Press Releases
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $430,000 in Nutrition and Supportive Services Grants for Tribes
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that tribal communities in Oregon will receive over $430,000 to support the needs of elders and in an effort to curtail the spread of the coronavirus. The funding is being allocated by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which Congress approved last month. "The coronavirus poses unique risks and challenges to elders in communities across Oregon-and some of these challenges are … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
Wyden Demands Release of Detained Children Amid COVID-19 Crisis
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today joined 15 of his Senate colleagues demanding the release of detained children amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad Wolf, the lawmakers stress the need to protect the health and safety of children in U.S. custody as the number of children in HHS custody infected with COVID-19 continues to … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Call for Broad Investigations of the Trump Administration's COVID-19 Response
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today called for investigations into the Trump Administration's COVID-19 response, including whether political expediency rather than urgent public health needs has driven the distribution of life-saving medical supplies and equipment and other key public health and economic decisions. The letter from Wyden, Merkley and eight other senators to the Inspectors General for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Federal … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
Rosen, Wyden Lead Call on Congressional Leaders to Ensure Cannabis Small Businesses Can Access Emergency SBA Loan and Grant Programs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), led 8 of their Senate colleagues, including Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), in a letter to Congressional leadership calling for forthcoming COVID-19 relief legislative packages to allow state-legal cannabis small businesses and indirect cannabis small businesses to access loan and emergency grant programs administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). In the letter, the … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
Wyden Pushes for New Employment Program to Help Workers and Businesses Recover from COVID-19
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today called for a new federal employment program that will help workers and businesses recover from the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 crisis. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Wyden joined with four other senators to propose a national subsidized employment program to provide unemployed and underemployed workers wage-paying jobs to help them get through … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
Wyden, Colleagues Push for Access to Digital Resources for State and Local Governments Managing COVID-19 Crisis
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today led a letter with 15 of his colleagues urging Congressional leadership to provide additional digital resources for state and local governments managing the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on local communities. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the legislators wrote: "The COVID-19 … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Wyden Statement on Senate Passage of the Interim Emergency Package
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on Senate passage of the interim emergency package: "My phone has been ringing off the hook in the last several weeks with small business people in Oregon needing federal relief, and health care providers and hospitals desperate for more PPE, testing, and other support to protect themselves and Oregonians in their care. The interim agreement passed by the Senate today provides essential funding to help now for all of these … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Push for Urgent Workforce Development Investment
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 22 of their colleagues, are pressing Senate leadership to include critical workforce development and career and technical education (CTE) funding in the next coronavirus relief bill. In their letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the senators echoed the concerns of 38 labor and education advocacy groups calling for immediate assistance from Congress, and requested a … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Trump Administration Responds to Wyden’s and Casey’s Call to Publicly Release Names of Nursing Homes with COVID-19 Cases
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, and U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Ranking Member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, secured a commitment by the Trump Administration to publicly release the names of nursing homes across the country that have cases of COVID-19. This decision follows a letter sent earlier this month from the Senators urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Bonamici, DeFazio Push for FEMA Disaster Plans Amid Pandemic
Washington, D.C. - As the 2020 wildfire season rapidly approaches, Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1), Peter DeFazio (D-OR-4), and 78 of their congressional colleagues, are demanding that the Trump administration outline disaster preparation and recovery plans for a variety of potential disasters that may occur while the nation simultaneously addresses the coronavirus pandemic. In their letter urging Federal Emergency … Continue Reading
April 20, 2020
In Midst of COVID-19 Crisis, Wyden, Crapo, Merkley, Risch, Colleagues Call for Financial Security for Rural Communities
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and James Risch, R-Idaho, today led a bipartisan group of 23 other senators on a letter calling for the Senate to finally provide much-needed financial certainty during the COVID-19 crisis for rural communities to ensure long-term funding needed for essential services. In a letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the senators … Continue Reading
April 20, 2020
Wyden, Merkley: Three Natural Resources Projects in Oregon Earn $7.3 Million in Federal Support
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that the federal Agriculture Department will invest a combined $7.3 million in three natural resources projects in Oregon. The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) funds from the department's Natural Resources Service will go in Oregon to the Lower John Day Canyons Restoration Initiative, South Fork John Day Watershed Restoration and Polk County Oak Habitat Restoration projects. "This trio of Oregon projects taps … Continue Reading
April 20, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Advocate for Dedicated and Flexible Emergency Funding for Tribal, State, and Local Governments
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 31 of their colleagues, are advocating for state, local, and tribal governments to receive dedicated, flexible funding in the next COVID-19 emergency funding package. Their letter comes amid uncertainty among tribal, state, and local government officials in Oregon-and across America-regarding their financial stability as they work to respond to the coronavirus crisis. "On behalf of our state, local, and tribal … Continue Reading
April 20, 2020
Wyden Presses Trump Administration on the Health and Safety of Incarcerated People, Employees at Sheridan Prison
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today in a letter to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) demanded answers on steps the bureau is taking to protect federal prison facilities, and specifically the federal correctional institution in Sheridan, Oregon (FCI Sheridan). "My office has received numerous alarming reports from employees and family members of inmates at FCI Sheridan, alleging that proper precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are not being followed," Wyden … Continue Reading
April 20, 2020
Wyden, Merkley: Oregon to Get $7.5 Million FEMA Reimbursement Grant for COVID-19
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Oregon will receive a $7.5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as reimbursement for personal protective equipment bought in response to COVID-19. "Essential workers in Oregon are regularly risking their health during this public health crisis and cannot be sent into this daily battle without protection," Wyden said. "I am glad these resources will help reimburse Oregon for its work to get … Continue Reading
April 20, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Urge Trump Administration to Protect Food Supply, Essential Workers During COVID-19 Crisis
Washington, DC - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today urged Vice President Mike Pence and other members of the Trump Administration to take action that would help ensure the safety of the nation's food supply and protect essential workers in the food supply chain. "It is vital that we do everything we can to protect food supply workers," Wyden and Merkley wrote in a letter along with more than 30 Senate colleagues. "Breakdowns in the food supply chain could have significant economic … Continue Reading
April 20, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $7.3 Million in Funding for Corvallis Transit System
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the City of Corvallis will receive over $7.3 million in funding to support its public transportation operations and projects-including coronavirus response efforts. The funding will be allocated to the Corvallis Transit System through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which Congress approved last month. "Public transportation has been vital to communities throughout Oregon … Continue Reading
April 17, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Welcome Federal Investment in Oregon to Reduce Wildfire Risk, Improve Forest Conditions
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced nine federal grants awarded across Oregon that support innovation in the state's wood products industry-creating jobs in rural Oregon, advancing research at Oregon State University and the University of Oregon, and reducing wildfire risks and improving forest conditions statewide. The U.S. Forest Service grant program was created by the Timber Innovation Act; Merkley worked with Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) to … Continue Reading
April 17, 2020
Wyden, Cardin, Shaheen & Schumer Press Administration to Provide Taxpayers with Data on How Small Business Relief Funds are Being Distributed
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship Ranking Member Ben Cardin, D-Md., U.S Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., a senior member of the Senate Small Business Committee, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., today sent a letter to U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin urging the administration officials to … Continue Reading
April 17, 2020
Wyden Presses Navy for Answers About COVID-19 Outbreak & Sailors’ Safety as More Test Positive
Washington, D.C. - With more than 600 USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT sailors testing positive for COVID-19 and outbreaks on four aircraft carriers, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today joined a group of 19 senators calling on the Navy to protect its personnel and to answer urgent questions about safety protocols to prevent further spread of the virus among others in its fleet. "[T]he Navy must reconsider its current assumption that servicemembers are at low-risk for serious COVID-19 cases after … Continue Reading
