Press Releases
Wyden and Merkley: FEMA Will Now Provide Financial for COVID-19 Funeral Costs
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that FEMA is providing financial assistance for eligible COVID-19 related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020 in Oregon and nationwide. "The COVID-19 global pandemic has left thousands of families throughout our state and country shouldering the financial burden of end-of-life care while grieving the losses of their loved ones," Wyden said. "The critical financial support from FEMA for funeral costs … Continue Reading
April 13, 2021
Wyden Statement on Biden Plan to Withdraw U.S. Troops from Afghanistan
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on President Biden's plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11: "The withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan is long overdue, and I hope that President Biden sticks to this newly announced September 11 deadline. This move would finally close the chapter on the longest war in American history, better serving the interests of the American people and U.S. national … Continue Reading
April 13, 2021
Merkley, Wyden, Bentz Push for Emergency Resources for Klamath Basin
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, with Congressman Cliff Bentz (R-OR-2), today released the following statement after meeting with U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland about the dire water year the Klamath Basin will face, and the emergency resources needed to provide the community relief: "Communities in the Basin are facing another year of hardship. As drought conditions persist and worsen, the water supply that is critical for tribal, … Continue Reading
April 09, 2021
Wyden Sets April 15 Community Meeting for Lincoln County on Debris Removal From Echo Mountain Fire
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today announced that his staff as well as staff from FEMA, the Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), will hold a 5 pm meeting April 15 by Zoom for Lincoln County residents to get their ongoing questions answered about debris removal from the Echo Mountain Complex fire that ripped through the region last September. The April 15 Zoom meeting follows Wyden's online Lincoln County town hall April 2 in … Continue Reading
April 08, 2021
Wyden, Merkley: Oregon to Receive More than $66 Million for Affordable Housing
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Oregon will receive more than $66 million in federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for affordable housing to help low-income Oregonians in the cities of Corvallis, Salem, Portland and Eugene as well as Clackamas, Marion and Washington counties. "Housing is a human right, period, and the economic fallout of this public health crisis has underlined just how badly Oregonians need more … Continue Reading
April 05, 2021
Oregon Delegation: 31 Counties in State Receive More Than $39 Million in Secure Rural School Funding
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici and Kurt Schrader said today that 31 Oregon counties will receive about $39.3 million in Secure Rural Schools (SRS) payments for schools, roads, law enforcement and other essential services. These payments to Oregon counties are the last ones under the SRS program's current authorization. Wyden, Merkley and Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) … Continue Reading
April 05, 2021
Wyden, Merkley: More Than $10 Million Heading to Oregon Airports for Improvements
Washington, D.C. -U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that more than a dozen airports throughout Oregon will receive about $10.3 million in federal grants for improvements that include better preparation for winter weather, runway repairs, improved guidance systems, perimeter fencing and more. "Oregonians living and working in communities large and small need safe and modern airport services for commerce that supports local jobs as well as for quality-of-life," Wyden said. "The … Continue Reading
April 02, 2021
Wyden, Bipartisan Senators, Question Online Ad Exchanges on Sharing of Americans’ Data with Foreign Companies
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., questioned eight digital advertising exchanges about the possible sale of Americans' personal information to foreign-owned companies, in a series of letters sent yesterday with Senators Bill Cassidy, R-La., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Mark Warner, D-Va., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. The senators are seeking information about the sharing of Americans' data through "real time bidding" - the auction process used to place … Continue Reading
April 02, 2021
Wyden Urges FCC to Include State and Local Input in Broadband Buildout
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today joined with 16 colleagues in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging that federal regulators ensure state, local, and tribal governments are included in efforts to update nationwide broadband maps. Following decades-long use of inaccurate data maps that denied broadband funding to eligible communities, Congress charged the FCC with creating new maps in 2020 to accurately depict the current state of broadband access in our … Continue Reading
March 31, 2021
Wyden, Merkley Announce Oregon Fisheries to receive $13 Million in Disaster Assistance
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced today that Oregon fisheries will receive more than $13 million in fisheries assistance from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). "Oregon's fishing industry up and down the coast has been cast adrift by the pandemic's economic riptide, "Wyden said. "West Coast seafood is prized internationally, and Oregonians in this signature state industry must be able to earn a family wage. These resources will … Continue Reading
March 31, 2021
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Urge Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council to Address Racial Disparities in Housing Appraisal Industry
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined a group of 34 lawmakers in urging the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) to work with the housing appraisal industry to address disparities in home valuations for communities of color. Recent reports have shown significant disparities in the assessments of home valuations for white families and families of color-in fact, a 2018 Brookings Institute report found that homes in majority-black … Continue Reading
March 31, 2021
Wyden, Merkley: Onward Eugene Awarded $300,000 NSF Grant for Broadband
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced today that Onward Eugene will receive a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for $300,000 to provide broadband to Oregonians in remote areas of the McKenzie Valley. "Internet connections in 2021 are critical for rural communities to stay connected every day of the year," Wyden said. "Resilient broadband is also critical in a disaster, whether that's a global health pandemic forcing people to learn and work from home, or a … Continue Reading
March 31, 2021
Merkley, Wyden Announce More Than $84 Million in American Rescue Plan Funding for Health Centers Throughout Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that $84 million in federal funding-provided by the American Rescue Plan, which the senators helped pass on March 6, 2021-is headed to 30 health centers throughout Oregon to expand access to the coronavirus vaccine. "I am deeply grateful to the health care heroes who have been working on the frontlines throughout this pandemic to give our families, friends, and community members the best treatment possible … Continue Reading
March 30, 2021
Wyden Urges FCC to Make Rural Broadband a Priority This Year
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to close the digital divide by making rural broadband a priority in 2021 that expands internet access to all communities in Oregon and nationwide. "As Congress looks ahead to an infrastructure package that will help communities recover from the COVID-19 crisis, in line with President Biden's Build Back Better agenda, we have a unique opportunity to close this country's digital divide and jumpstart … Continue Reading
March 29, 2021
Wyden Introduces Bipartisan Legislation that would Lower Mandatory Drug Sentences
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has introduced bipartisan legislation that would modernize federal drug sentencing polices by lowering certain mandatory drug sentences. "In too many cases, mandatory minimum sentences have imprisoned people for far longer than is just," Wyden said. "This legislation takes a critical step toward dismantling the enormous costs of over incarceration for nonviolent drug crimes for both communities and taxpayers, when those resources would … Continue Reading
March 26, 2021
Wyden Co-sponsors Bill to Fund Education of Japanese-American Internment, Preserve Confinement Sites
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said today he is co-sponsoring legislation that would promote public education about Japanese-American internment during World War II. This bill would permanently reauthorize the Japanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) program with $38 million in annual funding to preserve internment camps across the country. The bill would also create a new $2 million federal grant program to promote education of Japanese-American internment. "The internment of … Continue Reading
March 26, 2021
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Reintroduce Bill to Guarantee Abortion Coverage Regardless of a Patient’s Insurance
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have reintroduced a bill to guarantee abortion coverage-regardless of how a patient gets their health insurance. "The government should not have control of women's bodies," Wyden said. "Ending the unconscionable Hyde Amendment is a key to protecting a woman's constitutional right to an abortion, and essential to ensuring access to abortions for all women no matter their income or zip code. Abortion and other … Continue Reading
March 25, 2021
Wyden and Leading Senate Democrats Introduce Bill to Expand Emergency Broadband Benefit Access
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., with 15 leading Democrats including U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., today introduced new legislation building on the Emergency Broadband Connections Act to ensure working families can stay online through the current economic and health crisis. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Edward Markey, D-Mass, Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Robert Menendez, D-N.J., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., Chris … Continue Reading
March 25, 2021
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Introduce Resolution Condemning Anti-Asian Hatred, Discrimination Related to COVID-19 Pandemic
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have introduced a resolution to condemn all forms of anti-Asian sentiment, racism, and discrimination, and call on federal officials, in collaboration with state and local agencies and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community organizations to address the rise in COVID-19-related hate crimes. "The increase in hate crimes against the Asian American community in the United States shows once again how far our country has to … Continue Reading
March 24, 2021
Blumenauer and Wyden Introduce Legislation to Support Growing U.S. Kombucha Industry
Today, U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, and Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) reintroduced legislation to put a stop to unfair and outdated federal alcohol taxes on kombucha companies in Oregon and across the country. Specifically, the KOMBUCHA Act would ensure that kombucha beverages are exempt from excise taxes and regulations intended specifically for beer and other alcoholic beverages. "The past year has been incredibly hard on … Continue Reading
