Press Releases
Merkley, Wyden, Democrats Call for Reversal Of Trump-Pence Administration’s Gag Rule
Portland, Ore. - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined 40 of their fellow Democratic senators in sending a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar slamming the Trump-Pence Administration's new "gag rule" that compromises the Title X family planning program. This rule dictates to physicians and other health care providers which government-approved medical options they may inform patients about, jeopardizing the health care of millions of people … Continue Reading
July 29, 2019
Wyden Statement on the Nomination of Rep. John Ratcliffe as Director of National Intelligence
Washington, D.C.- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued the following statement on the nomination of Rep. John Ratcliffe to serve as Director of National Intelligence: "Congressman Ratcliffe is the most partisan and least qualified individual ever nominated to serve as Director of National Intelligence. The sum total of his qualifications appears to be his record of promoting Donald Trump's conspiracy theories about the investigation into Russian … Continue Reading
July 29, 2019
Wyden Secures $3.25 Billion for Bridge Repairs in Bill Expected to Pass Committee This Week
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) announced today that they secured a $3.25 billion investment for bridge repairs in a highway package set to pass this week in the Environment and Public Works Committee. The package includes the senators' Bridge Investment Act, their legislation to establish a competitive grant program to assist the repair and replacement of deficient and outdated bridges to ease the national bridge repair … Continue Reading
July 29, 2019
Following Visit to Inspect Southern Border Facilities, Merkley, Wyden and Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Immediately Address a Number of Issues the Senators Witnessed
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined colleagues in a new a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan outlining serious concerns regarding the conditions at the southern border that the Trump administration's policies have exacerbated. The Senators demanded the administration immediately answer and remedy several issues that the Senators … Continue Reading
July 28, 2019
Wyden Returns to Southern Border with Oregon Advocates to Investigate Conditions for Migrants, Examine Damaging Impacts of Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” and “Metering” Policies
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., this weekend led a group of Oregon advocates and experts to El Paso, Texas and Otero County, New Mexico to investigate conditions for migrants - including children - at facilities on the southern border. The group also visited Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, to better understand the damaging impacts of the Trump administration's "remain in Mexico" and "metering" policies. Wyden, the Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, was joined by … Continue Reading
July 25, 2019
Wyden Renews Call for Mandatory Election Security Standards In Response to Intelligence Committee Report
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today called on Congress to act to secure federal elections, rather than leaving states to fend for themselves against hostile foreign hackers, in his response to a new Senate Intelligence Committee report issued today. “If there was ever a moment when Congress needed to exercise its clear constitutional authorities to regulate elections, this is it. America is facing a direct assault on the heart of our democracy by a determined … Continue Reading
July 24, 2019
Wyden Slams Weak FTC Facebook Decision
Washington, D.C.— Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the Federal Trade Commission’s settlement with Facebook today for the company’s repeated abuse of Americans’ privacy: “For a mere fraction of Facebook’s annual revenues, the FTC has given Facebook and executives like Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg blanket immunity for violations of the law that we know about, and even for potential crimes that are still unknown. That sweetheart deal is especially weak, given … Continue Reading
July 23, 2019
Wyden, Merkley Urge Protection of Citizen Engagement in Public Lands Management
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged Donald Trump to protect vital, volunteer-led councils which currently inform Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public land management policy. Last month, Trump issued an executive order instructing all federal agencies to review their advisory panels and terminate at least one-third of existing committees under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Wyden and Merkley today in a letter to Donald Trump expressed concern … Continue Reading
July 23, 2019
Wyden: AG Barr and Trump Want to Open Government Backdoors into Americans’ Personal Devices Video Available Here
Today I rise to rebut the deeply flawed proposal that the attorney general made this morning. Mr. President, Attorney General Barr today raised a tired, debunked plan to blow a hole in one of the most important security features protecting digital lives of the American people. Mr. Barr, echoing far right Republicans, is once again trying to undermine strong encryption and require government backdoors into Americans' personal devices. Encryption is a technical term that gets thrown around … Continue Reading
July 23, 2019
Merkley, Wyden Announce Massive Investment in Central Oregon Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a massive, $60.4 million federal grant for a transportation project on the north side of Bend that will improve U.S. 97 and U.S. 20 highways and key local routes, while also incorporating multimodal connections like bike lanes and multi-use paths. "This is the kind of significant investment our country needs to be making in infrastructure and jobs," Merkley said. "By investing in infrastructure, we're … Continue Reading
July 23, 2019
Merkley, Wyden Announce Funding to Purchase New Electric Buses for TriMet
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a $2.1 million federal grant that will allow TriMet to purchase three new electric buses, advancing the transit authority's goal to convert its fleet of diesel buses to zero-emissions. "Climate chaos is threatening our future, and we need to act boldly and quickly to stop it," Merkley said. "Electric buses mean lower operating costs, as well as better health and less pollution. This federal support will not … Continue Reading
July 22, 2019
Wyden, Merkley, Walden Urge Feds to Ensure Long-serving Local Fire Departments Can Continue to Battle Blazes on Federal Lands
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and U.S. Rep. Greg Walden today expressed concern that a number of local fire departments may no longer be able to serve as partners to the federal government in fighting wildfires. The three Oregon lawmakers' letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt follows the recent determination that Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service will allow existing cooperative agreements between … Continue Reading
July 22, 2019
Wyden Statement on Equifax Settlement
Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement regarding the federal government's settlement with Equifax in response to the firm's 2017 data breach: "Equifax leaders knew its security was pitifully weak and yet did nothing to correct it, according to the FTC. In a just world, these executives would be going to jail. No one should be able to collect deeply sensitive information on 200 million people without their consent, treat it with reckless disregard and then just pay a … Continue Reading
July 19, 2019
Wyden Statement on Visit to Southern Border to Investigate, Inspect and Evaluate Conditions at Facilities
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today with a delegation of 12 Senate Democrats visited the southern border to investigate, inspect and evaluate conditions of facilities as the Trump administration continues its cruel immigration policies. Senator Wyden released the following statement following the visit: "Once again, today's visit illustrated that zero tolerance makes zero sense and has zero connection to American values. I saw conditions that no child, no family and no person should ever … Continue Reading
July 16, 2019
Wyden, Brown Call on Department of Homeland Security to Fully Enforce the Law, Crack Down on Imported Cocoa Produced With Child Labor
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) sent a letter to Kevin McAleenan, Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, calling on the Administration to enforce existing law and investigate and block any cocoa imports produced with forced child labor. The Senators' letter follows a Washington Post report detailing the prevalence of child labor in the production of cocoa imported to the U.S. by large chocolate companies. These companies, … Continue Reading
July 15, 2019
Wyden Questions EAC: How Will You Address Widespread Use of Insecure Election Systems?
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked the Election Assistance Commission how it plans to address a new looming election security crisis - the fact that most new election management systems depend on out-of-date software that will soon be highly vulnerable to hackers, in a letter sent Friday. The Associated Press reported this weekend that most new election management systems - the machines that program voting machines and count votes - run on Windows 7, an old, outdated operating … Continue Reading
July 12, 2019
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Bill to Block Immigration Enforcement at Sensitive Locations
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week introduced legislation to block immigration enforcement actions at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals and religious institutions without prior approval and exigent circumstances. The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act codifies the Department of Homeland Security's existing policies and expands them to ensure that immigrants are able to access education, criminal justice and social services without fear of … Continue Reading
July 11, 2019
Wyden Joins Merkley and Schumer to Introduce Legislation To Stop Cruel And Neglectful Treatment Of Children At Border
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today joined U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats to introduce the Stop Cruelty to Migrant Children Act. This new legislation, supported by more than three dozen Senators, would put an end to the Trump administration's cruel and neglectful treatment of children at the U.S.-Mexico border and reform how children fleeing persecution are treated between the moment at which they arrive at our borders to … Continue Reading
July 11, 2019
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $7.5 Million Investment in Oregon Airports
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced over $7.5 million in federal grants that will help Oregon airports fund installation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction projects to modernize facilities and improve safety. "Airports across our state play a critical role in connecting Oregonians with economic opportunities and critical resources," Merkley said. "I'm going to keep using my position on the Senate Appropriations Committee to secure investments that … Continue Reading
July 11, 2019
Wyden: Don’t Deport Military Families
Washington, D.C. - Following reports that the Trump administration is ending protections against the deportation of military families whose loved ones are deployed, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today joined with 21 Senate colleagues to demand the administration reverse course immediately. The Trump administration is reportedly planning on ending the "Parole in Place" (PIP) program, which prevents undocumented immigrants who are spouses, parents and children of active-duty servicemembers and veterans … Continue Reading
