Press Releases
Wyden in Salem on July 6 for Two Events: Visit Food Program at Boys and Girls Club, Ribbon Cutting at Marshall Composite Systems
Portland, OR - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will visit the Salem Boys and Girls Club to highlight the need to continue federal funding of summer food programs. Federal nutrition programs are up for renewal this year. Getting the programs funded at an appropriate level is a priority, especially during the summer when school is out and children don't have access to school meal programs.. Who: Oregon Senator Ron Wyden Boys and girls What: Highlight the … Continue Reading
July 02, 2010
NEWS CONFERENCE, Monday, July 5, 10:30 a.m. Senator Ron Wyden, Local Brewery Owners, Hops Growers and Equipment Manufacturers on Creating More Jobs by Lowering Federal Taxes on Craft Beer
Portland, OR - Senator Ron Wyden, owners of craft breweries in the Willamette Valley, hops growers and other suppliers will hold a news conference on at 10:30 a.m., Monday, July 5, 2010, on legislation to lower the federal tax on craft beer. Wyden is co-sponsoring legislation that will cut the tax on craft beer in order to stimulate investment and job growth. Craft brewing is a $2.3 billion business in Oregon, employing 4,700 people. Who: Oregon Senator … Continue Reading
July 01, 2010
Wyden in Southern Oregon for Fourth of July Events in Ashland and Canyonville
Portland, OR - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will attend two Southern Oregon events on the Fourth of July. He will walk in the Ashland Fourth of July parade and be the keynote speaker at a dinner in Canyonville honoring Oregon veterans. Sunday, July 4 10 a.m., Ashland Fourth of July Parade. 4 p.m., Annual Fourth of July dinner honor veterans, Seven Feathers Hotel & Casino Resort, 146 Chief Miwaleta Lane, … Continue Reading
June 30, 2010
Committee Approves Bill to Help Native American Vets with Disabilities Receive Housing Assistance
Washington, D.C. - Efforts to correct a flaw in current law that excludes some disabled Native American Veterans from housing assistance programs took a huge step forward today as legislation to amend eligibility requirements has been approved by the Indian Affairs committee. The Indian Veterans Housing Opportunity Act of 2010, introduced by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and John Thune (R- S.D.) will discontinue the counting of disability compensation as income, a practice that often pushes … Continue Reading
June 29, 2010
Wyden, Markey Encourage CMS to Implement Their “Independence At Home” Program Within 6 Months
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Representative Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), authors of the Independence at Home demonstration program included as Section 3024 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148), today sent a letter to Acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner encouraging CMS to implement the program as soon as possible prior to the law's January 2012 deadline, with a goal of implementation within the next 6 months. This morning, Wyden and … Continue Reading
June 25, 2010
Wyden, Merkley Announce $1 million For PSU to Expand Research in Energy Efficient Building Practices
Washington, D.C. - Continuing efforts to improve energy efficiency and promote green industries of the future, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) announced today that Portland State University will receive a $1 million grant to fund a public-private research partnership into green building practices, materials and training. "This funding will help ensure that Portland State and Oregon remain in the forefront of green building technology development," Wyden said. "It … Continue Reading
June 24, 2010
Senators Urge Transocean To Delay $1 Billion in Dividends Before Paying Its Bill for Gulf Oil Spill
Washington, D.C. - Determined not to leave taxpayers, Gulf Coast businesses, communities and wildlife paying the bill for the devastation caused by the Deepwater Horizon explosion and uncontrolled release of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Max Baucus … Continue Reading
June 22, 2010
Wyden and Grassley to Testify in Rules Committee on Eliminating Secret Holds
Washington, D.C. - Tomorrow at 10:00 am EDT (7:00 am PDT) in room SR-305, U.S. Senator's Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) will testify before of the Senate Rules Committee on their more than decade's worth of experience trying to end the use of secret holds in the U.S. Senate. The hearing will be webcast live online and will be available in archived form shortly after the conclusion of the hearing. The webcast will start approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of the … Continue Reading
June 22, 2010
Senate and House Members from Both Parties Urge Obama Administration to Speed Up Payments to Counties
Washington, D.C. - Recognizing the importance of federal payments to rural counties, 35 members of Congress from both parties are urging the Obama Administration to abandon plans to delay sending Payment in Lieu of Taxes money and release the funds before the end of this month. "County governments, already facing a dismal economic situation, cannot wait an extra month for these funds, or simply suspend their operations for a month," the members of Congress said in a letter to Interior … Continue Reading
June 22, 2010
Oregon Caves and Devil’s Staircase Protection Bills Pass Energy Committee
Washington, D.C. - Marking another milestone in the fight to protect Oregon's natural resources for future generations, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) announced that a pair of bills designed to provide protections for two of Oregon's greatest natural resources have been approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, paving the way for consideration by the entire U.S. Senate. Senator Wyden chairs the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests, with … Continue Reading
June 16, 2010
Wyden: Commitment to Invest in Oregon Company Good News for Nanotech Jobs, Health Care Costs and Those with Kidney Disease
Portland, OR - In a major victory for the future of nanotechnology and for the Oregon economy, Senator Ron Wyden said that today's announcement that the private equity firm Warburg Pincus has committed to investing up to $50 million in the Oregon company Home Dialysis Plus is good news for lower health care costs, Oregon jobs and those suffering from kidney disease. "This commitment by Warburg Pincus in the technology developed by HD+ is a tremendous advance for kidney dialysis patients and … Continue Reading
June 15, 2010
Wyden, National Guard to Host Job Fairs for Returning Soldiers in the Portland Metro Area, Central Oregon, Southern Oregon and the Willamette Valley
Portland, OR - Recognizing the high unemployment rate among National Guard soldiers returning from Iraq, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is joining forces with the Oregon Military Department to host four job fairs that will match employers who have jobs with soldiers who need them. The Yellow Ribbon Career and Benefit Fairs will be held at the following locations: Portland Metro Area, Saturday, June 26, Clackamas Community College, Oregon City. Central Oregon, Saturday, July 10, Deschutes … Continue Reading
June 15, 2010
Current and Former Members of Congress to Gather for Conference on Bipartisanship Tomorrow
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and the U.S. National Archives will host Breaking the Stalemate: Renewing a Bipartisan Dialogue, a conference to explore the causes and effects of partisan gridlock in Washington and outline tangible solutions for changing course. Current and former Members of Congress, political experts, and journalists will participate in panel discussions throughout the one-day conference. The … Continue Reading
June 15, 2010
SCHUMER, WYDEN, BEGICH BLAST BP PLAN TO GIVE BACKDOOR $2.6B PAYMENT TO SHAREHOLDERS THROUGH ESCROW ACCOUNT—SENATORS SAY COMPANY MUST FIRST SET ASIDE BILLIONS TO COVER DAMAGES FROM GULF DISASTER BEFORE MAKING ANY PLANS FOR DIVIDEND
WASHINGTON, DC-U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mark Begich (D-AK) today called on oil giant BP to abandon its reported plans to set aside billions for a shareholder dividend until it first commits to setting up an escrow account that would cover the company's liabilities from the oil spill disaster in Gulf of Mexico. The board of London-based BP met yesterday to discuss how to deal with the quarterly dividend, estimated at $2.6 billion, that the company is due … Continue Reading
June 15, 2010
Wyden, DeFazio, Merkley Introduce Chetco River Protection Bills in House and Senate
Washington, D.C. - Seeking to protect the Chetco River from expanded suction dredge mining that threatens salmon and steelhead breeding grounds, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) introduced bills in both the House and the Senate to permanently raise the federal protection levels of more than three miles of the river and put in place new prohibitions on future mining that will preserve the Wild and Scenic portions of the … Continue Reading
June 10, 2010
SENATORS URGE OVERHAUL OF CHILD NUTRITION REAUTHORIZATION BILL AS THE HOUSE UNVEILS MORE ROBUST PLAN
Washington, D.C. - As the House of Representatives unveiled their Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, along with six of her colleagues, sent a letter to Senate Leaders, urging them to overhaul the Senate version of the legislation to include a significant increase in the reimbursement rate for school meals. Joining Senator Gillibrand are Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Al Franken (D-MN), Tim … Continue Reading
June 09, 2010
Senators Call On Business Round Table to Support Covering Recent Graduates Early
Washington, D.C. - As millions of young adults graduating from college this month face one of the toughest job markets in history leading to a serious gap in their healthcare coverage, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jack Reed (D- R.I.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Bob Casey (D- Pa.) sent a letter to the Business Round Table urging the organization to convince its members to voluntarily close that gap by adopting an important health … Continue Reading
June 02, 2010
SCHUMER, WYDEN TO BP: SUSPEND SHAREHOLDER DIVIDEND UNTIL CLEAN-UP COSTS FROM GULF SPILL ARE CALCULATED
WASHINGTON, DC-U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) pressed the head of British Petroleum (BP) on Wednesday to table plans to pay out its shareholder dividend until the full costs for cleaning up the Gulf oil spill can be calculated. According to London-based reports, BP CEO Tony Hayward plans to reassure shareholders that the company would go ahead with its dividend payment even as estimates of the company's potential liability from the environmental disaster continue … Continue Reading
May 28, 2010
Wyden’s Week in Oregon Includes Stops in Boardman, Arlington, Newport and Bend
Portland, OR - Senator Ron Wyden's schedule next week starts in Eastern Oregon on Wednesday, June 2, with visits to job-generating, green-energy projects in Boardman and Arlington. On June 3, he is on the Central Oregon Coast to celebrate the decision to bring the NOAA fleet and staff to Newport. On Friday, June 4, he is in Central Oregon for a congressional subcommittee hearing in Bend on the Eastside Forestry Bill.Wednesday, June 2, 11:30 a.m., ZeaChem groundbreaking, Port of Morrow, 2 … Continue Reading
May 27, 2010
Wyden in Jackson County for Memorial Day Events; Press Availability on Tuesday at New 911 Dispatch Center
Portland, OR - Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will attend three Memorial Day events in Jackson County on Monday. He will speak at events at the Fallen War Heroes Memorial in Central Point and at the Eagle Point National Cemetery. He will also attend a barbeque at the SORCC in Medford. On Tuesday, he will hold a press availability at 10:15 a.m. with local law enforcement officials at the new 911 Dispatch Center, now known as the Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon, in Medford. Monday, May 31, … Continue Reading
