Press Releases
Wyden Urges Hops Protections Stay in Farm Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today asked key congressional leaders to maintain provisions in the Farm Bill that support key protections against diseases threatening hops production in Oregon and nationwide. Wyden and three other senators wrote leaders of the Senate and House Agriculture committees that their request comes as the U.S. hops industry faces the costly problem of crop diseases like powdery mildew and downy mildew. "This threat means the signature hop used in a very … Continue Reading
September 18, 2018
Wyden Applauds Senate Passage of Legislation to Address Opioid Crisis
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today applauded Senate passage of a package of 70 bipartisan bills to tackle the nation's growing opioid crisis, including bills Wyden led through the Senate Finance Committee, where he is the ranking Democrat. "As the opioid epidemic continues to reach further into the hearts of communities and families in Oregon and across the country, this legislation represents an important step towards alleviating the devastation left behind by this … Continue Reading
September 18, 2018
Wyden, Merkley Seek Bilingual Wildfire Training Manuals
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged federal officials to publish training materials in Spanish as well as English for wildfire crews battling dangerous blazes in Oregon and the West. The letter from Wyden and Merkley as well as California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris follows a disturbing report that the National Wildfire Coordinating Group no longer publishes training materials in Spanish for wildland fire crews risking their lives in steep and … Continue Reading
September 14, 2018
Wyden, Merkley Condemn DeVos Proposal to End Student Protections from Predatory Career Training Programs
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley urged Secretary Betsy DeVos to reverse her decision to rescind student protections from predatory career training programs. "The Department's proposal will weaken higher education accountability at a time when more and more students are taking out substantial levels of student debt but are unable to find good-paying jobs to pay back their loans," the senators wrote in a letter this week. "Career training programs that cannot … Continue Reading
September 14, 2018
Wyden Raises Concerns over ICE Plans to Reopen Closed Deportation Cases
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden expressed concerns about reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intends to re-open 350,000 deportation cases that are currently closed, in a letter with 17 other senators released today. "In the past, immigration judges and the BIA have used administrative closure for a number of reasons," the senators wrote in their letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. "Administrative closure helped overburdened immigration judges … Continue Reading
September 14, 2018
Wyden, Merkley Announce More Than $2.7 Million for Oregon airports
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced more than $2.7 million in federal transportation grants for Oregon airports in Lakeview, Florence, The Dalles, Albany, Astoria, Corvallis, Independence, McMinnville, Salem, Mulino and Scappoose. "Infrastructure investment, like these grants, is essential for secure and reliable Oregon airports throughout our state," Wyden said. "These transportation resources help to maintain quality of life for Oregonians living and … Continue Reading
September 14, 2018
Wyden, Merkley Announce More than $2 Million to Help Homeless Veterans
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that housing authorities in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas and Marion counties will receive more than $2 million to provide homeless veterans with rental assistance. The 249 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) enable homeless veterans in the four counties to get access to affordable housing as well as to supportive services from the Department … Continue Reading
September 13, 2018
Merkley, Wyden Announce Key Funding for Oregon’s Coastal Communities, Renewable Energy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Ron Wyden today announced key provisions in the Energy and Water 2019 spending bill that will help Oregon's coastal communities and will advance innovation in clean, renewable energy. The bill passed the full Senate on Wednesday. "Fighting for Oregon's priorities is my top responsibility as a member of the Appropriations Committee," Merkley said. "From preventing the sale of … Continue Reading
September 12, 2018
Wyden Presses Verizon on its Wildfire Communications Policy
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today asked Verizon to explain why it endangered communities threatened by wildfires and first responders by recently throttling the data speeds of firefighters' communications. Wyden's letter to Verizon comes in the wake of troubling reports that Verizon slowed - or "throttled" -- the data speeds on fire officials' unlimited Verizon plans while they were battling one of the biggest blazes devastating the West. "Even more alarming was that at one point … Continue Reading
September 12, 2018
Merkley, Wyden Announce Provisions to Help Klamath Basin Farmers and Ranchers
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the Water Resources Development Act includes drought relief language to assist Klamath Basin farmers and ranchers, who have been hard-hit by drought in recent years. This language is essential for the irrigators to effectively use $10 million in drought relief funds that Merkley, Wyden and Congressman Greg Walden secured in 2018. "Klamath Basin irrigators have been working collaboratively with the many … Continue Reading
September 12, 2018
Merkley, Wyden Announce Nearly $6 Million to Support Oregon Airports
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced more than $5.8 million in U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) grants to fund repairs, upgrades and more at airports across Oregon. "These grants provide much-needed support to rural airports across the state," said Merkley, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee. "That is why I fought to adequately fund transportation, and I will continue to push for the infrastructure funding our communities … Continue Reading
September 12, 2018
Bipartisan Senators Voice Concern over State Department Cybersecurity
Washington, D.C. - Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Cory Gardner, R-Colo., Ed Markey, D-Mass., Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., today called on the State Department to adopt basic cybersecurity measures to protect against phishing, hacks and other cyberattacks, in a letter released today. Following multiple reports from outside auditors highlighting the department's failure to adopt measures like multifactor authentication and regular security audits which are mandated by the … Continue Reading
September 10, 2018
Oregon Members of Congress Press Trump Administration to Listen to Oregonians on Proposed Fuel Standard Freeze
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader, today pressed the Trump Administration to hold a public hearing in Oregon on its proposed freeze of fuel economy standards. In addition to freezing nationwide standards at 37 miles per gallon (mpg), the proposal would also bar individual states from setting their own, more stringent standards. Oregon, along with 12 other states and the … Continue Reading
September 06, 2018
Wyden Demands Release of Kavanaugh’s Full White House Record amid Republican Stonewalling
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today demanded the White House make Judge Brett Kavanaugh's complete White House record available to the Senate and the public. "Access to a Supreme Court nominee's full record is necessary for the Senate to fulfill its constitutional duty to advise and consent," Wyden and 18 other senators wrote in a letter to the White House. "More important, it is essential for the American people to have confidence in our confirmation process." "The rush and … Continue Reading
September 06, 2018
Merkley, Wyden Secure USDA Relief for Farmers Whose Crops Were Devastated by Wildfires
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will allow wheat farmers in Sherman and Wasco counties whose crops were devastated by wildfires to plant cover crops, preserving their land for the next growing season without jeopardizing their crop insurance coverage. "This assistance is a step toward recovery for the farmers and ranchers whose crops have been lost to fires," Merkley said. "In addition to allowing our … Continue Reading
September 06, 2018
Wyden, Merkley Seek Updated Science Measurements for Oregon Farmers and Ranchers Needing Drought Aid
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged federal officials to use more accurate, timely, and science-based measurements in determining whether Oregon farmers and ranchers have access to drought disaster aid programs. The Oregon senators wrote Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue that the U.S. Drought Monitor's measurement criteria and process for Farm Service Agency (FSA) disaster programs are unfairly treating Oregonians battling … Continue Reading
September 05, 2018
Merkley, Wyden Push Zinke to Fulfill Agreement with Klamath Tribes
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today pushed U.S. Department of Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke to reverse his decision to withhold from the Klamath Tribe almost $500,000 in already allocated funding for critical water quality research in the Upper Klamath Lake. "The loss of this previously approved and dedicated funding source for understanding the impact of water quality on the health and wellbeing of the C'waam (Lost River sucker) and Koptu (shortnose sucker) … Continue Reading
September 05, 2018
Senate Passes Wyden Bill to Ensure Fair Prices at the Pharmacy Counter
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today announced the Senate unanimously passed his bill that would crack down on outrageous gag clauses blocking pharmacists from telling customers they could pay less for their prescription if they pay out of pocket. "Pharma middlemen have been taking advantage of America's broken drug pricing system for too long - banning pharmacists from telling customers the lowest available price for their medication is another flagrant example," Wyden said. "I'm … Continue Reading
September 05, 2018
Wyden Urges Support of Key National Forests Program
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today urged the U.S. Forest Service to continue its Legacy Roads and Trails program that addresses plugged culverts, landslides, and washouts of roads and trails in our national forests. Wyden and two other senators wrote Interim Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen to ask that her agency continue tracking and reporting annual accomplishments under the program. "For ten years, the Legacy Roads and Trails program has played a necessary and … Continue Reading
September 04, 2018
Merkley, Wyden Announce Millions of Dollars in Affordable Housing Support in Oregon
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced more than $2.7 million for new Section 811 Housing Choice Vouchers that will assist people with disabilities in accessing affordable housing and an array of supportive services. "These vouchers allow public housing authorities to better serve Oregonians with disabilities," Merkley said. "As communities in Oregon and across the nation face their biggest housing affordability crises in decades-with rents … Continue Reading
