Press Releases
Wyden, Merkley File Amendments to Require Umatilla Chemical Depot be Closed Under BRAC
Washington, D.C. - Following up on a promise to legislatively block the Army's 11th - hour decision to forego twenty years of planning and more than a million dollars of taxpayer funds by closing the Umatilla Chemical Depot outside of the BRAC process, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) filed amendments to the Military Construction Appropriations bill to prohibit the spending of any federal funds to close the depot outside of the BRAC program. "This last minute attempt … Continue Reading
July 14, 2011
Wyden and Udall Call for Informed Debate of Domestic Surveillance Law
Washington, D.C. - Congress has until late 2012 to extend the FISA Amendments Act of 2008's expiring new authorities and U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mark Udall (D-Col.) say Congress should use the time to thoroughly consider how the law has been interpreted and implemented. In a letter to the Director of National Intelligence, Wyden and Udall -- both members of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence - state: "We believe that the debate over these initiatives will be better … Continue Reading
July 14, 2011
Pair of Wyden, Merkley Land Management Bills Pass Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Washington, D.C. - With tourism in eastern Oregon being a promising way to boost the economy of local communities, legislation to transfer federal land to the cities of La Pine and Wallowa passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today. Introduced by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the pair of bills benefitting La Pine and Wallowa as well as Deschutes County will give these localities access to hundreds of acres of federal land for community … Continue Reading
July 14, 2011
Wyden, Stabenow Bill To Promote Alternative Fuels Passes Energy Committee
Washington, D.C. - In a victory for Americans hurt by the price of gasoline this summer, legislation to promote the implementation of viable alternatives to oil to meet transportation needs passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today. Introduced by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Debbie Stabenow (D- Mich.), the Alternative Fuels Vehicles Competitiveness and Security Act will increase energy security and reduce dependence on foreign oil by supporting the manufacturers of … Continue Reading
July 13, 2011
Brown, Wyden, McCain Introduce Affordable Medicines Utilization Act Of 2011
WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to increase consumer flexibility and save taxpayer dollars, U.S. Senators Scott Brown (R-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and John McCain (R-AZ) introduced bipartisan legislation today that will encourage states to take advantage of cost-saving generic drugs. According to a recent study, states waste more than $300 million a year just by not taking advantage of generic drug options. The Affordable Medicines Utilization Act of 2011 offers states incentives to use generic … Continue Reading
July 08, 2011
Wyden and Portman Call for US Leadership on Fixing Fisheries Subsidies at WTO Negotiations
Washington, D.C. - In advance of the final World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rob Portman (R-OH) sounded an alarm over the exploitation of fisheries and the global economic impact of fisheries subsidies in a letter to Ambassador Ron Kirk, the United States Trade Representative. Currently, more than 85 percent of the world's fisheries face exploitation, a 10 percent increase in the last four years according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization … Continue Reading
July 07, 2011
Signs Point to Comprehensive Tax Reform – Time to Gear Up?
MEMORANDUM TO: Reporters and Editors FROM: Jennifer Hoelzer (Wyden) and Tara Dijulio (Coats) RE: Signs Point to Comprehensive Tax Reform - Time to Gear Up? DATE: Thursday, July 07, 2011 If you love tax reform as much as we do, the last 24 hours have been very exciting! Speaking at a Bloomberg breakfast this morning, White House Senior Advisor, David Plouffe said this debate was a "moment of opportunity" to "do something on tax reform of a significant nature," and at a news … Continue Reading
July 06, 2011
Wyden, Coats Ask President and Debt Limit Negotiators to Include Tax Reform in a Debt Reduction Plan
Washington, D.C. - This afternoon, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Dan Coats (R-Ind.) sent a letter to President Obama and congressional leaders participating in tomorrow's debt ceiling negotiations outlining how comprehensive tax reform would make it possible for both parties to move past the current partisan stalemate. Recognizing that there is not enough time to restructure the tax code by August 2, the senators call on the president and congressional leadership to include a timeline … Continue Reading
June 30, 2011
Wyden Sex Trafficking Legislation Included in Leahy-Brown Trafficking Victims Bill
Washington, D.C. - After leading the campaign to put domestic sex trafficking of children on the national agenda, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), worked with Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy to include key provisions of his legislation into the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) of 2011. The Wyden-authored provision will help put an end to this modern-day sexual slavery. Similar to the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act that … Continue Reading
June 29, 2011
13 Senators team up to assure LGBT youth that “It Gets Better”
Cosponsors of Defense of Marriage Act repeal produce video for "It Gets Better Project" WASHINGTON - Thirteen United States Senators have teamed up to encourage lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people not to give up, reassuring them in a video released Wednesday that they are working hard in the Senate to fulfill the promise of equality for all. The video is part of the It Gets Better Project (http://itgetsbetter.org), which was founded last year after a series of tragic suicides … Continue Reading
June 23, 2011
Wyden, Merkley, Walden Urge Secretary of Defense to Close Umatilla Chemical Depot under BRAC, end Federal Ownership of the Facility
Washington, D.C. - Arguing that the Department of Defense's 11th-hour attempt to keep the Umatilla Chemical Depot under federal ownership is "wasteful and counterproductive," Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Congressman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) today urged the Secretary of Defense to close the facility under the Base Realignment and Closure authority, as required by law. Despite spending $1 million in federal funds to finance 20 years of local planning on what to do with … Continue Reading
June 22, 2011
Wyden Statement on President Obama’s Afghanistan Speech
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has issued the following statement on President Obama's speech on Afghanistan. "While I am pleased that the President is starting to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, as I have long been saying, I would like to see our forces transition from a broad counterinsurgency strategy to a more focused - and more sustainable - counterterrorism strategy. By that I mean that American troops should continue conducting operations against al-Qaida - which still … Continue Reading
June 21, 2011
Wyden Statement on Confirmation of Judge Simon to U.S. District Court
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) issued the following statement congratulating Judge Michael Simon on his confirmation as a U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Oregon. Simon was confirmed by the Senate this afternoon by a vote of 64 to 35: "It was my pleasure to propose Judge Simon for the District Court seat he will now hold and I am grateful that the U.S. Senate agreed with my assessment of Judge Simon's impeccable attributes. Over the years, Judge Simon has … Continue Reading
June 15, 2011
Wyden, Murkowski Introduce Bill To Reform CCF for Fishermen
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced a bill that gives commercial fishermen - in Alaska, Oregon and nationwide - added flexibility when it comes to funds they've set aside for renovations or new construction of their fishing boats. "There was a time when CCF accounts were an integral part of building the modern and efficient fleet of fishing vessels the U.S. needed to compete with foreign fishing outfits," Wyden said. "But the … Continue Reading
June 15, 2011
Wyden, Chaffetz Introduce GPS Act
Washington, D.C. - New technologies - like cell phones, smart phones, laptops and navigation devices - are making it increasingly easy to track and log the location of individual Americans, yet federal laws have not kept pace with the technology. The lack of legal clarity surrounding the use of electronically-obtained location data, also known as geolocation information, means that there are no clear rules for how this data can be used, accessed or sold by law enforcement, commercial entities … Continue Reading
June 10, 2011
Wyden, Merkley, DeFazio Applaud FEMA Grant for Brookings
WASHINGTON, DC- Congressman Peter DeFazio and Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced the Port of Brookings Harbor will receive $1.2 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to replace docks destroyed by the March 11th tsunami. "Brookings-Harbor Port Director Ted Fitzgerald and his team have done an incredible job of getting the Port cleaned up after the disaster in March," said Wyden, who visited the Port in April and toured the damage facilities. "The channel is … Continue Reading
June 08, 2011
Geothermal Energy Bill To Help Legitimate Producers Develop Geothermal “Hot Spots” More Efficiently
Washington, D.C. - With one of the biggest barriers to geothermal energy production being the risky and inefficient process of searching for "hot spots" capable of producing recoverable energy, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators have introduced legislation to make it easier for developers to lease federal land adjacent to proven geothermal "hot spots." Geothermal energy is a sustainable energy resource that captures natural heat from the Earth to create electricity. Sponsored by U.S. … Continue Reading
June 07, 2011
Bipartisan Senate Group Introduces Legislation to Help U.S. Soda Ash Producers Compete with Foreign Suppliers
Washington, D.C. - As foreign governments continue to provide unfair subsidies and benefits to give a leg up to their domestic producers of soda ash - a key industrial material in the manufacturing of glass and other products and one of the largest exports out of the Port of Portland - a bipartisan group of Senators have introduced legislation to maintain low Federal royalties on the mineral so that U.S. manufacturers can compete. The Soda Ash Competition Act - introduced by Senators Ron Wyden … Continue Reading
May 27, 2011
Wyden, Chief Reese Visit Anti-Gang G.R.E.A.T. Program Graduates at Parkrose Middle School on Wednesday, June 1
Who: Senator Ron Wyden; Portland Police Chief Michael Reese; Parkrose School Superintendent Dr. Karen Fischer Gray; City of Portland officials What: Meet with 270 6th graders who graduated from the G.R.E.A.T program When: 10 a.m., Wednesday, June 1, 2011. Where: Parkrose Middle School 11800 NE Shaver Portland Portland, OR - The Gangs … Continue Reading
May 27, 2011
Bipartisan Coalition Introduces Bill to Give Customs the Discipline to Combat Trade Cheats
Washington, D.C. -As evidence mounts about the extent to which foreign exporters have been eager and willing to circumvent U.S. trade laws continues, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators have introduced legislation to create the discipline necessary at Customs and Border Protection to combat trade cheats and provide a fair playing field for U.S. manufacturers. The bill has been introduced by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) the chair of the Senate Finance Committee's subcommittee on Trade, … Continue Reading
