Press Releases
Wyden Calls for $50 Billion Childcare Investment in Next COVID-19 Relief Package
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today called on Senate leadership to prioritize funding childcare in the next COVID-19 relief package. Wyden, along with 30 of his colleagues, also requested that the legislation ensures small businesses and nonprofits involved in caring for children receive support from the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program. "We write to strongly urge you to prioritize funding childcare in the next legislative package that … Continue Reading
April 29, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Bonamici, Blumenauer Demand CareOregon Board Ensure Continuity of Services for Oregon’s Medicaid Population
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), are demanding that Medicaid enrollees continue to receive the same quality and range of care from CareOregon after the state's largest Medicaid provider announced a new affiliation with Providence Plan Partners. "Over the years, CareOregon has unwaveringly shared our commitment and goal of providing access to the full range of reproductive … Continue Reading
April 29, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Urge Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to Help Low-Income Families Receive Broadband Services
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 142 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, are urging FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to work directly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure that the millions of Americans who have recently become eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Medicaid are informed that they are also eligible for the … Continue Reading
April 29, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Call on DHS Inspector General to Review ICE Detention Facility COVID-19 Policies and Practices
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today called for a full assessment, including site inspections, of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities nationwide to evaluate whether the facilities' operations, management, standards, and conditions have adapted to address the threat of COVID-19 to both the staff and detainees. The letter asking Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General Joseph Cuffari for the review cites reports from across … Continue Reading
April 29, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Push to Strengthen Food Assistance Amid Coronavirus Crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today led a group of twenty-two lawmakers-including Senator Ron Wyden-in urging Senate leadership to support and strengthen SNAP, or food stamps, to help ensure that families across America can keep food on their tables despite the mounting economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. "SNAP is the nation's first line of defense against hunger and is proven to help lifts millions of American families and children out of poverty," the … Continue Reading
April 29, 2020
Wyden Presses Bureau of Prisons to Release Critical Demographic Data on Incarcerated People and Staff Affected by COVID-19
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today urged the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to release system-wide demographic data on the number of incarcerated people and staff affected by COVID-19. In a letter to BOP Director Michael Carvajal, Wyden and 15 of his colleagues requested data on the age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, pregnancy status, sexual orientation, and disability of all incarcerated people and BOP staff who have been tested for, contracted, recovered from, and died … Continue Reading
April 29, 2020
Wyden Urges Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to Reinstate Anti-Discrimination Safeguards in Mortgages
Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today urged the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to reverse its suspension of key information reporting and data required under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the letter to Bureau Director Kathy Kraninger, Wyden and 18 Senate colleagues wrote that eliminating these reporting requirements could allow discrimination in mortgage lending and servicing to go unchecked during a time when consumers are particularly … Continue Reading
April 28, 2020
Wyden Urges McConnell to Make Oversight of COVID-19 Relief Efforts a Priority
Washington, D.C. - As the Senate heads back into session next week, Senate Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today joined his colleagues to urge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to make COVID-19 related matters and oversight of all COVID-related legislation the Senate's focus. Despite the severity of the COVID-19 public health and economic emergencies, no legislative or committee business related to the COVID-19 public health and economic emergencies has been scheduled. … Continue Reading
April 28, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce $103 Million in Funding for Oregon Hospitals and Health Care Providers
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that over $103 million will be distributed among 141 health care providers across the state to boost their coronavirus response efforts. The funding is the second tranche distributed by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which Congress approved last month. The first allocation was distributed the week of April 10. "Throughout this crisis, Oregon's dedicated health care workers … Continue Reading
April 28, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Blast Defense Secretary Esper Over DoD's Failure to Adequately Respond to COVID-19 Pandemic
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today expressed grave concern with the Department of Defense's (DoD) failure to adequately respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. "Civilian leadership of the Department has failed to act sufficiently quickly, and has often prioritized readiness at the expense of the health of servicemembers and their families," Wyden and Merkley wrote with eight other senators in a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper. "This failure has … Continue Reading
April 28, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Urge Administration to Take Action to Ensure Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Funds Reach Small Businesses
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 20 of their colleagues, are pushing Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza to develop strong supervisory mechanisms to identify instances of unjust enrichment and ensure that the just-passed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding actually reaches struggling small businesses who truly need the money. The senators' letter comes amid recent reports indicating that the … Continue Reading
April 27, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Call for Establishing 9-8-8 Suicide Hotline in Next COVID-19 Relief Package
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged that the next COVID-19 relief package include bipartisan legislation designating 9-8-8 as the three-digit number for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. "The creation of this three-digit dialing code is essential in order to address the growing suicide crisis across the United States," Wyden and Merkley wrote in a letter with more than 20 colleagues from both parties to congressional leadership. … Continue Reading
April 27, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce “Hardest Hit” Funds Will Be Available to Help Oregonians with Coronavirus Housing Relief
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the U.S. Treasury Department will allow Oregon to use funding from its Hardest Hit fund to assist Oregonians facing housing challenges during the coronavirus pandemic. Previously, these programs were set to expire on April 30, 2020. The Hardest Hit fund was created during the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis for states, like Oregon, that were the most severely impacted by the decline in the housing … Continue Reading
April 27, 2020
Wyden Reiterates Call for Financial Security for Rural Communities, as COVID-19 Relief Funds and Guidance Fall Short
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today again called on Congressional leadership to provide much-needed financial certainty for rural communities during the COVID-19 crisis to ensure they have long-term funding needed for essential services. Wyden's renewed call follows the release of the Trump administration's Coronavirus Relief Fund guidance for state, territorial, local and tribal governments. The guidance falls dangerously short in making sure rural communities have the … Continue Reading
April 27, 2020
Wyden: New SBA Guidance Will Help Oregon’s Rural Health Districts, Tribes and Employee-owned Businesses Get COVID-19 Economic Aid
Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said today that new guidance from the Small Business Administration (SBA) on who can participate in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) will help rural health district hospitals, tribes and employee-owned businesses in Oregon and nationwide. As ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, Wyden had advocated strongly for the SBA to make those much-needed clarifications that will expand the PPP to include qualifying rural medical providers, tribal … Continue Reading
April 27, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Urge Administration to Remove Needless Restrictions on Governors’ Ability to Help States with COVID-19 Relief Funds
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today called on the Trump Administration to revise needless bureaucratic restrictions on how governors can distribute COVID-19 relief funds to their states. Wyden, Merkley and 44 other Democratic senators said in their letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin those needed revisions would allow governors to provide essential public services to their states, as clearly intended by the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic … Continue Reading
April 24, 2020
Wyden Demands FEMA Address Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Disaster Response
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., demanded the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) make transparent its plans to address the existing racial and socioeconomic disparities in disaster response and ensure vulnerable communities hurt disproportionately by COVID-19 receive equitable aid and assistance in Oregon and across the nation. "Our nation has been gripped by COVID-19 and the impacts have been felt across all of society. As FEMA continues in its role as the … Continue Reading
April 24, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce $8 Million in Additional CDC Funding for Oregon
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced an additional $8 million in Centers for Disease Control (CDC) funding to support Oregon in its battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding supplements earlier awards of $10 million, bringing the total funding amount to $18 million. The funding will be available to assist with activities including testing, contact tracing, data collection, and controlling the spread of COVID-19 in high-risk … Continue Reading
April 24, 2020
Wyden, Merkley: Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council to Receive More than $3.8 Million for Transit
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council will receive more than $3.8 million in federal transit aid through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and. Economic Security Act (CARES) Act. "The economic impact of this public health crisis has hit transit systems hard and the Oregonians who work for them to get people to their jobs, the grocery store, the doctor's office and more," Wyden said. "I am glad these resources are on … Continue Reading
April 24, 2020
Wyden Pushes to Ensure College Students Have Food on the Table Amid COVID-19 Crisis
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today pushed to help college students in Oregon and nationwide have access to critical nutrition assistance by allowing Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) to be triggered during a pandemic. "College students across the nation are facing unprecedented challenges amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, shuttered campuses have exacerbated their food insecurity. In 2019, 39% of America's college students reported being … Continue Reading
