WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on Feb. 14, 2023: * * * "Today I introduced the No Tax Subsidies for Stadiums Act. This commonsense legislation will close the tax loophole that allows a tax-exemption on municipal bonds used to finance professional sports stadiums. For more than a century, the federal government has supported state and local infrastructure projects by excluding the interest on municipal bonds from federal income taxes. Qual  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 -- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, questioned witnesses at a full committee hearing about increased costs caused by Low-Carbon Fuel Standard programs currently in place in certain states, the emissions impacts of electric vehicles (EVs), and the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub. HIGHLIGHTS: ON LOW-CARBON FUEL STANDAR  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 16, 2023: Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) joined House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (CA-20) and Reps. Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), Jen Kiggans (VA-02), and Derrick Van Orden (WI-03) at the southern border near Tucson, Arizona. The group met with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents, local law enforcement, local elected officials, and members of the community to learn more about the challenges they   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley announced his committee assignments for the 118th Congress, which he says he'll use to deliver critical resources to Oregon and advance his work to provide opportunity and support to America's working families. Merkley will continue to be a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, including serving as Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related A  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley joined Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) to introduce the No Tax Breaks for Outsourcing Act, a bicameral bill that would level the playing field for American workers and small businesses and help ensure that corporations don't receive any tax benefits from outsourcing jobs. This bill would ensure multinational corporations adhere to the   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, along with Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kevin Cramer (R-ID), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) have introduced a bipartisan resolution expressing deepest condolences to and solidarity with the people of Turkiye and Syria and calling for robust humanitarian aid following the catastrophic earthquake and powerful aftershocks that hit the region February 6, 2023.  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley teamed up with Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) to introduce a bipartisan Senate resolution reaffirming the United States' recognition of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of the Republic of India. The resolution comes following the biggest clash between the Republic of India and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the Eastern Sector along the Line of  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 15, 2023: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Virginia's U.S. Senator Tim Kaine penned an op-ed in today's Washington Post about their Protect our Citizens from Reckless Extortion of our Debt and Irresponsible Tactics (Protect Our CREDIT) Act of 2023--legislation aimed at ending Congress' abuse of the debt ceiling as a political hostage. Merkley and Kaine present The Protect our CREDIT Act as a comm  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 13, 2023: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership (LCEP) will be receiving $1,818,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for habitat restoration and conservation through the National Estuary Program. "Climate chaos and human actions are threatening to lead to the permanent loss of plants and animals that have define  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined their Senate and House colleagues to introduce the Supreme Court Ethics Act, requiring the Judicial Conference of the United States to create a code of ethical conduct for the Supreme Court of the United States. The legislation would also require the appointment of an Ethics Investigations Counsel and require justices to publicly disclose recusal decisi  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 -- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, questioned witnesses at a full committee hearing about increased costs caused by Low-Carbon Fuel Standard programs currently in place in certain states, the emissions impacts of electric vehicles (EVs), and t  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on Feb. 15, 2023, on Werfel IRS Nomination: * * * The committee meets today to discuss Danny Werfel's nomination for IRS Commissioner. I want to welcome Mr. Werfel back to the Finance Committee, where we know him well. I expect a large part of this hearing will focus on the IRS funding included in the Inflation Reduction Act. That's where I'll begin, and I want to focus o  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on Feb. 16, 2023, on stopping illegal trade at the border to protect American workers: * * * Trade cheats in China and around the world are constantly looking for new ways to evade U.S. trade laws and rip off American jobs. They want to sell illegal products in America -- goods made with forced labor, illegally harvested timber and products that steal American IP. Trade che  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on Feb. 15, 2023: * * * Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released the following statement on the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Debt Ceiling Projection: "The country is getting closer to default, uncertainty is mounting, and it's going to drag on our economy more and more with every passing week. There's still only one way out of this manufactured cri  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on Feb. 17, 2023: * * * Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released the following statement on a new regulation in Mexico banning the import of products made with forced labor: "Mexico's new rule barring the import of products made with forced labor is an important step to expunging this morally abhorrent and unfair trade practice from North American supply   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on Feb. 15, 2023: * * * Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released a statement after the Social Security Administration (SSA) released a proposed rule to improve Supplemental Security Income (SSI) by eliminating food expenses from in-kind income, which will simplify administration of the program and increase benefits. "American families who count on S  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 14, 2023, and letter: Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today called on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to finalize a proposed rule that would enhance consumer protections in Medicare Advantage. "The Medicare Advantage program has provided Oregonians and Medicare beneficiaries around the country with value by offering plans that  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement at a hearing on Feb. 16, 2023, entitled "Ending Trade that Cheats American Workers By Modernizing Trade Laws and Enforcement, Fighting Forced Labor, Eliminating Counterfeits and Leveling the Playing Field": * * * Trade cheats in China and around the world are constantly looking for new ways to evade U.S. trade laws and rip off American jobs. They want to sell illegal produc  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement at a Feb. 15, 2023, confirmation hearing: * * * The committee meets today to discuss Danny Werfel's nomination for IRS Commissioner. I want to welcome Mr. Werfel back to the Finance Committee, where we know him well. I expect a large part of this hearing will focus on the IRS funding included in the Inflation Reduction Act. That's where I'll begin, and I want to focus on t  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., thanked U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for following through on a long-overdue technology upgrade that detects forged passports. Wyden requested the upgrade nearly 5 years ago, during the Trump administration, in order to strengthen border security. "Upgrading passport security is a commonsense way to ensure people entering our country are who they say they are. It is a  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 16, 2023, and letter: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today joined Senate colleagues to push for accountability in a letter to Kroger after the company's shift to a new payroll system left thousands of workers across the country short on their paychecks. "We are writing today regarding alarming new reports of Kroger's involvement in the mistreatment of workers and consumers through widespread and unresolved wage   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 14, 2023, and letter: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today joined Senate colleagues to urge the Biden administration to include funding in the upcoming budget request to more comprehensively address PFAS chemicals contamination in Oregon and nationwide. "The prevalence of PFAS combined with the adverse health impacts associated with exposure--including developmental effects, changes in liver, immune and thyroid   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 14, 2023, and letter: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced that he has joined Senate colleagues in asking the Education Department to provide input about the agency's process for compiling a list of low-financial-value postsecondary programs. This list would serve as a warning sign for students, parents, and educators about the certain higher education programs that do not produce a financial return on   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 17, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have introduced legislation that would support farmers and ranchers responding to severe drought and restoring fish and wildlife habitat in the Klamath Basin. "The farmers and ranchers in the Klamath Basin have weathered historic drought with significant federal investment and assistance, but the region is in desperate need of additional   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 17, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have introduced legislation that would support farmers and ranchers responding to severe drought and restoring fish and wildlife habitat in the Klamath Basin. "The farmers and ranchers in the Klamath Basin have weathered historic drought with significant federal investment and assistance, but the region is in desperate need of addition  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (TNSres) -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 15, 2023: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today reintroduced their legislation that would boost recreation opportunities in Southwestern Oregon and on the Molalla River in Clackamas County, while ensuring wildfire prevention work in both regions. The senators' Oregon Recreation Enhancement (ORE) Act would create the Rogue Canyon Recreation Area and the Molalla Recreation Area, expand th  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 15, 2023: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today reintroduced their legislation that would boost recreation opportunities in Southwestern Oregon and on the Molalla River in Clackamas County, while ensuring wildfire prevention work in both regions. The senators' Oregon Recreation Enhancement (ORE) Act would create the Rogue Canyon Recreation Area and the Molalla Recreation Area, expand the Wild Rogue  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on Feb. 15, 2023: * * * Oregon U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate voted 52-46 to confirm Oregon Supreme Court Associate Justice Adrienne Nelson's nomination to the U.S. District Court. "Today's vote adds to the U.S. District Court an extremely qualified Oregonian who brings her powerful combination of comprehensive legal experience and commitment to justic  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release ON Feb. 17, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the city of Portland and Habitat for Humanity of Oregon have each secured a $2 million federal Healthy Homes Production grant to make health and safety repairs to local housing as well as support cost-effective and efficient healthy homebuilding methods in their communities. "Housing that's affordable must also be safe and free of environ  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 17, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the city of Portland and Habitat for Humanity of Oregon have each secured a $2 million federal Healthy Homes Production grant to make health and safety repairs to local housing as well as support cost-effective and efficient healthy homebuilding methods in their communities. "Housing that's affordable must also be safe and free of envi  more