Press Releases
Merkley, Wyden, Entire Senate Democratic Caucus: Trump Administration Must Stop Illegally Withholding Funding for Nutrition Assistance Programs That Feed American Families
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined the Senate Democratic Caucus to demand the Trump Administration stop illegally withholding available funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Led by Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Senate Democrats introduced the Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act of 2025 to direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to … Continue Reading
October 30, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Demand Trump Protect U.S. National Security in Trade Negotiations
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senate colleagues to urge Donald Trump to protect the national security of the United States and our allies in trade negotiations with China. The letter comes as Trump has already made significant concessions to China - highlighted in the letter - including weakening U.S. export controls on semiconductor chips, barring Taiwan’s president from making a planned layover in the U.S., and offering little detail … Continue Reading
October 29, 2025
Merkley, Wyden Joint Statement on Republicans’ Attempt to Overturn Northern Spotted Owl Protections
Washington, DC - Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden issued the following joint statement after opposing a procedural vote on a measure on the Senate floor to disapprove and overturn the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s plan to manage the barred owls: “We support saving the Spotted Owl, an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that has been the focus of decades of conservation efforts. The Fish and Wildlife Service’s plan was developed after a decade of research, … Continue Reading
October 29, 2025
Merkley, Wyden Backing Bills to Stand Up for Federal Workers During Republican Shutdown
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden said today they joined their Senate colleagues to co-sponsor two bills to pay all federal employees, federal contractors, and servicemembers during the ongoing Republican-led government shutdown. “President Trump and Congressional Republicans don't get to pick and choose who they want to pay and not pay during a government shutdown—full stop,” Merkley said. “If Republicans are serious about ensuring all federal workers get … Continue Reading
October 29, 2025
Wyden, Colleagues Slam Trump Administration for Increasing Costs of Air Travel
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to urge the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to reverse its decision to roll back consumer protections for airline passengers in Oregon and nationwide that built on the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act and kept costs low. Specifically, Donald Trump’s DOT is rolling back protections implemented under the Biden administration that required airlines to compensate passengers for flight delays and … Continue Reading
October 28, 2025
Wyden, Padilla Lead Colleagues in Slamming RFK Jr. for Purging Staff on Frontlines of Opioid Crisis
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif., today led their Democratic Senate colleagues in slamming the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., for firing federal employees working on the frontlines of America’s opioid crisis at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). HHS has now terminated more than 100 SAMHSA employees since the start of the Trump administration, reducing its staff … Continue Reading
October 28, 2025
Dexter, Wyden, Merkley, and Bonamici Secure Release of Portland Mother After Months of Unlawful ICE Detention
PORTLAND, OR— Today, Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-03), Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) announced that Jackie Merlos has been released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody following her prolonged and illegal detention. Her release came hours after Dexter announced that a petition for a writ of habeas corpus was filed on behalf of Merlos—an action challenging the legality of her continued detention in federal … Continue Reading
October 27, 2025
Wyden Leads Bipartisan Amicus Brief Challenging Trump’s Unlawful and Inflationary Tariffs
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he is leading Senate and House colleagues in filing a bipartisan amicus brief before the U.S. Supreme Court in the consolidated case challenging Donald Trump’s unlawful use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs on imported goods. The sweeping tariffs imposed by Trump have raised average tariffs to their highest rate since the Great Depression and added more than $1,800 to costs for the average … Continue Reading
October 24, 2025
Wyden, Colleagues: Trump’s Ballroom is a Political Fundraiser for Big Corporations to Earn Backroom Favors
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today joined colleagues in decrying the Trump administration for giving major corporate donors undue government influence in exchange for funding his White House ballroom project. Wyden and four other senators raised questions about politicized fundraising, influence peddling, and donor access to Donald Trump, amid his effort to pay for and build his $300 million ballroom at the White House. The letter comes after Trump demolished the entire East Wing … Continue Reading
October 24, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Call out Trump Administration’s Dismantling of Education Offices Responsible for Supporting People with Disabilities
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-OR) today called out the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle U.S. special education with its decision to illegally fire Department of Education workers who provide education services and resources in Oregon and nationwide for people with disabilities and their families. “We write today with outrage at your reported decision to fire nearly everyone at the Department of Education (the Department) dedicated to delivering … Continue Reading
October 23, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Urge Donald Trump to Reinforce Opposition to West Bank Annexation
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senate colleagues to urge Donald Trump to reinforce his stated opposition to Israel’s annexation of territory in the West Bank amid the ongoing focus on implementing and sustaining the much-needed ceasefire in Gaza. Trump previously expressed his opposition to annexations, saying he would “not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.” The recent ceasefire plan for Gaza omits any mention of the West Bank. “In … Continue Reading
October 23, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Urge Trump USDA to Immediately Release November SNAP Benefits
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-OR) today urged the Trump administration to release the billions of dollars at its disposal to ensure Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits continue next month in Oregon and nationwide. “We were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November and were surprised by your recent comments that the program will ‘run out of money in two weeks,’” the … Continue Reading
October 23, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Urge Trump USDA to Immediately Release November SNAP Benefits
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-OR) today urged the Trump administration to release the billions of dollars at its disposal to ensure Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits continue next month in Oregon and nationwide. “We were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November and were surprised by your recent comments that the program will ‘run out of money in two weeks,’” the … Continue Reading
October 22, 2025
Dexter, Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici Press ICE to Release Portland Mother After Court Clears Her Case
PORTLAND, OR— Today, Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-03) led a letter with Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to immediately release Jackie Merlos, a Portland mother who remains detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC) despite an immigration judge terminating her removal proceedings. “Ms. Merlos holds U-Deferred Action status, a valid work permit through 2029, and has not been … Continue Reading
October 21, 2025
Wyden, Welch, Cortez Masto Introduce Bill to Block Republicans’ Big Pharma Bailout, Protect Access to Life-Saving Prescription Drugs
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and committee members Senator Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., today introduced the No Big Blockbuster Bailouts Act (NOBBBA), a bill to reverse Republicans’ policies in the so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ that block Medicare from negotiating the price of blockbuster drugs. The NOBBBA will ensure seniors, people with disabilities on Medicare, and families can access the lower-priced … Continue Reading
October 20, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Request Department of Defense Inspector General Inquiry into Domestic Deployment of Military in American Cities
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senate colleagues to demand an inquiry from the U.S. Department of Defense into the recent domestic deployments of active-duty and National Guard troops to Portland; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; and Memphis. In the letter, the Senators underscore the illegality of the domestic troop deployments, which undermine military readiness and politicize the nation’s military. “The military’s expanded use … Continue Reading
October 20, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Question YouTube, Google on Potential Quid-Pro-Quo Settlement With Trump Administration
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senate colleagues to demand answers from Google and YouTube regarding whether Google’s recent $22 million settlement with Donald Trump represented a quid-pro-quo agreement in exchange for favors from his administration. “If …YouTube settled President Trump’s legally dubious lawsuit to discourage the President’s Justice Department from appealing a ruling favorable to Google, the company and its executives … Continue Reading
October 17, 2025
Wyden Slams New Pentagon Press Restrictions Forcing Reporters to Obtain Government Approval of Coverage
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called on the Department of Defense to rescind its outrageous new restrictions on independent reporters, after every major independent news organization walked out of the Pentagon and refused to sign on to unprecedented government censorship of their reporting. The new Pentagon press policy requires reporters to pledge not to publish information without the authorization of a department official, a flagrant violation of the First Amendment … Continue Reading
October 16, 2025
Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici, Bynum and Dexter Tell Trump Administration to Withdraw Agents Deployed to Portland Outside ICE Facility
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Janelle Bynum and Maxine Dexter today demanded the Trump administration withdraw the federal agents it’s deployed outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland in response to the agents’ excessive use of force that’s needlessly and dangerously inciting violence. “Your federal agents weren't invited, they aren't needed, and their presence has fomented the very violence … Continue Reading
October 16, 2025
Wyden Slams Surveillance Tech Company for Ineffective Protections for Oregonians Against Abuses by Federal Agencies and Out-of-State Law Enforcement
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., slammed surveillance tech company Flock for failing to meet its pledge to protect Oregonians against immigration and abortion-related searches by out-of-state law enforcement agencies and for deceiving state and local law enforcement customers about its sharing of their data with the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies. After troubling press reports surfaced about law enforcement agencies accessing Flock’s data to crack … Continue Reading
