Press Releases
Congress Sends President Helium Legislation that Includes County Payments
WASHINGTON, D.C - Congress today sent the President legislation that extends the county timber payments program for another year, providing 33 Oregon counties with $100 million for schools, roads and law enforcement. "By signing this legislation the President will help cash-strapped counties and give Congress time to develop a long-term approach to creating jobs in rural Oregon, providing a stable-source of funding for counties and protecting watersheds, fisheries and environmentally … Continue Reading
September 25, 2013
Wyden Bill Phases Out the Use of Live Animals in Military Medical Training
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced bicameral, bipartisan legislation to replace the use of live animals in combat medical training. The Battlefield Excellence through Superior Training (BEST) Practices Act would require the Department of Defense to phase out the use of live animals in medical training, a practice that has been all but eliminated in civilian medical training programs. A companion bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Hank … Continue Reading
September 25, 2013
Surveillance Reform Package Ends Bulk Collection of Phone Records; Creates Constitutional Advocate for Secret Court
Washington, D.C. - In order to restore the constitutional liberties that have been eroded by invasive surveillance and end secret interpretations of the law that vastly exceed the intent of Congress, a bipartisan group of lawmakers including Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) have introduced legislation to reform domestic surveillance laws and the secret surveillance court. The Intelligence Oversight and Surveillance Reform … Continue Reading
September 24, 2013
ADVISORY: Wyden, Udall, Paul, Blumenthal to Unveil Principles for Comprehensive Surveillance Reform
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), will hold a press conference on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 4 pm EDT to unveil principles for comprehensive surveillance reform. Their approach will end the bulk collection of phone records of law-abiding Americans, close the "back-door searches" loophole that allows the government to search for Americans' communications without a warrant, and create an independent … Continue Reading
September 20, 2013
Citing Abuses of the Elderly, Wyden Calls for Nationwide Examination of Tax Lien Programs
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is leading a dozen Senators in urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to examine the protections for consumers facing tax liens and foreclosure in light of consumer abuses revealed in recent media reports. A letter from Wyden, Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Ed Markey, D-Mass., Mark Warner, D-Va., Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Robert Menendez, D-N.J., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Christopher Murphy, … Continue Reading
September 19, 2013
Wyden Congratulates Oregon State University on Energy Department Award
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today congratulated Oregon State University on receiving $630,867 to continue cutting-edge research that could provide a low cost and faster way to supply fuel for our nation's transportation system. Today, the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) announced its award for the OSU Bio-Lamina-Plates Bioreactor for Enhanced Mass and Heat Transfer. The university research team is designing a new bioreactor … Continue Reading
September 19, 2013
Wyden Delivers Testimony to ITC on Effect of China’s Unfair Trade Practices on Hardwood Plywood Industry
WASHINGTON, D.C - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) delivered the following testimony to the U.S. International Trade Commission during a hearing on the effect of unfair Chinese trade practices on the U.S. hardwood plywood industry. The following remarks are as prepared for delivery: I want to thank Chairman Williamson, and the distinguished members of the commission for the opportunity to testify today. Today's hearing is incredibly important to American manufacturing and workers … Continue Reading
September 19, 2013
Wyden, Murkowski Applaud Senate’s Passage of Helium Legislation
Washington, D.C. - Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today applauded the Senate's passage of legislation that ensures continued access to the federal helium supply, prevents a shock to the health care sector and other critical industries that depend on helium. The bill then requires the federal government to phase out its involvement in the helium sector over the next 10 years. Helium is a critical element to … Continue Reading
September 19, 2013
Wyden Applauds Senate Passage of Helium Legislation that Includes County Payments
WASHINGTON, D.C - Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today applauded Senate passage of legislation that provides a lifeline to rural counties by extending the county timber payments program for another year and also benefits the health care and technology sectors in Oregon and across the United States. "Selling the Federal Helium Reserve provides the money necessary to continue a program that has provided Oregon counties with money for schools, roads and law enforcement since 2000," Wyden said. "At … Continue Reading
September 18, 2013
Udall, Wyden: Newly Declassified Court Opinions on Bulk Collection of Phone Data Underscore Need to Narrow Scope of NSA's Domestic Surveillance
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who serve on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement after yesterday's declassification of an opinion by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on the government's bulk collection of Americans' phone records: "The declassification of the recent opinion by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court sheds more light on how surveillance laws and the Bill of Rights have … Continue Reading
September 16, 2013
Wyden, Udall Statement on Intelligence Officials Lack of Understanding of Bulk Collection Program
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.) issued the following statement regarding the 2009 admission by intelligence officials that they did not fully understand the entirety of the bulk phone records collection program. Wyden and Udall are both members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. "Documents declassified last week clearly show that court orders authorizing the NSA's bulk collection of phone records were consistently violated by the NSA. These … Continue Reading
September 13, 2013
Wyden Statement on Daimler Trucks North America’s Announcement of New Corporate Headquarters in Portland
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) issued the following statement on today's announcement by Daimler Trucks North America that it will build a new headquarters building in Portland, create 400 new jobs and invest in workforce education. "Daimler Trucks North America could have located its headquarters anywhere in the United States. That the company chose Portland is a vote of confidence in the Oregon economy, in the state's workforce and in Daimler's long and prosperous … Continue Reading
September 10, 2013
Wyden and Udall Statement on the Declassification of FISA Court Opinions on Bulk Collection of Phone Data
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.) issued the following statement after the declassification -- as a result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union -- of more than 1800 pages of previously secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court opinions and other documents on the government's bulk collection of Americans' phone records. "When the executive branch acknowledged … Continue Reading
August 29, 2013
Wyden: All Legal Same-Sex Marriages Now Recognized for Federal Tax Purposes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today applauded a ruling by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that all legally married same-sex couples will be treated as married for federal tax purposes. "Today's ruling is another step toward ensuring that every American gets the same rights, responsibilities, protections and benefits no matter who they love and share their lives with," Wyden said. "This will directly impact families' financial health, and … Continue Reading
August 29, 2013
Wyden: USDA Must Provide Fairness For Rural Counties
Washington, D.C. - Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., demanded an immediate explanation for new, higher sequestration bills sent to states that received funding through the Secure Rural Schools program. That program provides a lifeline - funding schools, roads and emergency services in more than 700 rural counties that saw timber harvests plummet as a result of federal land management and environmental rules. "I am astounded by the lack of Agency … Continue Reading
August 23, 2013
Wyden Joins Forest Service, Local Officials on Monday, August 26, to Discuss Wildfire Prevention in the Deschutes National Forest
Portland, OR - As wildfires continue to burn in Oregon and across the west, the Deschutes National Forest has escaped any major fires so far this year. A lot of this good fortune is the result of hard work by the U.S. Forest Service and the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project to make the forest healthier and more fire resistant. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will meet with members of the Forest Service, Deschutes County Commissioners and members of the collaborative on Monday, August 23, 2013, … Continue Reading
August 23, 2013
Wyden, U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall to Address Zonta International on Efforts to Stop Sex Trafficking
Portland, OR - On Wednesday, August 27, 2013, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall will address a meeting of Zonta International on efforts to stop sex trafficking of underage girls and boys. A recent study by Portland State University released by Marshall shows that the number of children being sold for sex in the Portland area is greater than originally thought. Wyden, who introduced anti-sex trafficking legislation in Congress, will be joined by State Rep. Val Hoyle, … Continue Reading
August 21, 2013
Wyden Statement on Declassification of FISA Court Ruling on 4th Amendment Violations
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) issued the following statement regarding the declassification of a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ruling stating that the NSA's collection procedures had violated the 4th Amendment to the Constitution and the spirit of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. "While the declassification of the FISA court's ruling on the constitutionality of Section 702 collection procedures is an important addition to the public discussion being … Continue Reading
August 19, 2013
Wyden Applauds Boost for Self-Employment
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today announced that Oregon has received $332,576 in federal grant funding to help expand the state's efforts to give aspiring entrepreneurs the option of using unemployment insurance money to start their own businesses. "Self-employment assistance is an innovative and cost-effective way to help smart, entrepreneurial people not only find work but create jobs for others," Wyden said. "This funding will help Oregon improve and expand its program, … Continue Reading
August 16, 2013
Wyden, Udall Statement on Reports of Compliance Violations Made Under NSA Collection Programs
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.) issued the following statement regarding reports that the NSA has violated rules intended to protect Americans' privacy thousands of times each year. Wyden and Udall are both members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. "The executive branch has now confirmed that the 'rules, regulations and court-imposed standards for protecting the privacy of Americans' have been violated thousands of times each year. We have … Continue Reading
