Press Releases
Senate Passes Bipartisan Resolution Designating May 20 “Kids to Parks Day”
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, applauded the Senate's passage of their bipartisan resolution to encourage children to get outdoors by designating May 20 National Kids to Parks Day. The seventh annual Kids to Parks Day kicks off a summer-long series of events at local, state and national parks. Kids to Parks Day began in 2011 with the National Park … Continue Reading
April 26, 2017
Oregon Leaders, Joined by Diverse Group of Local Stakeholders, Urge Protection of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, in response to an unprecedented Executive Order mandating a "review" of national monuments designated since 1996, Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, Governor Kate Brown, and a diverse group of local stakeholders including tribes, sportsmen and businesses highlighted the benefits of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and urged the Trump Administration to protect the full monument for future generations. Following a local, scientist-led campaign to … Continue Reading
April 24, 2017
Wyden Votes “No” on Sonny Perdue to Lead the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released the following statement after voting against the confirmation of Sonny Perdue to be the secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture: "I have concerns about Mr. Perdue's commitment to vital programs for rural Americans, such as the Secure Rural Schools program, and am not convinced he recognizes the vital role they play in hard-hit rural communities. Additionally, when we spoke, he simply would not commit to making sure the U.S. … Continue Reading
April 12, 2017
Senators Call for Boosted Funding to Decontaminate Lead-Tainted National Guard Armories and Readiness Centers
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden led a group of ten Senators calling on Senate Appropriations Committee leaders to dedicate adequate funding to cleaning up National Guard sites across the U.S. that have been contaminated by dangerous amounts of lead dust. In addition to their National Guard uses, these armories and readiness centers are often used by the community for events such as job fairs and are rented out for weddings, baby showers, baptisms and … Continue Reading
April 11, 2017
Wyden Demands Answers from United Airlines About Forcible Removal of a Passenger
Washington, DC - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today joined with 20 colleagues to demand answers from United Airlines about the forcible removal of a ticketed passenger on Flight 3411 from Chicago, Illinois to Louisville, Kentucky. "Consumer trust and confidence are critical to ensure this industry continues to thrive, and we hope United Airlines will work diligently to immediately address this incident and make necessary improvements to ensure it does not occur again," wrote Wyden and the senators. … Continue Reading
April 07, 2017
Wyden Statement on Syria
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement on Syria: "I am relieved that Bashar al-Assad's most recent war crime-the use of banned nerve gas to poison his own citizens-has finally convinced the Trump administration what my Senate colleagues and I have long known: the bloodthirsty Assad regime has no qualms about the liquidation of its detractors. This use of sarin against men, women, and most horrifically, against children, violates international rules and … Continue Reading
April 06, 2017
Wyden, Merkley Urge Colleagues to Support Rural Air Service
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged their colleagues to support the Essential Air Service Program, which ensures vital rural air links such as commercial flights in and out of Pendleton's Eastern Oregon Regional Airport. The Oregon lawmakers made their request along with 19 of their colleagues in a bipartisan letter in response to the president's budget cutting that Department of Transportation program connecting more than 170 small communities nationwide. … Continue Reading
April 05, 2017
Wyden, Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Grow Small Businesses, Jobs and Local Economies
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today introduced bipartisan legislation to boost local economies and businesses by providing small business owners better access to financial capital through credit unions. The Credit Union Residential Loan Parity Act, S.836, would spur business and job growth in local communities by ensuring that small housing project loans do not count toward the business lending cap for credit unions. Removing these loans … Continue Reading
April 05, 2017
Wyden, Merkley Co-Sponsor Bill to Block Immigration Enforcement at Sensitive Locations
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley introduced legislation today to block immigration agents from stalking 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 on those policies to ensure that immigrants can have access to education, criminal justice, and social services without fear of … Continue Reading
April 04, 2017
Wyden, Paul, Polis and Farenthold Bill Requires Warrants to Search Americans’ Digital Devices at the Border
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., and Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, today introduced the Protecting Data at the Border Act to ensure Americans are not forced to endure indiscriminate and suspicionless searches of their phones, laptops and other digital devices just to cross the border. The bipartisan, bicameral bill shuts down a legal Bermuda Triangle that currently allows law enforcement agencies to search Americans' phones and … Continue Reading
April 04, 2017
Wyden, Merkley Join in Honoring Equal Pay Day, Reintroduce Paycheck Fairness Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., joined Sen. Patty Murray D-Wash., and Representative Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., today in commemorating Equal Pay Day by reintroducing the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation aimed at reinforcing the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by guaranteeing that women can challenge pay discrimination and hold their employers accountable. "It should go without saying that women should be treated equally and fairly within the workplace," Wyden said. … Continue Reading
April 04, 2017
Wyden, Merkley Urge Administration to Maintain Critical Funding for National Sea Grant Program
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined 21 of their Senate colleagues in urging the president to reconsider his proposal to eliminate the $73 million National Sea Grant College Program in his Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget. In a letter to Trump, the senators highlighted the important role Sea Grant Programs play in boosting local economies and preserving coastal communities, and urged him to fully fund the program in FY 2018. "We represent senators from … Continue Reading
April 03, 2017
Wyden, Merkley Call for Presidential Task Force to Combat Hate Crimes, Violence
Washington, D.C. - Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today called on the president to form a task force to address the alarming rise of hate crimes across many communities in the United States over the last several years. "We urge you to establish a Presidential Task Force on preventing and combating hate violence, to begin an important national dialogue on how best to counter hate," Wyden and Merkley wrote, along with 11 other senators, in their letter to Trump. "There has been an … Continue Reading
March 30, 2017
Frank and Jeanne Moore, Mt. Hood Land Exchange and Tribal Restoration Bills Pass Senate Committee
Washington, D.C. - Three bills written by Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to address Oregon public land and tribal priorities today passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The committee unanimously passed the Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Special Management Area Designation Act, the Mt. Hood Cooper Spur Land Exchange Clarification Act, and the Western Oregon Tribal Fairness Act. "I'm thrilled this terrific trifecta of Oregon priorities advanced one … Continue Reading
March 30, 2017
WYDEN, BLUMENAUER ANNOUNCE BIPARTISAN PATH TO MARIJUANA REFORM
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., along with senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee Representative Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., today introduced three pieces of legislation to preserve the integrity of state marijuana laws and provide a path for responsible federal legalization and regulation of the marijuana industry. The Path to Marijuana Reform includes the bipartisan Small Business Tax Equity Act, which prevents legal marijuana … Continue Reading
March 29, 2017
Wyden: Senate Intelligence Committee Must Thoroughly Review Any Financial Connections Between Russia and Trump or Trump Associates
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today urged Senate Intelligence Committee leaders to review any financial relationships between Russia and Donald Trump or Trump associates as part of its inquiry into Russian interference in the U.S. election. In a letter to Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., Wyden called for special attention to be placed on these follow-the-money issues involving the president and his associates' financial connections to … Continue Reading
March 29, 2017
Wyden, Merkley Urge Federal Support for Rural Air Service
Washington, D.C. - Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged administration officials to provide more investment in rural air service that supports essential travel connections like commercial flights in and out of Pendleton's Eastern Oregon Regional Airport. "The Eastern Oregon Regional Airport in Pendleton is an example of an economic engine that is efficiently using federal programs to improve and expand operations," Wyden and Merkley wrote in their letter to Transportation … Continue Reading
March 28, 2017
Wyden, Lieu Call On FCC to Address Major Security Weaknesses in Cell Phone Networks
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., today called on the Federal Communications Commission to take concrete steps to plug serious vulnerabilities in U.S. mobile phone networks, in a letter to FCC Chairman Pai. Last week a report created by experts for the FCC found that criminals, hackers and foreign countries could exploit a number of vulnerabilities in wireless phone infrastructure to track, surveil and hack Americans' phones. "The continued existence of … Continue Reading
March 28, 2017
Wyden Statement on Administration’s Executive Order to Roll Back Climate Change Progress
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today said he would "fight at every turn" the environmental rollbacks expected to come from the administration's executive order issued today. "Addressing climate change stands out as a major challenge of our time. But the administration is instead focused on benefitting special interests and corporations while hurting the health of our families and communities. "In the months ahead, I will fight these environmental rollbacks at every turn. … Continue Reading
March 24, 2017
Senators Call on Energy Secretary to Protect Whistleblowers, Hold Contractors Accountable after Department Confirms Nuclear Whistleblower’s Retaliation Claims
Washington, D.C. - After learning that Energy Department investigations confirmed a whistleblower was illegally fired for cooperating with a government investigation, U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., called on Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry to better protect whistleblowers. In a letter to Perry today, the senators also asked how the Energy Department will prevent future retaliation against the whistleblower, Sandra Black, … Continue Reading
