Press Releases
Wyden, Heinrich, Padilla Introduce Legislation to Strengthen America’s Electric Grid, Improve Data and Models for Energy Reliability
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said today that he and U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) have introduced two bills that would bolster the nation’s power grid by improving data and models to better understand and predict electric reliability. More granular data is needed to better understand weather impacts on energy resources and demands, especially as extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change increase in frequency. Reliability … Continue Reading
April 21, 2024
Senate Votes Now Expected on Tuesday Force Postponement of This Week’s Town Halls
Portland - U.S. Senate votes now expected for this week will force the postponement of U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden’s town halls that had been scheduled in Josephine, Curry, Coos and Douglas counties on April 23-24. All four town halls will be … Continue Reading
April 20, 2024
Wyden Statement on Reauthorization of FISA 702 Without Reforms to Warrantless Surveillance of Americans
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement after voting No on a bill to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for two years. “The Senate waited until the 11th hour to ram through renewal of warrantless surveillance in the dead of night. But I’m not giving up. The American people know that reform is possible and that they don’t need to sacrifice their liberty to have security. It is clear from the votes on very … Continue Reading
April 19, 2024
Wyden and Lummis Introduce Amendment to Roll Back Unprecedented Expansion of Warrantless FISA Surveillance
Bipartisan Amendment Strips Provision of House Bill that Requires Anyone who can Access a Server, Cable Box, Wifi Router, Phone or Laptop to Assist in Warrantless 702 Surveillance Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., today introduced an amendment to reverse a major expansion of warrantless surveillance under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that was included in the House-passed bill. The Wyden-Lummis amendment is … Continue Reading
April 19, 2024
Wyden Urges Senate to Reject Expansion of FISA 702 Surveillance
Watch a video of Wyden deliver his remarks here As prepared for delivery I rise today to describe what happened at the end of the House debate on Section 702 and the sweeping new surveillance authorities that were slipped into the bill by the chair of the House Intelligence Committee. Then I’m going to respond to all of the arguments that were given to justify these expanded authorities in this provision and why they don’t hold water. The chair of the House Intelligence Committee called … Continue Reading
April 19, 2024
Wyden, Merkley Announce $47.7 Million in Secure Rural Schools Funds to Oregon Counties
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week announced that 30 Oregon counties will receive more than $47.7 million in federal payments under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (SRS) for schools and road maintenance, youth job training, wildfire prevention, watershed restoration and habitat conservation. These funds are allocated from the U.S. Forest Service, with more expected from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) soon. “The Secure Rural … Continue Reading
April 18, 2024
Merkley, Wyden Join Colleagues in Bipartisan Letter to USPS Opposing Consolidations, Operational Changes Across the Country
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined a bipartisan group of their colleagues in Congress in a letter led by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) to United States Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, opposing the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) recent nationwide consolidation and review announcements that could severely diminish mail service reliability for postal networks across the country. “A common theme of these announcements is … Continue Reading
April 18, 2024
Senators Wyden, Markey, Cantwell, Eshoo Join FCC Chair Rosenworcel to Highlight Upcoming FCC Net Neutrality Rule
Rule would reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service and reinstate net neutrality protections Washington (April 18, 2024) - Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), along with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Representative Anna Eshoo (CA-16), today at a press conference praised the upcoming FCC rule reclassifying broadband as a telecommunications service under Title II of the … Continue Reading
April 18, 2024
Wyden, Merkley Urge Feds to Support Oregon’s School-Based Health Services Financed by Medicaid
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week urged federal health officials to award a planning grant up to $2.5 million to Oregon that would strengthen school-based health services financed by Medicaid in the state. The senators’ letter to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services comes in support of the Oregon Health Authority’s (OHA) grant application. “This planning grant would help OHA and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to prepare … Continue Reading
April 17, 2024
Merkley, Wyden: Immediate Drought Relief Headed to the Klamath Basin, Pushing for Long-Term Recovery Solutions
Washington, D.C.- Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden released the following statement today following the Bureau of Reclamation’s recently announced water allocation for the Klamath Project, as well as $8.5 million in immediate drought relief aid for Klamath Basin communities and $5 million in technical assistance for Klamath Basin Tribes impacted by prolonged drought: “We remain committed as ever to working together to ensure Klamath Basin communities have the resources they … Continue Reading
April 16, 2024
Wyden Urges Colleagues to Reject Expanding Warrantless FISA 702 Surveillance
Watch a video of Wyden deliver his remarks here As prepared for delivery Washington, D.C. — I rise in strong opposition to this FISA bill. There is a key question here: who should be forced to help their government spy? The legislation coming from the House gives the government unchecked authority to order millions of Americans to spy on behalf of the government. Under current law - section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act - the government can order the telephone … Continue Reading
April 16, 2024
Wyden, Sanders, Jacobs, and 40 Democrats Urge Hospitals to Protect Patients’ Sensitive Medical Records from Partisan Fishing Expeditions
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., with 42 members, urged hospitals and health care providers to take action to protect sensitive medical records from partisan fishing expeditions carried out by extremist state attorneys generals by using the tools already available to them under federal law, in letters sent today. “These thinly veiled political assaults come at the expense of vulnerable patients. We are concerned that hospitals are feebly complying … Continue Reading
April 16, 2024
Update: Oregon Delegation Applauds Approval of Federal Disaster Declaration for Ice Storms
Washington, D.C. — Oregon’s Congressional delegation—U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, alongside U.S. House of Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Cliff Bentz—applauds the approval of Oregon Governor Tina Kotek’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in response to the deadly ice storms that prompted her to declare a statewide emergency in January. The … Continue Reading
April 16, 2024
Wyden Announces Four Town Halls in Josephine, Curry, Coos and Douglas counties
Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will hold in-person town halls in Josephine, Curry, Coos and Douglas counties on April 23-24. Heading into these four town halls, Wyden will have held 1,081 town halls throughout Oregon - including 16 so far this year -- in fulfillment of his pledge to hold at least one town hall each year in each of our state’s 36 counties. “I’ll always keep my pledge to hold open-to-all town halls each year in each of Oregon’s 36 counties because it’s … Continue Reading
April 15, 2024
Merkley, Wyden: Nearly $4.5 Million for Renewable Energy Projects to Lower Costs in Rural Oregon
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is sending a total of $4,459,297 in Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants to support 20 renewable energy projects in rural communities across the state. The investments will be used to help farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses adopt renewable energy technologies, conduct critical energy audits, and cut costs and carbon pollution with energy … Continue Reading
April 15, 2024
Wyden Statement on Attack Against Israel
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement in response to Iran’s attack on Israel: “I strongly condemn Iran’s attacks against Israel. Tehran’s brazen actions not only threaten innocent Israeli lives, but also U.S. personnel and our partners in the region. I support President Biden’s steadfast commitment to Israel’s security, and his administration’s efforts to minimize casualties and prevent further escalation of hostilities in the region. “Republicans … Continue Reading
April 12, 2024
Wyden: “I Will Do Everything In My Power” to Stop Bill Expanding Government Surveillance Under FISA 702
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., vowed to oppose legislation passed by the House of Representatives that would reauthorize Section 702 of FISA and expand warrantless surveillance, in a statement today. “The House bill represents one of the most dramatic and terrifying expansions of government surveillance authority in history,” Wyden said. “It allows the government to force any American who installs, maintains, or repairs anything that transmits or stores communications to … Continue Reading
April 10, 2024
Wyden Statement on Cybersecurity Threats to Critical Water Infrastructure
Video of Senator Wyden’s remarks can be found here As prepared for delivery Every critical infrastructure sector faces threats, including healthcare, pipelines, and water treatment plants. The dams that generate our hydropower are no exception. Countries like China and Russia present a significant national security concern, as they have the ability to shut down core functions of society, and even cause death, by hacking critical infrastructure. Today the subcommittee is being told by the … Continue Reading
April 10, 2024
Wyden, Warren Call on Education Department Contractor General Dynamics to Provide Answers on Failures of New FAFSA Launch
Washington, D.C. —U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today wrote to the CEO of General Dynamics seeking answers on the company’s role in the “bungled launch” of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In the letter, the Senators noted that despite General Dynamics receiving a $121.8 million contract to modernize the process, the new FAFSA has been riddled with technical issues, drastically hindering students seeking financial aid. “These … Continue Reading
April 10, 2024
Merkley, Wyden Announce $500,000 for CRITFC to Advance Salmon-Friendly Clean Energy Efforts in the Columbia River Basin
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is receiving $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Future Grants (EFG) Program to advance river and energy system models adapted to the Columbia River Basin that will strengthen the protection and restoration efforts of native salmon. “Indigenous peoples in the Pacific Northwest have been stewards for the Columbia River and its … Continue Reading
