Press Releases
Wyden Presses Interior Secretary on 2022 Wildfire Preparedness In Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Amid warnings about potentially difficult wildfires in the months ahead for Oregon and the West, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today pressed U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to use newly available wildfire management funds provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and urged her to work with local communities on wildfire response plans. At a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the federal Interior Department's budget, Wyden asked specifically about the … Continue Reading
May 19, 2022
Wyden, Merkley Announce Support for Alexis Taylor as Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at USDA
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today issued a statement of support for Alexis Taylor, nominated to be Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture: "For the last six years, Alexis has worked tirelessly to protect the health and safety of Oregon families and to support our state's tens of thousands of farmers and ranchers as they put food on our tables. Alexis understands the important role agriculture plays in … Continue Reading
May 19, 2022
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Legislation to End Subsidies for Corporate Union Busting
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week joined with colleagues to introduce legislation that would curb corporate union-busting campaigns by denying tax breaks for attempts to dissuade employees from unionizing. "Workers are using their power. They are securing historic victories as they unionize for better pay, better hours, and better working conditions. The wealthiest corporations in the country are pulling out all the stops in an effort to crush workers' … Continue Reading
May 19, 2022
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Urge President Biden to Rapidly Implement National Strategy to Address Infant Formula Crisis, Prevent Future Shortages
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week joined colleagues in urging President Biden to immediately assign a coordinator within the White House to work with manufacturers directly and oversee the development and implementation of a national strategy for increasing the resiliency of the infant formula supply chain and protecting against future contamination and shortages. The senators asked that the national strategy rapidly address immediate needs associated with … Continue Reading
May 18, 2022
Key Committee Holds Hearing on Wyden, Blumenthal Legislation to Protect Domestic Abuse Survivors From Gun Violence
Click here for video of Wyden's remarks at the hearing. Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution today held a hearing on the Lori Jackson - Nicolette Elias Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., to protect domestic violence survivors from gun violence. The bill is named for two women who were both shot and killed by their abusive, estranged partners even … Continue Reading
May 18, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Blast Data Brokers for Collecting and Selling Location Data of People Who Visit Abortion Clinics
Text of letters (PDF) Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today with colleagues blasted companies for collecting and selling the cellphone-based location data of people who visit abortion clinics and risking the safety of anyone seeking access to abortion services. In the wake of the Supreme Court's leaked draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the senators are demanding answers about the companies' data collection practices and calling on them to create a complete and … Continue Reading
May 18, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Urge FTC to Investigate ID.me for Deceptive Statements about Facial Recognition
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urging the agency to investigate evidence that ID.me - a provider of identity verification services widely used by federal and state government agencies - made multiple misleading statements about its use of facial recognition. The letter was joined by U.S. Senators Cory Booker, D-N.J., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif. In blog posts and public statements, from at … Continue Reading
May 17, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce Federal Investment of over $8 Million to Fuel Economic Revitalization of Oregon Communities
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that a total of $8.3 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds are headed to eight regions of Oregon to revitalize communities and tackle polluted brownfield sites. "Regardless of zip code or income, Oregonians in every corner of the state deserve for their communities to be free from environmental hazards and ready to grow economically," said Merkley. "These investments will help clean up more than … Continue Reading
May 16, 2022
Merkley, Wyden Announce over $71 Million in Housing Awards Headed to Oregonians
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a total investment of $71,024,288 across Oregon in federal grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These funds have been dispersed into five different categories that will tackle various housing issues around the state. "I've heard from many Oregonians who are struggling under the enormous weight of America's affordable housing crisis-a crisis that has only been magnified by the … Continue Reading
May 13, 2022
Wyden, Cantwell, Feinstein Introduce Bill Protecting Consumers from Fuel Market Anomalies Hurting Consumers
Washington, D.C. -- With Americans facing record level gas and diesel price increases, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) today co-sponsored legislation introduced by Maria Cantwell (D-WA) that would significantly increase transportation fuel market transparency and direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to proactively monitor and prevent any fraud or manipulation that may be artificially inflating pump prices. "The outrageous volatility of the oil and gas market goes far beyond legitimate … Continue Reading
May 13, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Push Infant Formula Manufacturers to Address Crisis, Get Formula on Shelves ASAP
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today joined colleagues in a letter calling on infant formula manufacturers to make every effort possible to get parents and families in Oregon and nationwide the formula they need to feed their kids. "We write to express our concern about the infant formula supply shortage which is making it harder for parents and caregivers nationwide to get their children the nourishment they need," Wyden and the senators wrote in a letter to Mardi Mountford, … Continue Reading
May 13, 2022
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Urge Department of Homeland Security to Help State and Local Governments Improve Election Security
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week joined colleagues in urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to help states effectively use funding from the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) to fortify election security against interference both domestic and abroad. "We write to urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take steps to ensure that state and local governments are able to effectively … Continue Reading
May 12, 2022
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Protect Health Care Professionals from Workplace Violence
Washington, D.C. - In honor of National Nurses Week, Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley introduced legislation to protect health care and social services employees from workplace violence. "Caring for our health care professionals and social service workers can't wait," Wyden said. "They have been working long and difficult hours on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic while also being subjected to unacceptable violence in the workplace. Congress must stand with our … Continue Reading
May 12, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Urge SEC to Finalize Tough Cybersecurity Disclosure Rules for Public Companies
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and six Senate colleagues this week urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to increase transparency for investors in an age of persistent cybersecurity threats with rising economic costs. In March, the SEC published proposed rules on Cybersecurity Risk Management, Strategy, Governance, and Incident Disclosure. The proposed rules seek to enhance and standardize disclosures regarding public companies' cybersecurity risk governance, … Continue Reading
May 12, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Urge Treasury to Swiftly Implement Corporate Transparency Act to Support Russian Sanctions
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Senate colleagues from both parties are calling on the Treasury Department to swiftly implement the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and provide a timeline for doing so. Implementation of the CTA would upgrade the country's anti-money laundering laws and help the federal government fully impose sanctions on Russian oligarchs. "The Treasury Department has yet to finalize the implementation of the CTA-or even set a timetable for its … Continue Reading
May 12, 2022
Wyden Introduces Bill to Securely Share Research Data Between Government Agencies; Data Could Unlock New Insights to Improve Americans’ Lives
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today introduced legislation to improve government services and unlock new research by securely sharing data between federal agencies - without sacrificing security or privacy. The Secure Research Data Network Act would create a free open-source software data platform to provide approved government researchers with secure access to without compromising Americans' privacy. "Sharing government data with approved researchers and protecting … Continue Reading
May 12, 2022
Wyden Secures VA Commitment to Town Hall Meetings for Veterans in Eastern Oregon
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has secured commitments from top Veterans Administration (VA) officials for multiple town hall meetings with Eastern Oregon veterans concerned about agency proposals to reduce physical and mental health services at the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) in Walla Walla. That commitment for three town hall meetings follows a letter Wyden wrote the VA this week about its "hasty and dangerous" proposals to reduce care in Eastern … Continue Reading
May 11, 2022
Wyden Delivers Floor Speech After Republicans Block the Women’s Health Protection Act
Mr. President, earlier today the Senate took one the most significant votes I have been a part of in all my time in public service. While the Women's Health Protection Act did not pass today, this vote made it very clear on which side every senator stands. The Republicans unanimously voted for criminalized abortion in more than half the states in just a few weeks. Democrats voted to stop the Alito Court from turning the clock back on women's health by a century. Let's be one-hundred … Continue Reading
May 11, 2022
Wyden Statement on Senate Republicans Blocking Legislation to Codify Roe into Law
Washington, D.C. -- Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement after Senate Republicans blocked the Women's Health Protection Act, legislation to codify Roe v. Wade into law: "In a free society, everyone ought to have control over their own bodies. Yet Republicans on the Supreme Court and Republicans in the Senate have made it crystal clear that stripping women of their Constitutional freedoms and endangering lives is at the top of the right-wing agenda. I voted to … Continue Reading
May 11, 2022
Wyden, Colleagues Seek Better Pay for Federal Wildland Firefighters
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden this week joined colleagues from both parties in urging federal officials to establish a special pay rate for federal wildland firefighters in Oregon and nationwide that would address urgent staffing shortages in the wildland firefighting workforce. "As the 2022 fire season begins, we urge you to take necessary steps to avert critical staffing shortages in the wildland firefighting workforce," the lawmakers wrote in their letter to Agriculture … Continue Reading
