Press Releases
Wyden Urges President to Quickly Sign Bill Expediting Contracts for Wildfire Suppression Air Tankers
Washington, D.C. - With the House passage today of Wyden-authored legislation expediting the contracting process for seven new air tankers needed by the Forest Service to fight wildfires, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) sent a letter to President Obama urging him to quickly sign the bill that would waive a 30-day waiting period for awarding contracts for new planes. The legislation was introduced by Wyden in the Senate on Monday after news that two tragic accidents caused the loss of one and … Continue Reading
June 07, 2012
Wyden/Bingaman Legislation Will Expedite Delivery of Much-Needed New Air Tankers
Washington, D.C. - Responding quickly to fill the hole left in the nation's fleet of wildfire suppression air tankers after accidents last weekend caused the loss of one and the grounding of another of the 11 available air tankers, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) to expedite the contracting process so that at least seven new air tankers can be added to the fleet. The U.S. Forest Service has made decisions … Continue Reading
June 07, 2012
Wyden Amendment Will Encourage SNAP Recipients to Eat Healthier
Washington, D.C. - Looking to make it easier for food stamp recipients to eat healthier food, Senator Ron Wyden introduced an amendment to the Farm Bill today that would assist low-income families in meeting federal nutrition guidelines. The amendment would require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out five-year pilot projects in five or more states designed to incentivize healthier food purchases of beneficiaries of the $75 billion-a-year Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program … Continue Reading
June 06, 2012
Wyden Statement on the First Tsunami Debris to Reach Oregon
Portland, Or - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden issued the following statement today on the confirmation by the Japanese Consulate in Portland that the huge dock found on the Oregon Coast is debris from last year's tsunami. "The huge dock that washed ashore in Agate Beach is clear evidence that debris from last year's tsunami in Japan is reaching the Oregon Coast much sooner than anyone predicted. This massive dock, which crossed the Pacific Ocean undetected in 15 months, may be the vanguard of more … Continue Reading
June 06, 2012
Wyden and Kohl Investigate Pension Poaching in VA’s Pension Program at Aging Committee Hearing
Washington, D.C. - Coinciding with the release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report investigating "pension poaching" practices by unscrupulous financial planners operating within the VA's pension program, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Senate Aging Committee Chairman Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) held a hearing to discuss the program that has become a marketing tool to sell inappropriate financial instruments to elderly veterans. The Enhanced Pension with Aid and Attendance (or … Continue Reading
May 31, 2012
Wyden Calls on Forest Service to Add More Air Tankers Prior to 2012 Forest Fire Season
Madras, Or - With another forest fire season about to start, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is calling on the U.S. Forest Service to add more planes to its air tanker fleet and consider using other types of aircraft in fighting wildland fires. "Despite the magnitude and destructiveness of recent forest fires, the agency most responsible for fighting them - the Forest Service - has allowed the air tanker fleet to atrophy," Wyden said during a visit Thursday to Butler Aircraft in Madras, Oregon, … Continue Reading
May 24, 2012
Wyden Encourages States to Create Self-Employment Assistance Program as Labor Department Releases Guidelines
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Labor issued guidelines today for state workforce agencies to create Self-Employment Assistance Programs (SEA) that would give their state's unemployed an opportunity to not only get back to work but to become job creators themselves. The program connects unemployment insurance (UI) recipients who have proven to be good candidates for self-employment and allows them to collect their unemployment benefits as they work to build credible businesses. In … Continue Reading
May 23, 2012
Wyden: KBR is Wasting Taxpayer Money While Avoiding Responsibility for Exposure of Oregon Guard to Toxic Chemicals
Washington, D.C. - In a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) called on the DoD to investigate the excessive expenses racked up by the legal team of Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) - a defense contractor that operated in Iraq with the contractual ability to pass all of their legal costs to American taxpayers. A lawsuit against KBR brought by a group of Oregon National Guard members assigned to provide security for KBR personnel claims that KBR management … Continue Reading
May 22, 2012
Wyden Schedules Annual Jefferson County Town Hall in Madras on May 31st
Portland, OR - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden will hold his annual Jefferson County town hall meeting on Thursday, May 31th, at Madras High School. Senator Wyden has held town hall meetings in every Oregon county every year since he was elected to the Senate in 1996. This town hall will be No. 636. Jefferson County Town Hall Meeting Date: Thursday, May 31, 2012 Time: 10 a.m. Location: Madras High School Gymnasium 390 SE 10th … Continue Reading
May 21, 2012
Wyden Schedules Annual Benton County Town Hall in Philomath on May 30th
Portland, OR - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden will hold his annual Benton County town hall meeting on Wednesday, May 30th, at Philomath Middle School. Senator Wyden has held town hall meetings in every Oregon county every year since he was elected to the Senate in 1996. This town hall will be No. 635. Benton County Town Hall Meeting Date: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 Time: 1 p.m. Location: Philomath Middle School 2021 Chapel Drive … Continue Reading
May 18, 2012
Wyden to Hold Annual Clackamas, Multnomah County Town Halls on Saturday, May 26th
Portland, OR - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden will hold his annual town hall meetings in Clackamas and Multnomah counties on Saturday, May 26th. The Clackamas town hall will be held in the auditorium at Camp Withycombe. The Multnomah town hall will be in Gresham. Senator Wyden has held town hall meetings in every Oregon county every year since he was elected to the Senate in 1996. These will be town halls number 633 and 634. Clackamas County Town Hall Meeting Date: Saturday, May 26, 2012Time: 12:30 … Continue Reading
May 17, 2012
Wyden Statement on Commerce Dept. Ruling That Chinese Solar Companies Violated Trade Rules, Will Face Tariffs
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee's subcommittee on Trade, issued the following statement after the U.S. Commerce Department ruled today that Chinese-made Solar panel producers were violating trade rules and that the U.S. would impose tariff remedies on imported panels: "I know there will be a temptation to portray today's ruling as a win for U.S. Solar Manufacturers and a loss for Chinese producers, but the impact of Commerce's … Continue Reading
May 17, 2012
Merkley, Wyden Announce $85 Million for Portland to Milwaukie Light Rail Line
PORTLAND, OR - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that Trimet has been awarded $85 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help complete the Portland to Milwaukie light rail line. "The Portland to Milwaukie line will expand Portland's world class public transit system even further throughout the metropolitan region," said Merkley. "As a nation we must reduce our addiction to overseas oil. The MAX's success has proven that when people have good transit … Continue Reading
May 17, 2012
Wyden Letter Raises Concerns about Effect of Afghan Air Pollution on U.S. Servicemembers
Washington, D.C. - Servicemembers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan have faced hazardous and dangerous work conditions outside the scope of combat including health risks posed from toxic burn pits and hexavalent chromium exposure. In order to bring attention to another serious health risk posed to U.S. Servicemembers, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has sent a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urging him to minimize servicemember exposure to the high levels of air pollution in the Afghan … Continue Reading
May 14, 2012
Wyden Statement on the Increase of Direct Flights from Portland to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) issued the following statement after the Department of Transportation announced that Portland International Airport (PDX) will receive one new round trip direct flight to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Expanded air travel access to the east coast will be an economic driver for Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. "Greater access means greater economic opportunity for the region. Right now, the demand for flights from Oregon to … Continue Reading
May 10, 2012
Wyden Leads Letter to Senate Conferees Calling for County Payments and PILT to be Adopted in Surface Transportation Conference
Washington, D.C. - Local and county governments are currently finalizing their budgets for the coming year. Without reauthorization of county payments legislation included in the Senate version of the surface transportation bill now being considered by members from both houses in the conference committee, many rural counties in Oregon and nationwide could be forced to lay off teachers, road crews, police officers and other county employees. In an effort to ensure that a one-year extension … Continue Reading
May 09, 2012
Senators and Congressmen Introduce Password Protection Act of 2012
(Washington DC) - Today, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced legislation aimed at curbing the growing practice of employers requiring prospective or current employees to provide access to password-protected accounts as a condition for employment. In the House, Congressmen Heinrich (D-NM) and Perlmutter (D-CO) are introducing an identical companion bill. The Password Protection Act of 2012, … Continue Reading
May 03, 2012
Wyden Joins Colleagues in Calling for Extension of Current Postal Closing Moratorium
Washington, D.C. - Days after the Senate passed postal reform legislation that would have protected states that vote-by-mail or with large numbers of absentee balloting from the concern that postal closures too close to the election will disrupt their ability to vote, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) joined more than 40 Senate colleagues in a letter to the Postmaster General calling on the United States Postal Service to extend the current moratorium on postal closures beyond the May 15 … Continue Reading
May 03, 2012
Wyden Statement on Oregon Waiver for Medicaid Demonstration Project
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agreement to grant a waiver to the State of Oregon allowing our state to create a coordinated care program for Medicaid beneficiaries that will have the potential for billions in Medicaid savings over the next ten years: "Oregon is proving once again why it should be called 'the innovation state.' The waiver agreed to today to create community-based coordinated … Continue Reading
April 30, 2012
Wyden: Time is Ripe to Increase Sales and Exports of Oregon Agricultural Products
PORTLAND, Or - Looking to increase jobs and economic development in Oregon, Senator Ron Wyden said today that negotiations to open up Asian-Pacific markets and Congress' consideration of a new Farm Bill offer opportunities to increase the domestic sale and international export of Oregon agricultural products. "My guiding principle in improving the Oregon economy is that we grow things here, add value to them and ship them somewhere, and nothing says that more than selling more Oregon fruits, … Continue Reading
