Press Releases
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $6.5 Million in Transit Grants for Oregon
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the Lane Transit and Rogue Valley Transportation Districts will receive $3,952,851, and $2,687,000, respectively, in federal grants to support critical bus and bus facility upgrades. The Rogue Valley Transportation District's grant will help replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment. The Lane Transit District will use its award to replace costly older buses with newer, zero emission … Continue Reading
August 07, 2020
Wyden Calls for Inspector General to Investigate Postal Service Policy Changes and Delivery Delays Under New Trump-Appointed Postmaster General
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today requested that the United States Postal Service (USPS) Inspector General investigate all recent staffing and policy changes put in place under former Trump megadonor and current Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. The letter from Wyden and eight colleagues from the Senate and House comes as recent changes have slowed mail delivery, threatening the well-being of millions of Americans who rely on the Postal Service for delivery of Social Security checks, … Continue Reading
August 07, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $7 Million to Help First-Generation, Low-Income Students, and Students with Disabilities Succeed in College
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that over $7 million in TRIO grants are headed to 19 higher education institutions across Oregon to support first-generation, low-income students, and students with disabilities through the Student Support Services Program. Students who receive the grant will have access to tutoring, assistance in course selection, financial aid advice, guidance on scholarship opportunities, and more. "I was the first in my … Continue Reading
August 07, 2020
Wyden Urges Trump Administration to Renew Foreign Journalist Visas
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today urged the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) to renew J-1 visas for foreign journalists employed by public international broadcasters after reports indicated the agency was considering otherwise. In a letter to USAGM CEO Michael Pack, Wyden wrote, "The USAGM and its grantees employ foreign journalists to carry out the agency's mission to 'inform, engage and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy.' … Continue Reading
August 07, 2020
Wyden Presses For Outfitters and Guides to Receive Financial Help in COVID-19 Package
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today urged Senate leadership to help the outdoor economy in Oregon and nationwide by providing funds for outfitters and guides in the next COVID-19 package. Wyden noted that although the pandemic forced many outfitters and guides to suspend parts of their season, their businesses have largely been unable to have access to emergency funds in earlier coronavirus relief packages. "These businesses represent an important component of the outdoor economy, … Continue Reading
August 07, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Join Colleagues to Introduce Comprehensive Legislation to Help Achieve Environmental Justice for All
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley recently joined U.S. Sens. Kamala D. Harris, D-Calif., Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., to introduce the Environmental Justice for All Act to improve health equity and climate justice for all, particularly underserved communities and communities of color. As the nation reckons with systemic racism, the fight for clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment cannot be disentangled from the fight for justice. … Continue Reading
August 06, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Introduce Resolution Celebrating the 55th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
WASHINGTON - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today introduced a Senate Resolution to recognize, commemorate, and celebrate the 55th anniversary of the enactment of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. President Lyndon Johnson proposed the legislation just days after the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, during which the late Representative John Lewis was savagely beaten by law enforcement officers while crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge on what was to … Continue Reading
August 06, 2020
Wyden Co-sponsors Bill to Study, Address Health Impacts of Social Inequities on Communities of Color
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said today he is co-sponsoring legislation that would study the role of unemployment, hunger, lack of affordable housing, education and other social determinants in worsening health inequities for communities of color. As the Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Wyden has prioritized addressing systemic racism in the nation's health care system and the economy as a whole. "COVID-19 spotlights what's been true for far too long - that … Continue Reading
August 06, 2020
Wyden Introduces Legislation to Close Dangerous Loophole to Protect Domestic Abuse Survivors
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today joined U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and colleagues to introduce legislation to protect domestic violence survivors from gun violence by closing loopholes that allow domestic abusers to legally obtain weapons. In 2018, Oregon closed the "boyfriend loophole" by expanding the definition of intimate partner to include people who weren't married, didn't share children or hadn't lived together. Today's legislation would expand the … Continue Reading
August 06, 2020
Wyden Joins Colleagues in Fight to Secure Child Care Relief in Next Senate COVID-19 Stimulus Package
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., this week joined U.S. Sens. Tina Smith, D-Minn., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and colleagues in calling on Senate leadership to prioritize the inclusion of their plan for a $50 billion child care bailout in the next COVID-19 relief package. The Child Care is Essential Act would stabilize the child care system, keep providers in business, and ensure parents are able to go back to work when it is safe to return. It was recently passed in the U.S. … Continue Reading
August 06, 2020
Wyden and Clarke Introduce Bill to Eliminate Barriers to Fixing Critical Medical Equipment During the Pandemic
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, D-N.Y., today introduced legislation to allow trained experts to maintain and repair essential medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, and temporarily suspend restrictions that are blocking needed repairs. The Critical Medical Infrastructure Right-to-Repair Act of 2020 would allow trained repair technicians to more easily access information and tools required to complete maintenance and repair of critical medical … Continue Reading
August 06, 2020
As Oregonians Report Health Issues, Wyden Demands Answers from DHS and DOJ on the Health Impacts of Tear Gas Used Against Peaceful Protesters
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today pressed the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the agencies' sustained use of tear gas against peaceful protesters in Portland, Ore., following reports that a number of Oregonians have reported irregularities in their menstrual cycles after being tear gassed. In a letter, Wyden demanded Attorney General William Barr and DHS Acting Secretary Chad Wolf answer questions on the negative impacts … Continue Reading
August 05, 2020
Wyden, Cortez Masto Propose Bill to Reduce Police Violence During Mental Health Crises
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., today proposed a new bill to help states adopt mobile crisis response teams that can be dispatched when a person is experiencing a mental health or substance use disorder (SUD) crisis instead of immediately involving law enforcement. "It's long past time to re-imagine policing in ways that reduce violence and structural racism, and health care can play a key role in that … Continue Reading
August 05, 2020
As Congress Negotiates COVID-19 Relief, Wyden and Booker Lead Call for Federal Support for Rural Economies
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., today introduced legislation to create thousands of living wage jobs in rural America as these communities continue to grapple with unique and devastating economic challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 21st Century Conservation Corps Act builds on a recent Wyden bill and a recent Booker bill and supports rural economies by investing in job training and development, rangeland and working lands conservation … Continue Reading
August 04, 2020
Wyden Testifies at Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on Federal Use of Force at Portland Protests
Time is short so I'll have just a few points to make this afternoon on protecting free speech. First, as a Senator from Oregon and a Portlander myself, I want to begin by asking who Americans honestly believe is the real threat to our Constitutional rights. Is it the Oregonians who've gathered together in overwhelmingly peaceful protests for racial justice since the murder of George Floyd? Or is it the heavily armed secret police snatching Portlanders off the streets into unmarked vans … Continue Reading
August 04, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $750,000 Water Infrastructure Grant for City of Echo
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the City of Echo, Oregon will receive $769,875 in federal grant funding to upgrade and improve the efficiency of the city's wastewater treatment plant. The funding is being allocated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Water & Waste Disposal Program. "Safe, reliable, and efficient water infrastructure is a must for the health and safety of our families and our environment," said Merkley, … Continue Reading
August 04, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Urge Senate to Reject Trump Administration Plan to Cut Funding to Schools that Follow Public Health Guidance
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 28 of their Senate colleagues, are urging Senate leadership to reject the Trump administration push to condition education funds in the next coronavirus relief package on the reopening of elementary and secondary schools for in-person instruction. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL), and … Continue Reading
August 04, 2020
“Unlawful, Unfair, Illogical, Impossible”: Oregon Members Call on U.S. Department of Education to Rescind Rule that Would Misdirect $11M from Oregon Public Schools
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici,Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Representatives Peter DeFazio and Earl Blumenauer called on the U.S. Department of Education to rescind a rule that would take up to $11,310,291 from Oregon public schools and redirect it to private schools, calling it unlawful, unfair, illogical, and impossible. The Representatives and Senators responded to an interim final rule from the U.S. Department of Education that incorrectly interprets the … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues to McConnell: Immigrants Are Essential and Deserve Support in Coronavirus Relief Legislation
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged Majority Leader McConnell to support tax-paying immigrant families who have Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITIN) in Oregon and across the nation by ensuring they have access to economic relief payments from the CARES Act and any future coronavirus relief package. An estimated 20 million immigrants work in essential industries. These immigrants, particularly undocumented workers, comprise a disproportionate … Continue Reading
July 31, 2020
Wyden, Cassidy and Bicameral Coalition Request FTC Investigate Advertisers Tracking Americans at Places of Worship and Protests
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., led a bipartisan group of 10 members today calling for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the online ad economy, particularly the tracking of Americans at places of worship and protests and then selling that information to advertisers, hedge funds and the government. Wyden, Cassidy and other members asked the FTC to investigate how personal data, including location information, collected from … Continue Reading
