Press Releases
Senate Passes Wyden’s CHRONIC Care Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said Wednesday he welcomed the Senate's unanimous passage this week of a bipartisan bill aimed at strengthening and improving health outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries living with chronic conditions. The Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act of 2017 would help tens of thousands of Oregonian seniors and millions of Americans by coordinating their care so it's both more effective and … Continue Reading
September 26, 2017
Western Senators, Secretary of Agriculture Agree: Wildfire Funding Must be Fixed Now
Washington, D.C. - A bipartisan group of western senators pushing for their legislation to fix "fire borrowing" heard strong evidence from Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and fire experts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service that Congress should pass their bill to end fire borrowing. The Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, introduced by Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and five other bipartisan … Continue Reading
September 22, 2017
Wyden Announces Hold on Treasury Nominee over Agency’s Refusal to Provide Documents Related to Russia
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today announced he has placed a hold on the nomination of Isabel Patelunas, to serve as Assistant Secretary of Treasury. He issued the following statement: "I have placed a hold on the nominee because of the Treasury Department's refusal to provide the Senate Finance Committee with Treasury documents related to Russia," Wyden said. "The provision of these documents to the Committee is not only part of the oversight process, but is necessary if the … Continue Reading
September 21, 2017
Wyden, Merkley to Rail Officials: Halt Hazardous Materials Transport in Gorge While Wildfires Burn
Washington, DC - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged Burlington Northern Santa Fe to cease the rail transport of hazardous materials through the Columbia Gorge while wildfires there are active and the threat remains of flash flooding and rockslides. The Oregon lawmakers' letter to Burlington Northern Santa Fe CEO Matthew Rose comes as the Eagle Creek Fire and Archer Mountain Fire continue to burn and smolder in the Columbia River Gorge, near BNSF tracks. "These tragic events … Continue Reading
September 20, 2017
Wyden, Crapo, Bipartisan Senators to Congress: Permanent Wildfire Funding Fix Must be a Top Priority
Washington, D.C. - In the wake of historic wildfires in Oregon, Idaho, California, Washington and across the West, U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., introduced an updated version of their bipartisan wildfire funding solution that would protect desperately needed funding for fire prevention and treat wildfires as … Continue Reading
September 18, 2017
Wyden Votes No on Massive Increase in Military Spending
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., voted 'no' on a bill today that allows a massive increase in military spending and undermines Buy America protections that create Made-in-the-USA jobs. The National Defense Authorization Act authorized $693 billion in military spending, a 9 percent increase over last year, at a time when spending on roads, bridges, education and other important priorities remains stagnant. "I can't sign off on another bill that OKs massive increases in military … Continue Reading
September 18, 2017
Wyden, Merkley Secure Their Provision in Defense Bill to Train National Guard Members to Fight Wildfires
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley tonight secured their provision in the Senate's defense bill that would provide federal funding to train members of the National Guard to fight wildfires. The Wyden-Merkley amendment would authorize federal funding to states to train their Guard members for wildfire response. It would give first preference to states with the most federal forest lands - states that have been hard-hit by this year's record-breaking wildfire season. … Continue Reading
September 18, 2017
Merkley, Wyden Respond to Trump Administration Assault on Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today responded to new reports that the Trump Administration will seek to shrink the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and diminish its protections. The Senators pointed out that the monument was expanded through an extensive public process, and that the Trump Administration's plans to shrink it disrespect the voice of the local community and rest on an unprecedented and legally dubious use of the Antiquities Act. The latest … Continue Reading
September 15, 2017
Wyden Applauds Senate’s Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Fight Human Trafficking
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., joined a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues this week in applauding the passage of their anti-human trafficking legislation in the Senate. The Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017 would strengthen and reauthorize key programs that support survivors of human trafficking and provide resources to federal, state, and local law enforcement officials on the front lines of the fight against modern-day slavery. Additional cosponsors of the bill … Continue Reading
September 15, 2017
Wyden, Bipartisan Senators Introduce Bill to Address Workforce Shortages through Career and Technical Education
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., joined Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., to introduce the bipartisan Middle School Technical Education Program (Middle STEP) Act, to give middle school students better access to career and technical education (CTE) programs focused on career exploration. The Middle STEP Act would establish a pilot program that allows middle schools to partner with colleges, other postsecondary institutions and local businesses to develop and … Continue Reading
September 15, 2017
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Amendment to Defense Bill to Train National Guard Members to Fight Wildfires
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week introduced an amendment to the Senate's defense bill that would help train additional members of the National Guard to fight wildfires. The Wyden-Merkley amendment would authorize federal funding to train Guard members for wildfire response. It would also give first preference to states with the most federal forest lands - states like Oregon that have been hard-hit by this year's record-breaking wildfire season. Their … Continue Reading
September 14, 2017
Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici Join Effort to Help Working Families Access Affordable, High-Quality Child Care
WASHINGTON, DC - Today Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., a leader on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, joined comprehensive legislation to improve child care and early learning programs. The Child Care for Working Families Act, introduced by Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Congressman Bobby Scott, D-Va., will provide every child with access to high-quality early learning and care that is affordable for working … Continue Reading
September 14, 2017
Wyden, DeFazio Urge UAS Use to Fight Wildfires
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio today asked federal officials what's being done to deploy more unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to fight wildfires raging throughout Oregon and the West. As Ranking Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. DeFazio last year authored legislation that directed the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of the Interior, and Department of Agriculture to expedite the safe use of UAS to support firefighting … Continue Reading
September 14, 2017
Wyden Introduces Bill to Provide Free Credit Protections to All Americans after Equifax Security Breach
Washington, D.C. - In response to reports that millions of Americans' personally identifiable and credit card information was exposed in a data breach at Equifax Inc., U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced legislation to allow hardworking Americans to protect themselves from financial fraud at no cost. Wyden's Free Credit Freeze Act would guarantee all consumers can use PIN numbers to freeze and unfreeze their credit free-of-charge to stop fraudsters from opening new unauthorized financial … Continue Reading
September 12, 2017
Wyden, Hatch Request Information on Equifax Breach
WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) called on Equifax Inc., to respond to reports that the firm experienced a data breach exposing personally identifiable information such as Social Security numbers, birthdates, addresses and driver's license numbers of about 143 million Americans. In addition, credit card information of more than 200,000 people was compromised. "The scope and scale of this breach appears to make it one … Continue Reading
September 08, 2017
Oregon Delegation Presses New Forest Service Chief for Full Cooperation to Fight Wildfires
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Peter DeFazio, Kurt Schrader and Greg Walden today pressed the new chief of the U.S. Forest Service for full cooperation in bringing much-needed resources to wildfire-ravaged communities across Oregon. In a letter to Forest Service Chief Tony Tooke, the Oregon lawmakers stressed the need for the agencies, the administration and Congress to come together to battle the catastrophic fires … Continue Reading
September 07, 2017
Wyden, Crapo, Bipartisan Senators Urge Congress to Pass Wildfire Funding Fix in Any Future Disaster Aid
Washington, D.C. - With large fires blazing across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming, a bipartisan group of senators led by Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, today urged Senate Leaders Mitch McConnell and Charles E. Schumer to include a wildfire funding fix in any future disaster aid legislation that passes through Congress. In addition to Wyden and Crapo, the letter's signers include Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Martin Heinrich, … Continue Reading
September 06, 2017
Wyden Pushes Trump Administration to Support Wildfire Funding Fix in Disaster Aid for Hurricane Harvey
Washington, D.C. - After the governors of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and California declared states of emergency from wildfires ripping across the West, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today pushed the Trump administration to include wildfire funding fix in any request to Congress for disaster aid. Wyden has repeatedly pushed Congress to pass a wildfire fix and reform the way the federal government fights wildfires. Wyden and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, first introduced in 2013 the Wildfire … Continue Reading
August 22, 2017
Wyden Secures Key Amendments on FY2018 Intelligence Authorization Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, secured three key amendments to the Intelligence Authorization Act for the 2018 fiscal year, which was recently made public. A report on the threat to the United States from Russian money laundering. The amendment calls on intelligence agencies to work with elements of the Treasury Department's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, such as the Financial Crimes Enforcement … Continue Reading
August 15, 2017
Wyden, Murray, Merkley, Democratic Senators Urge NCAA to Promote Campus Safety
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and five of their Senate Democratic colleagues today urged the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Commission to Combat Campus Sexual Violence to promote campus safety by recommending uniform policies for prospective student-athletes and athletes seeking to transfer between universities. In a letter to the NCAA commission, the senators urged the commission to evaluate new … Continue Reading
