wyden, Chair of the … Continue Reading
March 25, 2022
Wyden Calls on Justice Clarence Thomas to Recuse Himself from Cases Related to January 6th and the 2024 Election
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement calling on Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from any cases related to the January 6th investigation and, if former President Donald Trump runs again, the 2024 election: "In light of new reporting from numerous outlets, Justice Thomas' conduct on the Supreme Court looks increasingly corrupt. "Judges are obligated to recuse themselves when their participation in a case would create even the appearance of a … Continue Reading
March 24, 2022
Wyden Bill to Expand Mammogram Screenings for Veterans Passes Senate
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced that the U.S. Senate unanimously approved bipartisan legislation to expand Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mammogram screening eligibility. The Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas Supporting Expanded Review for Veterans in Combat Environments (SERVICE) Act would require the VA to conduct mammograms for all women who served in areas associated with burn pits and other toxic exposures regardless of age, symptoms or family history. "Women … Continue Reading
March 23, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $46 Million in Federal Awards to Help Keep Oregonians off the Streets and in their Homes
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a total of $46,017,563 in FY2021 Continuum of Care (CoC) Competition awards headed to seven Oregon counties and multiple organizations to help people experiencing homelessness. These awards from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are part of approximately 7,000 renewed and new grants that will promote a community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness. "Oregonians in every … Continue Reading
March 23, 2022
Wyden, Blunt Bill to Strengthen Protections for Small, Rural TV Stations Clears Committee
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo., today announced that their bipartisan Low Power Protection Act has passed the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The bill would strengthen spectrum rights for certain low power television (LPTV) stations, which fill important gaps in broadcast service, particularly in Oregon's rural communities outside the reach of a full power signal. "Yesterday's advancement of the Low Power Protection Act … Continue Reading
March 22, 2022
Wyden, Merkley, Heinrich Introduce Bill to Expand Access to Clean Drinking Water, Safe Sanitation for Underserved Communities
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore, Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., today introduced legislation that would expand access to safe sanitation and clean drinking water for rural and underserved communities. "Between historic drought and increasingly outdated infrastructure, Western communities are in desperate need of federal help to shore up access to clean drinking water and safe sanitation," Wyden said. "Access to clean drinking water is a human right, and … Continue Reading
March 22, 2022
Wyden, Daines, Booker and Lee Introduce Bill To Create New Transparency of Court-Ordered Surveillance
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., today introduced legislation to require public reporting and notice of the hundreds of thousands of criminal surveillance orders issued by courts each year, which are typically sealed, indefinitely, keeping government surveillance hidden for years, even when the targets are never charged with any crime. The Government Surveillance Transparency Act is co-sponsored by Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Mike Lee, … Continue Reading
March 22, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Over $1.5 Million in Federal Funds Headed to Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a total of $1,524,951.53 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is headed to Oregon to help fund the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) acquisition of five properties in the floodplain. "I saw firsthand how the flood in February 2020 was devastating to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and other residents in Umatilla County," said Merkley. "I am … Continue Reading
March 21, 2022
Wyden, Warren Demand Answers About Wells Fargo’s Discriminatory Mortgage-Refinancing Practices Against Black Homeowners
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have sent a letter to the CEO and President of Wells Fargo, after a report found the bank was the only major lender in the United States to accept less than half of mortgage-refinancing applications from Black homeowners. Wells Fargo's acceptance rate for White homeowners was 25 percentage points higher than for Black homeowners. "This shocking disparity-layered upon Wells Fargo's long history of scamming and … Continue Reading
March 21, 2022
Merkley, Wyden, Blumenauer Announce Funding for Earthquake-Resilient Runway at PDX
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley, Ron Wyden and Representative Earl Blumenauer today announced that Portland's airport will receive a major federal investment to ensure its runway survives a major earthquake. The funding was among a range of federal investments in Oregon's emergency preparedness, public safety, and economic development included in the 2022 omnibus spending bill, which has now been signed into law by President Biden. Senator Merkley, a member of the … Continue Reading
March 18, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Protect Consumers by Ensuring Right to Repair
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, alongside U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and Ben Ray Luján, D- N.M., this week introduced legislation that would protect consumers, farmers, and small businesses by ensuring the right to repair. "When you buy something, you shouldn't have to pay extra, or ask special permission from a corporation just to get it fixed," Wyden said. "The Fair Repair Act is a common-sense step to put users in control of the phones and other electronics … Continue Reading
March 17, 2022
Wyden, Merkley Urge White House to Include $4 Billion in Homeless Assistance Grants in its FY2023 Budget
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week urged President Biden to include $4 billion in homeless assistance grants in his Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) budget so Oregon and the entire country can make additional progress towards sheltering unhoused people and ending homelessness. "Nationwide, nearly 600,000 people experience homelessness on any given night, and around one-third of them are unsheltered: living somewhere unfit for a person, like a car or tent," Wyden and … Continue Reading
March 16, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: Three Oregon Communities Selected to Build Cutting-Edge Energy Storage Capacity
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week announced that Warm Springs, Talent and Pendleton have been selected by federal officials to participate in a cutting-edge energy storage program to increase energy resilience in the face of increasingly dangerous weather events and a changing climate. "Building out energy storage capacity is key as families in Oregon and across the nation have suffered severe impacts in recent years from the climate emergency in their … Continue Reading
March 16, 2022
Merkley, DeFazio, Wyden Lead Members of the Oregon Delegation in Requesting Federal Funding for Oregon International Port of Coos Bay
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representative Peter DeFazio, are joined today by Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer, and Kurt Schrader in a letter to President Biden requesting federal funds from the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) be allocated towards a proposal to create a major new west coast container port in Coos Bay. In their letter, the lawmakers highlight the importance of investing in our country's rural … Continue Reading
