Press Releases
Oregon Receives $22 Million for Important Conservation Efforts
Washington, DC - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden today applauded the announcement of funding for six major conservation projects in the state. The six projects - all designed by local partners in Oregon - will receive help from a new program designed to support public-private partnerships and address complex conservation and natural resources projects. These funds will help projects in Oregon aimed at protecting sage grouse, restoring critical wildlife habitats, increasing water quality, improving … Continue Reading
January 13, 2015
Wyden Amendments to Keystone XL Pipeline Bill to End Taxpayer Subsidy for Tar Sands Cleanup, Reduce Wasted Natural Gas
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today introduced two amendments to a Senate bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Wyden's amendments would require foreign oil companies - not taxpayers - to be responsible for cleaning up oil spills and ensure taxpayers receive fair returns for energy produced on public lands, while minimizing environmental impacts. Wyden opposes the Keystone XL Pipeline, which poses major environmental concerns, and risks increasing gasoline prices in parts of … Continue Reading
January 13, 2015
Sens. Wyden, Cornyn, Kirk, Klobuchar Push To Crack Down On Human Traffickers
U.S. Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) today introduced the bipartisan Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, which would empower law enforcement to further crack down on human traffickers in communities across the country while bringing about greater restitution and justice for victims. In addition to law enforcement provisions, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act helps victims rebuild their lives by using fines and penalties against … Continue Reading
January 13, 2015
Wyden Holds Three Town Halls This Weekend
Portland, OR - Senator Ron Wyden will hold town halls this weekend in three Oregon counties. Maintaining his commitment to hold town halls each year in each of Oregon's 36 counties, Senator Wyden will hold town halls on Saturday, Jan. 17 in Josephine and Klamath counties. On Sunday, Jan. 18 he will hold a town hall in Lincoln County. "I look forward to all of my annual town halls because Oregonians talk with me directly about their concerns and ask me any question," said Senator Wyden, who … Continue Reading
January 09, 2015
National Championship: The “Big Bet”
WASHINGTON, DC - The national championship game Monday night between Ohio State and Oregon has generated so much talk between the U.S. Senators from Oregon and Ohio that both sides have decided it's time to back it up by putting up "very personal" stakes. Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have settled on a bet with Ohio Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman that all parties have pledged to fulfill in public on the Capitol steps. If Oregon beats Ohio State on Jan. 12, Senators Brown … Continue Reading
January 08, 2015
Wyden and Brown Reintroduce “Gold Star Fathers” Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), today reintroduced the Gold Star Fathers Act, legislation that would extend the same federal hiring preference to fathers that is currently available to mothers of servicemembers killed in action or permanently and totally disabled. Parents whose children are killed in action are referred to as "Gold Star parents" because they traditionally display a Gold Star flag as a symbol for their loss and sacrifice. The federal … Continue Reading
January 08, 2015
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Bills to Double Timber Harvest, Protect Oregon’s Treasures And Settle Water Disputes
Washington, D.C. - Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley reintroduced two bills today that renew their commitment to pass common-sense solutions for decades-old issues facing rural Oregon: creating new timber jobs, and ending long-running disputes over water supplies. "Oregonians are not going to settle for the status quo stalemate when it comes to timber and natural resources policy, and neither will I," Wyden said. "Rural Oregon communities need jobs, they need certainty and they need … Continue Reading
January 08, 2015
Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Roll Back Hemp Restrictions
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., today introduced legislation that would allow American farmers to grow and profit from industrial hemp. The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015 would remove federal restrictions on the domestic cultivation of industrial hemp. The bill would remove hemp from the Schedule I controlled substance list under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, and would define it as a non-drug so long as it contained less … Continue Reading
December 29, 2014
Wyden Kicks Off New Year With Seven Town Halls
Portland, OR - Continuing his pledge since 1996 to hold a town hall each year in each of Oregon's counties, Senator Ron Wyden will begin the new year with town halls this week in seven counties. Senator Wyden starts his 20th year of holding annual town halls in each of Oregon's 36 counties with his 710th town hall in Deschutes County on Jan. 2. He will hold six more town halls through Jan. 5 before traveling to Washington DC later next week for the start of the 114th Congress. "Even with … Continue Reading
December 19, 2014
Wyden: Coal Companies Must Stop Shortchanging Taxpayers
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., praised the Interior Department announcement that it will close loopholes that have allowed mining companies to dodge royalties when federal coal is exported overseas. Wyden called for an investigation of questionable royalty practice in January 2013, after a series of Reuters articles detailed how some companies were using financial arrangements - often selling coal to their own subsidiaries at a low price - to avoid paying full royalties on coal … Continue Reading
December 17, 2014
Wyden Statement on Policy Changes to Open Relations with Cuba
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden issued the following statement today, praising President Obama's announcement of new steps to open up relations with the Cuban people: "I applaud the President for today's announcement and for taking these historic steps to normalize relations with Cuba. I have long believed that trade and engagement are liberalizing forces and I look forward to working with my colleagues and with our diplomats to bring about the progress in Cuba that we all want to see. I … Continue Reading
December 16, 2014
Wyden Demands Plan to Address Radioactive Waste Leaks at Hanford
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D- Ore., today asked the Energy Department to come up with a plan and a strict timeline to address storage tanks leaking radioactive nuclear waste at the Hanford Site in Southeast Washington. Wyden requested the plan in response to a Government Accountability Office report released today that describes the continuing deterioration of Hanford tanks. The GAO report found that both the older single-shell and newer double-shell tanks at Hanford are continuing to … Continue Reading
December 10, 2014
Oregon Lawmakers Secure Provision to Keep Newport Coast Guard Air Facility Open until January 2016
Washington, D.C. - Following their repeated calls to ensure the safety of residents in coastal areas, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Representatives Peter DeFazio, Kurt Schrader, Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici today announced the Congress has passed legislation that will keep the U.S. Coast Guard's air facility at Newport open through the coming year. The Oregon lawmakers worked to include language in the Coast Guard reauthorization bill that would keep the Coast Guard's … Continue Reading
December 10, 2014
Wyden: Rural Counties Lose Out After County Payments Left Out Of Spending Bill
Washington, D.C. - Today House Republican leaders rejected Sen. Ron Wyden's efforts to fund and pass county payments for one more year. The decision will leave cash-strapped Oregon counties with little money to fund law-enforcement, schools and roads. "Rural Oregonians deserve better than to have politics put on hold this essential lifeline for funding roads, firefighters and schools," Wyden said. "I will not stop fighting for Oregon's rural counties. I'll be back at it when Congress returns … Continue Reading
December 09, 2014
Wyden: Senate Report Shows CIA Torture Did Not Work and America Should Never Torture Again
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today responded to the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on torture by the Central Intelligence Agency. "Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a small number of CIA officials decided to listen to the advice of outside contractors who told them that the way to quickly get important information from captured terrorist suspects was by using coercive interrogation techniques that had been developed and used by … Continue Reading
December 08, 2014
Oregon Selected for Pilot Program Helping Schools and Farmers
Washington, DC - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden today announced that Oregon has been chosen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as one of eight states in a pilot project that will allow them to increase purchases of locally-grown fruits and vegetables for their school meal programs. The Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables, was introduced by Senator Wyden as an amendment to the Agricultural Act of 2014, also known as the Farm Bill. "Today's news is a win for … Continue Reading
December 08, 2014
Wyden: Ensure Fair Trade for Oregon Workers and Businesses
Washington, D.C. - Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., testified today before the International Trade Commission to ensure fair trade practices and a level playing field for Oregon workers and businesses, including SolarWorld. The commission is examining the impact of unfair trade practices by Chinese and Taiwanese businesses as a result of a trade case filed by SolarWorld. The Oregon-based business successfully demonstrated that China was providing illegal subsidies to its solar producers, and filed … Continue Reading
December 04, 2014
Wyden Introduces Bill To Ban Government-Mandated Backdoors Into Americans’ Cellphones and Computers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today introduced the Secure Data Act to protect Americans' privacy and data security. The bill prohibits government mandates to build backdoors or security vulnerabilities into U.S. software and electronics. U.S. government officials have recently proposed to compel companies to build backdoors in the security features of their products. These proposals threaten to undermine the development and deployment of strong data security technologies … Continue Reading
November 25, 2014
Wyden Asks FAA to Update Unmanned Aircraft Rules
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to speed up approvals for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) test permits, and to ensure the agency's plans to regulate these aircraft don't fall behind schedule, in a letter sent today. The FAA created six test sites across the country to study unmanned aircraft in response to a request from Congress in 2012 to craft regulations that meet the unique safety challenges posed by UAS. The agency, … Continue Reading
November 25, 2014
Wyden, Burr, 39 Other Senators Urge Funding Solution for LWCF
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Richard Burr, R-N.C., and a bipartisan coalition of 39 of their Senate colleagues urged Senate leaders Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to work with them to find a permanent funding solution for the Land and Water Conservation Fund before the end of the current Congress on Dec. 31, in a letter sent yesterday. The LWCF program, which helps ensure access to outdoor recreation areas by providing funding to protect public lands … Continue Reading
