Press Releases
Wyden Urges Investigation of Potential Violations by Ocean Carriers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said today he is urging the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to continue investigating reports of unreasonable practices by ocean carriers, including refusal to carry certain agriculture products from U.S. ports back to Asia. In a bipartisan letter from Wyden and 23 other senators, the lawmakers expressed support of the FMC's current fact-finding efforts and asked that it take appropriate action against vessel-operating common carriers (VOCCs). "As you … Continue Reading
March 02, 2021
Wyden Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Help Oregon Ranchers Stay in Business
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today with U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), introduced legislation that would restore transparency and accountability in the cattle market by establishing regional cash minimums and equipping producers with more market information. "Cattle ranchers and rural economies have been hit especially hard during the COVID-19 public health crisis. And that economic fallout gets compounded for Oregon producers who face both a lack of processing facilities … Continue Reading
March 02, 2021
Wyden Asks Federal Agency How It’s Preventing Tenant Screening Technologies From Hurting Tenants of Color
Washington, DC - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and five colleagues said today they're asking the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for information about its oversight authority and regulatory history of tenant screening technology companies, which about 90 percent of landlords use for reviewing income and employment history, eviction history, and criminal background in deciding about whether to rent to potential tenants. Wyden and the five senators noted in their letter to the CFPB that these … Continue Reading
March 02, 2021
Wyden Introduces Bill to Improve Child Support Enforcement on Tribal Lands
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today reintroduced legislation to improve child support enforcement by allowing the 60 Native American tribes that currently operate their own child support agencies to access a federal tax refund program that will help them collect past-due child support from non-custodial parents. "Tribes in Oregon and across the nation deserve access to the same tools as state child support agencies, especially when it comes to making sure families and children get … Continue Reading
March 01, 2021
Wyden, Merkley: Hermiston, Roseburg Airports Each to Receive $23,000 in Federal Grants
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that the Hermiston Municipal and Roseburg Regional Airports will each receive $23,000 in federal funds for costs related to operations, personnel, cleaning, sanitization, janitorial services, debt service payments, and combating the spread of COVID-19 at the airports. "Oregon is a small business state situated on some of the largest swaths of fertile land in the nation, so regional and municipal aviation play a … Continue Reading
March 01, 2021
Oregon Delegation Presses for Infrastructure Improvements and Disaster Recovery Resources
Washington, D.C. - In the wake of recent weather disasters striking Oregon and the entire country, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden led U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley and U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici today in asking top congressional appropriators to prioritize funding on infrastructure improvements and disaster recovery with an emphasis on energy resiliency and housing. The letter from the Oregon lawmakers notes that much of the state recently endured the added challenge of a destructive … Continue Reading
March 01, 2021
Merkley, Oregon Delegation Colleagues Push Biden Administration to Provide Critical Assistance for Dredging, Jetty Maintenance Along Oregon Coast, Columbia River
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representatives Peter DeFazio (D-OR-4), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), Kurt Schrader (D-OR-5), and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1), are pushing the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to provide the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) with annual funding for maritime infrastructure maintenance crucial to public safety and the vitality of economies up and down the Oregon Coast and throughout the Columbia River system. "Oregon's … Continue Reading
February 26, 2021
Wyden Praises Release of Unclassified Khashoggi Report; Naming Mohammed bin Salman Marks Beginning of Justice for Jamal Khashoggi
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today commended President Joe Biden and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines for releasing an unclassified report naming Prince Mohammed bin Salman as responsible for ordering the brutal murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi: "Jamal Khashoggi never backed down from holding the powerful to account. His courageous journalism cost Jamal his life. Yet, for years, the last administration shielded the Saudi regime from any … Continue Reading
February 26, 2021
Transportation & Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio, Senators Ron Wyden & Jeff Merkley, Announce $13.1 Million for Oregon Office of Emergency Management for 2020 Wildfire Costs
WASHINGTON-Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded the Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM) $13.1 million for costs tied to the 2020 wildfires. "Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the catastrophic wildfires that ravaged our state last fall, Southwest Oregon is recovering from multiple crises at once," the lawmakers said. "Thanks … Continue Reading
February 26, 2021
Wyden Leads Bipartisan Effort to Protect the Separation of Powers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today reintroduced the Reforming Emergency Powers to Uphold the Balances and Limitations Inherent in the Constitution (REPUBLIC) Act, which preserves the president's power to act immediately in cases of national emergencies but also upholds Congress' constitutional responsibility to check the executive branch. "Checks and balances are a bedrock principle of American democracy," Wyden said. "Congress cannot allow any White House to declare phony … Continue Reading
February 25, 2021
Wyden, Leahy Lead Colleagues in Urging Biden-Harris Administration To Abandon Broken, Trump-Era Cuba Policy
Washington, D.C. - Six Senate Democrats, led by Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore. and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., today urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Biden administration to end Donald Trump's failed, counterproductive Cuba policies. Wyden and Leahy, with Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Mark Warner, D-Va., urged Blinken to reverse Cuba sanctions, remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and re-engage with Cuba … Continue Reading
February 25, 2021
Wyden Statement on Confirmation of Jennifer Granholm as Secretary of Energy
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on the Senate confirmation of Jennifer Granholm as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy: "Big congratulations to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on her bipartisan Senate confirmation today. With her at the helm of the Energy Department, the United States can get to work in big ways to tackle the climate emergency and create good-paying clean energy jobs at a time when we need them most. I look forward to working with … Continue Reading
February 25, 2021
Oregon, Idaho Senators Lead Bipartisan Push For Critical County Payments
Washington, D.C. - Oregon and Idaho congressional leaders are pushing to ensure counties do not lose out on essential services due to federal land ownership. The bipartisan push for reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program is led by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho). The bill would reauthorize the SRS program through September 2022. The program, which helps fund essential services in rural communities … Continue Reading
February 24, 2021
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Bill to Improve Water Quality and Services for Western Tribes
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today introduced legislation to improve water quality and services for tribal communities in Oregon. Native American tribes in Oregon and across the West are suffering from inadequate water infrastructure, with aging drinking water treatment and distribution systems subjecting these communities to serious problems such as failed pressure relief valves, burst pipes and unsafe drinking water. Wyden and Merkley's Western Tribal … Continue Reading
February 24, 2021
Wyden, Colleagues Call for Passage of 9/11 Style COVID-19 Commission
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today introduced bipartisan legislation that would create an independent, non-partisan commission -- closely modeled after the 9/11 Commission that investigated the September 11, 2001 terror attacks -- to assess the nation's pandemic preparedness and response, and provide recommendations to improve our country's readiness for future public health crises. "More than 500,000 Americans have lost their lives. There is no ignoring that number. I believe … Continue Reading
February 24, 2021
Merkley, Wyden, DeFazio Continue Push to Ensure That Every Affected Oregonian Receives Federal Wildfire Recovery Resources
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR-4) this week in sending a letter to Federal Coordinating Officer Dolph Diemont, urging the Biden administration to continue delivering assistance to Oregonians affected by the 2020 wildfire season, and to address barriers that are making it harder for some survivors to access resources. "Last year was the most devastating wildfire season in our state's recent history. In the … Continue Reading
February 23, 2021
Wyden Statement Following Interior Secretary-Designate Deb Haaland's Nomination Hearing
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, released the following statement after the first day of Interior Secretary-Designate Deb Haaland's nomination hearing: "Deb Haaland's experience and commitment to restoring the public trust and the mission of this important agency is a breath of fresh air after the last four years of her predecessors' shameful neglect and outright mission abandonment. As the … Continue Reading
February 23, 2021
Wyden, Merkley Push to Provide Disabled Veterans Full Military Benefits
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined colleagues to introduce the Major Richard Star Act, bipartisan legislation to provide combat-injured veterans with less than 20 years of military service their full benefits. "I have fought long and hard to ensure that veterans in Oregon and nationwide can receive their full military retirement pay and disability benefits," Wyden said. "This bill represents an important down payment on that principle and will … Continue Reading
February 22, 2021
Wyden Statement on DOI Plans to Halt Trump Administration's Destructive Northern Spotted Owl Rule
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued a statement after the U.S. Department of the Interior announced it is initiating steps to delay the effective date of the Trump administration's rule to remove critical habitat protections for the Northern Spotted Owl: "David Bernhardt ended his corrupt and destructive tenure at Interior with this parting blow to science and the public interest, raising even more questions about scientific meddling by Trump political appointees. I'm glad to see … Continue Reading
February 19, 2021
Wyden, Neguse Unveil Plan to Establish 21st Century Conservation Corps, Invest in Wildfire Resiliency
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, a senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Congressman Joe Neguse, Chair of the U.S. House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, today unveiled legislation to establish a 21st Century Conservation Corps. The 21st Century Conservation Corps Act, originally introduced in July 2020, would provide critical funds to support a natural resource management and conservation workforce and bolster … Continue Reading
