Press Releases
Wyden, Merkley Press for Maritime Ports Help in Next COVID-19 Relief Package
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are urging Senate leaders to direct relief in the next COVID-19 package to maritime ports in Oregon and nationwide. The letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Charles Schumer notes that ports' unique governing structures have left them ineligible for many of the recently enacted relief programs. "Funding sources vary for ports, but all have seen their budgets hit hard by the ongoing business closures and … Continue Reading
May 13, 2020
Wyden Welcomes New National Housing Assistance Website to Help Renters, Homeowners Apply for Relief, Learn About New Protections to Keep Them in Their Homes
Washington, DC - Following calls from U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and colleagues for a comprehensive resource guide to help renters and homeowners during the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government has launched a new website to provide information about all the resources and assistance available. The single website provided by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) details new … Continue Reading
May 13, 2020
Wyden Opposes Warrantless Government Surveillance of Americans’ Internet Browsing History
Mr. President, I rise to offer an amendment to ask a basic question. Is it right at this unique time when millions of law-abiding citizens are at home, for the government to be able to spy on their internet searches and web browsing without a warrant? Should law-abiding Americans have to worry about their government looking over their shoulders from the moment they wake up in the morning and turn on their computers to when they go to bed at night? I believe the answer is no. But that's exactly … Continue Reading
May 13, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Announce Legislation to Help Renters During the Coronavirus Pandemic
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 24 of their colleagues in the Senate, have announced new legislation-the Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act of 2020-to assist renters amid the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis. The legislation would establish an Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which would provide $100 billion in emergency rental assistance to help families and individuals pay their rent during and after … Continue Reading
May 13, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Bill to Ensure All Students Have Access to Internet During COVID-19 Pandemic
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today introduced legislation aimed at ensuring all K-12 students have adequate home internet connectivity and devices during the coronavirus pandemic. The Emergency Educational Connections Act would give elementary and secondary schools and libraries, including tribal schools and libraries, $4 billion to provide Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers and internet-enabled devices to students, staff and patrons. "With education forced … Continue Reading
May 12, 2020
Wyden Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Help New Parents Receive CARES Act Stimulus Checks This Year
Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today joined with a bipartisan group of colleagues to introduce legislation that would ensure more new parents quickly receive the additional $500 per child in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act stimulus payments without having to wait until 2021. "Immediate economic help in the middle of this public health crisis is a must for new parents and the newborns depending on them from Day One to provide food, diapers, shelter and … Continue Reading
May 12, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Push to Expand Delivery for SNAP Recipients During Pandemic
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with a bipartisan group of 26 senators, are calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to immediately work to ensure that Americans who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits-also known as food stamps-can receive home food delivery and curbside pickup during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the letter to USDA, the senators wrote, "The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented … Continue Reading
May 12, 2020
Wyden, Merkley: State to Receive $10.7 Million to Help Low-income Oregonians During COVID-19
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Oregon will receive $10.7 million in federal funding to help respond to the urgent needs of low-income communities caused statewide by the COVID-19 public health crisis. "The economic fallout from coronavirus has put huge additional pressure on many Oregonians who already faced financial stresses paying their rent, hunting for a job, or caring for a relative," Wyden said. "I am gratified these federal resources will … Continue Reading
May 11, 2020
Wyden Introduces Bill to Make Major Investments in Public Health, Wildfire Prevention and Rural Jobs as Part of COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Efforts
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today introduced legislation that would bolster wildfire prevention and preparedness to protect the health and safety of communities during the unparalleled combination of threats posed by wildfire season and the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation also would provide relief and job creation measures that equip rural economies to respond to the unique threats they're facing during this public health and economic crisis. "A historic global … Continue Reading
May 11, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Call for Robust Funding to Aid the Homeless in Next COVID-19 Relief Package
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged Congressional leadership to include $11.5 billion in funding for Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) in the next relief package to aid the nation's homeless population who are experiencing heightened vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter was signed by 73 Members of Congress. Wyden and Merkley also joined colleagues in introducing the Public Health Emergency Shelter Act, which would provide the $11.5 … Continue Reading
May 11, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $25 Million in Funding for Lane Transit District
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the Lane Transit District will receive over $25 million in funding to support its public transportation operations and projects, including coronavirus response efforts. The funding was authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and is being distributed by the Federal Transit Administration. "I'm grateful for the dedicated transit workers throughout Lane County who are … Continue Reading
May 08, 2020
Wyden to Introduce Legislation to Allow Credit Unions to Better Serve Small Businesses During COVID-19 Crisis
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced today that he will introduce legislation next week to allow more lending flexibility for credit unions to better serve their customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Access to Credit for Small Businesses Impacted by the COVID-19 Crisis Act builds on Wyden's work to help under-banked and under-served small businesses receive equal access to federal small business relief. "Our banking system has left the mom and pop shops on … Continue Reading
May 08, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $9 Million in Funding to Expand COVID-19 Testing in Oregon
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that over $9 million in federal funding is being made available to 30 hospitals, health facilities, and county governments throughout Oregon to expand coronavirus testing capacity. "In our state and across America, coronavirus testing is still far too limited-a nightmare that is putting our families, neighbors, and frontline workers at greater risk," said Merkley. "Expanding testing capacity is an integral step in … Continue Reading
May 07, 2020
Wyden Statement on AG Barr’s Decision to Drop Charges Against Michael Flynn
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement after the Justice Department said it will drop charges against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn: "AG Barr has destroyed the credibility of the Justice Department to help someone who was working on behalf of a foreign government while serving as the National Security Advisor. If Barr's Justice Department will drop charges against someone who twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and who the White House … Continue Reading
May 07, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce Nearly $16 Million in Coronavirus Relief Funding for Oregon Fisheries
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced nearly $16 million in assistance will go to Oregon fisheries, fishing businesses, fish processors, and more that have been impacted by coronavirus. The funding is Oregon's portion of the $300 million in fisheries assistance included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. "This is desperately needed federal support for Oregon's hardworking fishermen and women and the coastal … Continue Reading
May 07, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Tell Trump Administration: Stop Playing Politics with the U.S. Postal Service
WASHINGTON, DC - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with a group of 27 senators, are urging Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin to reject politically motivated conditions on financial relief for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), which is a critical lifeline for many Americans, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The senators also expressed their strong opposition to the use of coronavirus as a pretext to pursue privatization of USPS, which is widely unpopular with … Continue Reading
May 07, 2020
Wyden, Colleagues Push Comcast to Open Public Wi-Fi to Students Lacking Access at Home During COVID-19
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Cory Booker, D-N.J. today urged Comcast to open all of its public Wi-Fi networks to the approximately 12 million American students who lack internet access at home, as schools rely on online education as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. In a letter to Comcast, the lawmakers wrote, "The COVID-19 pandemic … [has] shuttered schools across the country, leaving teachers and students forced to navigate the … Continue Reading
May 07, 2020
Oregon Delegation Calls for COVID-19 Relief to Address Barriers Faced by Latinx, Immigrant Communities
WASHINGTON, DC - Today members of Oregon's Congressional Delegation -Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, and Kurt Schrader, along with Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley- called on Congressional leadership to address the disproportionate barriers and outcomes that Latinx and immigrant communities face when trying to access health care services and economic relief during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. In Oregon, Hispanic individuals comprise 13.3 percent of … Continue Reading
May 06, 2020
Wyden Opposes Nomination of William Evanina to Lead the National Counterintelligence and Security Center
Mr. President, I rise to oppose the confirmation of William Evanina because of his failure to protect whistleblowers. Leading whistleblower protection organizations support my opposition to Mr. Evanina's confirmation and I ask unanimous consent that their statements be included in the record. It is currently open season on whistleblowers under the Trump administration. Donald Trump and those around him have made it clear that anyone who speaks up about waste, fraud, abuse or lawbreaking can … Continue Reading
May 06, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Call for Protections Against Scams Targeting Small Businesses
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today called for the Trump administration to protect against scams targeting small businesses seeking relief from COVID-19. In a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Joseph Simons, Wyden and Merkley joined a group of their colleagues to express concern about the recent increase in scams targeting small businesses and request information on measures the FTC is taking to address the issue to better protect small … Continue Reading
