Press Releases
Oregon Delegation Pushes to Preserve Support for Public Libraries and Museums
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led his Oregon delegation colleagues—Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)—in sounding the alarm over potential federal funding cuts at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which comes as the agency’s entire staff was recently placed on administrative leave. “Libraries and museums play a vital role in our … Continue Reading
April 02, 2025
Wyden, Warren, Gillibrand Urge Expanded Investigation into State Oversight of Care Provided to Seniors in Assisted Living Facilities
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) today demanded a new investigation into the quality of care provided at assisted living facilities to establish whether the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and state Medicaid agencies have improved their ability to protect hundreds of thousands of seniors and people with disabilities in assisted living facilities that participate in Medicaid. “A new GAO report could … Continue Reading
April 01, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Introduce Honor Farmer Contracts Act
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said today they have joined Senate colleagues to introduce legislation that would release funding illegally withheld by the Trump administration for all contracts and agreements previously entered into by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “The unlawful freezing of federal funding has inflicted chaos on nearly every part of our lives, and this funding can make the difference between whether farms in Oregon and … Continue Reading
March 31, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Demand Trump Rescind Illegal Anti-Voter Executive Order
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said today they have joined Senate colleagues in calling on Donald Trump to revoke his illegal anti-voter executive order that would disenfranchise millions of Americans. “This unlawful directive exceeds your authority over an independent agency and would likely disenfranchise millions of eligible American voters by creating barriers to voting, while also inviting chaos into state voter registration processes - … Continue Reading
March 31, 2025
Merkley, Wyden Join Legislation to Combat Urban Heat Islands
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined colleagues in introducing the Excess Urban Heat Mitigation Act, which would create a competitive grant program to provide funding to combat the causes and consequences of urban heat islands. “In places like East Portland, where a lack of tree canopy already leaves neighborhoods dangerously exposed to extreme heat, the Trump Administration’s illegal funding freeze and grant contract cancellations will only deepen this … Continue Reading
March 31, 2025
Wyden, Markey, Merkley and Van Hollen Release Bill to Protect Americans Against Musk, DOGE and Other Unauthorized Access to Sensitive Personal Information
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., today released legislation to protect Americans against Elon Musk, DOGE and other officials illegally accessing stores of personal data held by the government, including social security numbers, medical history, financial data and other sensitive information. The Privacy Act Modernization Act would make it easier for Americans to sue officials for violations and would increase the penalties for such … Continue Reading
March 27, 2025
Wyden Blasts Republicans for Giving Big Banks the Green Light to Gouge American Families
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released the following statement today on Republicans voting to abolish a Biden-era rule that was set to reduce the cost of overdraft fees and improve transparency for consumers: “It comes as no surprise that Republicans have once again broken their promise to lower costs and handed big banks a victory on the backs of American families who are already struggling to keep their heads above water due to Trump’s chaos. Throwing this rule in the … Continue Reading
March 25, 2025
Wyden, Colleagues Slam Draconian Immigration Registration Order
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today joined Senate colleagues in a letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) opposing the Trump administration’s resurrection of a draconian and discriminatory immigration policy that forces immigrants to register with the federal government and carry proof of their registration at all times. “The Administration has explicitly linked this revived registration requirement to enforcement efforts, empowering federal … Continue Reading
March 24, 2025
Merkley, Risch, Wyden, Crapo Team Up for Bipartisan Bill to Boost Mass Timber Industry Nationwide
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Idaho’s U.S. Senator James Risch today launched a renewed bipartisan effort to promote the use of mass timber in federal building projects and military construction. The bipartisan Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act—which is cosponsored by Oregon’s U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Idaho’s U.S. Senator Mike Crapo—would incentivize the use of mass timber building materials by providing a preference in federal building contracts for mass timber … Continue Reading
March 24, 2025
Wyden, Warren Press Social Security Commissioner Nominee on Trump, Musk Efforts to Gut Agency
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said today they are pressing the Social Security Commissioner nominee to commit to stopping the Trump Administration and the self-styled “Department of Government Efficiency’s” ongoing efforts to hollow out the Social Security Administration (SSA). Wyden, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee; and Warren, a member of the Finance Committee, warned those Social Security schemes may be a “prelude to … Continue Reading
March 21, 2025
Bonamici, NW Members Demand Trump Admin Not Close Portland, Seattle Housing Offices
WASHINGTON DC [3/21/25] - Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1) led Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representatives Adam Smith (WA-9), Suzan DelBene (WA-1), Val Hoyle (OR-4), Andrea Salinas (OR-6), and Maxine Dexter (OR-03) in demanding that the Trump administration abandon plans to close the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s field office in Portland and regional office in Seattle. The Trump administration is reportedly planning to … Continue Reading
March 21, 2025
Merkley, Wyden Condemn President Trump’s Move to Revive Cruel Family Detention Policy
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined their colleagues in an effort led by Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Dick Durbin (D-IL) to decry President Donald Trump and his Administration moving to revive family detention for migrant families. The Senators began with strenuous objection, writing in their letter: “We strongly object to the failed and inhumane practice of detaining migrant families. We are deeply disturbed by reports that your … Continue Reading
March 21, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Demand Answers on DHS, DOGE Requests to Access Sensitive IRS Information
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., today led Senate colleagues, including Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., in a letter to top officials with the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) demanding answers on reports that DHS and the self-styled “Department of Government Efficiency” have illegally requested sensitive taxpayer information from the IRS. “We write about alarming reports that the Department of Homeland … Continue Reading
March 20, 2025
Merkley, Wyden Join Bipartisan Legislation to Protect TSA’s Frontline Workforce
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined their colleagues to introduce bipartisan, bicameral legislation to ensure that over 65,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees—including frontline Transportation Security Officers (TSOs)—are afforded the same worker rights, protections, and pay system afforded to most other federal workers. The Rights for the TSA Workforce Act comes on the heels of the Trump Administration’s move to cancel TSA … Continue Reading
March 20, 2025
Salinas Leads Oregon Delegation in Calling on Trump Administration to Protect American Manufacturing
Salinas Leads Oregon Delegation in Calling on Trump Administration to Protect American Manufacturing Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06) led the Oregon delegation - including U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05) - in a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, expressing concern about the Trump Administration’s decision … Continue Reading
March 19, 2025
Merkley, Wyden Push to Protect Students from Bullying and Harassment
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined colleagues in introducing the Safe Schools Improvement Act, legislation that would provide protections against bullying and harassment in schools, especially for vulnerable students. “Every student deserves a school environment where they feel safe, welcomed, and supported, without fear of bullying or harassment,” said Merkley. "The Safe Schools Improvement Act takes steps to ensure schools implement strong, … Continue Reading
March 18, 2025
Merkley, Wyden: Bipartisan Deliver for Democracy Act Will Help Get Crucial Local News into the Hands of Oregonians
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined Vermont’s U.S. Senator Peter Welch and South Dakota’s U.S. Senator Mike Rounds to reintroduce the bipartisan, bicameral Deliver for Democracy Act. This legislation would incentivize reliable service from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and limit excessive rate increases. In recent years, the USPS has raised rates for periodicals under the guise of increased efficiency and improved service, but the changes have not … Continue Reading
March 17, 2025
Oregon Democrats Urge Trump Administration to Stop Undermining Pacific Northwest’s Power Grid
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Janelle Bynum, and Maxine Dexter said today they are calling on the Trump administration to pay heed to concerns raised by Bonneville Power Administration workers that major and illegal job cuts at the agency will destabilize the power grid in Oregon and throughout the Pacific Northwest. “The weight of this destabilization will bear down on the entire region, most … Continue Reading
March 17, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Reverse Damage from Trump Administration's Egregious Cuts at VA
Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senate colleagues in introducing comprehensive legislation that would protect veterans, military spouses and VA employees in Oregon and nationwide indiscriminately targeted in the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) cuts at VA and across the federal government. “Veterans and the benefits they earned with their service to our country are under indiscriminate and unjust attack by Trump, Musk and their … Continue Reading
March 13, 2025
Bipartisan Members of Congress to UK Spy Court: UK Gag Orders for Surveillance Backdoors Threaten Americans’ Security and Privacy, Impede Congressional Oversight
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., today called for transparency from the U.K.’s top surveillance court about the UK government’s reported order to Apple to build a backdoor into encrypted iCloud backups to enable government surveillance of messages, photos and other files. Under U.K. law, Apple is barred from confirming the backdoor order to the public or even … Continue Reading
