Press Releases
Wyden, Merkley: U.S. Forest Service Contracts With Eight Oregon Businesses to Provide Wildland Firefighter Crews
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today welcomed news that the U.S. Forest Service is awarding contracts to Oregon companies in Merlin, Redmond, Salem, Ashland, Philomath, Merrill, Sutherlin and Independence to provide crews to fight wildland fires. "Fighting wildfires and protecting lives, homes and small businesses in Oregon and nationwide demand trained crews that can respond quickly and reliably," Wyden said. "I'm pleased the Forest Service has recognized these … Continue Reading
February 10, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce Nearly $1.2 Million in Health Service Federal Funding Headed to Tribes in Multnomah County
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced the Department of Health and Human Services will be awarding a grant totaling $1,169,999 to the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. Over the next year, these funds will be used by the health board to partner with other national organizations to increase access to vaccines in underserved communities. "The challenges of this pandemic have further emphasized what so many of us have long known: health … Continue Reading
February 09, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $1.3 Million for Deschutes River Conservancy to Combat Drought Conditions
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a total of $1,370,473 in grant money from the Bureau of Reclamation to reduce the impact of drought in Central Oregon. These funds will help establish and administer a water bank for the Deschutes Basin of Central Oregon, increase water monitoring within irrigation districts, and improve drought forecasting. This is one of 13 initial projects nationwide selected by the Bureau of Reclamation in 2022 to build … Continue Reading
February 09, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Urge Biden to Step Up Efforts to Demilitarize Police
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today joined nine colleagues in calling on President Biden to step up efforts to demilitarize the police. In their letter to the president, the senators cite reports showing that police militarization fails to reduce rates of violent crime or change the number of officers assaulted or killed. Instead, arming police departments with military equipment has led to an increase in officer-involved shootings and civilian deaths, they wrote. "We urge you to … Continue Reading
February 09, 2022
Senators Merkley and Wyden Announce More than $262 Million in U.S. Forest Service Funds Headed to Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a total of $262,736,000 headed to Oregon to help the state recover from wildfires. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) will allocate nearly $1.1 billion in disaster assistance funding nationally to support different regions dealing with post-disaster recovery and other emergency needs as a result of natural disasters occurring in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Today's announcement is a direct result of funding that Senator … Continue Reading
February 08, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: Oregon Businesses Statewide Receive Rural Business-Cooperative Grants and Loans
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week announced that farms and other small businesses in Oregon have earned a combined total of over $32 million in rural business grants and loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help them grow and continue to create job opportunities statewide. "Our rural economies thrive when small businesses thrive," Wyden said. "Grants and loans that help emerging businesses grow will mean more jobs and opportunity for … Continue Reading
February 08, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce Bill to Reauthorize Deschutes River Conservancy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In an effort to address restoration of wildlife and reduce agricultural runoff in central Oregon rivers, Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced critical legislation to reauthorize the Deschutes River Conservancy's (DRC) federal eligibility to receive federal funding for water quality and conservation projects. Founded in 1996, DRC initially focused on grazing and timber issues impacting river health, but has shifted to water management in recent … Continue Reading
February 03, 2022
Wyden, Booker and Clarke Introduce Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2022 To Require New Transparency And Accountability For Automated Decision Systems
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., with Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Representative Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., today introduced the Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2022, a landmark bill to bring new transparency and oversight of software, algorithms and other automated systems that are used to make critical decisions about nearly every aspect of Americans' lives. "If someone decides not to rent you a house because of the color of your skin, that's flat-out illegal … Continue Reading
February 02, 2022
Wyden on Reintroduction of the EARN IT Act: Political Attacks on Encryption Will Make Children Less Safe, Won’t Aid Victims or Catch Predators Who Prey On Kids
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., urged his colleagues to listen to human rights leaders, press freedom advocates and the broad coalition of civil society groups that opposed the EARN IT Act of 2020, following the reintroduction of the bill. "This sadly misguided bill will not protect children. It will not stop the spread of vile child exploitation material or target the monsters that produce it. And it does not spend a single dollar to invest in prevention services for … Continue Reading
February 02, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Earn $500,000 in Federal Broadband Funds
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians have earned $500,000 in federal funds for work on planning activities for broadband infrastructure connection, construction, and service deployment. "Tribes in Oregon and nationwide need modern and reliable broadband connections so that schoolchildren can learn, small businesses can buy and sell goods, and everybody can have access to tele-health," Wyden said. "I'm … Continue Reading
January 27, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: Mercy Foundation to Receive $375,768 Federal Telehealth Grant for Rural Schools in Roseburg
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week announced that Mercy Foundation in Roseburg will receive $375,768 from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to expand telehealth services for rural schools. "The pandemic has forced us to find different ways to deliver health care services safely and efficiently, including through broadband," Wyden said. "When I visited Mercy Medical in Roseburg last week, they made it clear to me that quality health care should be … Continue Reading
January 27, 2022
Wyden, Merkley Call for IRS to Provide Penalty Relief for Taxpayers as IRS Faces Extensive Processing Backlogs
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week joined colleagues to call on the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to provide penalty relief for taxpayers in Oregon and nationwide amid extensive, ongoing processing backlogs at the IRS. "While the COVID-19 pandemic has strained every federal agency, the impact on the IRS has been particularly severe," Wyden, Merkley and the lawmakers wrote Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IRS … Continue Reading
January 27, 2022
Senators Wyden and Moran Welcome DNI’s Recognition that the U.S. Must Fix the Broken Declassification System
Washington, D.C. - Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., welcomed Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines' acknowledgement that the U.S. declassification system is failing and in need of urgent repair, in response to their request that she take swift and meaningful actions to reform the country's broken declassification system. In her response, Director Haines acknowledged the serious dangers posed by the current system while noting that necessary reform efforts have not … Continue Reading
January 27, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: More than $1.2 Million to Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal for Service during 2020 Riverside Fire
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week announced that Oregon will receive $1.23 million in federal reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for emergency protective measures in extreme fire conditions and hazardous debris removal from the Riverside Fire that ripped through Clackamas County in September 2020. "The Oregon State Fire Marshal went above and beyond the call of duty to protect communities during the catastrophic fires in … Continue Reading
January 26, 2022
Wyden Releases Statement on the Retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. "Justice Stephen Breyer has served with distinction for nearly 30 years. I thank him for his service and his commitment to upholding the rule of law and the Constitution. President Biden's nominee to the Supreme Court will be put forward at a critical time. The six Republicans on the Supreme Court are running roughshod over the rights of all Americans, … Continue Reading
January 24, 2022
Wyden, Merkley: $4.5 Million to Oregon Health Care Providers for Relief for Health Care Workers
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that Oregon health care providers in Portland and Northeast Oregon will receive a combined total of $4.5 million from the American Rescue Plan to improve retention and reduce burnout during a critical staffing shortage. "Oregon health care workers all over the state have shared heartbreaking and harrowing accounts of long hours and few breaks while Oregonians fill their hospitals," Wyden said. "Caring for health care … Continue Reading
January 22, 2022
Wyden statement on the 49th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on the 49th anniversary of the decision of Roe v. Wade, which has protected reproductive rights and access for millions of Americans. "Thanks to Roe v. Wade, access to safe and legal abortion has been a constitutional right for nearly half a century. Despite this essential advancement for reproductive health, rights and justice, Republican lawmakers will stop at nothing to gut access to safe and legal … Continue Reading
January 21, 2022
Wyden, Merkley Urge Forest Service to Support Another Long-term Stewardship Contract on the Malheur National Forest
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged the United States Forest Service to support another long-term stewardship contract on the Malheur National Forest. A new contract would build on the current contract's proven successes, including saving the last mill in Grant County restoring wildlife habitat, and reducing wildfire risks to communities in both Grant and Harney counties. Wyden and Merkley noted in their letter to Glenn Casamassa, Regional Forester, Region … Continue Reading
January 21, 2022
Wyden, Merkley Applaud President Biden for Distributing Free Masks; Urge Federal Officials to Prioritize Purchase & Distribution of American-Made Masks
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week joined Senate colleagues to urge President Joe Biden and congressional officials to prioritize the purchase of masks made in the U.S. with U.S. materials. "Purchasing NIOSH approved N95 respirators and other high-quality masks, such as FDA-authorized surgical masks, made by American workers here in the U.S. advances our shared goals for supporting domestic manufacturing and ensuring a more reliable, consistent … Continue Reading
January 20, 2022
Wyden, Merkley Welcome Three AmeriCorps Civilian Community Corps Teams to Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week welcomed three AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) teams working to maintain and recover Oregon's natural treasures. "AmeriCorps NCCC volunteers do an incredible service building communities back after disaster and keeping green spaces healthy," Wyden said. "These programs in Eugene, Williams, and Stayton will make a measurable difference in the future of our state's natural treasures, and I thank these … Continue Reading
