Press Releases
Wyden blocks Telecom Legislationover ineffective net neutrality provision
Washington, DC-U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today announced that he has placed a "hold" on major telecommunications legislation recently approved by the Senate Commerce Committee until clear language is included in the legislation that prevents discrimination in Internet access. The legislation as currently written does not provide an effective policy on net neutrality, and instead opens the Internet up to large telecommunications companies and cable providers to charge consumers and small … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden, Smith Secure FundsFor Oregon Natural Resource Projects
Washington, DC- U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) today announced that Oregon could soon receive nearly $5 million, and share in additional funds for natural resource projects across the state. Wyden and Smith secured this funding as part of the Senate's FY2007 Interior funding bill, approved this week by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The bill will now be considered by the full Senate for approval. "Part of what makes Oregon so special is the unique combination … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden, Bennett Launch Plan to Put Millions of Energy-Saving Vehicles on American Roads
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Bob Bennett (R-UT) today proposed a plan that would reward drivers for buying more fuel efficient cars, trucks and SUVs.The Oil Independence, Limiting Subsidies and Accelerating Vehicle Efficiency (OILSAVE) Act would offer consumers a tax credit for purchasing qualified energy saving vehicles. The credit would be fully funded by eliminating a single, unneeded tax deduction currently available to oil companies."By limiting just one … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden introduces resolutionopposing Presidents stated intentionof keeping troops in Iraq until at least 2009
Washington, DC U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today introduced a resolution to express the sense of the Senate that the Presidents March 21, 2006 stated intention that future Presidents will determine whether there are American troops in Iraq undermines the preparedness of the United States military to respond to other crises and should not be supported. In March 2006, President Bush gave a press conference and discussed Iraq. The following exchange took place between a reporter and the … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden: 15 Reasons "Vote by Mail" is the Right Direction for America
Washington , D.C. - As election officials scramble to sort out voting irregularities and other problems in yesterday's elections, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden renewed his call to pass his proposal to simplify the way Americans vote. Wyden is one of the nation's foremost advocates of "Vote by Mail," Oregon's very successful electoral process that has made Oregon synonymous with high voter turn-out and hassle-free elections. Wyden introduced legislation last September to provide funds to … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
West Coast Senators Urge Disaster Relief forFishing Communities
Washington, DC - In the wake of a declaration of fishery resource disaster off the Western U.S. coastline, the Senators from California, Oregon and Washington joined forces today to urge $73 million in relief for affected fishing communities.The six Senators, Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden, Smith win critical commitment from administration to work on county funding for Oregon's rural communities
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith have secured a commitment from the Administration to work to enact a one-year, fully-funded extension of the county payments safety net under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. The agreement represents a significant shift in the Administration's stance on the county payment program.An extension would provide up to $401 million nationally for 700 rural counties in more than 40 states. Oregon's share, … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Senators Bill Bradley and Ron Wyden Call forNew Tax Reform Push on Eve of Election
Washington, D.C.Twenty years after the last major tax reform act was signed into law, former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley (D-NJ) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) today teamed up to urge President George W. Bush to join Congress in once again enacting real tax reform for the American people.Bradley, the original senator to push for tax reform and author of legislation that was a model for the 1986 Tax Reform Act, remains one of the nations leading advocates for a fairer and simpler tax code. Wyden is … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Snowe, Wyden Urge HHS Secretary to Reconsider Position to Allow Negotiation for Medicare Prescription Drugs
Washington, D.C. Following criticism by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt that allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices would create government run health care and fail to lower prices, U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) today urged Leavitt to reconsider his position in the wake of building momentum to take this step to bring lower drug prices for seniors.We believe sound management of the [Medicare] program would mean … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden, Snowe Urge HHS Secretary Leavitt to Support Extension of Medicare Drug Benefit Deadline Without Penalty
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME), both members of the Senate Finance Committee, urged Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt to support an extension without penalty of the enrollment period for those seniors signing up for the Medicare Drug Benefit through December 31st of this year. The Senators are concerned that without an extension, the cost to seniors could be devastating, leading many to not sign up for the benefit and … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden slams Administrationproposal for salmon disaster relief
Newport, OR - After meeting with commercial fishers in Newport to discuss the Administration's latest response to the salmon fishery crisis, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today blasted the Commerce Department for proposing Small Business Administration (SBA) loans to help salmon fishers instead of direct aid or a declaration of a commercial fishery failure."What our fishing communities needed to hear from the Secretary of Commerce is that real help is on the way now," Wyden said. "Instead, our … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden Blocks Two Interior Department Nominees over County Payments Funding
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, keeping his promise to block Administration nominees until there is "an acceptable way to fully fund county payments," today placed a "hold" on the nominations of two Interior Department nominees: John Ray Correll, nominated to be Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and Mark Myers, nominated to be a Director of the United States Geological Survey. The county payments law provides vital funding for rural schools, roads … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden, Grassley, Senate Rules Committee Leaders Announce Offensive Against Secret Holds
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Trent Lott (R-MS) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) today announced a new offensive against the Senate's practice of secret holds, under which a single Senator can block legislation or a nominee without revealing his or her identity.Wyden has worked with Grassley for more than a decade to end the practice of secret holds. Their amendment requiring a Senator who places a hold to make it public within three days was included in the … Continue Reading
December 06, 2006
Wyden Says Congress Must Vote on Iraq
Washington Today, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) went to the floor of the Senate to call for a vote on the Presidents plan and budget for Americans continued involvement in Iraq. Wyden, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, cited the need for Congress to have a role as a co-equal branch of government in the future of the war-ravaged nation.I rise today to offer a simple proposition: Congress should act like a co-equal branch of government and vote on whether or not to keep … Continue Reading
December 05, 2006
Wyden Provides Real Tax Relief for Middle Classin Simpler, Flatter, Fairer Reform Plan
Washington, DC At a press conference today, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced comprehensive tax reform legislation that contains major tax relief for Americas middle class as it makes the U.S. income tax code simpler, flatter and fairer. Wydens bill, the Fair Flat Tax Act of 2005, allows every taxpayer to file taxes on a simplified, one-page 1040 form, collapses individual tax brackets from the current six down to three and sets one, flat corporate rate. It also ends the Alternative … Continue Reading
December 05, 2006
Senate Approves New Efforts to Fight Oregon's Growing Meth Problem
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) today announced that the U.S. Senate has approved legislation they championed to stop the creation, distribution and use of methamphetamine. The Combat Meth Act, which Wyden and Smith cosponsored along with U.S. Senators Jim Talent (R-Mo.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), has been included as part of the Fiscal Year 2006 Commerce, Justice Science (CJS) Appropriations legislation. The CJS appropriations bill now moves … Continue Reading
December 05, 2006
Wyden, DeFazio, Blumenauer, Hooley and Wu Back Oregon Voters as Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on Assisted Suicide Case
Washington, DC As the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in a case aimed at overturning Oregons twice-approved physician-assisted suicide law, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Darlene Hooley (D-Ore.) and David Wu (D-Ore.) reiterated their support for the states case. Earlier this year, these members of Oregons congressional delegation filed an amicus brief opposing efforts by the U.S. Department of Justice to overturn … Continue Reading
December 05, 2006
Wyden Wins Protection of Privacy Rights in Intelligence Authorization Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today announced that the FY2006 Intelligence Authorization bill has been rewritten to address serious concerns he expressed earlier this month about provisions that would have compromised the privacy rights of American citizens, and that he will remove the "hold" he placed on the legislation earlier this month to force a debate on the provisions. This move means that the legislation is likely to be passed by the full Senate today. … Continue Reading
December 05, 2006
Wyden, Smith Praise BRAC Commission Vote to Save 142nd Fighter Wing
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) today praised the vote of the Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) Commission to reject a Pentagon proposal to gut the 142nd Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard in Portland. Senators Wyden and Smith testified against the proposal at a June 17 hearing, telling the Commission that the plan to reduce the number of alert fighter jets at the air base would seriously compromise Northwest and national security; state … Continue Reading
December 05, 2006
Wyden, Emanuel Join Forces for Middle Class Tax Reliefand Simpler, Flatter, Fairer Tax Plan
Washington, DC At a press conference today, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) touted their comprehensive, bicameral tax reform legislation that contains major tax relief for Americas middle class as it makes the U.S. income tax code simpler, flatter and fairer. Wyden introduced the Fair, Flat Tax Act of 2005 in the Senate in October; Emanuel announced plans today to introduce companion legislation in the House of Representatives. Specifically, the … Continue Reading
