Press Releases
Wyden, Kirk Call on President Obama to Raise Issue of Human Rights Violations in Iran
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., today sent a letter to President Obama to express concern over the ongoing human rights abuses and offenses taking place in Iran. The Senators, along with 21 other U.S. Senators and a number of U.S. Representatives, urged the President to seize the opportunity to raise the issue as nuclear talks with the Iranian government continue. "Tehran's continued abuse of its own citizens and targeting of minorities should serve as … Continue Reading
May 22, 2014
Wyden Opposes Watered-Down House USA Freedom Act
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the U.S. House passage of its version of the USA Freedom Act: "I am gravely concerned that the changes that have been made to the House version of this bill have watered it down so far that it fails to protect Americans from suspicionless mass surveillance. The new text of the bill states that the government must use a 'selection term' to collect Americans' records, but the bill's definition of a "selection term" … Continue Reading
May 21, 2014
Wyden, Merkley Feinstein, Boxer Introduce Klamath Basin Legislation
Washington, D.C. - Moving quickly to build on the work done by local ranchers, tribes, and federal and state officials, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer introduced legislation today that will put into law the Upper Klamath Basin Comprehensive Agreement that was signed last month. The Upper Klamath Basin Agreement was hammered out by a task force appointed last year by Wyden, along with Merkley, Congressman Greg Walden and … Continue Reading
May 21, 2014
Senator Ron Wyden in Bend on Friday, May 23, to Discuss Oil Train Safety with Local, State and Federal Officials
Portland, OR - With more and more oil trains moving through Oregon, including Central Oregon, and growing concerns about public safety, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden will meet on Friday, May 23, 2014, at 1:30 p.m.. with local, state, and federal officials, including first responders. Among the federal officials expected to attend is the Western Region Director, Office of Hazardous Materials Safety, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Who: Oregon Senator Ron Wyden; Sean … Continue Reading
May 21, 2014
Wyden in Jackson County for Memorial Day Events in Central Point and Eagle Point
Portland, OR - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will attend two Memorial Day events in Jackson County on Monday. He will speak at events at the Fallen War Heroes Memorial in Central Point and at the Eagle Point National Cemetery. Monday, May 26, Memorial Day: 9 a.m., Central Point, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Fallen War Heroes Memorial, Don Jones Memorial Park, 223 W. Vilas Road. 11 a.m., Eagle Point, Eagle Point National Cemetery, 2763 Riley … Continue Reading
May 21, 2014
Wyden Floor Statement on Drone Memos and Barron Nomination
Washington, D.C. - In a Senate floor speech this morning, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., discussed the administration's recent commitment to make public a previously secret memo that outlines the government's rationale for killing Americans overseas, and announced his support for David Barron's nomination to the 1st Judicial Circuit. View Sen. Wyden's full floor speech on YouTube here. The text of the speech, as prepared for delivery, is below. Floor Statement of Senator Ron Wyden on the … Continue Reading
May 20, 2014
Wyden Praises Move to Bolster Federal Firefighting Airtanker Fleet
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today expressed support for the U.S. Forest Service's addition of four aircraft to its firefighting fleet at the start of what is expected to be a dangerous year for wildfires. "Fire season is already here. Devastating wildfires are ripping through California, and up the coast drought dangerously dries out much of southern Oregon," Wyden said. "The administration's deployment of these next-generation air tankers is crucial for this and future fire … Continue Reading
May 19, 2014
Wyden Applauds Same-Sex Marriage Ruling
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden issued the following statement in response to a U.S. District Court's decision to strike down Oregon's ban on gay marriage: "Judge Michael McShane's decision marks a significant moment in Oregon's civil rights history, and it's an important step toward equal rights for all Americans. Every American deserves the freedom to marry the person they love, and, starting today, all Oregonians will have that choice. I am proud to have stood with Oregon's same-sex … Continue Reading
May 16, 2014
Wyden, Udall, Portman, Landrieu Renew Bipartisan Kids to Parks Day Push
U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Mark Udall, D-Colo., Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Mary Landrieu, D-La., joined together this week to urge America's youth to live active lifestyles and to enjoy and protect our nation's special places by introducing a resolution to mark the fourth annual Kids to Parks Day. Launched in 2011 with the National Park Trust, Kids to Parks Day has become the national kickoff to a summer of events at local, state and national parks. The U.S. Senate passed the resolution … Continue Reading
May 12, 2014
Advisory: Wyden to Hold Reddit AMA on Net Neutrality With Alexis Ohanian on Tuesday
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of reddit, will hold a reddit "Ask Me Anything" on net neutrality and promoting an open Internet on Tuesday at 2 p.m. PST/5 p.m EST. The joint AMA question-and-answer session will be posted here, shortly before it is scheduled to … Continue Reading
May 09, 2014
Wyden, Merkley Call for Expanded Transparency In Oil Trains Order
Washington, D.C. - Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged the Department of Transportation to ensure railroads notify states of all oil shipments moving by train, not just oil from one region of the country, as a DOT emergency order issued earlier this week required. The emergency order announced by the DOT on Wednesday would only require rail companies to notify State Emergency Response Commissions of rail shipments of oil produced in the Bakken Formation region found in Montana … Continue Reading
May 09, 2014
Senators Urge FCC to Promote Net Neutrality, Reverse Proposal to Create Internet Toll Lanes
Washington, D.C. - In a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, 11 U.S. senators called for the FCC to protect net neutrality and reject efforts by big cable companies to extort businesses for the right to provide content at the fastest Internet speeds. Net neutrality - the principle that all Internet traffic travels at the same speed, regardless of its source - governed the Internet for decades, to the benefit of innovators, consumers and the U.S. economy. Sens. … Continue Reading
May 07, 2014
Wyden, Udall Welcome House's Step Toward Reining in NSA's Bulk Collection of Americans' Phone Records
U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.), who serve on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and have been at the forefront of the bipartisan and bicameral effort to rein in NSA overreach and end the bulk collection of Americans' phone records, welcomed the U.S. House of Representatives' step today toward reforming the NSA's domestic surveillance. "I will continue to fight for additional steps to protect both American security and American liberty, like closing the … Continue Reading
May 07, 2014
Wyden: DOT Oil Trains Order a Positive Step, But Communities Need More Security
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D- Ore., today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Transportation announced new efforts to improve the safety of oil-by-rail shipments: "Oregon's first responders told me they needed more information about the oil trains travelling through our communities, which is why I've continued pushing the Department of Transportation to listen to those concerns,"Wyden said. "Today's announcement sounds like a positive step toward filling the … Continue Reading
May 06, 2014
Wyden: National Climate Assessment Confirms Need to Act on Climate Change
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the National Climate Assessment, released today: "Today's report adds to the ever-growing body of scientific evidence and on-the-ground proof that the effects of climate change are already being felt in every region of the United States," Wyden said. "This assessment confirms what the people of the Pacific Northwest already know - that sea levels are rising, wildfires are getting worse and water supplies are … Continue Reading
May 02, 2014
Merkley and Wyden Announce $11 Million for Upper Klamath Basin
Washington DC - Today, Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will invest up to $11 million in the Upper Klamath Basin over the next five years for water conservation, water quality, and fish habitat restoration efforts. This funding is designed to help with current drought conditions and will also support ranchers and farmers in the Klamath Basin with implementing commitments they have … Continue Reading
May 01, 2014
Wyden Urges Congress to Reform Wildfire Funding Ahead of Fire Season
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D- Ore., today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior released a report stating this year's fire season is already projected to exceed the current budget by $470 million: "Today's news makes clear that the federal government has to change the way it funds firefighting and it needs to be done now," Wyden said. "It is time to break the destructive cycle that underfunds fire prevention and … Continue Reading
April 25, 2014
Wyden Announces Decision that Clears the Way for the Sale of Wine Growlers in Oregon
Portland, OR - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden today announced that the federal agency that regulates the sale of alcohol has agreed to rescind an order than would have blocked the sale of wine growlers in Oregon. In a letter to members of the Oregon delegation the administrator of the federal Alcohol, Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau Bureau's administrator wrote that he is immediately rescinding its ruling with respect to wine sold in growlers. "This is news that deserves a toast - Wine growlers are … Continue Reading
April 25, 2014
Wyden Welcomes FDA’s Common-Sense Pledge to Revise Flawed Rule on Brewers’ Spent Grains
Portland, OR - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued a statement welcoming the Food and Drug Administration's announcement it will rewrite its controversial plan to regulate spent grains from brewers. Spent grains - the result of the brewing process - are often given or sold to nearby ranchers and farmers to use as animal feed. At roundtables across Oregon over the past two weeks, brewers and ranchers told Sen. Wyden the FDA rule issued earlier this year would have created burdensome new regulations … Continue Reading
April 23, 2014
NEWS CONFERENCE: Senator Ron Wyden, Winery Owners and Oregon Winegrowers Association on the Selling of Wine Growlers
Portland, OR - Senator Ron Wyden, local winery owners and representatives of the Oregon Winegrowers Association will hold a news conference at 10:30 a.m., Friday, April 25, 2014, to discuss what is being done to resolve the conflict between federal regulations and an Oregon law that allows the selling of wine growlers the same way as beer growlers. Who: Oregon Senator Ron Wyden Tom Danowski, executive director, Oregon Winegrowers Association Bill Sweat, Oregon Winegrowers … Continue Reading
