Press Releases
Wyden, Brown, Sanders, Warren, Fetterman and Markey Call For Delay in New Rural Carrier Evaluation System, Raise Concerns about Use of Flawed Technology to Track Carriers
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., with Senators Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Edward Markey, D-Mass., called on Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to delay pay cuts for thousands of rural letter carriers slated to go into effect under a new U.S. Postal Service policy. The senators voiced concerns about the Rural Route Evaluated Compensation System (RRECS), an automated system to determine carrier … Continue Reading
May 04, 2023
Wyden, Merkley: Rogue Valley International Airport Earns Federal Investment of More than $800,000
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Rogue Valley International Airport has earned more than $800,000 in federal funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to rebuild its contract tower. "Safe air travel for residents of southern Oregon and visitors to the region requires regular infrastructure investments just like this one," Wyden said. "I'm glad the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I worked to pass is paying immediate dividends for the Rogue … Continue Reading
May 03, 2023
Wyden, Merkley Ask Feds to Help Oregon Communities with National Flood Insurance Program
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today asked federal officials to provide technical assistance to Oregon communities working through the potential local impacts to housing, ports and small businesses from a draft plan proposing changes in the state to the National Flood Insurance Program. The senators also requested in their letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that the upcoming May 5 deadline for public comment during the scoping process on the … Continue Reading
May 02, 2023
Wyden, Colleagues Urge IRS to Address Threat of Tax Scams Generated by ChatGPT
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today along with Senators Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and James Lankford, R-Okla., sounded the alarm on the potential use of artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT, to generate persuasive, tailored scams intended to rob Americans by getting access to their personal financial information. "In previous tax filing seasons, many scam messages could be identified by spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and inaccurate … Continue Reading
May 02, 2023
Wyden, Merkley, Democratic Colleagues File Amicus Brief Urging Fifth Circuit to Reverse Texas District Court’s Ruling on Mifepristone
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with 253 members of Congress, submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit today in the case of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, urging the Court to reverse the district court's stay on the FDA's more than 20-year-old approval of mifepristone. In April, the Supreme Court issued a stay of the lower court ruling that allows mifepristone to remain on the market while the case is under … Continue Reading
May 02, 2023
Sen. Wyden, Reps. Matsui, McHenry Urge Bakers to Stop Unnecessarily Adding Sesame to Baked Goods
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and U.S. Representatives Doris Matsui, D-Calif., and Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., today led a letter urging bakers to stop unnecessarily adding sesame to baked goods and protect consumers with sesame allergies. “The dangerous practice of adding sesame to baked goods that have not previously contained the ingredient, often without notice, undermines the trust that people with food allergies place in the food industry,” the … Continue Reading
May 01, 2023
Merkley, Wyden Announce $10 Million Coming to Oregon for Water Conservation Projects
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that Central Oregon, Eastern Oregon and the Portland metro area will receive more than $10 million collectively in federal resources from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and annual appropriations for water conservation projects. These projects will help make water supplies in the region more resilient to drought and climate change. "Reliable water supply is vital for our communities, farmers and ranchers, … Continue Reading
April 28, 2023
Wyden To Hold Town Hall in Hood River County
Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will have an open-to-all, in-person town hall at 1 pm on Sunday, May 7 at Hood River Valley High School. Wyden has already held 22 town halls so far throughout Oregon in 2023 - and 1,049 town halls overall statewide in fulfillment of his pledge to hold at least one town hall each year in each of Oregon's 36 counties. "I'm very much looking forward to answering questions and hearing from Oregonians of all ages in Hood River County about … Continue Reading
April 28, 2023
Wyden, Merkley: Seven Oregon Airports Secure Nearly $14 Million for Improvements
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Oregon airports in Washington, Jackson, Multnomah, Morrow, Curry, Coos and Malheur counties have earned nearly $14 million collectively in federal investment for improvements. "Airports are essential pieces of infrastructure that propel the economy and contribute to better quality of life for all Oregonians in every corner of our state," Wyden said. "These federal investments will make these airports in rural and … Continue Reading
April 28, 2023
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Reintroduce Legislation to Ensure Doctors Can Provide Legal Abortion Care, Protect Providers from Out of State Extremists
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that they and Senate colleagues have reintroduced legislation that would protect abortion providers in Oregon and nationwide from Republicans' attempts to restrict their practice and create uncertainty about their legal liability. "Abortion access in Oregon remains legal and I will fight with all my heart to protect providers in Oregon and nationwide from extremist Republican schemes to undermine reproductive care and … Continue Reading
April 27, 2023
Wyden, Merkley: $3.7 Million in Federal Resources for Drought to Focus on Klamath Basin
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that the Klamath Basin will be the focus of an additional $3.7 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for drought resiliency. This Interior Department investment building on previous department investments to restore aquatic ecosystems and salmon in the basin comes in response to an October 2022 letter from Wyden and Merkley seeking drought relief for the Klamath Basin. "The major drought that's slammed the … Continue Reading
April 27, 2023
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $2 Million Coming to Oregon for Fish Passage Projects
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is awarding Oregon a total of $2,039,061 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support fish passage projects in Benton, Crook, Douglas, and Lane Counties. This funding will go to support removing barriers to Oregon rivers and streams. "Fish and wildlife play an integral part in keeping our ecosystems healthy, and the health of our communities goes … Continue Reading
April 26, 2023
Wyden Statement on Senate Republicans Blocking Veterans Bill Over Cannabis Research Provisions
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement after a group of Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan veterans bill over provisions requiring the U.S. Department of Affairs (VA) to study medical cannabis to help veterans suffering from PTSD: "This group of Senate Republicans is so caught up in 'reefer madness' they chose to deny health care and other essential benefits for our veterans, all because they don't want the VA to research cannabis. It's … Continue Reading
April 26, 2023
Wyden Co-Sponsors SAFE Banking Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today co-sponsored the SAFE Banking Act, legislation to ensure cannabis businesses in Oregon and other states with legal cannabis can access financial services. The legislation was introduced by U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Steve Daines, D-Mont., and U.S. Representatives Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. Wyden released the following statement: "It is absolutely mind-boggling that after decades of progress at the … Continue Reading
April 26, 2023
Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Boost Direct Care Workforce & Support Family Caregivers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today with colleagues reintroduced legislation that would support the recruitment, training, and retention of direct care workers and family caregivers in Oregon and nationwide. "American families count on care workers, and a fair wage is the minimum that should be done to support these essential workers and keep our caregiving workforce strong," Wyden said. "I'm proud to support this legislation that would help address some of the root causes of care … Continue Reading
April 26, 2023
Hoyle, Salinas, Merkley, and Wyden Lead on Legislation to Renegotiate the Siletz and Grand Ronde Tribes’ Hunting, Fishing, and Gathering Agreements
WASHINGTON, DC - Yesterday, U.S. Representatives Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley introduced federal legislation to allow the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon to restore their traditional ability to hunt, fish, and gather, restoring fairness by revoking a decades-old discriminatory legal clause. The bills are cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Suzanne … Continue Reading
April 26, 2023
Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Protect Veterans and Low-Income Families from Housing Discrimination
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he is reintroducing legislation that would protect veterans and low-income families from housing discrimination on the basis of their income source. "No one should be denied housing based on how they pay rent," said Wyden, who last month also re-introduced legislation that aims to end homelessness in America and build up our nation's housing supply. "Our nation's veterans and families without means should have access to safe, affordable … Continue Reading
April 26, 2023
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Reintroduce Green New Deal Resolution
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that they and Senate colleagues have reintroduced the Green New Deal resolution, which recognizes the enormous threat of the climate crisis and directs Congress to act urgently to protect the planet for future generations while creating millions of good-paying jobs in Oregon and nationwide. As the country recently celebrated Earth Day last weekend, this reintroduction of the Green New Deal both recognizes that Congress has … Continue Reading
April 25, 2023
Oregon Delegation Urges Commerce to Declare Fishery Resource Disaster in Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Val Hoyle, and Andrea Salinas said today they are urging the Department of Commerce to issue an expedited declaration of a fishery resource disaster for Oregon, which would trigger immediate federal aid. "The value of salmon to Oregon cannot be overstated," the members wrote in a letter to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. "In addition to the economic … Continue Reading
April 25, 2023
Wyden, Merkley: Nearly $500,000 to Burns Paiute Tribe for Communications Tower
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week announced that the Burns Paiute Tribe will receive nearly $500,000 from the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program to build a resilient communications tower that will help with rural broadband connection. "The future for rural Oregon depends on access to high-speed internet, and that blueprint for modern connections must include Tribal communities," said Wyden, who last month with colleagues pushed the FCC to ensure rural, … Continue Reading
