Press Releases
In Speech, Wyden Says Official Interpretations of Patriot Act Must be Made Public
Washington, D.C. - Speaking on the floor of the U.S Senate during the truncated debate on the reauthorization of the PATRIOT ACT for another four years, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) - a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence -- warned his colleagues that a vote to extend the bill without amendments that would ban any Administration's ability to keep internal interpretations of the Patriot Act classified will eventually cause public outrage. Known as Secret Law, the official … Continue Reading
May 26, 2011
Wyden Will Visit Oregon Veterans Home in The Dalles on June 3
Portland, OR - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will tour the Oregon Veterans Home in The Dalles on Friday June 3. Ground was broken last fall for a 9,000-square-foot community center, named for Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Stan Adams and his wife, Jean. The community center should be finished this summer. Who: Senator Ron Wyden What: Tour of Oregon Veterans Home … Continue Reading
May 26, 2011
Wyden Places Hold on Protect IP Act
Washington, D.C. - Continuing his opposition to legislation that aims to protect intellectual property at the expense of free speech, technological innovation and the very foundations of the Internet, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has issued the following statement announcing a hold on the motion to proceed to the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act (PROTECT IP): "Consistent with Senate Standing Orders and my policy of publishing in the … Continue Reading
May 26, 2011
Wyden to Attend Memorial Day Ceremonies in Terrebonne, Redmond and Bend on Monday
Portland, OR - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will attend Memorial Day services in three Central Oregon cities on Monday. The events honor fallen veterans will take place in Terrebonne, Redmond and Bend. Terrebonne: Date: Monday, May 30, 2011 Time: 9 a.m. Location: Pioneer Cemetery Smith Rock Way Terrebonne Redmond: Date: Monday, May 30, 2011 … Continue Reading
May 26, 2011
Wyden on the Road Again for Five Town Halls in Eastern Oregon
Portland, OR - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden will host his annual town hall meetings in the Gilliam County city of Condon and the Morrow County city of Heppner on Friday, June 3, 2011. On June 4, 2011, he will hold town halls in the Wallowa County city of Wallowa, the Union County city of Elgin and the Umatilla County city of Milton-Freewater. These will be town halls number 591 to 595. Gilliam County Town Hall Meeting Date: Friday, June 3, … Continue Reading
May 25, 2011
Amendment Requires Government to End Practice of Secretly Interpreting Law
Washington, D.C. - As the Senate prepares to approve a four-year extension of the Patriot Act without public debate about how the executive branch actually interprets controversial provisions in the ten-year-old surveillance law, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mark Udall (D-Co.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Tom Udall (D-NM) introduced an amendment to the Patriot Act reauthorization legislation to require the U.S. Attorney General to make the U.S. Government's official interpretation of the … Continue Reading
May 25, 2011
Wyden, Cantwell Call Out CFTC for Dragging Their Feet on Preventing Excessive Oil Speculation
Washington, D.C. - As gasoline continues to hover at $4 per gallon propelled by rampant speculation in the oil commodities market that now amounts to nearly 40 percent of all trades in crude oil futures markets, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) joined Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) on the Senate floor today to excoriate the Commodities Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) decision not to take immediate action to impose position limits to curb excessive oil speculation. Speaking on the Senate … Continue Reading
May 24, 2011
TODAY: Wyden, Udall to Hold Press Conference Call on their Concerns about Reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act
Today, Tuesday, May 24, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (OR) and Mark Udall (CO) will hold a press conference call about the proposed reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act. The legislation would allow the government to continue using three controversial and wide-ranging provisions for four more years. The senators are concerned that the Senate is moving to reauthorize the legislation without debate, and that the administration has continued to refuse to declassify its legal interpretation of the … Continue Reading
May 18, 2011
Wyden, Merkley to Attend Astoria Bicentennial Celebration on Saturday
Portland, OR - Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley confirmed today that they will attend the celebration this Saturday honoring the 200th anniversary of the founding of the City of Astoria. Wyden and Merkley will join other state and local dignitaries in recognizing the bicentennial of the oldest settlement west of The Rockies. The Senators also announced today that they have introduced a formal Congressional Resolution honoring Astoria's bicentennial. Who: … Continue Reading
May 18, 2011
Wyden to Chair Hearing on Eastside Forest Legislation; Four Other Oregon Public Lands Bills
Washington, D.C. - Today, Wednesday May 18, 2011 at 2:30 p.m. EDT (11:30 a.m. PDT) U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) will chair a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee's Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests to discuss twenty public lands bills including five Oregon bills, among them the Eastside Forest Restoration and Old Growth Protection Act - the landmark agreement between environmental groups and the timber industry in eastern Oregon. Click here to stream the … Continue Reading
May 17, 2011
Wyden, Stabenow Bill Uses Alternative Transportation Fuels to Reduce Dependence on Foreign Oil
Washington, D.C. - As the price of gas at the pump continues to drain Americans' wallets, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Debbie Stabenow (D- Mich.) have introduced legislation to increase energy security and reduce dependence on foreign oil by integrating many types of cutting edge alternative fuel sources into our transportation infrastructure. Using a two pronged approach to increasing fuel options, the Alternative Fuels Vehicles Competitiveness and Security Act of 2011will expand … Continue Reading
May 13, 2011
Wyden, Merkley Announce Funding for National Guard Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program
PORTLAND, OR - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the State of Oregon will receive $1.83 million to fund the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program for the Oregon National Guard through the next 12 months. The program helps Guard members and their families gain have access to physical and mental health care, substance abuse treatment and prevention and marriage and financial counseling as well as help finding employment. Oregon was one of only eight states to … Continue Reading
May 12, 2011
Wyden, Lofgren Statements on the Insufficient Responses Received from Agency on Internet Seizures
Washington, D.C. - After receiving insufficient responses from the Obama Administration regarding the seizing of Internet domain names believed to be housing copyright infringing content without a court order - a massive shift in the way the U.S. had combated digital copyright infringement in the past - U.S Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) released the following statements: Senator Wyden: "It is hard to imagine that the administration can effectively deter online … Continue Reading
May 12, 2011
Senator Wyden Response to the PROTECT IP Act Introduction
Washington, D.C. - Senator Wyden offered the following response to the introduction of the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act: "I felt compelled to block senate action on COICA in December 2010 because it employed a "bunker buster" approach to a problem that could be solved with a "strategic guided missile." COICA's at-all-costs approach to protecting intellectual property would have inflicted collateral damage on the foundations of … Continue Reading
May 12, 2011
Wyden – Thune Promote Innovation by Protecting Digital Commerce from Overbearing Taxes
Washington, D.C. - Citing the crushing effect that multiple and discriminatory taxes can have on developing industries, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) introduced legislation today that will protect digital goods and services - like mobile smartphone apps and cloud computing -- from additional taxes. "Would consumers be as willing to try out a new I-Phone app if they have to pay taxes for every download? How many app's would even be available if every provider had … Continue Reading
May 11, 2011
17 Senators Call on Federal Regulators to Immediately Crack Down on Excessive Crude Oil Speculation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) led a bipartisan group of 17 Senators in calling on federal regulators to expedite long-stalled rules to rein in excessive Wall Street speculation in West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures and other energy commodities. Numerous experts have concluded that excessive trading in oil futures is causing oil price volatility unrelated to supply-and-demand fundamentals, and contributing to rising gas prices. … Continue Reading
May 06, 2011
Senators, Business Leaders Underscore the Need to Enforce U.S. Trade Laws
Washington, D.C. - During a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee subcommittee on International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness, Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), John Thune (R-SD), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and business leaders in U.S. manufacturing each vigorously expressed the need to better enforce U.S. trade law and investigate the foreign suppliers who consistently evade those laws. Wyden, … Continue Reading
May 04, 2011
Hearing to Examine: Why is Evading U.S. Trade Enforcement So Easy?
Washington, D.C. - Tomorrow, Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 2 pm in room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) will chair a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee's subcommittee on International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness to examine why federal agencies are having difficulty enforcing U.S. trade laws specifically those related to anti-dumping and countervailing duties. Click here to view the webcast. Exporters from countries like China have been … Continue Reading
May 02, 2011
Wyden Statement on Death of Osama bin Laden
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement on the death of Osama bin Laden: "Osama bin Laden was more than a killer, he was the founder and leader of a terrorist organization determined to make a name for itself by taking thousands of innocent lives and spreading chaos and fear around the globe. I congratulate the service members and intelligence professionals who made the operation … Continue Reading
April 20, 2011
Military Takes Steps to Improve Treatment of Returning National Guard, Reserve Troops
Washington, D.C. - Responding to concerns raised over the last year by Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Representative Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), the United States Army has announced changes designed to improve the treatment of National Guard and Reserve troops returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. The changes announced in documents provided to Wyden's office include ensuring each soldier receives proper medical care, improving communication about entitlements and benefits and greater … Continue Reading
