WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on June 13, 2023: * * * Today, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, released the following statement after his amendment to prevent Republicans' repeal of critical clean energy provisions failed in the Ways and Means Committee markup: "Last week, more than 64 million Americans in the Northeast confronted a stark climate reality: face hazardous, choking, wildfir  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 16, 2023: Today, U.S. Representatives Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) introduced The Expanding Access to (EAT) Healthy Foods from Local Farmers Act. This legislation aims to improve access to nutrition for American families by providing cost-free, healthy food from local farmers. Congresswoman Schrier's bill alters The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which is a fe  more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 13, 2023: During today's Education and the Workforce Committee hearing, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) pressed U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra on the department's failure to adequately vet sponsors for undocumented children arriving in the United States. The questioning followed a letter Chavez-DeRemer sent with Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05), which requested  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 14, 2023: Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) voted in favor of the REINS Act and the Separation of Powers Restoration Act, which both passed the U.S. House of Representatives this week. The two bills seek to restore checks and balances and separation of powers - two critical principles that ensure the federal government remains fair and accountable to the American people. Chavez-DeRemer became an   more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 14, 2023: As Juneteenth approaches, Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, New Jersey's U.S. Senator Cory Booker, and U.S. Representative Nikema Williams (D-GA-05) teamed up to introduce the Abolition Amendment, a bicameral resolution which would strike the 'Slavery Clause' of the 13th Amendment, a constitutional loophole which allows slavery "as a punishment for crime" in the United States. "This countr  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 16, 2023: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding the Port of Brookings Harbor $3.5 million for a community-initiated project for a wastewater treatment plant to support a sustainable future for the Port's fish processing industry and promote economic growth in the region. "Reliable infrastructure is critical to fis  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 16, 2023: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding the Port of Brookings Harbor $3.5 million for a community-initiated project for a wastewater treatment plant to support a sustainable future for the Port's fish processing industry and promote economic growth in the region. "Reliable infrastructure is critical to   more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 15, 2023: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved a total of $51,024,671 in combined loans and grants for deploying fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks in Wasco County and Clackamas County to provide high-speed internet to over 9,000 community members, business, and farms. "Reliable and affordable broadband has bec  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 15, 2023: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced the introduction of the Deschutes River Conservancy Reauthorization Act. This critical legislation would reauthorize the Deschutes River Conservancy's (DRC) eligibility to receive federal funding for water quality and conservation projects--efforts critical to the restoration of wildlife and reducing agricultural runoff in Cent  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 15, 2023: Today, Congressmen Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the Import Security and Fairness Actto stop non-market economies from exploiting the de minimis threshold and require Customs and Border Protection to collect more information on de minimis shipments. The de minimis threshold allows imports valued under $800 to come int  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on June 16, 2023: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., will convene a committee hearing on Thursday, June 22, 2023 titled "Cattle Supply Chains and Deforestation of the Amazon." The hearing will take place at 10:00 a.m. in Room 215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The witnesses at Thursday's hearing will be: * Ryan C. Berg, Ph.D., Director, America  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement at a hearing on tax provisions for supporting children and families, on June 14, 2023: * * * The Finance Committee meets this morning to talk about tax policy tools for helping children and families climb the economic ladder. There are a lot of policy issues involved here, but in my view, it all comes down to one basic question. Congress has a proven strategy for lifting   more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on June 15, 2023, and a letter: * * * Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today opened a wide-ranging investigation into the "merger" agreement between the PGA Tour and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF). In a letter to PGA leadership, Wyden sought the following: * Clarification on the framework of the deal between the PGA Tour a  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on June 15, 2023: * * * Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued a statement after the Republican Study Committee released its budget proposal. "The House Republican plan is a roadmap to ruin for Americans trying to make ends meet, and proof that Republicans are committed as ever to cutting Medicare and Medicaid while allowing Social Security to withe  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., today led colleagues in introducing legislation to help American families get access to the quality, affordable child care they need. The need to rebuild a stronger, more robust and more equitable child care system is more important than ever as working families across America struggle to access affordable,  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement at a hearing on June 8, 2023, entitled "Consolidation and Corporate Ownership in Health Care: Trends and Impacts on Access, Quality and Costs": * * * The Finance Committee meets this morning to discuss corporatization and consolidation in the health care system and the effect that has on what American families pay and how they get their health care. When I hold town halls   more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement at a joint roundtable discussion with the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee on June 7, 2023, entitled "Tackling Tax Complexity: The Small Business Perspective": * * * Let me welcome everybody to this morning's roundtable jointly hosted by the Finance and Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committees. I also want to recognize Chairman Cardin, also an inva  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release: Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Senate Finance Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) alongside U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), today introduced the Patients Before Middlemen (PBM) Act to delink the compensation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from drug price and utilization in o  more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today that he and Senate colleagues have reintroduced legislation that would strengthen school-based mental health services for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The Mental Health Services for Students Act would help schools in Oregon and nationwide partner with local mental health providers to establish on-site mental health services for students. The bill would also prov  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 16, 2023: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today that he and Senate colleagues have introduced legislation that would protect individuals from racial discrimination and foster economic inclusion. The Economic Inclusion Civil Rights Act would restore and strengthen Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, addressing the erosion of Section 1981's original guarantees by adopting a motivation test, allowing   more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 13, 2023, and a letter: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today that he and Senate colleagues are urging top federal officials to speed up the release of guidance urgently needed by state and local governments on what pandemic relief expenses qualify are eligible for critical infrastructure and disaster relief projects in Oregon and nationwide before these funds expire. "By leveraging these resources effectiv  more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 14, 2023: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., today introduced legislation to protect Americans' data from being exploited by unfriendly foreign nations, and apply tough criminal and civil penalties to prevent employees of foreign corporations like TikTok from accessing U.S. data from abroad. The Protecting Americans' Data from Foreign Surveillance Act of 2023 is co-sponsored  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 16, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that they and Senate colleagues have introduced legislation that would cut taxes for working families in Oregon and nationwide by expanding the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. "When Democrats expanded the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit in 2021, 3.7 million children were lifted out of poverty, providing familie  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 16, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that they and Senate colleagues have introduced legislation that would cut taxes for working families in Oregon and nationwide by expanding the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. * "When Democrats expanded the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit in 2021, 3.7 million children were lifted out of poverty, providing fa  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 15, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they and Senate colleagues have introduced legislation that would establish a new pilot program to provide comprehensive dental care to veterans in Oregon and nationwide diagnosed with diabetes and coronary artery disease. Funded for four years, the program would also study the health outcomes and cost effectiveness of such care, as well as pr  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 15, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they and Senate colleagues have introduced legislation that would establish a new pilot program to provide comprehensive dental care to veterans in Oregon and nationwide diagnosed with diabetes and coronary artery disease. Funded for four years, the program would also study the health outcomes and cost effectiveness of such care, as well as  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 16, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they and colleagues have reintroduced legislation that would codify and strengthen the right to contraception in Oregon and nationwide. "Right-wing extremists have made their agenda painfully clear: they will not rest until they have control over women's bodies, including the right to access safe medication," Wyden said. "For many Americans, b  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 16, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they and colleagues have reintroduced legislation that would codify and strengthen the right to contraception in Oregon and nationwide. "Right-wing extremists have made their agenda painfully clear: they will not rest until they have control over women's bodies, including the right to access safe medication," Wyden said. "For many Americans  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 16, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the McMinnville Municipal Airport has secured a $450,000 federal grant and the Gold Beach Municipal Airport has earned a $396,459 federal grant. "These federal investments support quality airports for Oregonians living and working in both communities, and counting on these facilities for the health of their economies as well as safety in   more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 16, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the McMinnville Municipal Airport has secured a $450,000 federal grant and the Gold Beach Municipal Airport has earned a $396,459 federal grant. "These federal investments support quality airports for Oregonians living and working in both communities, and counting on these facilities for the health of their economies as well as safety   more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 13, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the U.S. Forest Service has awarded Oregon more than $1.2 million to support wood products innovation in Oregon's manufacturing facilities and develop markets for innovative uses of mass timber and renewable wood energy. Projects also help to restore healthy forests and reduce wildfire risk. "These federal investments in our state's world  more

WASHINGTON, June 14 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 13, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the U.S. Forest Service has awarded Oregon more than $1.2 million to support wood products innovation in Oregon's manufacturing facilities and develop markets for innovative uses of mass timber and renewable wood energy. Projects also help to restore healthy forests and reduce wildfire risk. "These federal investments in our state's wo  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 16, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that all 36 Oregon counties will receive more than $27 million collectively this year from the federal Payments in Lieu of Taxes program that helps to cover the costs of important local services. "This annual federal investment in communities throughout Oregon and nationwide supports quality schools, reliable roads and stable public safety wit  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 16, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that all 36 Oregon counties will receive more than $27 million collectively this year from the federal Payments in Lieu of Taxes program that helps to cover the costs of important local services. "This annual federal investment in communities throughout Oregon and nationwide supports quality schools, reliable roads and stable public safety   more

WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on June 14, 2023, and a letter: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said today they have sent a letter to the Justice Department, raising serious concerns about the deal announced between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund to consolidate global golf-related business, including LIV Golf. In their letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Jonathan Kanter, Ass  more

WASHINGTON, June 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called for new protections against government purchases and surveillance of Americans' personal data, following the release of a report commissioned by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that raised new concerns about the practices. "I appreciate that DNI Haines kept her word to stand-up this review group and then to publish the results of their work. This review  more