WASHINGTON, July 8 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following statement: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee that oversees multilateral institutions, released the following statement after the Trump administration sent a letter formally withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO) in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the U.S. leaves the international public health organization, the vacuum left by its absence wi  more

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release on July 9: Today, the Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) introduced The Maritime Transportation System Emergency Relief Act (MTSERA), legislation designed to provide relief to those i  more

WASHINGTON, July 8 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news: Bicameral Democratic Health Committee leaders wrote to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressing serious concerns with guidance recently issued by the Trump Administration allowing insurance plans and group health plans to deny coverage claims for COVID-19 tests and other re  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led a group of 96 lawmakers in the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, including Senator Ron Wyden and Representatives Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer, in pushing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to withdraw new guidance issued by ICE that imperils the status of international students who would b  more

SALEM, Oregon, July 9 -- Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colorado, issued the following news release: Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read, as part of a bipartisan coalition of 15 state treasurers, urged Congress to include the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act in any future coronavirus relief package. The SAFE Banking Act would allow licensed cannabis businesses, their employees, and vendors to safely access traditional financial services. Currently, most of these businesses are forced to operate s  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Representative Greg Walden released a statement after the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced a new rule to update the agency's special-use regulations to improve the reliability of the electrical grid and reduce the threat of wildfires. This rule builds off of a fix Walden helped secure in a 2018 package that provided the most sweeping reforms to forest management policy in more than a decade. "I've said it  more

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release: Energy and Commerce Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR), Health Subcommittee Republican Leader Dr. Michael Burgess (R-TX), and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Republican Leader Brett Guthrie (R-KY) released the following statement on the latest announcements from the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DOD)   more

WASHINGTON, July 7 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, along with U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), sent letters to the largest food and beverage processors and farm operators requesting information on how they are protecting their workers and the food supply chain from potential outbreaks of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at their facilities. The letters come as reports suggest that food p  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led a group of 96 lawmakers in the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, including Senator Ron Wyden and Representatives Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer, in pushing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to withdraw new guidance issued by ICE that imperils the status of international students who would be st  more

WASHINGTON, July 8 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news: For the third time, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., requested documents from the State Department on the full scope of Trump-era Ukraine activities, including the firing of former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin and whether the department is helping Rudy Giuliani manufacture dirt on Vice President Joe Biden by providing infor  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said that House passage of legislation he introduced to help non-profits will help these key community groups to remain financially viable during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Nonprofit organizations in Oregon and nationwide are essential pieces of each community's response to weather the devastating economic and public health challenges leveled by the coronavirus," Wyden said. "As nonprofits batt  more

WASHINGTON, July 8 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced his co-sponsorship of legislation to increase awareness and understanding of African American history across schools in Oregon and nationwide through expanded access to programming from the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The 1619 Act would provide federal funding to support African American History educational programs through workshops and prof  more

WASHINGTON, July 8 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today called on Attorney General William Barr immediately to fully implement and enforce a law that requires states to report to the Department of Justice (DOJ) how many individuals die each year while in police custody or during the course of an arrest. Six years after Congress reauthorized the Death in Custody Reporting Act (DCRA), that law still has not been fully implemented or enforced,   more

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on the Congressional Budget Office analysis of the tax gap and Internal Revenue Services enforcement: "Republicans have spent the last decade attacking and bullying the IRS, and CBO's report makes clear the devastating effects of their efforts. Audits of individuals are down 46%, and audits of corporations are down 37%. Not surprisingly, audits of the wealthi  more

WASHINGTON, July 8 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on the need to extend supercharged unemployment benefits: "Leader McConnell this week spoke about the next coronavirus relief package and again made no mention of unemployment benefits. To be clear, a second $1,200 check is not a replacement for supercharged unemployment benefits. "Under no circumstances should Congress consider legislation that tells unempl  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following joint statement on the announcement from the U.S. Trade Representative that the U.S. would impose tariffs on $1.3 billion of French goods. "Retaliatory tariffs aren't ideal but the French government's refusal to back down from its unilateral imposition of unfair and punitive taxes on U.S. companies leaves our government with no choice. "  more

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) are introducing legislation to facilitate an integrated regional assessment of saline lake ecosystems--bodies of water that line wetlands across the West Coast, serving as habitats for a diverse array of wildlife and providing important economic and social benefits to nearby communities. The senators' legislation, the Saline Lake Ecosyste  more

WASHINGTON, July 8 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced they are co-sponsoring legislation that would strengthen the federal and state governments' ability to investigate police departments with a pattern or practice of unconstitutional and discriminatory behavior. "Real change to uproot systemic racism in police departments demands a firm commitment to investigations that carry real accountability for law enforcemen  more

WASHINGTON, July 8 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced they are co-sponsoring legislation that would strengthen the federal and state governments' ability to investigate police departments with a pattern or practice of unconstitutional and discriminatory behavior. "Real change to uproot systemic racism in police departments demands a firm commitment to investigations that carry real accountability for law enforcement a  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced that the Mental Health & Addiction Association of Oregon (MHAAO) has earned a $3.96 million federal grant to help adults in the justice system re-enter the job market. "Employment is an essential piece of a successful strategy for people to make a successful re-entry into their communities," Wyden said. "I'm gratified that the Mental Health & Addiction Association  more

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced that the Warm Springs Housing Authority has secured a $900,000 federal grant to help with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Tribes throughout Oregon are battling hard to weather COVID-19's economic and public health fallout such as its impact on members' essential need to keep a roof over their heads," Wyden said. "I am gratified these housing resources ar  more

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced that the Warm Springs Housing Authority has secured a $900,000 federal grant to help with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Tribes throughout Oregon are battling hard to weather COVID-19's economic and public health fallout such as its impact on members' essential need to keep a roof over their heads," Wyden said. "I am gratified these housing resources are h  more