Press Releases
Wyden, Senate Democratic Leaders Announce Targeted New Proposal To Help States With Coronavirus Outbreaks
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and Senate Democratic Leaders today announced a new targeted economic and community relief proposal to help communities and individuals deal with the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak. The proposal is based on input from Governors, policy experts and state and local officials about what is needed to help workers, their families and the communities they live in to manage the economic disruption and services crisis at the local level in both the … Continue Reading
March 11, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Press Trump on Coronavirus Disaster Declaration
Washington, D.C.-Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with dozens of their Senate colleagues, today sent a letter to President Trump urging the president to immediately consider any coronavirus-related disaster declaration requests. Presidential disaster declarations would enable affected states to tap into the $42.6 billion currently available in the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) in their efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and protect public health. The Senators urged … Continue Reading
March 11, 2020
Wyden Introduces Bill to Protect Voters and Elections Against COVID-19 Risks by Mandating Emergency Vote-By-Mail
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today introduced a bill to address the risks to American voters and elections posed by the coronavirus (COVID-19), and other outbreaks of infectious diseases or natural disasters. If 25 percent of states declare a state of emergency related to COVID-19, another infectious disease or natural disaster, the Resilient Elections During Quarantines and Natural Disasters Act of 2020 would require all states to offer an option for voters to mail in … Continue Reading
March 10, 2020
Wyden Statement on House FISA Extension Bill
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement regarding the latest FISA extension bill under consideration in the U.S. House: "The FISA bill posted by the House Rules Committee includes provisions sought by reformers, but falls far short of the meaningful protections for Americans' rights that members from both parties have demanded. It codifies prohibitions on two collection activities that the government had already suspended: the massive and ineffective call detail … Continue Reading
March 10, 2020
Wyden, Schumer, Murray Demand Answers On The Alarming Lack Of Access To Coronavirus Testing
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter today to Vice President Pence regarding the mass confusion and lack of clarity around the availability of coronavirus testing and out-of-pocket costs associated with getting tests and treatment. The letter from Senators Wyden, Schumer and Murray demands the Trump administration answer essential … Continue Reading
March 10, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Demand Answers From the FCC on Move Limiting Access to Resources to Expand Rural Broadband
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today denounced the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) decision to move forward with a recently adopted rule that would limit the federal resources available to expand broadband in rural areas. The rule would make areas that have received state-run broadband program funding or funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) ReConnect program ineligible for new federal investment for broadband deployment … Continue Reading
March 10, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Walden Push for Emergency Aid for Flood-Stricken Eastern Oregon
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, with Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR-5), are pushing the Trump administration for an expedited review of the "presidential major disaster declaration" that Oregon Governor Kate Brown requested for three Oregon counties and a tribal nation that suffered severe damage from historic flooding in February. Officials estimate damages to public and individual property amount to more than $30 million. The lawmakers also emphasized … Continue Reading
March 05, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Join Bipartisan Group of Senators in Urging Vice President Pence to Ensure Coronavirus Resources for Tribes and Urban Native Communities
WASHINGTON, DC - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined a bipartisan group of 25 senators in writing to Vice President Mike Pence requesting the administration meaningfully engage with Native communities and Tribal leaders on their response to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The senators sent the letter following congressional passage of a coronavirus emergency supplemental appropriations bill that includes $40 million for Tribes, Tribal organizations and Urban Indian … Continue Reading
March 05, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce Senate Passage of Emergency Coronavirus Funding Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced the Senate passage of a bipartisan, bicameral coronavirus emergency funding bill, which will provide $8.3 billion in new funding to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. "In the face of this public health crisis, we need good information, good science, and the right tools in the right hands to limit the virus's spread and keep people safe," said Merkley. "It's important that members of Congress of both parties … Continue Reading
March 05, 2020
Wyden and Khanna Introduce Bill to Protect Whistleblowers, Ensure Journalists Aren’t Targeted for Publishing Classified Information
Washington, D.C. - As the Trump-Barr Justice Department increasingly targets whistleblowers and political enemies, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., today introduced the Espionage Act Reform Act to rewrite the hundred-year-old law governing when reporters and whistleblowers can be prosecuted for discussing government secrets. The Wyden-Khanna legislation reaffirms First Amendment protections for journalists who publish classified information, and ensures whistleblowers can … Continue Reading
March 04, 2020
Wyden Calls on Census Bureau to Address Impact of Coronavirus on 2020 Census
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today urged the U.S. Census Bureau to put a plan in place to ensure that the expanding coronavirus outbreak doesn't hurt the accuracy of the 2020 Census, and to make sure the health of census takers is protected. In the letter to Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham, Wyden and 16 other senators also requested a Senate briefing on the status of the census no later than March 27, 2020. "An accurate and comprehensive census is fundamental to our … Continue Reading
March 04, 2020
Oregon Officials to Hold Flood Recovery Meeting in Pendleton
Portland - All Oregonians hit by the recent floods that devastated Umatilla County are invited to a March 10 meeting with federal, tribal, county, city and non-profit officials who will provide information and answer community questions about recovering from the disaster. The meeting from 5 pm to 7:30 pm on Tuesday, March 10 at the Pendleton Convention Center (1601 Westgate) was coordinated by U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, Gov. Kate Brown and U.S. Rep. Greg Walden. "I know … Continue Reading
March 04, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Support Baker City Watershed Road Repairs
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged federal officials to improve emergency response and access to public lands by fixing the only accessible route through the fire-prone Baker City watershed. The Oregon senators' letter to U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen comes in support of Wallowa-Whitman National Forest officials' request for capital improvement project funds to repair the Marble Creek Pass Road. Wyden and Merkley noted in their letter that the … Continue Reading
March 03, 2020
Wyden Presses DOE Secretary on Agency’s Failure to Prioritize Hanford Cleanup
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today pressed U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Dan Brouillette on the agency's failure to prioritize cleaning up the Hanford site and protecting workers and surrounding communities from contamination. In a hearing before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Donald Trump's FY2021 budget, Wyden cited a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that found significant problems with the way contaminated … Continue Reading
March 03, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Urge the Supreme Court to Uphold Statute Protecting Consumers from Unwanted Robocalls
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined more than a dozen members of Congress to file an amicus brief with the Supreme Court urging the Justices to uphold the validity of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the long-established law that requires callers to obtain consent before robocalling. "The TCPA remains an essential, if not more essential, piece of legislation today," the members of Congress wrote in their brief. "By restricting calls made to … Continue Reading
March 03, 2020
Wyden on FERC Nominee Vote: “The Trump administration appears determined to overthrow any semblance of independence at the FERC”
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released the following statement opposing today's U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources vote advancing the nomination of James P. Danly to be a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC): "The Trump administration appears determined to overthrow any semblance of independence at the FERC. For months, the agency has operated without a full and bipartisan commission, throwing into question whether its decisions are … Continue Reading
March 02, 2020
Wyden and Warren Demand Answers on Allegations that Trump Administration Has Been Using Confidential Therapy Notes to Detain and Deport Migrant Children
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., today demanded answers from the Trump administration regarding allegations that confidential information disclosed by unaccompanied migrant children to mental health professionals is being distorted and used against these children by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to pursue deportation or prolonged detention. Wyden and Warren today sent separate letters to Assistant Secretary for the … Continue Reading
February 28, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce $6.4 Million in Wildfire Recovery and Resilience Funding for Ochoco, Mt. Hood Forests
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the Ochoco and Wasco Forest Collaboratives have secured $1.68 million and $4.78 million in grant funding, respectively, from the Forest Service and National Resource Conservation Service. The funds will help the forests recover damage from previous wildfires, and boost resilience to future blazes. Senators Merkley and Wyden wrote letters to the Forest Service and National Resource Conservation Service in … Continue Reading
February 27, 2020
Wyden Statement on Reported FCC Fines on Wireless Carriers Failing to Protect Location Data
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on reports that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will fine wireless companies for failing to protect users' location data: "Based on today's news reports, it seems clear Chairman Pai has failed to protect American consumers at every stage of the game - this issue only came to light after my office and dedicated journalists discovered how wireless companies shared Americans' locations willy nilly. He only … Continue Reading
February 27, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Announce Warm Springs and Eugene Housing Authorities to Receive HUD Funding
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Homes for Good, based in Eugene, Ore., and Warm Springs Housing Authority will receive U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding to help economically empower families living in federally subsidized housing by facilitating access to supportive services. These include health services, child care, transportation, job placement, job training, and more. Warm Springs Housing Authority will receive … Continue Reading
