Press Releases
Merkley, Wyden Announce $1.5 Million in Federal Funding for Seal Rock Water District
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the Seal Rock Water District will receive $1.5 million in federal grants to assist with the construction of a storm-resilient and reliable water treatment plant. The funding is being allocated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants program. "Access to reliable drinking water is essential to the health and economic vitality of our rural communities," … Continue Reading
June 08, 2020
Wyden Co-sponsors Justice in Policing Act of 2020
Washington, DC - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today co-sponsored legislation that would hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement and build trust between law enforcement and our communities in Oregon and nationwide. Wyden said he supports the Justice in Policing Act of 2020 introduced by U.S. Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-CA), U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) because it's bold and … Continue Reading
June 08, 2020
Wyden Will Hold Virtual Town Hall on June 12
Portland - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today announced he will have a live on-line town hall on June 12 hosted by Town Hall Project for residents of Hood River, Sherman, Gilliam, Wheeler and Wasco counties Anybody wanting to watch that virtual regional town hall beginning at 11 AM PT on Friday, June 12 can go to this Facebook link. Residents of Hood River, Sherman, Gilliam, Wheeler and Wasco counties who would like to participate by asking Wyden a question can fill out this form for consideration by … Continue Reading
June 08, 2020
Wyden, Foster Lead Bicameral Warning Against Trump Administration Resuming Explosive Nuclear Testing
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and U.S. Representative Bill Foster, D-Ill., today led a bicameral group of 80 other colleagues in urging Donald Trump not to resume explosive nuclear testing after a 28-year hiatus. This letter comes in response to reports indicating the administration is considering taking this step. In a letter to Donald Trump, the legislators wrote, "We are deeply concerned by recent reports that you are considering a resumption of explosive nuclear … Continue Reading
June 04, 2020
Wyden, Merkley: Defense Department Must Refrain from Using U.S. Military to Suppress Nationwide Protests
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley sent a letter to U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley voicing grave concerns over Donald Trump's threat to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to nationwide protests seeking justice for George Floyd and an end to systemic racism. "President Trump's behavior over the last three years has repeatedly politicized our Armed Forces and portrayed their mission not … Continue Reading
June 04, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Press For College Students in Need to Have Access to High-Speed Internet
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined with colleagues in urging congressional leadership to include funds in future legislation that ensures college and university students with the greatest financial need in Oregon and nationwide have access to high-speed internet during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Even before the pandemic, only 66 percent of black households, 61 percent of Hispanic households, and 63 percent of rural households had access to broadband, and one … Continue Reading
June 04, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Introduce $50 Billion Bill to Address Child Care Crisis
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., in introducing a bill that would address the child care crisis worsened by coronavirus in Oregon and across the country by creating a $50 billion Child Care Stabilization Fund. The Child Care is Essential Act would provide grant funding to child care providers to stabilize the child care sector and support providers to safely reopen and operate. "Child care workers in Oregon and … Continue Reading
June 04, 2020
Wyden: Senate Passage of PPP Reforms Strengthens Lifeline that Small Business Needs During COVID-19
Washington, DC - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden issued the following statement after the Senate approved legislation he sought to make urgently needed reforms for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that small business needs to get through the economic crisis touched off by COVID-19: "Extending the deadlines for small businesses in Oregon and nationwide to spend the PPP resources they need to pay their employees and bills during the economic fallout of this public health crisis was a common-sense … Continue Reading
June 04, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Urge DeVos to Rescind Harmful Title IX Rule and Focus on Student Safety
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined 35 Democratic senators in slamming Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' final Title IX rule, which will weaken protections for student survivors of sexual harassment and assault. In a letter to Secretary DeVos, the senators stressed that it was inappropriate to ask schools to implement this new rule within 100 days amid the COVID-19 crisis and urged her to rescind the rule and focus on school safety-whether the threat is … Continue Reading
June 03, 2020
Wyden Opposes FY 2021 Intelligence Authorization Act
Washington, D.C. - Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., voted against advancing the Fiscal Year 2021 Intelligence Authorization Act from the Senate Intelligence Committee today, because the legislation fails to reform a broken, costly declassification system. Years of official reports have documented how the flood of digital classification has overwhelmed the obsolete declassification system's ability to keep pace. Wyden and Sen. Jerry Moran have introduced bipartisan legislation to charge the Director … Continue Reading
June 02, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce Nearly $100 Million in Federal Funding to Expand TriMet’s Light Rail
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced nearly $100 million in federal funding to finance a 7.8-mile extension of TriMet's MAX Red Line from Beaverton Transit Center to downtown Hillsboro. The funding will also increase the reliability of the light rail system between Portland International Airport and Beaverton Transit Center. "Public transportation is a vital service that countless Oregonians in the metro area rely on to commute to work, pick up their … Continue Reading
June 01, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce $1.2 Million in Grants for Tribal Housing Improvements
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that $1.2 million in grants will be distributed to the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians and the Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde to boost critical housing improvement and repair projects. The funding is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), under the Indian Community Development Block Grant program. "This public health emergency has … Continue Reading
June 01, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce Nearly $3 Million in Funding to Boost Albany Transit Service
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the City of Albany will receive nearly $3 million in federal funding to cover operating and administrative transit costs, as well as preventive maintenance costs, in response to the coronavirus crisis. The funding is authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which Congress passed in March. "I'm pleased that critical funding is headed to Oregon to help transit … Continue Reading
May 30, 2020
Wyden Calls for Resignation of Oregon Employment Department Director
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today released the following statement about the Oregon Employment Department: "Oregonians thrown out of work through no fault of their own deserve a state Employment Department capable of responding quickly and competently to their urgent needs during this economic and public health crisis. Over the past weeks and months, it has become painfully clear that the Oregon Employment Department leadership has totally failed to meet these Oregonians' needs or … Continue Reading
May 29, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $3.5 Million in Grant Funding for Salem Area Mass Transit District
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that the Salem Area Mass Transit District will receive over $3.5 million in grant funding for the purchase or lease of zero-emission and low-emission transit buses and the leasing, construction, and acquisition of necessary supporting facilities. "Now is the time to make the investments our communities need to build a foundation for the healthy, economically stable future families across Oregon deserve," said … Continue Reading
May 29, 2020
Wyden Pushes Trump Administration on the Distribution of Coronavirus Relief Funds to Tribal Governments
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., joined colleagues in pressing the Trump administration to clarify the formula used to allocate payments to Tribal governments from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In the letter, the senators ask Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to ensure that the disbursement formula is fully transparent and that all Tribes receive adequate funds to protect the health and safety … Continue Reading
May 28, 2020
Wyden Statement on Reported Executive Order to Undermine the First Amendment and Section 230
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement in response to Donald Trump's planned executive order to illegally punish private companies and attempt to re-write Section 230, as well as the First Amendment: "I have warned for years that this administration was threatening 230 in order to chill speech and bully companies like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter into giving him favorable treatment. Today Trump proved me right. I expect those companies, and … Continue Reading
May 28, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $2 Million Investment in Biggs’ Water Infrastructure
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the Biggs community in Sherman County will receive over $2 million in federal assistance to establish a municipal water system that will source and store water to support residents, firefighting efforts, and other emergency services. The funding-a $1.56 million loan and $535,500 grant-is distributed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development's Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant … Continue Reading
May 27, 2020
Wyden, Harris, Colleagues Press Trump Administration on the Health and Safety of Youth in Juvenile Detention During COVID-19
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Kamala D. Harris, D-Calif., led 14 colleagues in pressing the Trump administration for answers regarding the health and safety of young people detained in juvenile facilities across the country. In a letter to Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Administrator Caren Harp, the senators requested the agency make public the measures it has taken to protect incarcerated youth from COVID-19, as well as the ways OJJDP … Continue Reading
May 27, 2020
Wyden, Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Prevent Garnishment of Relief Payments
Washington, DC - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said today he has introduced a bipartisan bill that would protect recovery payments provided in the recent CARES Act pandemic response legislation from garnishment by private debt collectors. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime economic crisis. Relief was intended for struggling families, not predatory debt collectors," said Wyden, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee. "Our legislation would ensure help gets to the folks who need it to pay their … Continue Reading
