Press Releases
UPDATED: Wyden Kicks Off 2023 with 11 Town Halls Throughout Oregon
This release has been updated with a new location for the Clackamas County town hall. Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will have 11 open-to-all, in-person town halls between Jan. 7 and Jan. 20 for Oregonians in Clatsop, Tillamook, Lincoln, Clackamas, Linn, Lane, Polk, Marion, Yamhill, Multnomah and Washington counties Heading into these first town halls of 2023, Wyden has held 1,027 town halls statewide in fulfillment of his pledge to hold at least one town hall each … Continue Reading
January 04, 2023
Wyden: Cuban Private Sector Small Businesses Should Get Strong U.S. Support
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is calling on the Biden Administration to strengthen support for Cuba's small and medium-sized private enterprises by creating more general licenses, as well as giving the private sector access to international banking, following his fact-finding trip to Cuba. Wyden, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee and was the first Senator to visit Cuba in four years, intends to discuss his ideas with Senate colleagues over the weeks ahead. "During my … Continue Reading
December 23, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce Essential Investments for Oregon Families in Government Funding Package
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announce critical investments in housing, health care, mental health, education, and transportation services across the state as part of the year-end funding package. The legislation passed in the Senate and is expected to clear the House of Representatives this week before being signed into law by President Biden. "At a time when Oregon's working families are struggling with the high costs of everything from rent to … Continue Reading
December 22, 2022
Wyden, Blunt Celebrate Passage of Bill to Strengthen Protections for Small, Rural TV Stations
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Roy Blunt (D-MO) today announced that their bipartisan Low Power Protection Act will soon become law, after it passed the House of Representatives on a voice vote. "The Low Power Protection Act is a bipartisan way to support diverse, locally oriented broadcasting that is so important to rural and remote communities in Oregon and across the country," Wyden said. "I'm proud that Senator Blunt and I got this bill across the finish line … Continue Reading
December 22, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: Homeless Veterans in Willamette Valley to Receive Federal Housing Vouchers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that homeless veterans in the city of Salem as well as in Linn, Benton and Lane counties will receive a total of nearly $700,000 in federal vouchers to help them secure affordable housing and have access to support service from the Department of Veterans Affairs. "Veterans who served our country fully deserve our support when they return home to Oregon to live and work," Wyden said. "Every veteran has earned the right … Continue Reading
December 22, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Call for Review of MV Realty’s Deceptive Listing Agreements
Washington, DC - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Tina Smith (D-MN) this week urged federal regulators to review real estate brokerage firms' use of exclusive listing agreements. The letter from Wyden, Brown and Smith follows several reports of companies like MV Realty misleading families into entering 40-year exclusive listing agreements, which can make it difficult for homeowners to refinance and often result in them losing out on up to three percent of their home's … Continue Reading
December 22, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce Major Investments for Oregon's Agriculture and Rural Communities in Year-end Funding Package
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announce major investments in Oregon agriculture, rural housing, food assistance, and rural business priorities, which are included in Congress's fiscal year 2023 omnibus appropriations package. The legislation passed in the Senate and is expected to clear the House of Representatives this week before being signed into law by President Biden. "As I hold a town hall for each of Oregon's 36 counties every year, I hear … Continue Reading
December 22, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce Major Investments for Oregon's Coastal Communities in Year-end Spending Package
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announce Senate passage of major investments for Oregon's ports, waterways, and coastal, fishing, and tribal communities included in Congress's fiscal year 2023 omnibus appropriations package. The legislation passed in the Senate and is expected to clear the House of Representatives this week before being signed into law by President Biden. "As I hold a town hall for each of Oregon's 36 counties every year, I hear from … Continue Reading
December 21, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Secure Funding for Critical Projects Across Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced they secured funding for essential community projects across Oregon in Congress's fiscal year 2023 omnibus appropriations package, which is expected to pass both chambers of Congress and be signed into law by President Biden this week. With the support of members of Oregon's congressional delegation in the House of Representatives-Reps. Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, and Kurt Schrader-a … Continue Reading
December 21, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Continue Transformative Federal Investments in Wildfire Prevention and Response in 2023 Funding Bill
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that they have secured major investments for wildfire suppression and forest health in the 2023 funding bill that is expected to pass both chambers of Congress and be signed into law by President Biden this week. The new funding comes on top of record investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act earlier in the year. The new legislation announced by the Senators also includes … Continue Reading
December 20, 2022
Wyden Statement on Passage of End Child Exploitation Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the passage of the End Child Exploitation Act Monday evening, with new cybersecurity provisions to prevent child exploitation images and videos from being stolen and further spread online: "Senators Cortez Masto and Blackburn deserve tremendous credit for writing this important legislation and bird-dogging it across the finish line. The End Child Exploitation Act will give law enforcement more time to respond … Continue Reading
December 20, 2022
Wyden Statement on Republican Leadership Blocking SAFE Banking Action this Congress
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the SAFE Banking Act: "I am frustrated and disappointed that after coming so close to meaningful cannabis reform this Congress, the Republican Leader and a handful of Republican senators thwarted our efforts to improve public safety. Because when you are forcing businesses to operate as cash only, it is a public safety issue. While action on SAFE Banking may no longer be possible in 2022, you better believe … Continue Reading
December 20, 2022
Wyden Calls for Transparency on Government Hacking of Americans’ Devices
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., requested basic transparency about the frequency of government hacking and legal justifications for use of hacking methods, including the possible use of foreign malware, in a letter to FBI Director Chris Wray. Earlier this year, the New York Times reported that the FBI seriously considered using a controversial hacking tool made by the foreign spyware firm NSO Group, and revealed that fact months after it claimed it only reviewed NSO's tool … Continue Reading
December 20, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce $3 Million Coming to OHSU for Overdose Prevention Research
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) is expected to receive $3.17 million over five years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the effectiveness of different harm reduction strategies at preventing overdoses and ways to expand access to these services for diverse communities. "The impact of the opioid crisis across Oregon's communities is immeasurable," said Senator Merkley. "This … Continue Reading
December 20, 2022
Wyden, Portman Urge National Science Foundation to Secure Americans’ Data with Encryption Technology
Washington, D.C. - To ensure government agencies can use data for research while protecting Americans' privacy and security, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, today urged the National Science Foundation (NSF) to secure Americans' information within the National Secure Data Service (NSDS) platform using advanced encryption technology. "The NSDS platform will enable government agencies to collaborate by using data for research projects. This research will help policy … Continue Reading
December 20, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: Eastern Oregon Receives $168,570 Home Repairs Grant
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the Communities in Action nonprofit has earned a $168,570 federal rural development grant to help low-income homeowners in Harney and Malheur counties make home repairs critical to health and safety. "Keeping up with essential home repairs can pose a significant challenge for low-income Oregonians, and this federal investment in Eastern Oregon will help ensure rural families can be safe in their homes," Wyden said. … Continue Reading
December 19, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce $150,000 Coming to Detroit to Support Water Distribution Improvements
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be awarding the City of Detroit $150,000 to help the city repair its drinking water distribution infrastructure, which sustained extensive damage during and after the 2020 Labor Day fires. This grant will help provide potable water to the community and support the rebuilding of the city's water system, and builds on a previous USDA grant the City received in 2021 … Continue Reading
December 19, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce $1.7 Million Coming to OSU for Cybersecurity Workforce Development
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced Oregon State University (OSU) is receiving $1,727,359 from the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) to prepare highly qualified cybersecurity professionals to serve in federal, state, local, and tribal governments. "We must be prepared to take on the threat of cyber attacks on our critical infrastructure, as they pose a significant security risk to our nation," said … Continue Reading
December 19, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Sound Alarm on Fossil Gas Pipeline Expansion, Not in the Public’s Best Interest
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Richard Glick, and FERC commissioners urging them to listen to the Oregon Attorney General and deny permits for TC Energy's Gas Transmission Northwest (GTN) Xpress project. ?"In order to reach a net-zero emissions economy by 2050, President Biden pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 52% by 2030, below 2005 levels," wrote Merkley and … Continue Reading
December 15, 2022
Wyden Votes No on Massive Military Policy Bill: NDAA Expands Military Spending, Fails to Hold Saudi Arabia Accountable
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement after voting against the National Defense Authorization Act today. "There's a lot to like in this year's defense policy bill-particularly a much needed pay raise for military service members and important investments to support our partners, Ukraine and Taiwan, in the face of growing Russian and Chinese aggression. I'm also proud of the successful results of a decades-long fight to move prosecution of major … Continue Reading
