Press Releases
Wyden: Oregon Cidermakers, Brewers, Vintners, and Distillers Would Benefit from Bills Heading to Senate Floor
Washington, D.C. - Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said that the state's economy is well-positioned to benefit from two bipartisan bills passed today in the Senate Finance Committee. Wyden, the Finance Committee's top Democrat, said one of those two bills would help Oregon's growing cider industry by updating antiquated excise taxes. Those excise taxes are outdated because their current definition of hard cider sets alcohol and carbonation levels that are too low, unfairly triggering higher tax rates … Continue Reading
February 09, 2015
Wyden Lauds Proposed Wine Rules
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Monday that he is very encouraged by two significant developments that could have huge benefits for the wine industry in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington. The first of the two developments is the announcement today by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) that would allow wines produced in "The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater" to state that they are produced in The Rocks, located within the internationally … Continue Reading
February 06, 2015
Wyden Demands Investigation into Alleged Government Mistreatment of Research Animals
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called for an investigation into the possible mistreatment of animals over several decades at a U.S. Department of Agriculture research facility, in a letter today. Wyden sent the letter to the USDA following a recent report in the New York Times alleging the dangerous and inhumane treatment of animals at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska. The report described surgical and breeding practices that caused pain and … Continue Reading
February 05, 2015
Oregon Senators Co-Sponsor Craft Brewing Bill
Washington, DC - Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced their co-sponsorship of a bill that would stimulate the growing craft brewing industry in Oregon and nationwide by reducing the excise tax on each barrel of beer brewed by small brewers. The bill, S. 375, the Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act, or Small BREW Act, would also change the threshold definition of a small brewer to better reflect modern production. A reduced excise tax and a more … Continue Reading
February 05, 2015
Wyden Launches Bipartisan Bill to Boost Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Research
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today joined Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, in introducing a bill that would encourage continued research and development of the potential uses of commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in Oregon and across the country. The bill, the Safe Skies for Unmanned Aircraft Act of 2015, would lift restrictions on unmanned aerial systems research that make it harder for universities and other research institutions to partner with private … Continue Reading
February 04, 2015
Wyden, Manchin, Cruz Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Hold Pentagon Accountable for Financial Audit
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., along with Senators Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced the Audit the Pentagon Act of 2015, which would establish strict penalties should the Department of Defense (DoD) not meet its legal obligation to be audit-ready by 2017. The Defense Department is the only federal agency that has never fully complied with financial management laws and currently remains on the Government Accountability's Office … Continue Reading
February 04, 2015
Wyden Praises Wheeler for net neutrality proposal that will “Save the Internet”
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., praised Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler's proposal to protect the freedom to compete online by reclassifying broadband under Title II of the Telecommunications Act of 1996: "Millions of American small businesses, consumers and innovators spoke and Chairman Wheeler listened. Without the open Internet, start-ups will never leave the garage," Wyden said. "The FCC should adopt this proposal and ensure that monopolies are never … Continue Reading
February 03, 2015
Wyden Praises Senate Passage of Bill Helping Veterans At Risk of Suicide
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement after the Senate unanimously approved the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act: "I was proud to cosponsor and to vote for this bipartisan bill, which I'm convinced will save lives in Oregon and across the country," Wyden said. "Today the Senate sent a strong message that more must be done to reach veterans at risk of suicide. Veterans endure physical and emotional trauma in service to our nation and we have a … Continue Reading
February 03, 2015
Wyden Statement on Intelligence Reform Report: ‘Much More Work to Be Done’
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released the following statement on the "Signals Intelligence Reform Report" by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees US intelligence activities, including the mass surveillance of Americans. "My first impression on reading this report is it's hard to see much 'there' there. When it comes to reforming intelligence programs and protecting Americans' privacy, there is much, much more work to be done," Wyden said. "Most … Continue Reading
January 28, 2015
Wyden Joins Senate Democrats in Effort to Protect Consumers from Unwanted Telemarketing Calls
Washington, D.C. - More than twenty years ago, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) was passed to protect consumers from unsolicited and intrusive telephone calls from telemarketers while families were eating meals together or parents were helping children with homework. Today, with efforts underway by various industries to weaken TCPA and allow auto-dialers to call consumers' mobile devices, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and 12 Senate Democrats joined in a letter calling on the … Continue Reading
January 26, 2015
Wyden Statement on Senate Republican Leaders Cutting off Keystone Debate
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement today after Senate Republican leaders cut off debate on the Keystone XL bill, without allowing votes or debate on dozens of amendments. Wyden is a strong opponent of the Keystone XL pipeline and has voted against it every time the Senate has considered it. "The number of votes the U.S. Senate has taken this year is not an indicator of the quality of those votes nor of the debate associated with those votes. I am … Continue Reading
January 26, 2015
Oregon Receives Nearly $27 Million to Put Roofs Over Oregonians’ Heads
Washington, DC - Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today praised the announcement of federal funding for more than 130 programs across the state that seek to house people who are experiencing homelessness. "When people can't afford a roof over their head, they suffer and the entire community suffers," Senator Wyden said. "Too many folks are still suffering the aftereffects of the recession, making it more important than ever to pull together as a compassionate nation to house the … Continue Reading
January 22, 2015
Wyden Secures Bipartisan Senate Majority for Closing Tar Sands Tax Loophole
Washington, D.C. - Led by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., an overwhelming bipartisan majority of U.S. Senate, including dozens of Republicans, today voted to close a tax loophole that gives millions of dollars to tar sands oil producers and leaves American taxpayers on the hook if that oil spills. "It is very significant that more than 70 senators voted for a nonbinding resolution to close an outlandish tax loophole that favors Canadian tar sands producers over American oil and American … Continue Reading
January 22, 2015
Wyden, Chaffetz Stand Up for Privacy with GPS Act
Washington, D.C. - In order to create clear rules about when law enforcement agencies can access and track Americans' electronic location data Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, reintroduced the Geolocation Privacy and Surveillance Act (GPS Act) today. The bipartisan, bicameral bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and in the House by Reps. Peter Welch, D-VT and Jon Conyers Jr., D-MI. "Buying a smartphone shouldn't be interpreted as giving the government a … Continue Reading
January 22, 2015
Wyden, Crapo: Reforming Wildfire Funding Needs Immediate Action to Protect Rural America
Washington, D.C.- Today Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, introduced their bipartisan bill to overhaul federal wildfire policy to boost funding for fire prevention and treat the largest wildfires as natural disasters. "Catastrophic wildfires threaten homes and lives across Oregon and the West year after year, and the money to fight those fires falls short nearly every time," Wyden said. "The federal government needs to make sure it can invest in fire prevention AND fight … Continue Reading
January 21, 2015
Wyden Statement on Covering up Torture Report and Panetta Review
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on efforts to cover up the facts about torture by returning the Panetta Review to the CIA and pulling back all copies of the Senate Intelligence Committee's torture report from the executive branch: "The President has said that he wants to make sure that torture never happens again, so I'm confident he is going to make sure that the full Senate torture report is read by policymakers and officials across the government. … Continue Reading
January 21, 2015
Supreme Court Reaffirms Federal Whistleblower Protections
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court today reinforced important protections for federal workers who call attention to failures or wrongdoing in the government. The Court ruled in a 7-2 decision in Department of Homeland Security v. MacLean that disclosures by federal whistleblowers are protected under the Whistleblower Protection Act unless the disclosure is specifically prohibited by law, not merely prohibited by agency rules. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary … Continue Reading
January 20, 2015
Wyden’s Response to the State of the Union Address
WASHINGTON - "Tonight the President set out a new test for sustained economic growth," Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said. "This Congress will be measured by how much it increases wages for middle-class and all working families and expands opportunities in education and housing. I'm glad the President spent so much of his speech walking us through his ideas for providing opportunity in pay, housing and education and providing help for middle-class and all … Continue Reading
January 16, 2015
Leading Senate Democrats Join Together To Support Consumers, Open Internet For All
WASHINGTON - Democratic Senators Patrick Leahy (Vt.), Ron Wyden (Ore.), Al Franken (Minn.), and Cory Booker (N.J.) issued a joint comment Friday in response to proposed legislation released by Republican members of Congress. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will soon vote on updated open Internet rules that will affect millions of Americans, and Republicans recently unveiled proposed legislation intended to preempt the FCC from enacting new net neutrality rules. The Democratic … Continue Reading
January 14, 2015
Wyden Statement on CIA Accountability Board Report on Agency’s Secret Search of U.S. Senate Files
Washington, D.C. -Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the CIA Accountability Board's report on the agency's secret search of Senate Intelligence Committee files: "Both the CIA Inspector General and the review board appointed by Director Brennan have now concluded that the CIA's unauthorized search of Senate files was improper. It is incredible that no one at the CIA has been held accountable for this very clear violation of Constitutional principles. Director Brennan … Continue Reading
