Press Releases
Wyden, Merkley Urge Trump Administration to End Unlawful Attacks on Women’s Health Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with 37 Senate Democrats urged the Trump Administration to reverse its decision to roll back protections that prevent states from excluding qualified women's health care providers from the Medicaid program. The letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, comes after recent reports that in rescinding the guidance, the Administration worked with conservative outside groups to make it easier for states to defund … Continue Reading
February 13, 2018
Wyden Urges Appropriators to Respect State Marijuana Laws
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, along with a bipartisan group of 17 senators, this week sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Appropriations Chairman Thad Cochran (R-MI) and Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), urging them to respect states' laws regarding the regulation of marijuana when finalizing fiscal year 2018 appropriations. Recognizing that the majority of states - including Oregon -- have some form of reduced restrictions on marijuana, the Department of Justice has issued a … Continue Reading
February 13, 2018
Wyden, Merkley Announce $464,000 Grant for Redmond School District
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced today that the Redmond School District will receive more than $464,000 in federal funding to reimburse the central Oregon district for snow removal costs incurred during a January 2017 storm. The $464,648 Federal Emergency Management Agency grant for removing snow from the roofs of Redmond school buildings comes in the wake of a similar grant announced last week for the Bend-LaPine School District. "I am gratified this … Continue Reading
February 13, 2018
Wyden Questions Intelligence Leaders About Release Of Misleading Nunes Memo and Burying of Russian Oligarchs Report
Washington, D.C. -Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today questioned intelligence leaders on the administration's political and arbitrary decisions to release the misleading Nunes memo, while refusing to release a congressionally mandated public report on Russian oligarchs. Both NSA Director Mike Rogers and FBI Director Christopher Wray voiced concerns about the Nunes memo, they testified. The other intelligence leaders testified that they had not rendered an opinion. None of the intelligence … Continue Reading
February 12, 2018
Wyden: Trump Budget Promises to Raise Utility Bills for Pacific Northwesterners, Leaves Seniors, Children and American Families Behind
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on the Trump administration's budget proposal to Congress: "Oregonians raised hell last year when Trump tried to raise power bills for Pacific Northwesterners by selling off Bonneville Power, and yet his administration is back at it again. Our investment shouldn't be put up for sale to free up money for runaway military spending or tax cuts for billionaires. I fought off efforts to privatize Bonneville a … Continue Reading
February 09, 2018
Merkley, Wyden Announce Funds for Chetco Bar Fire Recovery Plan
PORTLAND, OR - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a $50,000 federal grant to help develop an economic recovery plan for Curry County, which was severely impacted by the massive Chetco Bar wildfire that burned through the summer and fall last year. "This funding will help Brookings and other communities on the road to recovery from an historic wildfire season," Merkley said. "Meanwhile, I will continue to fight to fix broken wildfire policies and invest in fire … Continue Reading
February 09, 2018
Wyden, Merkley Announce $1.1 Million Grant for Bend-LaPine School District
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced today that the Bend-LaPine School District will receive more than $1 million in federal funding to reimburse the district for expenses stemming from the January 2017 storm that dumped snow on schools' roofs. The $1.1 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will cover costs for engineering evaluations and snow removal that the district incurred while protecting its buildings from heavy snow that piled on roofs and … Continue Reading
February 09, 2018
Wyden Votes No On Government Spending Package
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement after voting 'No' on a government spending package. "Leader Schumer deserves tremendous credit for securing a number of key Democratic priorities in this package. I'm particularly proud that this bill contains historic victories for Finance Committee priorities in terms of health care and human services, on everything from health care for children, to the most significant improvement in the child welfare system in … Continue Reading
February 08, 2018
Wyden, Bipartisan Senators Call for Senate Investigation into Larry Nassar Case
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden has joined a bipartisan group of Senators to urge the establishment of a special Senate committee to investigate the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and USA Gymnastics regarding how team doctor Larry Nassar was allowed to sexually abuse female gymnasts over decades. "It's long overdue that those involved in the Larry Nassar case be held accountable for their inaction, and provide answers to the deeply troubling questions that linger for victims and their … Continue Reading
February 07, 2018
Senators Press Interior Department on Zinke’s Efforts to Dismantle Plans to Manage Sage Grouse Habitat, Mitigate Climate Change Impacts
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Tom Udall, D-N.M., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., today pressed Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke about the agency's recent efforts to dismantle land management plans to protect sage grouse habitat and mitigate climate change impacts. In a letter to Zinke, the senators expressed their concerns about guidelines issued at the end of December by the Bureau of Land Management … Continue Reading
February 06, 2018
Wyden Co-sponsors Landslide Safety Bill
Washington, DC- Senator Ron Wyden today announced he is co-sponsoring a bill that would establish a National Landslide Hazards Reduction Program to save lives and property by better identifying and understanding landslide risks. "Communities in Oregon and nationwide threatened by landslides should have access to the latest technology and needed resources that can mean the difference between life and death," Wyden said. "This legislation recognizes that need by improving the responses to … Continue Reading
February 02, 2018
Merkley, Wyden Join Introduction of New Legislation to Protect National Monuments from Trump Administration’s Attempts to Roll Back Protections
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that they have joined a group of 18 senators in introducing legislation to enhance protections for national monuments against the Trump administration's unprecedented attacks on public lands. The America's Natural Treasures of Immeasurable Quality Unite, Inspire, and Together Improve the Economies of States (ANTIQUITIES) Act of 2018 reinforces Congress' intent in the Antiquities Act of 1906: Only Congress has the … Continue Reading
February 01, 2018
Wyden, Merkley Statement on Resignation of Roseburg VA Director Doug Paxton
Portland - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today issued the following statement about the resignation of Roseburg VA Director Doug Paxton: “It’s been clear from the growing number of troubling reports from veterans served in Roseburg’s VA system that change is needed to provide the top-notch care those veterans deserve,” Wyden and Merkley said. “We hope this change marks a needed step forward to achieve the goal of transforming the VA’s Roseburg system into a place worthy of the … Continue Reading
February 01, 2018
Wyden Urges Administration to Make Rural Broadband a Priority
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and 15 of his colleagues are urging the Trump administration to include funding for broadband internet deployment in rural areas nationwide that lack access to high-speed broadband. "In an increasingly interconnected world and global economy, we must include in our discussion of infrastructure not just roads, bridges and waterways, but also high-speed internet access," Wyden and senators wrote in their letter. "While the vast majority of Americans have … Continue Reading
January 30, 2018
Wyden Response to the State of the Union Address
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., tonight issued the following statement after the State of the Union address: "Trump has spent the past two years making grandiose promises to put workers and families first, but he and congressional Republicans are frantically working to reward corporations and the politically powerful," Wyden said. "No amount of rhetoric can mask the reality that Trump's agenda is all about giving more power and influence to special interests by making life … Continue Reading
January 30, 2018
Wyden Pushes Trump Administration to Fund Earthquake Early Warning System
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden today pushed the Trump administration to fully fund essential preparedness functions that could save thousands of lives if a major earthquake or tsunami struck Oregon. In a hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Wyden urged U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Deputy Director David Applegate to not repeat the Trump administration’s misguided approach from last year that proposed to eliminate funding for the USGS’s West Coast earthquake … Continue Reading
January 29, 2018
Wyden Announces Oregon DREAMer as State of the Union Guest
Washington - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today announced that Esli Becerra will be his guest at the Jan. 30 State of the Union speech. Becerra, a 26-year-old visual effects artist in Portland, will be accompanied to Washington, D.C. by his 24-year-old brother Kevin Becerra-Segura. The brothers’ parents brought Esli to the United States from Mexico when he was 8 months old. Kevin was born in Springfield, Oregon and the brothers grew up in Eugene. Kevin worked to help his brother graduate from Lane … Continue Reading
January 25, 2018
Wyden, Merkley, Blumenauer, DeFazio, Bonamici Urge Action to Protect State Marijuana Laws in Bipartisan Letter to Trump
Washington, DC - Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, Suzanne Bonamici and 49 of their Senate and House colleagues sent a bipartisan letter today to Trump requesting he urge Attorney General Jeff Sessions to reinstate the Cole Memorandum. Doing so would create a pathway to a more comprehensive marijuana policy that respects state interests. On January 4, 2018, Sessions rescinded the Cole Memorandum - putting jobs, small businesses, state … Continue Reading
January 25, 2018
Wyden Statement on Oregon Graduation Rates
Wyden Statement on Oregon Graduation Rates Washington - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today issued the following statement in response to the latest graduation rate numbers for Oregon high school students. "When Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act two years ago to ensure local educators got more of a leadership role in the classroom, I worked to get more students across the stage on graduation day and to track for the first time the graduation rates of students experiencing homelessness or … Continue Reading
January 25, 2018
Wyden to FBI Director Wray: Stop Misleading Americans About Encryption
Washington, D.C. -Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked FBI Director Christopher Wray to explain his recent comments calling for government backdoors into Americans' encrypted personal phones, computers and other electronic devices, in a letter sent today. While Wray said he was "not looking for a 'back door'", while speaking at Fordham University earlier this month, he advocated for weakening encryption to allow special government access to personal devices - the definition of a back door. "Your … Continue Reading
