Press Releases

November 11, 2020

Wyden, Merkley Urge Armed Services Leaders to Rename Military Bases and Other Assets Honoring the Confederacy

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they are urging Senate and House Armed Services leaders to retain a bipartisan measure that would require military installations and assets honoring the Confederacy and Confederate officers to be renamed within the next three years. The letter from Wyden, Merkley and 35 of their colleagues to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees comes as those Armed Services leaders begin the final … Continue Reading


November 09, 2020

Wyden Statement on Oregon Unemployment Benefits Backlog

Washington, D.C.-Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on the Oregon Employment Department's commitment to resolve the unemployment benefits backlog by the end of the year: "The Oregon Employment Department told me that the agency is finally getting on track to resolve the thousands of claims currently in the adjudication backlog by the end of the year. This is a real commitment to help Oregonians who have been struggling for months to pay rent and buy groceries. … Continue Reading


November 09, 2020

Wyden Statement on the Appointment of Chris Miller to Head DoD

Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today made the following statement regarding the appointment of Chris Miller as the acting secretary of defense. Wyden previously opposed Miller's nomination to the National Counterterrorism Center: "Donald Trump fired someone who wouldn't order U.S. troops to attack peaceful protesters and is replacing him with someone he may think will carry out those orders. I opposed Chris Miller's nomination earlier this year, because he refused to promise that intelligence … Continue Reading


November 05, 2020

Merkley, Wyden Announce $3.2 Million in Federal Investments to Help Agricultural Producers in Oregon Develop, Market New Innovations Funding is headed to 15 businesses

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development is allocating $3.2 million among 15 agricultural producers in Oregon, helping businesses develop and market new products. "Agricultural innovation has long played an essential role to the vitality of rural economies throughout our state," said Merkley, who serves as the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds the … Continue Reading


November 04, 2020

Wyden, Merkley: Oregon Housing Authorities to Receive $2.3 Million in COVID-19 Aid

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that Clackamas, Douglas, Polk, Wasco and Clatsop counties will receive about $2.3 million to help residents with housing choice vouchers during COVID-19. "Heading into winter when temperatures drop and with the battle ongoing against coronavirus, these housing resources are timely and essential to keep Oregonians safe and housed," Wyden said. "I'm gratified this help has been secured for Clackamas, Douglas, Polk, Wasco and … Continue Reading


November 03, 2020

Merkley, Wyden Announce $3 Million Energy Investment in Umatilla County

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the Umatilla Electric Cooperation Association has received a $3 million federal loan to finance major energy efficiency upgrades that will reduce energy waste and cut costs for residents of Umatilla County. The 20 year loan is being administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP)-a program designed by Senator Merkley to allow rural electric co-ops to … Continue Reading


November 02, 2020

Merkley, Wyden, Walden Announce Official Signing of Critical Fix to Help Klamath Irrigators

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representative Greg Walden (R-OR-2), today announced that a critically needed fix to the 2018 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA)-which will provide relief to Klamath Basin irrigators who have been hard-hit by drought-has been signed into law. "Between this year's unprecedented wildfires, a severe drought, and the health and economic impacts of the coronavirus crisis-this has been a difficult time for the … Continue Reading


October 28, 2020

Wyden Slams Trump Claim That He Has “Ended The Pandemic” As COVID-19 Cases Surge Nationwide

Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today slammed new claims from the Trump administration that the COVID-19 pandemic is over despite record viral transmissions sweeping the country, and dire warnings that health care may soon need to be rationed as hospitals reach capacity. On Tuesday, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released a list of accomplishments that included "ending the COVID-19 pandemic," suggesting that his … Continue Reading


October 28, 2020

Wyden Statement on Commerce Committee Section 230 Hearing

Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee's hearing on Section 230, a provision of the Communications Decency Act authored by Wyden: "When it comes to writing laws usually you need two things - first, lawmakers need to agree on what the existing law says, and second, they need to know what problem the new law would solve. After watching the hearing today, I don't believe my Republican colleagues have read the First … Continue Reading


October 28, 2020

Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Put Politics Aside, End Plans to Hold Critical Public Health Resources Hostage

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) led five of their Senate colleagues-including Senator Ron Wyden-in pressing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure that millions of dollars in federal funding for critical public health programs will not be withheld to inflict political retribution in the middle of a pandemic. President Trump and Attorney General Barr have threatened to … Continue Reading


October 27, 2020

Wyden, Merkley: Oregon Company Secures $70 Million Federal Contract for Air Tankers to Fight Wildfires

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that Hillsboro-based Erickson Aero Tanker has earned a $70.5 million federal contract for next-generation large air tanker services to support wildland firefighting in Oregon and nationwide. "The blazes that devastated so much of Oregon this year unfortunately provide the latest example of the urgent need to build a comprehensive arsenal of tools to fight wildfires in our state and the entire country," Wyden said. "Air … Continue Reading


October 27, 2020

Wyden, Brown Urge Trade Associations to Take Action to Ensure Members Are Not Complicit in China’s State-sanctioned Forced Labor Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) sent a letter to trade associations urging them to take immediate action to ensure their members are not complicit in China's state-directed human rights abuses, including by relocating production from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The Chinese government has violated the human rights of more than a million Uyghurs and other Muslims by coercing them into a forced labor program that has extensively infiltrated … Continue Reading


October 27, 2020

Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Urge State Department to Bolster Efforts to Protect Journalists

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with nine of their Senate colleagues, are pushing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Trump administration to increase efforts to protect journalists around the world, and hold foreign leaders accountable for suppressing freedom of the press. The lawmakers' letter to the State Department marks the recent anniversary of the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist and resident of the U.S. who … Continue Reading


October 26, 2020

Wyden Votes 'No' on Amy Coney Barrett

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., voted 'no' on the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court today. Wyden released the following statement: "The Republican agenda - throwing millions of Americans off their healthcare, overturning Roe and their myriad other priorities that threaten fundamental freedoms - is too unpopular to enact through legislation, so Republicans are working to enact it through the Courts. That's really what the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett is … Continue Reading


October 26, 2020

Wyden Takes to Senate Floor to Oppose Rushed SCOTUS Confirmation

Mr. President, everything that's happened since the untimely passing of the legendary Justice Ginsburg is a clear reminder that much of what goes on in Washington DC is not on the level. Right now, this country is hurting. Mass death. Mass unemployment. Mass hunger and suffering among children. The two sides in Congress ought to address those challenges together. Now more than ever, while so many people are fearful about the future, the rules we play by and the agreements we make ought to … Continue Reading


October 26, 2020

Wyden, Merkley: Five Oregon Tribes Receive Expanded Access to Wireless Broadband

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that five Oregon Tribes have secured spectrum licenses from federal regulators that will help to close the digital divide by providing Tribes with expanded access to broadband and other advanced wireless services. The good news for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Coquille Indian Tribe, Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs … Continue Reading


October 23, 2020

Wyden Introduces Legislation to Improve Soil Health, Crop Resilience and Address the Climate Crisis

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today introduced legislation to help address the climate crisis by encouraging farming practices that improve soil health and crop resilience and lower the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. "In 2020 alone, the climate crisis has delivered devastating wildfires, severe droughts and floods that decimated crops and with them the livelihoods of countless family farmers in Oregon and nationwide," Wyden said. "Tackling the climate crisis head on … Continue Reading


October 23, 2020

Wyden, Merkley to DEA: Interim Rule on Hemp Contradicts Congressional Intent by Criminalizing Intermediate Steps in Hemp Processing

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today expressed strong objections to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)'s unilateral and uncalled for actions on hemp that run counter to the 2018 Farm Bill and congressional intent by treating this legal crop as a Schedule I controlled substance whenever its THC content exceeds 0.3%. Authors of the provision in the 2018 Farm Bill to legalize hemp, Wyden and Merkley said in their letter to the DEA that the agency's Interim Final … Continue Reading


October 23, 2020

Wyden, Warren, Brown, Markey, Schatz Push for Investigation of CBP Phone Location Data Surveillance Program

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, today requested an inspector general investigation into Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) warrantless tracking of phones in the United States. As revealed by public contracts, CBP has paid a government contractor named Venntel nearly half a million dollars for access to a commercial database containing location data mined from … Continue Reading


October 23, 2020

Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Move to Block William Pendley’s Illegal Leadership at BLM: Don’t Tread on Our Public Lands

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Following William Perry Pendley's refusal to follow an order from a Federal district court judge to vacate his position as de facto Acting Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined four of their Democratic colleagues in introducing legislation to immediately resolve the matter by barring the Department of Justice from appealing Pendley's case. The court has found that Pendley was illegally installed in his … Continue Reading

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140 Page 141 Page 142 Page 143 Page 144 Page 145 Page 146 Page 147 Page 148 Page 149 Page 150 Page 151 Page 152 Page 153 Page 154 Page 155 Page 156 Page 157 Page 158 Page 159 Page 160 Page 161 Page 162 Page 163 Page 164 Page 165 Page 166 Page 167 Page 168 Page 169 Page 170 Page 171 Page 172 Page 173 Page 174 Page 175 Page 176 Page 177 Page 178 Page 179 Page 180 Page 181 Page 182 Page 183 Page 184 Page 185 Page 186 Page 187 Page 188 Page 189 Page 190 Page 191 Page 192 Page 193 Page 194 Page 195 Page 196 Page 197 Page 198 Page 199 Page 200 Page 201 Page 202 Page 203 Page 204 Page 205 Page 206 Page 207 Page 208 Page 209 Page 210 Page 211 Page 212 Page 213 Page 214 Page 215 Page 216 Page 217 Page 218 Page 219 Page 220 Page 221 Page 222 Page 223 Page 224 Page 225 Page 226 Page 227
Showing page   of 227