Press Releases
Wyden, Colleagues Fight for Increased Investments for Land and Water Conservation
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he is calling for increased investments in the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for fiscal year 2023. In a bipartisan letter addressed to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Wyden and colleagues requested an investment of $450 million in discretionary funds, in addition to mandatory LWCF funding to address the numerous ready-to-go project opportunities. "From protecting clean drinking … Continue Reading
June 14, 2022
Wyden: No “Reset” with Saudi Arabia Without Justice for Victims of Mohammed bin Salman’s Violence
Washington, D.C. - Amid reports that President Biden is seeking to "reset" relations with Saudi Arabia, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a senior member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, urged President Biden to insist on accountability for those responsible for the brutal murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the killing of Portland's Fallon Smart and other victims of Saudi citizens who have fled U.S. justice. "The United States cannot value Saudi oil more highly than … Continue Reading
June 13, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: Oregon to Receive $3 Million to Ensure Workers Receive Earned Jobless Benefits
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that the Oregon Employment Department (OED) will receive $3 million in federal grants to ensure that eligible Oregonians can access the unemployment insurance (UI) program and receive the benefits they have earned. "I'm gratified to see federal investment so that Oregon can build out its UI resources to help jobless Oregonians receive their benefits without delay," Wyden said, who secured Pandemic Unemployment … Continue Reading
June 09, 2022
Wyden Sounds the Alarm on Wildland Firefighter Shortage, Backlog of Prevention Work at U.S. Forest Service Budget Hearing
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today pressed U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore on how the agency plans to use the money secured for wildfire in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address the critical shortage of permanent wildland firefighters and make sure Oregon and the entire West are prepared for what is expected to be another catastrophic wildfire season. At the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the Forest Service budget, Wyden also called … Continue Reading
June 09, 2022
Wyden and Moran Urge Administration to Update Executive Order on Classification System, Invest in New Declassification Technology
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., urged President Biden to update the executive order governing classification and declassification in order to solve urgent problems that undermine both national security and transparency into government actions. "The failures of the current obsolete system have been extensively documented in reports from the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) of the National Archives and the Public Interest … Continue Reading
June 08, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Join Warren and Murray Urging President Biden to use Executive Powers to Defend Reproductive Rights for Americans
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today joined Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) in a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to immediately issue an executive order directing the federal government to develop a national plan to defend Americans' fundamental reproductive rights, including the right to an abortion. "Abortion access is under attack in the United States and already completely eliminated in swaths of the country," wrote … Continue Reading
June 07, 2022
Merkley, Wyden: Oregon Tribes to Receive Over $34 Million for Water and Sanitation Systems
Washington, DC -- Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a total of $34,013,174 allocated by the Indian Health Service is headed to three tribes in Oregon. Senator Merkley, as Chairman of the Senate Appropriation Subcommittee that funds these projects, and Senator Wyden, author of the Western Tribal Water Infrastructure Act, fought hard to ensure funding for tribal water improvements was included in the Infrastructure and Investments Jobs Act (IIJA). "Turning on the … Continue Reading
June 07, 2022
Wyden Presses Interior and USDA on Making Sure Oregon is Equipped with Funding and Workforce Needed for Wildfire Season
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today asked the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture about the agencies' plans to make sure Oregon is equipped with the firefighting workforce and funding it needs to meet the demands of another potentially catastrophic wildfire season. Wyden's questions come ahead of this Thursday's U.S. Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee hearing on the Forest Service budget, where Wyden - a senior committee … Continue Reading
June 06, 2022
Wyden, Merkley Statement on Nomination of Natalie Wight to be U.S. Attorney for Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley issued the following joint statement about today's announcement from the White House that Natalie Wight will be nominated to be U.S. Attorney for Oregon. "We strongly support President Biden's nomination of Natalie Wight to be the next U.S. Attorney for Oregon. She brings an outstanding combination of leadership, integrity, independence and community connections to this crucial post. We look forward to advancing her through the … Continue Reading
June 06, 2022
Wyden, Merkley Announce More Than $12.7 Million in Federal Grants for Covid-19 Response in Central Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the St. Charles Medical Center Foundation will be receiving a total of $12.79 million in federal funds for Covid-19 emergency response measures such as hiring additional staff, creating additional space for testing and treatment and more during the pandemic in Central Oregon. "The economic fallout of this public health crisis landed hard on hospitals and clinics in Oregon and nationwide, generating massive new and … Continue Reading
June 03, 2022
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Introduce Resolution Recognizing June as LGBTQ Pride Month
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined their Senate Democratic colleagues in introducing a Senate resolution recognizing June as LGBTQ Pride Month. "As we celebrate the milestones and contributions of the LGBTQ community this Pride Month, we must continue the fight for full equality of LGBTQ individuals in Oregon and nationwide. Period. Full stop," Wyden said. "The radical far-right majority on the Supreme Court is on the verge of overturning … Continue Reading
June 02, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $4 Million for Mass Timber and Wood Projects
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced Oregon will be receiving a total of $4,170,737 to fund 2022 wood innovations and community wood grants. As Chairman of the Subcommittee that funds the Forest Service, Senator Merkley secured $20 million for these nationally-competitive grants in addition to $12 million provided in the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act. Oregon will be receiving approximately one-eighth of the $32 million national … Continue Reading
May 31, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Urge Biden Administration to Address Disparate Treatment of Afghan and Ukrainian Refugees
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has joined his colleagues in sending a letter to the Biden administration with concerns about the stark inconsistencies in the treatment of humanitarian parole applicants from Ukraine and Afghanistan. "The inconsistent treatment of Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parole applications is troubling. Afghans and Ukrainians have turned to humanitarian parole because other pathways out of their respective countries and to the United States, such as family … Continue Reading
May 31, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Urge App-Store CEOs to Prohibit Data Practices Threatening Individuals Who Seek Abortion Services
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and four Senate colleagues are urging Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook to prohibit apps on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store from using data mining practices that could facilitate the targeting of individuals seeking abortion services. "This system of data collection and distribution has the potential to directly threaten individuals who exercise their right to choose," Wyden and colleagues wrote in their letter to Google … Continue Reading
May 27, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: Boutique Air to Continue Providing Essential Air Service Contract at Pendleton Airport
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has selected Boutique Air to continue providing Essential Air Service (EAS) between Pendleton and Portland with 21 nonstop round trips a week between the two cities. "Regular air service is a cornerstone critical for continued economic growth, access to specialty health services and quality of life in Eastern Oregon," Wyden said. "Commercial air service provides a key … Continue Reading
May 26, 2022
ENR Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Wyden Bills to Address Western Water Crisis
Washington, D.C. - This week the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power held a hearing on two bills introduced by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore. -- the Water for Conservation and Farming Act and the Watershed Results Act -- that address drought and would protect Oregon's water supplies. This hearing is a key step to get a committee vote to send these bills to the full Senate for consideration. "In Oregon, communities in the Klamath and Deschutes Basin are looking at … Continue Reading
May 26, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: Feds to Invest $520,000 in New Fire Station for Baker Rural Fire Protection District
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the U.S. Agriculture Department will provide a $220,000 loan and a $300,000 grant to help the Baker Rural Fire Protection District acquire land and a building in Baker City to serve as a new fire station and also as a site for regional training and meetings. "Defending lives and property from the threat of fires is crucial to quality of life for Oregonians living and working in rural communities," Wyden said. "I'm … Continue Reading
May 25, 2022
Wyden Announces First of Three Veterans-Focused Town Halls for Eastern Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today that the first of three on-line town halls he secured just for Eastern Oregon veterans, their families and veterans service providers to ask top Veterans Administration (VA) officials health care questions -- including about the agency's proposals to reduce physical and mental health services in the region -- will be at 10:30 am on Saturday, June 4. This first veterans-focused town hall meeting for Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Baker and … Continue Reading
May 25, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: $1.65 Million to Oregon for Ecosystem Restoration
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Oregon will receive a total of $1.65 million from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for ecosystem restoration projects throughout the state. "The passage of the once-in-a-generation Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has provided the Bureau of Land Management with the unique opportunity to put people to work in rural Oregon addressing some of our most dire conservation needs," Wyden said. "Whether restoring … Continue Reading
May 24, 2022
As MAGA Republicans Seek to Criminalize Abortion, Wyden, Eshoo and 40 Members of Congress Call on Google to Limit Collection and Storage of Location Data
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., with 40 members of Congress, called on Google to stop collecting and retaining location information, to prevent extremist prosecutors from using that information to identify people obtaining abortions, in a letter sent today. "We believe that abortion is health care. We will fight tooth and nail to ensure that it remains recognized as a fundamental right, and that all people in the United States have control … Continue Reading
