WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release and letter on Dec. 16, 2022: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley teamed up with Representatives Mark Pocan (D-WI-02), Mark Takano (D-CA-41), and Ritchie Torres (D-NY-15)--co-chairs of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus--to lead 30 lawmakers in a bicameral letter to FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, expressing outrage over the association's decision to censor support for LGBTQ+ rights by fans and players   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (TNSres) -- Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Rep. Cliff Bentz (OR-02) announced Ava Theriault from Armand Larive Middle School as the 2022 winner of the Congressional App Challenge for District 2. Ava, a 6th grader, created Math Class, an all-in-one app designed to help kids learn math in a single player game with in-game characters and a school like experience. App users can choose multiplication or addition and at which level to practice and   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Following recent reports of egregious animal welfare violations at Elon Musk's medical device company, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) led a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture urging the agency to exert proper oversight of USDA-inspected facilities. "At the time of this letter, serious allegations have been leveled against Elon Musk's company Neuralink... These complaints inclu  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on Dec. 16, 2022: * * * Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, released the following statement in support of the announcement by the Department of Justice to end sentencing disparities on crack and powder cocaine. "This is another historic landmark step by the Biden Administration to deal with the failed war on drugs. The sentencing disparity between cr  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, issued the following opening statement on Dec. 14, 2022, at a subcommittee hearing on promoting sustainable environmental practices through trade policy: * * * We are holding a hearing on the critical and timely subject of trade and the environment. The climate crisis is here and continues to intensify. Global warming, extreme weather events, and biodiversity loss have disrupted  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Congressmen Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA) announced that Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) will become the new Democratic co-chair of the bipartisan House Career and Technical Education Caucus at the beginning of the 118th Congress. The transition comes as Rep. Langevin -- who has co-led the Caucus for 11 years -- prepares to depart from Congress at the end of the year. "Career a  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced the official launch of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Center for Pollinator Conservation. The establishment of the Center was announced earlier this year by Senator Merkley, in collaboration with the Department of Interior, to address declining pollinator populations, including monarch butterflies, across North America. "Protecting monarch butterflies   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 15, 2022: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, today, announced critical projects and policy initiatives for Oregon included in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022 have passed the Senate as part of a year-end legislative package and will be sent to President Biden's desk to be signed into law. Their authorization sets the stage to secure funding for essential water infrastruct  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 15, 2022: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, today, announced critical projects and policy initiatives for Oregon included in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022 have passed the Senate as part of a year-end legislative package and will be sent to President Biden's desk to be signed into law. Their authorization sets the stage to secure funding for essential water infrastr  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed a resolution introduced by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to congratulate the Portland Thorns for winning the 2022 National Women's Soccer League championship. A similar resolution has been introduced in the House by U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici. The Thorns' 2-0 victory on Oct. 29 in the NWSL championship game over Kansas City made the Portla  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release: Leaders of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure applauded final passage of the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 as part of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. The bill was named in honor of Rep. Don Young, Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 -- 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) applauded the House passage of three bills under the jurisdiction of the committee, including a bill to strengthen ridesharing safety. "I applaud the House for passing three bipartisan Transportation and Infrastructure Committee bills this week," Chair   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) reintroduced their Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEV) Act to position the United States to lead the world in vehicle innovation, combat the climate crisis, and reduce premature deaths from pollution that gasoline engines produce. The bill builds on historic progress made during the 117th Congress to advance the transition to clean vehicles, and i  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Dean Phillips (D-MN) introduced the Restaurant Revitalization Tax Credit as part of on-going efforts to support the restaurant industry in recovering from the lasting impacts of the pandemic. "Restaurants and their employees were hit harder than any other industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal government has provided some he  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed a resolution introduced by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to congratulate the Portland Thorns for winning the 2022 National Women's Soccer League championship. A similar resolution has been introduced in the House by U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici. The Thorns' 2-0 victory on Oct. 29 in the NWSL championship game over Kansas City made the Portland f  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed a resolution introduced by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to congratulate the Portland Thorns for winning the 2022 National Women's Soccer League championship. A similar resolution has been introduced in the House by U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici. The Thorns' 2-0 victory on Oct. 29 in the NWSL championship game over Kansas City made the Portland fran  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on Dec. 16, 2022: * * * Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement on the European Union directive to implement international tax reform: "I've long believed that we need to reform our international tax system to reward those that invest in America and its workers, stop companies from shipping jobs and profit overseas, and ensure  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2022: Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today applauded the passage of his bipartisan and bicameral legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith in recognition of their service to defend the United States of America. Doherty, Woods, Stevens, and Smith were killed in the September 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghaz  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on Dec. 14, 2022: Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senate Special Committee on Aging Chair Bob Casey, D-Pa., today hailed new consumer protections proposed by the Biden administration that would shield seniors seeking Medicare Advantage plans from deceptive marketing practices that have dramatically increased in recent years. "These proposals are an   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on Dec. 14, 2022: * * * If you don't have a free press, you don't have a democracy. Individual freedom and press freedom go hand in hand. If you want to see what happens when governments undermine and then eliminate the free press, look at Russia. Look at Saudi Arabia. Look at Iran. Information becomes a tool of power, abuse, and manipulation in the hands of the government rather than a tool of education, expressi  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on Dec. 15, 2022: * * * Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement objecting to the inclusion of a bill restricting the accessibility of information about judges and their family members. "I've been raising concerns about the judge information bill since July of 2021. "Unfortunately, my concerns were ignored by the bill's authors, even after a host of civil liberties and government accountability gro  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on Dec. 15, 2022: * * * U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement after voting against the National Defense Authorization Act today. "There's a lot to like in this year's defense policy bill--particularly a much needed pay raise for military service members and important investments to support our partners, Ukraine and Taiwan, in the face of growing Russian and Chinese aggression. I'm also pro  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 15, 2022: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and U.S. Representatives Anna G. Eshoo, D-Calif., and Debbie Lesko, R-Arizona, today introduced bipartisan legislation to help prevent domestic abusers from using technology to stalk, harass or control survivors. Technology-enabled abuse takes many forms, from the most basic social media platforms and phone-based apps to specialty spyware apps, demonstrating that  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 15, 2022: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today applauded the passage of a critical measure that supports the training of National Guard personnel on wildfire prevention and response in Oregon and nationwide. "I'm proud that Congress has passed my provision to support the Oregon National Guard with rapid response and wildfire prevention training," Wyden said. "This provision will help make sure   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 13, 2022: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today applauded the passage of bipartisan legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith in recognition of their service to defend the United States of America. Doherty, Woods, Stevens, and Smith were killed in the September 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. "Tyr  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 14, 2022: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Community and Shelter Assistance (CASA) in Oregon will receive $200,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide ongoing management of long-term affordable housing in communities all over the state. "As we enter the coldest months of the year, I'm gratified to see federal dollars go to keeping roofs overhead for Oreg  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 14, 2022: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that the Baker Technical Institute in Baker City will receive a $500,000 federal investment as one of 29 grant recipients nationwide to recruit, train and place workers in community revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield sites, abandoned land polluted by industrial practices. "Too many communities in our state, large and small,  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 14, 2022: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that the Baker Technical Institute in Baker City will receive a $500,000 federal investment as one of 29 grant recipients nationwide to recruit, train and place workers in community revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield sites, abandoned land polluted by industrial practices. "Too many communities in our state, large and sma  more