WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following statement: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, a leading advocate for child asylum seekers in the U.S., released the following statement in advance of a July 17 court-ordered deadline for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release children from custody at family internment camps in Texas and Pennsylvania. While the children must be released this Friday, the Trump administration has not yet committed to keeping c  more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following statement: Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) released the following statement after the House Committee on Appropriations advanced the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) bill with a newly-added provision requiring masks on airplanes, large public transit systems  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release on July 15: Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA) today condemned the Trump administration for finalizing a rule to gut the environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEP  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rep. Grace F. Napolitano, D-California, issued the following opening remarks during a markup of the Water Resources Development Act on July 15: Remarks of Chair DeFazio: On Monday, I was joined by Ranking Member Graves, Subcommittee Chairwoman Napolitano, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Westerman in introducing the Water Resources Development Act of 2020, the authorizi  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) led 20 members in introducing a House resolution that calls for affordable, high-quality child care for all who need it. In the resolution, Bonamici and her colleagues state that the House must pass legislation to stabilize the child care system and provide child care assistance to all families who need it - up to full coverage for those with the greatest need. They  more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici demanded answers from the Trump administration after a federal agent shot a peaceful protester in the head with potentially deadly crowd-control munition. The Oregonian suffered a direct hit, resulting in a critical head injury, and is now hospitalized after undergoing surgery. In a letter to Attorney Gene  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, with U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici, blasted federal agencies' politically-motivated "authoritarian tactics" and demanded that U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf immediately remove their special forces from Oregon. "These tactics include deploying federal agents without identi  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on July 17: Yesterday Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Reps. Haley Stevens (MI-11), Don Young (AK-At Large), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), and Marc Veasey (TX-33) introduced H.R. 7662, bipartisan legislation to help low-income families afford heating and cooling bills during the coronavirus pandemic. As millions of Americans continue working from home or have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, many families are dependin  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following statement: Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) released the following statement after the House Committee on Appropriations advanced the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) bill with a newly-added provision requiring masks on airplanes, large public transit systems, and Amtrak trains and ensuring transportation workers in these secto  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) today condemned the Trump administration for finalizing a rule to gut the environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). For more than 50 years, the NEPA process has been vital to public health and ensuring public participation in major environmental decisions. "Today, thanks to President  more

WASHINGTON, July 14 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) introduced the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA). This legislation provides authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to carry out water resources development projects and studies, as well as reforms and policy di  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release on July 15: Today, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA 2020) favorably out of Committee, where it now heads to the House Floor for a vote. This legislation provides authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to carry out water resources development proj  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA 2020) favorably out of Committee, where it now heads to the House Floor for a vote. This legislation provides authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to carry out water resources development projects and studies, as well as policy direction to the Corps for implementation of its Ci  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release: Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Science, Space, and Technology Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence demanding that the White House direct all federal agencies to develop contingency plans for responding   more

WASHINGTON, July 14 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release: Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO), Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA), and Water Resources and Environment Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-AR) introduce  more

WASHINGTON, July 14 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release: The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will hold a Full Committee markup Wednesday, July 15, at 10:00AM EDT to consider the following: * H.R. __, The Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (introduction expected prior to consideration) * Other matters cleared for consideration. Members will appear by videoconference o  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York, chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, issued the following joint statement on July 16 with Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, regarding a report from the Health and Human Services Insp  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following joint statement on July 16 with Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-New York, chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, regarding a report from the Health and Human Services I  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following remarks at a committee markup of 30 bipartisan health, energy and communications and technology bills on July 15: I am proud that today we will mark up 30 bipartisan bills, and I thank Chairman Pallone for keeping his word to only include bills on the agenda that we were able to reach agreement on. It would be impossible to speak at length on every impor  more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following remarks at a Subcommittee on Energy hearing entitled "Oversight of DOE During the COVID-19 Pandemic" on July 14: Welcome Secretary Brouillette. It is good to have you back before the Committee. And I must say: You have provided strong leadership at the Department during a very critical time for the nation. Over your first seven months on the job, the cou  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following statement on President Trump's announcement of the Council on Environmental Quality's final rule updating the National Environmental Policy Act regulations: "Rural Oregonians know too well the burdens of our dated, slow and tedious NEPA regulations. They've watched for years as special interest groups have hijacked the process to drag out needed forest and range management projects that would improve the health of our publi  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release on July 15: At today's markup, the Energy and Commerce Committee advanced 30 bipartisan bills across three subcommittees. E&C Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR), Energy Subcommittee Republican Leader Fred Upton (R-MI), Health Subcommittee Republican Leader Dr. Michael Burgess (R-TX), and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Republica  more

WASHINGTON, July 14 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release on July 13: Energy and Commerce Committee 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 after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released states' COVID-1  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release: Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Republican Leader Bob Latta (R-OH), Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Republican Leader Brett Guthrie (R-KY) released the fol  more

WASHINGTON, July 14 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04) led Reps. Greg Walden (OR-02), Colin Allred (TX-32) and Aumua Amata Radewagen (AS-At Large) in introducing bipartisan legislation to re-authorize a successful Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) work-study program in congressional offices, allowing veterans to assist their fellow veterans with accessing the benefits and services they've earned. "I cannot think of a more appropria  more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Reps. Greg Walden (OR-02), Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Colin Allred (TX-32) and Aumua Amata Radewagen (AS-At Large) introduced bipartisan legislation to re-authorize a successful Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) work-study program in congressional offices, allowing veterans to assist their fellow veterans with accessing the benefits and services they've earned. "Our veterans deserve to receive the benefits and  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following joint statement on July 16 with Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Washington, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, after the European Court of Justice decision on the Schrems II case to strike down the Euroepean-U.S. Privacy Shield: "The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield has benefited the security of our citizens and helped preserve t  more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following joint statement with Rep. Fred Upton, R-Michigan, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Energy, Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Massachusetts, and Rep. Katie Porter, D-California, on the Strengthening Behavioral Health Parity Act (H.R. 7539): "Until we are willing to treat behavioral health and physical health the same, we will never fix this broken system. Even   more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following joint statement on July 15 with Rep. Fred Upton, R-Michigan, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Energy, Rep. John Shimkus, R-Illinois, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, and Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, after the Council on Environmental Quality's announce  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on July 16: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley--along with 14 of his Senate colleagues--is pushing back on the Trump administration's anti-immigrant agenda in advance of upcoming debate on a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) bailout. Merkley and his colleagues are pushing for any funding package to include guardrails that will ensure USCIS cannot target asylum seekers and other vulnerable immig  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement in reaction to a report that President Trump was demanding a payroll tax cut in the next coronavirus relief package: "Five months into a once-in-a-century economic crisis, Donald Trump still has only one idea: tax cuts. "A payroll tax cut would do nothing to help the 20 million workers who have lost their jobs, and little for those working significantly re  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, 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 study  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on July 16: U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said people in Oregon and nationwide facing a mental health crisis will have a much-needed lifeline with today's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision designating a new nationwide three-digit 988 phone hotline. Citing alarming suicide statistics from Oregon and throughout out the United States, Wyden has been a long-time advocate for the FCC to take this step creating a  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on July 16: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that Oregon will receive more than $16 million in grants to support health care providers that have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The funding will target small and rural hospitals, as well as certain acute care hospitals. The funding is being distributed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). "Small and r  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that the Drinking Water Providers Partnership, which supports collaboration between federal and state agencies and nonprofits, is allocating over $370,000 to eight projects in Oregon that will help improve drinking water quality and salmon habitat. In addition, the Oregon Coast Salmon Restoration Environmental Impact Fund Feasibility Study will receiv  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that the Drinking Water Providers Partnership, which supports collaboration between federal and state agencies and nonprofits, is allocating over $370,000 to eight projects in Oregon that will help improve drinking water quality and salmon habitat. In addition, the Oregon Coast Salmon Restoration Environmental Impact Fund Feasibility Study will rece  more

WASHINGTON, July 14 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with more than 100 members of Congress, are calling on President Trump to direct the federal government to remove all regulations, executive orders and agency policies that discriminate against LGBTQ individuals. The letter comes after the Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County that prohibitions on sex discrimination in federal civil rights l  more

WASHINGTON, July 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with more than 100 members of Congress, are calling on President Trump to direct the federal government to remove all regulations, executive orders and agency policies that discriminate against LGBTQ individuals. The letter comes after the Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County that prohibitions on sex discrimination in federal civil rights laws  more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici demanded answers from the Trump administration after a federal agent shot a peaceful protester in the head with potentially deadly crowd-control munition. The Oregonian suffered a direct hit, resulting in a critical head injury, and is now hospitalized after undergoing surgery. In a letter to Attorney General Wil  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici demanded answers from the Trump administration after a federal agent shot a peaceful protester in the head with potentially deadly crowd-control munition. The Oregonian suffered a direct hit, resulting in a critical head injury, and is now hospitalized after undergoing surgery. In a letter to Attorney General   more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced that OCHIN in Portland and Community Health Centers of Benton and Linn Counties will receive $1.14 million in federal funds to help provide telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic. "Recent spikes in new COVID-19 cases around the country highlight the urgent need to support the use of technology tools such as telehealth that protect Oregonians and the h  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on July 16: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats to unveil a major new legislative proposal to invest $350 billion in Black communities and other communities of color. Wyden and his colleagues' plan would make a significant federal commitment to communities of color through ten major investments over the next five years in historically underfu  more