WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 -- Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Reps. Cliff Bentz (OR-02) Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) released a statement on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) disappointing decision to remove the Klamath dams. "We are outraged by FERC's decision to allow surrender of the PacifiCorp Klamath hydroelectric license to a shell corporation, thus allowing PacifiCorp to avoid responsibility for the consequences of removing its Klamath River dams. Such co  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on Nov. 16, 2022: * * * Congressman Earl Blumenauer, founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, released the following statement praising the passage of his bipartisan Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act in the Senate. "After working on the issue of cannabis reform for decades, finally the dam is starting to break. The passage of my Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Rese  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Nov. 17, 2022: Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici introduced legislation to support public defenders and address the public defense shortage. The Ensuring Quality Access to Legal (EQUAL) Defense Act would improve access to counsel by providing $250 million in funding for public defense grants. The bill will also help to address workload limits, establish pay parity between public defenders and prosec  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Nov. 18, 2022, and letter: Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) urged House leadership to include provisions that would improve effectiveness of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) in any end-of-year tax legislation. The LIHTC has been used for the construction or rehabilitation of more than 3 million affordable home  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley teamed up with Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07) to introduce the Stopping Abuse and Fraud in Electronic (SAFE) Lending Act. The SAFE Lending Act will protect consumers from deceptive and predatory practices that strip wealth from working families by cracking down on some of the worst abuses stemming from the payday lending industry, pa  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley teamed up with Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07) to introduce the Stopping Abuse and Fraud in Electronic (SAFE) Lending Act.The SAFE Lending Act will protect consumers from deceptive and predatory practices that strip wealth from working families by cracking down on some of the worst abuses stemming from the payday lending industry,  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 -- Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, issued the following news: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley teamed up with Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07) to introduce the Stopping Abuse and Fraud in Electronic (SAFE) Lending Act. The SAFE Lending Act will protect consumers from deceptive and predatory practices that strip wealth from working families by cracking down on some of the worst abuses stemming from the payday lending industry, par  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announce a total of $ 5,041,495 million from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) will be awarded to the Nez Perce Tribe, in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and other partners, to restore sockeye salmon habitat connectivity at the Wallowa Lake Dam. "Sockeye salmon are important not just to the cu  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announce a total of $ 5,041,495 million from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) will be awarded to the Nez Perce Tribe, in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and other partners, to restore sockeye salmon habitat connectivity at the Wallowa Lake Dam. "Sockeye salmon are important not just to the cultu  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be awarding Oregon a total of $695,097 for sagebrush conservation efforts across the state. This funding will help support collaborative efforts by ranchers, growers, and agencies to improve habitat. "Restoring and conserving Oregon's sagebrush ecosystems can help to address the damage and dangers invasive spe  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be awarding Oregon a total of $695,097 for sagebrush conservation efforts across the state. This funding will help support collaborative efforts by ranchers, growers, and agencies to improve habitat. "Restoring and conserving Oregon's sagebrush ecosystems can help to address the damage and dangers invasive specie  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on Nov. 17, 2022, and letter: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden issued the following statement today after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the surrender and decommissioning of four dams along the Klamath River, marking a major milestone in the ongoing efforts to restore the health of the Klamath River. "We view the vote by FERC to greenlight the largest dam removal project i  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on Nov. 17, 2022, and letter: * * * Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden issued the following statement today after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the surrender and decommissioning of four dams along the Klamath River, marking a major milestone in the ongoing efforts to restore the health of the Klamath River. "We view the vote by FERC to greenlight the largest dam removal  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 -- 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) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Dina Titus (D-NV) applauded House passage of the Disaster Survivors Fairness Act, legislation approved by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 -- Rep. Jared Huffman, D-California, issued the following news release on Nov. 17, 2022: Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) applauded the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) decision today to issue a license surrender order that clears the way for removal of four Klamath River dams and the largest river restoration effort in history. "FERC's decision to retire PacifiCorp's dams is the result of years of difficult work by our dedicated North Coast tribes, con  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release on Nov. 17, 2022: The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA) during today's hearing titled, "Accessible Air Travel: Addressing Challenges for Passengers with Disabilities.  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release and letter: 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) urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to incorporate additional scrutiny and analysis in review  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (TNSper) -- Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, issued the following statement on Nov. 15, 2022: * * * House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) released the following statement upon news of his election as Majority Leader for the 118th Congress. "It has been an honor to fight for the American people as the Republican Whip for these past eight years, and I am humbled to be elected by my colleagues to serve as the Majority Leader in the new Republican-majority House of Repre  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on Nov. 14, 2022: * * * Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden issued the following statement today, following the resignation of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus on Saturday. "An empowered, reform-minded Customs and Border Protection commissioner is essential for everything from enforcing immigration laws at our borders to preventing produ  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on Nov. 14, 2022: * * * Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement in reaction to New York Times reporting on Donald Trump requesting IRS investigations into his political enemies: "No one is surprised Donald Trump tried to sic the IRS on his political enemies. He has no respect for the rule of law, and operates like a mob bos  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release and letter: Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senate Special Committee on Aging Chair Bob Casey, D-Pa., led 11 Democratic members of the Finance Committee in a call for the Biden administration to implement additional consumer protections in Medicare Advantage (MA), following an increase in reports of deceptive marketing practices aimed at seniors in t  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release and letter: Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senate Finance Committee members Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Todd Young, R-Ind., raised concerns regarding conflicts of interest at the National Academy for Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) after it published a report on the organ procurement and transplantation system that mirro  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release and letter: U.S Senator Ron Wyden and Senate colleagues this week sent a letter encouraging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to defend Americans' reproductive rights, and to consider steps to protect and expand access to medication abortion. "As states implement new restrictions, it is more important than ever that you take immediate steps to expand access to medication abortion," Wyden and colleagues  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Nov. 15, 2022: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today joined colleagues from both parties to introduce legislation that would hold unaccredited entities targeting veterans accountable for their predatory practices. "Veterans deserve easy and safe access to the benefits they've earned." Wyden said. "The GUARD VA Benefits Act would protect veterans against middlemen profiting off their service by reinstating cri  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said this week they have introduced legislation that would combat the rise in catalytic converter thefts. The Preventing Auto Recycling Theft (PART) Act would ensure that law enforcement can more effectively address these thefts by marking each converter with a traceable identification number and establishing converter thefts as a criminal offense. "T  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Nov. 18, 2022: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined Senate colleagues to introduce bipartisan legislation that would address systematic injustices within the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC). "A fair tax code means providing Americans who have served their time a chance to pursue higher education and a promising career path," Wyden said. "The bipartisan ED ACCESS Act of 2022 will repeal  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Nov. 18, 2022: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Fort George Brewery in Astoria will receive a $144,460 federal rural development grant to install a large roof-mounted solar panel that will cut its energy use by more than two-thirds. "I am proud to see Oregon businesses like Fort George set their sights on fighting the climate crisis as they continue to produce iconic Oregon pro  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Nov. 18, 2022: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Fort George Brewery in Astoria will receive a $144,460 federal rural development grant to install a large roof-mounted solar panel that will cut its energy use by more than two-thirds. "I am proud to see Oregon businesses like Fort George set their sights on fighting the climate crisis as they continue to produce iconic Oregon produc  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Nov. 15, 2022: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) today introduced legislation to improve mental health coverage. Specifically, the bill would crack down on inaccurate health care provider listings or "ghost networks," and create stronger enforcement standards to protect those seeking mental health care. "Too often, Americans who need affordable mental health care hit a dead end when th  more