Press Releases
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Anti-War Crimes Resolution That Denounces Trump Threats to Attack Iranian Cultural Sites
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined with five other senators today to introduce a resolution condemning Donald Trump's threats to attack cultural sites in Iran and demanding he refrain from violating the laws of armed conflict. "If Donald Trump follows through on his threat to bomb Persian cultural sites it would be an abomination on the level of what the Taliban did to Buddhist relics in Afghanistan," Wyden said. "Congress cannot let Trump commit war crimes that … Continue Reading
January 08, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce Resolution to Emphasize Requirement of Clear Congressional Approval for Military Action in Iran
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, joined by Senator Ron Wyden, today announced a bipartisan resolution to underscore that any future war must be considered and authorized by Congress. Specifically, the resolution clarifies that neither the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force passed following the September 11 attacks nor the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq legally justify the use of military force against Iran. Merkley led the resolution … Continue Reading
January 07, 2020
Wyden, Grassley Hail Passage of Updated NAFTA
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today released the following statements regarding the broad, bipartisan passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act, which was reported out of committee on a 25-3 basis and will update the North American Free Trade Agreement. “Thanks to hard work by my colleagues on the Finance Committee and in the House, this new NAFTA delivers long-overdue upgrades … Continue Reading
January 06, 2020
Wyden Supports War Powers Resolution to Prevent War With Iran
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today joined Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., to support a war powers resolution to force a debate and vote in Congress to prevent further escalation of hostilities with Iran. "At each of my town halls this past weekend, I heard from Oregonians concerned that Donald Trump is racing our country towards war. Today I cosponsored a Senate Resolution to prevent this reckless administration from launching a war against Iran," Wyden said. "We cannot allow Trump's rash … Continue Reading
January 03, 2020
Wyden Statement on the Assassination of Qassem Soleimani
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on the assassination of Qassem Soleimani: "Qassem Soleimani was a bad man with a lot of blood on his hands, but Donald Trump's decision to assassinate him was a reckless escalation that will take us further down the road to ruinous war. A president has the responsibility to ensure that all necessary steps have been taken to protect vulnerable American military and civilian targets before taking such a precipitous act. … Continue Reading
December 23, 2019
Wyden, Blumenthal, Warren and Eshoo Question Sale of .ORG Domains to Private Equity Firm
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., with Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., questioned whether nonprofit groups, free speech and internet users would be harmed selling control of .ORG domains to a private equity firm, in a letter sent today. Currently, the Internet Society, a non-profit group, controls how website names ending in .ORG are allocated. In November, the Society announced that it would sell control of the .ORG … Continue Reading
December 20, 2019
Merkley, Wyden Announce Investments in Small Ports, Irrigation Districts, Renewable Energy Included in 2020 Spending Bill
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that provisions that will help create jobs and improve infrastructure in Oregon communities are included in the 2020 spending bill that has passed both chambers of Congress, and is headed to the president’s desk to become law. “One of the most gratifying parts of serving on the Senate Appropriations Committee is that I get to work with communities across the state to fund their needs, and then see the funding … Continue Reading
December 20, 2019
Merkley, Wyden Announce Major Investments in Coastal Communities, Tribes Included in Spending Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced key provisions in the 2020 spending bill funding commerce, justice and science, that will help rural communities across Oregon. The bill has passed both houses of Congress and now goes to the president to be signed into law. "I'm in every county every year, and across rural and coastal Oregon I hear about ways we can create jobs and strengthen communities," said Merkley, who serves on the Senate … Continue Reading
December 20, 2019
Merkley, Wyden Announce Increased Water Infrastructure, Tribal, Forest Funding in 2020 Spending Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the 2020 spending bill includes U.S. Department of Interior Appropriations funding that provides critical investments in earthquake preparedness, water infrastructure, and wildfire suppression and recovery activities that are of particular importance to communities across Oregon. "This bill invests in both recovery and prevention efforts to save our forests, our communities, and our farms, ranches and … Continue Reading
December 20, 2019
Merkley, Murray, Wyden, Walden Announce Spending Bill to Advance Rural Business Development Funding for the Columbia River Gorge
WASHINGTON, DC - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), and Representative Greg Walden (R-OR-5), today announced that the 2020 spending bill passed by Congress will include $2 million in new funding for rural business development grants, with priority given to National Scenic Areas that have been devastated by wildfires, such as the Columbia River Gorge. This funding is intended to be used by entities such as the Mid-Columbia Economic Development … Continue Reading
December 19, 2019
Merkley, Wyden Announce Key Priorities for Oregon Agriculture, Rural Communities Included in 2020 Spending Bill
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced key provisions in the fiscal year 2020 spending bill that will help Oregon’s agriculture industry and rural communities—from investments in rural housing; to research into the impacts of wildfire smoke on crops; to hemp, which is becoming a cash crop for Oregon. The bill has passed both chambers of Congress on bipartisan votes, and now heads to the president’s desk to become law. “Every year I visit every … Continue Reading
December 19, 2019
Merkley, Wyden Announce More than $2 Billion to Address Housing, Homelessness Included in 2020 Spending Bill
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the fiscal year 2020 spending bill includes $2.173 billion to battle unaffordable rents and homelessness. The bill, which has passed both houses of Congress and now goes to the president's desk to be signed into law, funds several federal departments, and includes Oregon priorities for transportation, housing, and other programs that local communities rely on to fund services, build parks, and … Continue Reading
December 18, 2019
Wyden Statement on the U.S. House Impeaching Donald Trump
Washington, D.C. -Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The articles of impeachment now go to the U.S. Senate, which will hear arguments and vote on whether or not Trump should be removed from office. "A senator has no weightier responsibility than to judge a president impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors. As a juror in impeachment proceedings, I intend … Continue Reading
December 18, 2019
Bill Demanding Answers About Saudi Fugitives Slated to Pass in Year-End Spending Package
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced Wyden's Saudi Fugitives Declassification Act, which requires the FBI to declassify any information it may possess about the Saudi government's role in helping accused criminals leave the United States, was added to the year-end spending bill that is slated to pass Thursday. "It is long past time to stop treating Saudi Arabia as if it were above the law," Wyden said. "My bill will finally force the federal … Continue Reading
December 18, 2019
Wyden, Colleagues Demand HUD Review Facial Recognition Technology Use in Federally Assisted Housing
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Cory Booker, D-N.J., Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Kamala D. Harris, D-Calif., and U.S. Representatives Yvette D. Clarke, D-N.Y., Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., today asked the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to review policies regarding the use of facial recognition technologies in federally assisted housing. In a letter to HUD Secretary Ben Carson, the legislators pointed … Continue Reading
December 17, 2019
Wyden, Merkley, Blumenauer, Bonamici, DeFazio, Schrader File Amicus Brief Supporting the Indian Child Welfare Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader filed an amicus brief in federal court making the case for the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), a proven and effective way to keep Native children connected to their communities and cultures. The bipartisan brief was filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit as the court re-opens its August ruling … Continue Reading
December 17, 2019
Merkley, Wyden Announce USDA Loan of Over $42.5 Million for Tillamook Electricity Infrastructure Upgrades
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the Tillamook People’s Utility has received a 30-year loan of over $42.5 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee Program for critical line expansion and improvement. “This loan will help ensure that Tillamook’s electricity needs are met for years to come, and help hundreds of Oregonians gain access to new lines,” said Merkley, the top Democrat … Continue Reading
December 17, 2019
Wyden Votes No on Defense Policy Bill
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., voted against a massive defense policy bill today, in opposition to the measure's misplaced priorities, including $740 billion in military spending, the creation of Donald Trump's Space Force, and its failure to end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's brutal war in Yemen, overturn Trump's ban on transgender troops or block the trumped-up emergency at the border. "While this bill contains a number of worthwhile provisions, including more than a dozen that … Continue Reading
December 17, 2019
Merkley, Wyden, Pacific Coast Members Announce Major Win for Trawlers in Year-End Spending Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley, joined by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Kamala Harris (D-CA), and U.S. Representatives Peter DeFazio (D-OR-4), Greg Walden (R-OR-2), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA-3), Kurt Schrader (D-OR-5), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1), and Jared Huffman (D-CA-2), today announced a major, bipartisan victory for West Coast trawlers in the 2020 spending bill that Congress is expected to pass this … Continue Reading
December 17, 2019
Wyden Introduces SAFE SEX Workers Study Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today joined Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to introduce the SAFE SEX Workers Study Act, a bill to require the first ever national study on the health and safety of sex workers, including impacts from SESTA/FOSTA - legislation that dealt with sex work and websites. Wyden was one of only two members of the Senate to vote against SESTA/FOSTA. Today, December 17, is also the International Day to End Violence … Continue Reading
