Press Releases
Farm Bill Includes Wyden Provisions to Fight Hunger and Bring Local Food to Schools
WASHINGTON - The Farm Bill approved by the Senate today included two provisions authored by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., to advance farm-to-school efforts nationwide, and to help to fight hunger. "Fresh, healthy and locally-grown food should be at the top of the shopping lists for schools in Oregon and across the country," Wyden said. "Under this provision, states already involved with farm-to-school efforts will have the opportunity to demonstrate new and innovative ways to deliver fresh … Continue Reading
June 07, 2013
Wyden, Udall Question the Value and Efficacy of Phone Records Collection in Stopping Attacks
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.) issued the following joint statement challenging claims that bulk phone record collection by the Intelligence Community has been "a critical tool in protecting the nation." Wyden and Udall are members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. "In our capacity as members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, we have spent years examining the intelligence collection operations that have been secretly authorized … Continue Reading
June 06, 2013
Wyden Statement on Alleged Large-Scale Collection of Phone Records
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), released this statement following news reports alleging that the U.S. Government has collected the phone records of millions of Verizon customers. Wyden is a senior member of the Senate Intelligence committee. "The program Senators Feinstein and Chambliss publicly referred to today is one that I have been concerned about for years. I am barred by Senate rules from commenting on some of the details at this time. However, I believe that … Continue Reading
June 06, 2013
Wyden Leads Bi-Partisan Bill to Address Domestic Child Sex Trafficking in the Child Welfare System
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) was joined by five other senators today in introducing the bi-partisan Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act of 2013 to improve state and national data on the scope and prevalence of child sex trafficking and bring reforms to better identify and assist victims of child sex trafficking. "Domestic child sex trafficking is a scourge that must come to an end," Wyden said. "This bill will push states to address the needs of children … Continue Reading
June 03, 2013
Grassley, Wyden Say Medicare Claims Data Still Falls Short of Transparency
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., say that despite a recent federal ruling affirming that Medicare data should be available to the public and federal efforts to make some data publicly available, much more still needs to be done to make Medicare claims data fully transparent. "Medicare is a $500 billion program with billions of dollars going out in error each year," Grassley said. "The bad actors get bigger and bolder all the time. They stay out of law … Continue Reading
May 31, 2013
Wyden Asks Ag. Secretary Vilsack to Ensure Discovery of Genetically Engineered Wheat Does Not Affect Trade
Washington, D.C. - Following the news that a small and unharvested amount of genetically engineered (GE) wheat was discovered by an Oregon farmer, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack praising their investigation into the issue and urging them to work with the US Trade Representative and the Departments of State and Commerce to prevent this discovery from negatively affecting Oregon's international wheat exports. Wyden is the chairman of the … Continue Reading
May 24, 2013
Wyden and Warner use Twitter to Discuss Bill that Helps Students Choose Colleges and Programs
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Mark Warner, D-Va., answered questions through Twitter about their bipartisan bill aimed at helping students trying to choose between colleges and degree programs by making a wide range of accurate, comparative and easy to understand information available about debt, employment and graduation rates. Wyden and Warner spent 30 minutes together using Twitter to read and reply to questions and comments about the Student Right to Know Before You Go … Continue Reading
May 23, 2013
Wyden Statement on the President’s Speech at the National Defense University
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) issued the following statement in response to President Obama's counterterrorism speech at the National Defense University: "The President said today that 'we must define the nature and scope' of the conflict with al-Qa'ida, 'or else it will define us.' I couldn't agree more. In my twelve years on the Senate Intelligence Committee I have seen the consequences of letting this struggle define the United States. The President's speech today was … Continue Reading
May 23, 2013
Wyden Announces Framework for O&C Legislation; Offers Proposal that will Create Jobs, Provide Revenue to Counties, Protect Old Growth and Wilderness
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) today announced a framework for legislation to resolve century old O&C Lands issues that he plans to introduce and see passed into law. Successful O&C legislation will create jobs in the woods, protect our clean water sources, old growth trees and habitats, and establish a permanent and stable source of revenue for O&C counties. The goal of this announcement is to get the greatest amount of local input while fleshing out the … Continue Reading
May 20, 2013
Wyden and Merkley Applaud Senate Confirmation of Federal District Court Judge Michael McShane
Portland, OR - Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today applauded the Senate's confirmation of Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Michael McShane to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge in Eugene. "Over the years Oregon has been blessed with a long line of distinguished judges," Wyden said. "Judge McShane will be a tremendous asset to the court and he will certainly add to that tradition. He's got a heart for people, a head for the law and a high-minded sense of justice." "Over his … Continue Reading
May 16, 2013
Bipartisan Group of House and Senate Lawmakers Introduce Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act
WASHINGTON, D.C.-A bipartisan group of senators and U.S. House members today introduced bills to provide certainty to forestry companies and workers, by reaffirming the Environmental Protection Agency's 37-year-old policy toward regulation of runoff from forest roads. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Senator Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., and Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., introduced the Silviculture Regulatory … Continue Reading
May 15, 2013
Wyden Amendment to Help Small Ports Included in Senate Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - An amendment sponsored by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) that will increase the chances that much needed maintenance and dredging money gets to small ports, including those on the Oregon Coast, is part of a water resources bill passed by the United States Senate today. The amendment, one of several in the bill important to Oregonians, directs the Army Corps of Engineers to use money left over from maintenance of high-use, deep-draft ports and the Great Lakes Navigation System … Continue Reading
May 15, 2013
Wyden Statement on the Government Acquisition of AP Phone Records
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) released the following statement in response to press reports about government collection of the Associated Press' phone records. Wyden, a senior member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, has long been a staunch advocate for press freedom. "I am very troubled by the recent reports of the government acquiring large amounts of the Associated Press' phone records. The breadth of these subpoenas raises serious questions about how … Continue Reading
May 09, 2013
Wyden, Merkley Ask Agriculture, Interior Secretaries for Emergency Grazing Rights on Federal Land in Southeastern and South Central Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Faced with another year of drought conditions in Southeastern and South Central Oregon, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are asking the Department of Agriculture extend emergency grazing of cattle on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land. "Given the severity of the drought and the disastrous conditions faced by these Oregon farmers and ranchers, we ask that you expeditiously consider extending emergency grazing opportunities on Forest Service and … Continue Reading
May 09, 2013
Wyden to get Wildland Fire Briefing in Portland on Friday, May 10, 2013, at 10 a.m.
Portland, OR -With dry conditions across Oregon and an early start to the 2013 fire season, Senator Ron Wyden, chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, will receive a wildland fire season briefing from federal and state officials on Friday, May 10, 2013, at the Northwest Coordinated Fire Center in Portland. Last year, Oregon experienced a near-record amount of acres burned. This year, the early start to fire season is the result of a drier-than-normal spring and a week of … Continue Reading
May 09, 2013
House and Senate Lawmakers Announce Legislation to Help Students Choose Between Colleges
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Mark Warner, D-Va., and U.S. Representatives Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and Robert Andrews, D-N.J., today introduced bicameral, bipartisan legislation that would ensure that a wide range of accurate, comparative and easy to understand data about colleges would be readily available online for prospective students and their families. The Student Right to Know Before You Go Act of 2013 would streamline existing institutional … Continue Reading
May 03, 2013
Wyden Schedules Town Halls in Klamath and Lake Counties
Portland, OR - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will hold his annual town halls in Klamath and Lake counties on May 11, 2013. The meetings will be held in Klamath Falls and Lakeview. Wyden has been holding town halls in every Oregon county every year beginning in 1996. Klamath County Town Hall Meeting Date: May 11, 2013 Time: 10:30 a.m. Location: Oregon Institute of Technology College Union Auditorium 3200 Campus Drive Klamath Falls Lake County Town … Continue Reading
April 23, 2013
Wyden and Murkowski Unveil “Follow the Money” Reform Bill
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today introduced bipartisan campaign finance reform legislation to address the influx of anonymous federal election spending and bring transparency and consistency to campaign finance law. The Follow the Money Act of 2013 creates a simple and universal system of disclosure for independent spending in federal campaigns. The legislation would require the source of independent spending to be disclosed in a manner … Continue Reading
April 18, 2013
NEWS CONFERENCE: On Eve of Earth Day, Wyden in Medford on Sunday to Discuss Economic and Environmental Benefits from Lower Natural Gas Prices
WHO: Senator Ron Wyden RVTD Director Julie Brown Mike Montero, board chair of RV Clean Cities Steve Gambee, Rogue Disposal WHAT: News conference on the environmental and economic benefits of lower natural gas prices. WHEN: 11:15 a.m., Sunday, April 21, 2013 Medford, OR - On the eve of Earth Day, members of the Rogue Valley Clean Cities Coalition will join Oregon Senator Ron Wyden at a news conference on the economic and environmental benefits of … Continue Reading
April 18, 2013
Wyden in Eugene on Saturday for Earth Day Events, Opening of New UO Student Veteran Center
Portland, OR - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will be in Eugene on Saturday, April 20, 2013, to attend the annual EWEB Earth Day Celebration and the grand opening of the new University of Oregon Student Veterans Center. Wyden will also visit Arcimoto, the Eugene-based electric vehicle company and drop in at Sprout!, the regional "food hub" in Springfield. April 20, 2013: 10:15 a.m., Arcimoto, 544 Blair Boulevard, Eugene. 11:15 a.m., EWEB Earth Day Celebration, River's Edge Plaza, 500 E. … Continue Reading
