Press Releases
Wyden, Merkley Call for Investigation into Political Interference with Coronavirus Information
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today called for an immediate investigation into allegations of political interference with public health information at the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The letter from Wyden, Merkley and 28 colleagues to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General follows alarming reports of widespread and ongoing political interference in the agencies' COVID-19 … Continue Reading
October 05, 2020
Oregon Delegation Welcomes New FEMA Wildfire Assistance
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici said today that federal officials have notified them that eight Oregon counties will get assistance for removing and disposing hazardous materials and solid waste debris as part of response and recovery to the wildfires. The news that Clackamas, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, and Marion counties would receive what's known as Category A assistance follows … Continue Reading
October 04, 2020
Oregon Delegation Urges FEMA to Approve Direct Housing Assistance for Wildfire Victims
WASHINGTON-Rep. Peter DeFazio today led the Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Reps. Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Greg Walden (OR-02), Kurt Schrader (OR-05) and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) in urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to approve the State of Oregon's request for direct housing assistance utilizing a full range of options for wildfire victims. The housing assistance, known as a Temporary Housing Mission, will allow FEMA to avail itself of a wide range … Continue Reading
October 02, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Press For Answers Regarding Beachie Creek Fire and the Potential Role of Power Lines
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today asked the role power lines may have played in the cause or spread of the Beachie Creek fire. In a letter to U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen and Oregon Department of Forestry State Forester Peter Daugherty, Wyden and Merkley wrote, "We write to ask for an analysis of the role of power lines in the cause and/or spread of the Beachie Creek fire. In a recent visit to the North Santiam Canyon, in which a number of … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Wyden, Peters, Warner, Klobuchar and Schumer: DHS Must Release Document Showing Trump’s Attacks on U.S. Election Are Consistent With Foreign Influence Campaign
Washington, D.C. - Senior Senate Democrats today requested Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf release a document that shows President Donald Trump's attacks on American Elections are consistent with a foreign influence campaign. Senate Intelligence Committee member Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., Intelligence Committee Vice-Chair Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., Rules Committee Ranking Member Sen. Amy … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce Nearly $1.5 Million Safety Investment in McMinnville Airport
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that $1,467,000 in federal grant funding is headed to the McMinnville Municipal Airport to support the reconstruction of 10,500 square yards of existing apron. Airport aprons are terminal-adjacent areas where aircraft are parked, boarded, unloaded, and refueled. "The McMinnville Municipal Airport plays a critical role in helping Yamhill county residents and businesses stay connected with other communities in … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Develop Vaccine Strategy That Addresses Coronavirus’ Disproportionate Impacts on Communities of Color
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led 19 of his colleagues-including Senator Ron Wyden-today in demanding that the Trump administration develop a national vaccine distribution strategy that both recognizes and addresses the alarming racial disparities in rates of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. The senators' letter follows the release of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) long-overdue guide to state, territorial, and local public … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Walden Announce House Passage of Critical Fix to Help Klamath Irrigators
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representative Greg Walden, today announced that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a critically needed fix to the 2018 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) that will provide relief to Klamath Basin irrigators who have been hard-hit by drought. The legislation was passed by the U.S. Senate in July of this year, and is now headed to the president's desk to be signed into law. In 2018, WRDA included … Continue Reading
September 30, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Announce $150 Million for Low-Income Students Across Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced schools across Oregon will receive over $150 million in federal support to better educate low-income students. "As schools grapple with serving a quality education to their students in the middle of a global pandemic, it's unfortunately become even easier for poorer kids to slip through the cracks," Wyden said. "Every student in Oregon deserves a fair shot at success, and this $150 million in federal support will … Continue Reading
September 30, 2020
Wyden, Merkley: Warm Springs Community Action Team Secures Federal Grant for Small Business Development
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the Warm Springs Community Action Team has earned a $354,558 federal grant for its small business acceleration project. "Tribal communities in Oregon are working hard to generate jobs in the face of challenges that include longstanding injustices and the one-two punch in 2020 of wildfires combined with the economic fallout from COVID-19," Wyden said. "Today's announcement will help this non-profit develop job-creating … Continue Reading
September 29, 2020
Oregon Delegation Calls for Extension of Deadline to Claim Economic Impact Payments
WASHINGTON, DC -Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici led the Oregon Congressional delegation - Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Representatives Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, Greg Walden, and Kurt Schrader - in calling on the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service to extend the deadline to claim Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) as Oregonians recover from wildfires. "Historic wildfires have taken lives and destroyed homes and businesses across Oregon," the Members wrote. "Our … Continue Reading
September 26, 2020
Wyden Statement on the Nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to Serve on the U.S. Supreme Court
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement in response to the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court: "Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell have made it clear they will pull out all the stops to jam through another right-wing Supreme Court nominee - even if that means breaking their own rule pertaining to election-year appointments. If you don't trust Donald Trump and Senate Republicans with your health care, … Continue Reading
September 25, 2020
Wyden, Merkley: “White nationalist hate groups, with their racist rants and glorification of violence, have no place in our hometown or anywhere else in America.”
Portland - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today issued the following joint statement about the planned gathering in Portland by the "Proud Boys" and other extremist right-wing groups: "White nationalist hate groups, with their racist rants and glorification of violence, have no place in our hometown or anywhere else in America. We will always defend the First Amendment right of peaceful demonstrations in Portland and everywhere, no matter how odious we find their views, but reject … Continue Reading
September 25, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Lead Western Democrats, Committee Leaders in Asking Donald Trump to Further Mobilize the Federal Response to Unprecedented Wildfires Ravaging the West
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D- Ore., today led Western Democrats and Ranking Members of key Senate Committees on wildfire relief and prevention in asking Donald Trump to provide additional federal assistance to improve the response to the wildfires and assist the states, Tribes and communities grappling with fires and their aftermath. Wyden and Merkley were joined in their request to Donald Trump by Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., … Continue Reading
September 25, 2020
Oregon Members Demand Answers on Reports of DHS Spying on Portland Protesters’ Phones
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, with Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici, today demanded answers from the Department of Homeland Security, following new reports that the department spied on Portland protesters' phones. "These recent reports, which allege that DHS has deployed high-tech surveillance technologies against protesters in Portland, raise serious concerns, which Congress has a responsibility to investigate," they wrote in a … Continue Reading
September 25, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Blumenauer, Bonamici Push Trump Administration to Suspend Public Charge Rule Amid Dual Crises of COVID-19 and Wildfires
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici, are pushing the Trump administration to suspend the public charge rule-which can jeopardize an individual's path to obtaining a visa or green card if they access public services-to ensure that all Oregonians impacted by the wildfires and the coronavirus are able to seek necessary care and emergency assistance. "In response to the devastation caused by the … Continue Reading
September 25, 2020
Wyden, Merkley: Portland to Receive $3.2 Million for Lead Paint Hazard Reduction
Washington, DC - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that the city of Portland has secured a $3.2 million federal grant for lead-based paint hazard reduction in 185 housing units for low and very low-income families with children. "All children no matter their families' income levels deserve homes that are safe and free of hazardous materials," Wyden said. "I'm glad these federal funds are heading to Portland and will keep fighting for all parents in Oregon to be secure in … Continue Reading
September 25, 2020
Wyden Co-sponsors Bill to Reauthorize SBA’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today announced that he is co-sponsoring legislation to reauthorize a federal program that gives small businesses the opportunity to take out low-interest loans for putting in place mitigation measures to protect their property from future disaster damage. "With the rapidly growing climate crisis, our communities are being hit with bigger and more dangerous natural disasters," said Wyden, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee. "In the West, this … Continue Reading
September 24, 2020
Wyden, Merkley, Blumenauer, DeFazio Introduce Legislation to Ensure Equal Access to Disaster Relief for Cannabis Businesses
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., today introduced legislation that would ensure state-legal cannabis businesses can qualify for disaster recovery programs like any other business. As wildfires continue to rage across the West, law-abiding, state-legal cannabis businesses in Oregon and elsewhere are shut out from disaster recovery programs simply because of the federal government's … Continue Reading
September 24, 2020
Oregon Delegation Presses Trump Administration to Expedite Burned Area Emergency Response for Oregon Wildfires
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today led Sen. Jeff Merkley and Reps. Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, Kurt Schrader and Suzanne Bonamici in pressing the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Interior to expedite the initiation and completion of the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program for wildfires in Oregon. "A combination of climate change, historic droughts, a lack of proper forest management, dry forest conditions, and strong winds have brought a series … Continue Reading
