Press Releases
Wyden Asks President to Remove Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today requested that President Joe Biden remove Dr. Robert Marbut from his post as the Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). Wyden wrote that Dr. Marbut -- a holdover appointee from the Trump administration -- has repeatedly stonewalled the progression of permanent housing solutions for Americans and has failed to work with local leaders and service providers, allowing important partnerships to decay. And … Continue Reading
February 03, 2021
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Unveil Groundbreaking Legislation to Boost Sustainability Among America’s Ports
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley is leading five of his Senate colleagues-including U.S. Senator Ron Wyden-in introducing the Climate Smart Ports Act-legislation that would create a $1 billion per year federal program dedicated to improving sustainability measures at America's ports. The legislation was also introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragan. Greenhouse gas pollution from mobile sources at ports is on the rise. The … Continue Reading
February 03, 2021
Wyden, Merkley Urge Biden Administration to Hold Saudi Arabian Government Accountable for Lawless Actions
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged the Biden administration to hold the Saudi Arabian government accountable for helping Saudi nationals accused of crimes flee the United States to avoid trial. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the senators wrote, "We urge you to do what the Trump administration would not: impose consequences on the Saudis for their indefensible behavior. We also urge you to seek a waiver of any relevant immunity … Continue Reading
February 03, 2021
Wyden and Merkley Introduce Legislation to Protect 4,700 Miles of Oregon Rivers Nominated by Nearly 2,500 Oregonians
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today introduced the River Democracy Act to add nearly 4,700 miles of rivers and streams in Oregon to the national Wild and Scenic Rivers system - the largest Wild and Scenic Rivers effort in our nation's history. Those named rivers and streams were among more than 15,000 nominations submitted by 2,500 Oregonians as part of Wyden's statewide public effort to protect more of Oregon's waterways and reduce catastrophic wildfire risks, … Continue Reading
February 03, 2021
Wyden Asks Feds to Answer Health Questions Raised Under Trump Administration About Use of Tear Gas, Chemical Agents in Portland
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden has asked the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) head about health questions left unanswered for months by the federal agency under the Trump administration that deal with the department's sustained use of tear gas and chemical agents during protests in Portland. In his letter Feb. 2 to newly confirmed DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Wyden noted that the questions he raised last summer to Trump's DHS now take on renewed importance in the wake of … Continue Reading
February 02, 2021
Western Democrats Call for Investigation into Potential Scientific Meddling by Trump Administration in its Rule Threatening Spotted Owl
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today led a group of Western Democrats requesting federal investigators determine whether former Secretary David Bernhardt overruled guidance by career officials to push the Trump administration's destructive rule to remove critical habitat protections for the Northern Spotted Owl on 3.4 million acres of federal lands in the Pacific Northwest. Joining Wyden in the request for the U.S. Department of Interior Inspector General to review the U.S. … Continue Reading
February 02, 2021
Amid Pandemic and Plunging Temperatures, Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Work to Help Low-Income Americans Pay Heating Bills
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden teamed up with 42 of their Senate colleagues in pushing for a significant funding boost for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the next pandemic relief package. LIHEAP is a bipartisan, federally funded program that has a proven track record of helping low-income households pay their home energy bills. The program gave $33.8 million in assistance to Oregonians in 2020. "The LIHEAP program is … Continue Reading
January 29, 2021
Wyden and Booker Question NSA Response Following Supply Chain Hacks of SolarWinds And Juniper Networks
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and eight U.S. House members today asked the National Security Agency to explain the NSA's actions to protect the government from supply chain attacks, like the recent SolarWinds hack, in which malicious code is snuck into commercial software used by the government. The recent SolarWinds hack has brought attention to the vulnerability of the government to supply chain attacks. However, five years ago another vendor … Continue Reading
January 28, 2021
Wyden and Blumenauer Introduce Bill to Expand Voting Access and Allow Every American to Vote At Home
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., today introduced new legislation to fight voter suppression by ensuring every American voter has the option to vote at home. The Oregon lawmakers introduced the Vote at Home Act, new legislation to massively expand vote-at-home ballot access, provide voters with pre-paid ballot envelopes and enact automatic voter registration. The legislation follows the successful expansion of voting at home and by mail in … Continue Reading
January 27, 2021
Wyden Statement Following Energy Secretary-Designate Jennifer Granholm's Nomination Hearing
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, released the following statement after Energy Secretary-Designate Jennifer Granholm's nomination hearing: "The Biden administration on day one was ready for immediate action on climate, and Governor Granholm as the President's choice for Energy Secretary is an All-Star in that lineup. As Governor of Michigan she worked relentlessly on the climate crisis, showing a deep … Continue Reading
January 27, 2021
Wyden Will Hold Virtual Eastern Oregon Town Hall on Feb. 5
Portland - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today announced he will have a regional on-line town hall at noon PT (1 pm MT) on Friday, Feb. 5 hosted by Town Hall Project for Eastern Oregon residents in Harney, Malheur and Baker counties A two-time winner of Town Hall Project's MVP award as well as a winner of Town Hall Project's Democracy Defender award, Wyden has held 970 in-person town halls statewide in fulfillment of his pledge to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon's 36 … Continue Reading
January 25, 2021
Rep. Peter DeFazio, Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, Lane County Commissioner Heather Buch Applaud FEMA’s Approval of Direct Housing Mission for Lane County following September’s Deadly Wildfires
EUGENE-Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Lane County Commissioner Heather Buch today applauded the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) approval of Lane County's request for a direct housing mission following September's deadly wildfires. The housing assistance will allow FEMA to provide a range of temporary housing options including transportable temporary housing units, direct lease, and multi-family lease and repair. Housing … Continue Reading
January 22, 2021
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $5.2 Million in USDA Resources for Fremont-Winema and Deschutes National Forest Resiliency Projects
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that over $5.2 million in federal resources from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Joint Chiefs' Landscape Restoration Partnership are headed to Oregon's Lake County All Lands Restoration Initiative and the Buttes to Basins All Lands Forest Resiliency Project in Jefferson and Deschutes counties to support critical forest restoration and maintenance efforts. "Last year's catastrophic wildfire season is a … Continue Reading
January 21, 2021
Wyden, Senators File Ethics Committee Complaint Regarding Colleagues’ Role in Jan. 6 Insurrection
Washington, DC - Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) lodged today a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee concerning the behavior of Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) related to the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. As the senators note, the Senate has the exclusive power to determine whether the members' actions violated … Continue Reading
January 21, 2021
Wyden, Merkley: Oregon Receiving More Than $4.6 Million in Federal COVID-19 Health Grants
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Tribal organizations in Oregon and the state Health Authority will receive a combined $4.66 million in federal COVID-19 for mental health and substance abuse treatment. "The mental health impacts from COVID-19 have been profound with isolation, substance abuse and more throughout Oregon and nationwide," Wyden said. "These health investments will help but much more needs to be done during this public health crisis to … Continue Reading
January 20, 2021
Wyden Supports Nomination of Avril Haines to be Director of National Intelligence
Mr. President, I rise to discuss the nomination of Avril Haines to be Director of National Intelligence. I also want to outline briefly, where I believe things stand on several sensitive issues with the 18 agencies that make up the Intelligence Community. The Biden administration and Ms. Haines have an opportunity and a responsibility to turn the page on the cover-ups and lawlessness of the outgoing administration. That is why the first question I asked Ms. Haines was whether she would abide … Continue Reading
January 20, 2021
Wyden Statement on President Biden's Inauguration Day Executive Actions on Immigration and Proposed Immigration Plan
Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released the following statement on President Joe Biden's inauguration day immigration-related executive actions and the President's proposed immigration plan: "Immigrant communities across America collectively breathed a huge sigh of relief when President Joe Biden took his oath of office. His actions today, his first day in office, signal the President's strong commitment to restore trust with those communities, close the chapter on xenophobia and cruelty, and … Continue Reading
January 20, 2021
Wyden Statement on President Biden's Inauguration Day Executive Actions on the Environment
Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released the following statement on President Joe Biden's inauguration day environmental executive actions: "President Joe Biden's action today sends a strong signal to the American people and the world that his administration is setting our nation's priorities right, putting the health of our communities and environment over corporate interests and science over politics. This administration understands the urgency of the climate crisis, the value of our public … Continue Reading
January 20, 2021
Wyden, Merkley: Cascade Locks Earns $2.4 Million Federal Infrastructure Investment
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the city of Cascade Locks has earned a $2.4 million federal investment to make power supply infrastructure improvements that will help support business growth in Hood River County. The news follows a letter to the federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) from Wyden and Merkley in support of the project to help Cascade Locks become more resilient to natural disasters by placing circuits underground, hardening a … Continue Reading
January 19, 2021
Wyden Statement on Jan. 19 FERC Vote Affecting Jordan Cove
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden issued the following statement on today's unanimous FERC vote on Jordan Cove: "Today marks a big win for protecting the South Coast because it reinforces our state's environmental laws and reflects local community input," Wyden said. "From Day One with this project, I have insisted that Oregonians receive a fair, open, fact-based, and non-political process while FERC determines whether LNG projects are necessary and in the public's best interest -- … Continue Reading
