Press Releases
Vernonia Schools to Receive $11.2 Million in FEMA Grants
Portland, OR -Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and Congressman David Wu announced that the Vernonia School District will receive $11.2 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The new grant comes in addition to the $150,000 in funding that the school district received through Congressional appropriations in fiscal year 2010. According to FEMA, the agency will acquire the existing Vernonia K-12 school buildings through its Flood Mitigation Assistance program. The $11.2 … Continue Reading
January 13, 2011
OREGON DELEGATION URGES SEC. SHINSEKI TO INTERVENE, REDIRECT ROSEBURG VA HOSPITAL STUDY
WASHINGTON, DC- Today, Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-4) and Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) sent a letter to Secretary of the Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki requesting that he intervene and correct a Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) study concerning the future of the Roseburg Oregon VA Medical Center (RVAMC). The letter states "We are troubled that the VA has spent $400,000 on this independent study that has little value for veterans or taxpayers. Rather it appears BAH worked … Continue Reading
January 12, 2011
Senator Wyden Urges Eligible Combat Vets to Enroll for VA Health Care Before Deadline
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is encouraging eligible combat veterans to sign up for enhanced health care services before the January 27th deadline. The enhanced enrollment window gave combat veterans who separated from service before January 28, 2003, an extra three years to be grandfathered in under Veterans Affairs health care rules that have since changed. "Since these men and women served, the VA's healthcare rules have changed in ways that could affect them," Wyden … Continue Reading
January 12, 2011
Wyden to Hold 13 Town Halls in Nine Days Starting January 14
Portland, OR - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden will host town hall meetings in 13 Oregon counties starting Friday, January 14, 2011. Counties include Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Klamath, Jackson, Douglas, Lane, Benton, Polk, Marion, Clatsop and Columbia. Senator Wyden has been holding town halls in each Oregon county every year since 1996. Clackamas County Town Hall Meeting Date: Friday, January 14, 2011 Time: 10 … Continue Reading
January 10, 2011
Wyden to Address Human Sex Trafficking Conference in Portland on January 15th
WHO: Senator Ron Wyden WHAT: Welcome Address at the 3rd Annual Northwest Conference Against Human Trafficking WHEN: 8:30 a.m. Saturday, January 15, 2011 WHERE: Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR Oregon Grand Ballroom #201 (corner of Halladay and MLK) Portland, OR - In a welcoming address at the 3rd Annual Soroptimist International Northwest Conference Against Trafficking in … Continue Reading
January 05, 2011
Wyden, Grassley, McCaskill, Collins Introduce Resolution to End Secret Holds
Washington, D.C. - As the 112th Congress gavels in this afternoon, the bipartisan coalition fighting to end secret holds has introduced a resolution to eliminate the undemocratic practice and move the Senate closer to an up-or-down vote on their proposal. U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the Secret Holds Reform Resolution that forces all holds to be disclosed to the public after one day, eliminating the … Continue Reading
December 18, 2010
Senate Clears Path to End Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
Washington, D.C. - Capping 17 years of vocal opposition that began in 1993 with a 'no' vote in the House of Representatives, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) supported the repeal today of what he has long called "a toxic combination against national security and personal liberty" by voting for cloture on legislation he cosponsored to finally end the policy of Don't Ask Don't Tell. The Senate is schedule to pass the repeal at 3:00 PM today. Speaking on the Senate floor before the vote, Wyden … Continue Reading
December 16, 2010
Senator Wyden to Undergo Surgery for Early Stage Prostate Cancer
Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) released the following statement today regarding his upcoming surgery for early-stage prostate cancer: "After my annual physical in late November, I was diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer. After reviewing all the options with multiple physicians, I decided to take a proactive approach and have surgery, which will be performed December 20 at Johns Hopkins Hospital by Dr. Alan Partin. "Thanks to routine screening, this was diagnosed … Continue Reading
December 16, 2010
Merkley and Wyden Announce Shepherds Flat Loan Guarantee Finalization
(Portland, OR) - Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy has finalized a $1.3 billion loan guarantee for the Shepherds Flat wind farm in Eastern Oregon. This financing will help support the completion of the world's largest wind farm and will help create hundreds of jobs in Eastern Oregon and avoid over 1.2 million tons of air pollution per year. "This is a great holiday gift for Eastern Oregon and it couldn't come at a better time," said … Continue Reading
December 16, 2010
Senator Wyden Tells Lawrence O’Donnell Why He is Voting Against the Tax Cut Compromise
Washington, D.C. - The following is a transcript of an interview from December 14, 2010 of Senator Wyden by news anchor Lawrence O'Donnell: O`DONNELL: In the spotlight tonight, yesterday 83 senators voted to proceed to a vote on the Obama tax compromise. After 30 hours of scheduled debate, the Senate will vote on passage of the bill tomorrow around noontime. Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon was unable to make yesterday`s procedural vote due to travel issues. The next vote on the … Continue Reading
December 15, 2010
Wyden’s 2010 Report Shows U.S. Green Goods Trade Deficit with China at Record Level
Washington, D.C. - As the Obama Administration continues high level trade talks with the government of China today, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) released a report examining the impact China's aggressive and potentially anti-competitive industrial policies are having on the global green goods industry. The U.S. trade deficit in green goods with China reached a record level in 2010, according to the report - the third in a series of reports examining trade in green goods - despite the highest … Continue Reading
December 14, 2010
Wyden Calls Congress on Failure to Renew Build America Bonds
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) filed an amendment today to renew what has been called "one of the most successful programs of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act." Since becoming law more than $150 billion worth of Build America Bonds have been issued to finance public infrastructure in all 50 states. The taxable federal bonds have allowed state and local governments to save millions while putting Americans to work building and repairing bridges, roads and schools. … Continue Reading
December 11, 2010
Wyden Honors Japanese-American “Go for Broke” Soldiers Who Served in World War II
Portland, OR - Declaring it an honor long overdue, Senator Ron Wyden today paid tribute to 16 Oregon Japanese-American veterans who served with distinction in Europe and in the Pacific during World War II. Wyden presented each of the soldiers with framed copies of legislation passed by Congress and signed by the President this year awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and members of the Military Intelligence Service for … Continue Reading
December 10, 2010
NEWS CONFERENCE, noon, Sunday, December 12
Who: Senator Ron Wyden; Congressman Earl Blumenauer; Portland Mayor Sam Adams; Multnomah County Commissioner Diane McKeel; Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton; Anti-sex trafficking advocacy groups; Victims of sex trafficking What: NEWS CONFERENCE on legislation to help sex trafficking victims and law enforcement. When: Noon, Sunday, December 12, 2010 … Continue Reading
December 10, 2010
***ACTION ALERT: Call on House to Pass Sex Trafficking Bill***
Dear Friends, Today, we are one giant step closer to ending the scourge of human sex trafficking once and for all. The United States Senate has passed legislation that I sponsored with Senator John Cornyn of Texas that will help the victims of sexual trafficking and give law enforcement the tools it needs to prosecute those who prey on women and girls. Now it's time for the House of Representatives to go to work and not leave Washington before this job is done. I'm calling on all … Continue Reading
December 09, 2010
Wyden/Cornyn Sex Trafficking Bill Passes Senate
Washington, D.C. - The United States Senate unanimously approved a bill to aid victims of modern sexual slavery and give law enforcement the tools to investigate and prosecute sex traffickers who exploit underage girls and force them into the sex trade. Sponsored by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act will create a six-state pilot program to help law enforcement crackdown on pimps and traffickers and … Continue Reading
December 09, 2010
Wyden to Honor Japanese American WWII Veterans; Open New Exhibit at Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center
Who: Oregon Senator Ron Wyden; 14 Oregon WWII veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service of World War II and their families What: Presentation of a framed copy of the legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the members of the 442nd "Go For Broke" Regimental Combat Team and of the Military Intelligence Service ; help open the Legacy Center's new exhibit titled "Taken" … Continue Reading
November 18, 2010
Wyden Calls for Senate To Vote for Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Repeal
Washington, D.C. - Alongside 13 Senate colleagues at a press conference this morning, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) called on the United States Senate to repeal the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy as part of the annual Defense Authorization bill making its way to the Senate floor after Thanksgiving. Wyden, who voted against Don't Ask Don't Tell 17 years ago as a member of the House of Representatives and has worked for its repeal in the Senate ever since, called Don't Ask Don't Tell a "toxic … Continue Reading
November 18, 2010
Wyden, Brown Introduce Bill to Move Up Date for Health Care Law’s State Waiver Provision
Washington, D.C. - Recognizing that what works in Springfield, Oregon, may not always work as well in Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Scott Brown (R- Mass.) introduced legislation that would give states the flexibility to implement their own health care plans when the bulk of the new law goes into effect in 2014. Under the current law, states won't be able to apply for waivers until 2017. The change would mean that states, with a history of innovating new … Continue Reading
November 17, 2010
Wyden Statement on Nominations for U.S. Attorney and U.S. Marshal
Portland OR - Senator Ron Wyden issued the following statement today on The White House nominations of Oregon Assistant Attorney General Amanda Marshall as U.S. Attorney for Oregon and Lane County Sheriff Russel Burger as Oregon U.S. Marshal. "Amanda Marshall has been a successful criminal prosecutor in Coos County as well as an assistant attorney general in the Oregon Department of Justice where she earned the reputation as a tireless advocate for children and families. As U.S. Attorney, … Continue Reading
