Press Releases
Merkley, Wyden Push to Bring More Federal Firefighting Resources to Oregon
Washington, D.C. - As an unprecedented number of devastating wildfires burn across the state this July, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden sent an urgent letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland calling for more firefighting resources to respond to the growing wildfire crisis. Federal land management agencies are currently providing critical resources in Oregon, but as needs for the 2024 wildfire season grow rapidly—underscored by multiple … Continue Reading
July 25, 2024
Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici, Salinas, Hoyle Announce $2 Million to Oregon for Soil Health Management
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley with U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Andrea Salinas and Val Hoyle today announced $2 million in federal funds for soil health programs on Oregon farms made available through the Inflation Reduction Act. “Oregon is great at both growing things and adding value to them, but we need to make sure we do both in a sustainable way,” said Wyden. “I am always eager to support programs that tackle challenges farmers face while helping … Continue Reading
July 25, 2024
Oregon, Washington’s U.S. Senators Urge BPA to Carefully Consider Day-Ahead Electricity Market Decision
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, and Washington’s U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell today sent a letter urging the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to make a careful, deliberate decision about which power market to join. Currently, the BPA is considering joining one of two electricity markets: the California Independent System Operator (CAISO)’s Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM) or the Southwest Power Pool (SPP)’s Markets+ day-ahead market. … Continue Reading
July 24, 2024
Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Make Federal Technology More Accessible for People with Disabilities
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., alongside U.S. Senators Bob Casey, D-Pa., John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., today introduced a new bill that would require federal agencies to take a series of steps to ensure people with disabilities can use the federal government’s technology. While Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires agencies to make federal technology accessible, a 2022 Senate Aging Committee investigation found that department and agency … Continue Reading
July 23, 2024
Wyden, Merkley, Hoyle Announce $16.6 Million to Oregon for Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Projects
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Val Hoyle today announced $16.6 million in federal funds for Oregon habitat restoration and coastal resilience projects made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. “Salmon, fishing and our beautiful outdoors are all central to Oregon’s economy and identity,” Wyden said. “This funding is exactly what I fought for in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation … Continue Reading
July 19, 2024
Wyden, Merkley: Nearly $5 Million to Reduce Pollution from Manufacturing of Construction Materials
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced nearly $5 million in federal funds for businesses in McMinnville and Portland to help combat pollution caused by the manufacturing of materials used in construction projects; an industry that accounts for 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. “If we want to build a cleaner and more resilient future in Oregon and across the nation, then we need the right tools and materials to do so,” said Wyden. “I applaud this … Continue Reading
July 19, 2024
Wyden, Merkley, Hoyle Announce $435,000 to Oregon for Agricultural and Nutritional Education
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley with U.S. House Representative Val Hoyle today announced $435,335 in federal funds for Oregon agricultural and nutritional education programs that will establish farms, gardens, and experiences to help connect students with local food systems. “Oregon excels at many things, but particularly in growing things and adding value to them,” said Wyden. “Every year I visit Oregon’s amazing counties growing our state’s marvelous bounty and … Continue Reading
July 19, 2024
Merkley, Wyden Join Legislation to Combat Anticompetitive Behavior in the Residential Housing Market
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced they joined the recently introduced Housing Acquisitions Review and Transparency (HART) Act, led by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). The bill requires corporations and private equity firms that buy up large amounts of housing to report those transactions to antitrust enforcers to stop anticompetitive transactions that could increase rents, decrease services, and push homebuyers out of … Continue Reading
July 16, 2024
Wyden, Crapo Lead Bipartisan Senators in Urging USDA Action to Protect America’s Potato Crops
Washington D.C.—In a bipartisan letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) led Senate colleagues in expressing concern about the potential for potato wart to spread from potato imports originating on Canada’s Prince Edward Island (PEI) to U.S. farms and production facilities and urging the implementation of additional mitigation measures to prevent introduction into the United States. Potato wart is a highly … Continue Reading
July 16, 2024
Following Supreme Court’s Grants Pass v. Johnson decision, Wyden and Bonamici Lead Colleagues in Urging Biden Administration to Invest in Affordable Housing
Washington, D.C. — Following the Supreme Court’s recent decision to criminalize homelessness in Grants Pass v. Johnson, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., said today they are leading colleagues in urging the Biden administration to advance evidence-based solutions to help people experiencing homelessness in Oregon and nationwide. The lawmakers wrote President Biden, “Punishing unhoused individuals for sleeping outside when there are no adequate … Continue Reading
July 12, 2024
Oregon Delegation Announces $1.49 Billion Federal Investment for Interstate Bridge Replacement Project
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici, today announced an additional federal investment of $1.49 billion for the Interstate-5 Bridge replacement project. “Today’s federal investment, the largest investment in the country under the Bridge Investment Program, is great news for commuters and freight traffic in Oregon and throughout the Northwest,” Wyden said. “Jobs and the Oregon economy are big winners with a modern … Continue Reading
July 12, 2024
Wyden, Welch, Warren Urge Biden Administration to Crack Down on Big Tech for Massive AI Consolidation
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., urged Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan and Department of Justice (DOJ) Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter to crack down on the massive consolidation of emerging generative artificial intelligence (AI) by tech giants such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. Massive consolidation stifles innovation or eliminates potential competitors, limits consumers’ ability to choose a … Continue Reading
July 11, 2024
Oregon Delegation Announces $22 Million USDA Seafood Purchase to Boost Oregon’s Coastal Communities and Economy
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Oregon’s U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), and Andrea Salinas (OR-06), announced today that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved a total of $22 million to purchase Pacific Northwest and West Coast seafood products—$14 million for West Coast whiting fillets and $8 million for rockfish fillets. This approved federal funding comes after Merkley led members … Continue Reading
July 09, 2024
Merkley, Wyden Announce Nearly $300,000 to Kickstart Partnership to Enhance Water Quality in the Lower Crooked River Watershed
Washington, D.C. - Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is awarding $299,973 to the Crooked River Water Quality Partnership, in collaboration with the Deschutes River Conservancy, through its WaterSMART?Cooperative Watershed Management Program. This?federal funding will be used to formalize the Partnership, identify priority projects, and develop project designs to reduce nutrient pollution in the Lower Crooked River Watershed, which … Continue Reading
July 09, 2024
Blumenauer, Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici, Announce $39 Million to Jump-start TriMet’s 82nd Ave Transit Project
PORTLAND, OR — Today, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici announced the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded $39,000,000 to advance TriMet’s 82nd?Avenue Transit Project. The funding comes after Blumenauer brought U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to tour 82nd Avenue last summer. The grant will go toward the purchase of U.S.-built fuel-cell electric buses, as well necessary facility improvements to … Continue Reading
July 09, 2024
Wyden Announces Town Halls in Linn, Yamhill, Columbia & Jackson Counties
Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced his upcoming schedule of open-to-all town halls in Linn, Yamhill, Columbia and Jackson counties. Heading into these four town halls, Wyden will have held 1,089 town halls throughout Oregon - including 24 so far this year -- in fulfillment of his pledge to hold at least one town hall each year in each of our state’s 36 counties. “I’m very much looking forward to hearing directly from Oregonians during this upcoming round of town halls because … Continue Reading
July 03, 2024
Wyden, Merkley Announce Nearly $1 Million Federal Investment for Runway Safety Improvements at Siletz Bay State Airport
Washington D.C.— U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced a federal investment of $993,266 for airport safety improvements at Siletz Bay State Airport in Lincoln County. “Maintaining and improving our existing infrastructure is crucial for Oregon,,” Wyden said. “I’m gratified to see this investment in Lincoln County for Oregonians and small businesses that depend on safe, efficient travel to enhance livability and boost local economies.” “Oregon’s regional airports serve as … Continue Reading
July 03, 2024
Wyden, Merkley Co-Sponsor Legislation to Outlaw Discrimination against LGBTQ+ Couples Looking to Adopt, Protect LGBTQ+ Youth in Foster Care
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined legislation that would ban discrimination against LGBTQ+ couples in Oregon and nationwide looking to adopt and protect LGBTQ+ children in the U.S. foster care system. The John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act would prohibit federally funded child welfare agencies from discriminating against individuals and couples on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, or marital status. The … Continue Reading
July 03, 2024
Wyden Joins Legislation to Protect Tenants at Risk of Eviction
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he is co-sponsoring legislation to empower tenants and help support housing security in communities in Oregon and across the United States. The Eviction Right to Counsel Act of 2024 would establish a fund to provide grants to state, local, and Tribal governments that enact legislation ensuring legal representation to tenants at risk of eviction, with a focus on low-income people. The legislation also would encourage jurisdictions to enact … Continue Reading
July 02, 2024
Wyden Presses UnitedHealth Group after June 27 Town Hall in Central Oregon Raises Serious Concerns about Company Promises to Health Care Providers & Patients
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today demanded UnitedHealth Group explain why health care providers in Oregon and nationwide still cannot send claims or receive payments for services delivered to their patients nearly two months after its top executive told the Senate Finance Committee a different story. After hearing ongoing concerns raised at his June 27 Deschutes County town hall by a Central Oregon pathology business, Wyden wrote UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty that UHG … Continue Reading
