Press Releases
Wyden Schedules Six Eastern Oregon Town Halls in Harney, Grant, Baker, Union, Wallowa and Malheur Counties
PORTLAND, OR - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will hold his annual town halls in Harney, Grant, Baker, Union, Wallowa and Malheur counties from April 2 to April 5. The meetings will be held in the cities of Burns on April 2, John Day and Baker City on April 3, La Grande and Joseph on April 4 and Ontario on April 5. Wyden has been holding town halls in every Oregon county every year beginning in 1996. Harney County Town Hall MeetingDate: Tuesday, April 2, 2013Time: 5 p.m.Location: Harney County … Continue Reading
March 21, 2013
Wyden and Reed Seek to Boost Palliative and Hospice Care
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., today introduced legislation aimed at readying the health care workforce for the growing need for palliative and hospice care. "The age wave is already straining access to hospice and palliative care for many Americans," Wyden said. "Providing more training and incentives to study and practice palliative and hospice care would mean fewer patients suffering from the symptoms, stress and pain of serious illnesses." "We must … Continue Reading
March 21, 2013
Bipartisan Legislation Institutes Warrant Requirements to Track Americans with GPS Data
Washington, D.C. - Recent reports indicate that by the end of 2013 smart phones could account for 70 percent of all mobile phones in the U.S. Each of these cutting-edge devices includes built-in GPS technology collecting more personal geolocation data than ever before. However, the rules governing how law-enforcement can acquire and use this data to track individuals are unclear. To add to the confusion, courts in different jurisdictions have applied the law inconsistently - with some courts … Continue Reading
March 19, 2013
Wyden Urges NIH to Reexamine Policies
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today released a letter to National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis S. Collins regarding concerns about achieving a reasonable balance between getting breakthrough pharmaceuticals to market quickly, making sure patients can afford these medicines and protecting the interests of taxpayers. The text of the letter is here: Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Director National Institutes of Health 9000 Rockville PikeBethesda, Maryland 20892 Dear … Continue Reading
March 13, 2013
Senators Introduce CCF Reforms for Fishermen
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Patty Murray, D-Wash., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Mark Begich, D-Alaska, and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., today introduced bipartisan legislation to allow commercial fisherman - in Oregon, Alaska, Washington and nationwide - to use their Capital Construction Fund (CCF) savings without incurring significant tax penalties. "CCF has been an important part of strengthening the U.S. fishing fleet," Wyden said. "But the rapid changes … Continue Reading
March 08, 2013
Wyden Urges AG to Investigate Illegal Fees on Struggling Homeowners
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today urged the U.S. Attorney General to investigate allegations that a mortgage servicing firm is overcharging struggling homeowners on default and foreclosure fees. "Not only is the thought of making it harder for struggling homeowners to reinstate their loans appalling, but charging for fees already being paid by a government-backed entity such as Fannie Mae is illegal under the False Claims Act," Wyden wrote in a letter to Attorney General Eric H. … Continue Reading
March 05, 2013
Wyden, Udall, Collins Statement on Committee Access to Targeted Killing Documents
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) released the following statement after the Department of Justice provided memos outlining the President's ability to authorize the targeted killing of Americans during counter-terrorism operations: "The administration has now provided the Senate Intelligence Committee with full access to documents outlining the President's authority to conduct targeted killings of Americans in counter … Continue Reading
February 22, 2013
Wyden Statement on White House Policy to Expand Access to Federally Funded Research
Washington, D.C. - U. S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) released the following statement after the White House announced a new policy expanding access to federally funded scientific research: "It is great to see the White House has joined many of us who realize that making taxpayer funded research readily available to the American public leads to further innovation, discovery, job growth and economic development. The President's commitment to remove the barriers to this federally funded research … Continue Reading
February 15, 2013
Baucus and Wyden Pledge to Extend Secure Rural Schools Program
Washington, D.C.- Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) pledged on Friday to extend the Secure Rural Schools program for at least another year, buying time to craft a long-term solution for rural communities. Baucus, who chairs the powerful Senate Finance Committee, has strongly supported the program in the past, and said he will again work to ensure the lifeline for resource-dependent communities does not disappear. "These investments are the lifeline that keeps teachers in … Continue Reading
February 14, 2013
Wyden Presses Administration on Family Health Coverage Gap
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today pressed an Obama administration official to help find ways to resolve a glitch in the law that would deny federal assistance to the millions of Americans of modest means who could be priced out of family health coverage at work. During a Senate Finance Committee hearing Wyden asked Gary Cohen, Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid … Continue Reading
February 14, 2013
Wyden Bill Makes Taxpayer Funded Research Available to the Public
Washington, D.C. - Every year, the federal government spends billions of dollars funding research into science, technology, energy, medicine and more. This research often leads to innovations that create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of people. However, much of it is published behind the paywall of peer reviewed journals limiting access to innovators and the American public. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act … Continue Reading
February 14, 2013
Senators Seek to Lift Restrictions on Industrial Hemp
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Rand Paul, R-Ky., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., today introduced legislation that would allow American farmers to grow and profit from industrial hemp. The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013 would remove federal restrictions on the domestic cultivation of industrial hemp. Specifically, the bill would remove hemp from the Schedule I controlled substance list under the Controlled Substances Act of … Continue Reading
February 14, 2013
Wyden and Merkley Re-Introduce Land Bills to Protect Wilderness Areas in Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Renewing their efforts to preserve and protect Oregon's most wild and environmentally important areas, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) re-introduced three bills today that will designate more than 100,000 acres of land as wilderness or preserved areas. The Oregon Caves Revitalization Act will enhance the existing Oregon Caves National Monument by including the entire Cave Creek Watershed in the park site and transferring management of more than … Continue Reading
February 12, 2013
VAWA includes Wyden Provisions to Combat Domestic Sex Trafficking of Minors
Washington, D.C. - The Senate today approved U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden's, D-Ore., provisions aimed at ending domestic sex trafficking of minors as part of an amendment to the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA). Key provisions from Wyden's Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act were included as part of an amendment by Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., to incorporate the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) as part of VAWA. … Continue Reading
February 08, 2013
Wyden Schedules Town Halls in Sherman and Morrow Counties on Sunday, February 17th, and Umatilla County on Monday, February 18th
PORTLAND, OR - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will hold his annual town halls in Sherman and Morrow counties on Sunday, February 17, 2013, and in Umatilla County on Monday, February 18, 2013. The meetings will be held in the cities of Rufus, Boardman and Hermiston. Wyden has been holding town halls in every Oregon county every year beginning in 1996. Sherman County Town Hall MeetingDate: Sunday, February 17, 2013Time: 1 p.m.Location: Rufus Community Center304 W. Second StreetRufus Morrow County … Continue Reading
February 08, 2013
Wyden Statement on Secure Rural Schools Payments
Portland, Or - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden released the following statement today urging the Secretary of the Interior to release the entire Secure Rural Schools payments to O&C counties: "Rural counties with O&C lands are desperate for these payments. They're upset by the delay, and so am I. I wrote the Secure Rural Schools and County Self-Determination Act, and extended it year after year to provide a reliable lifeline to timber-dependent communities. "My office has spent weeks … Continue Reading
February 08, 2013
Wyden Schedules Town Halls in Lincoln and Tillamook Counties on Saturday, February 16th
Portland, OR - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden will host his annual town hall meetings in Lincoln and Tillamook counties on Saturday, February 16, 2013. Senator Wyden has been holding town halls in every Oregon county every year since 1996. Lincoln County Town Hall MeetingDate: Saturday, February 16, 2013Time: 10:30 a.m.Location: Lincoln City Community Center2150 NE Oar PlaceLincoln City Tillamook County Town Hall MeetingDate: Saturday, February 16, 2013Time: 2 p.m.Location: Tillamook Public … Continue Reading
February 05, 2013
Wyden Statement on DOJ Memo on the Killing of Americans During Counterterrorism Operations
Washington, D.C. - US Senator Ron Wyden, a senior member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, made the following statement today regarding a Justice Department paper entitled "Lawfulness of a Lethal Operation Against a U.S. Citizen Who Is a Senior Operational Leader of Al-Qa'ida or An Associated Force" which was made public yesterday by NBC News: "As I and ten other senators told the President yesterday, if individual Americans choose to take up arms against the United States, … Continue Reading
February 04, 2013
Bipartisan Group of Senators Seeks Legal Justifications for the Deliberate Killing of Americans
Washington, D.C. - As the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence prepares to consider White House national security official John Brennan's nomination to be the next Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Al Franken (D- Minn.) have sent a letter to … Continue Reading
January 14, 2013
Wyden Letter to CIA Director-nominee Brennan Seeks Legal Opinions on Killing of Americans
Washington, D.C. - With the confirmation process for Deputy National Security Advisor John Brennan to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency set to be begin shortly, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, is asking Brennan to provide Congress with the secret legal opinions outlining the government's ability to target and kill Americans believed to be involved in terrorism. In a letter to Brennan sent today, Wyden reiterated his … Continue Reading
