WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Aug. 21, 2023: Today, Congressman Earl Blumenauer led 169 House members in a bipartisan letter to the House Agriculture Committee urging them not to include the EATS Act from the 2023 Farm Bill. The EATS Act would prevent states and localities from regulating agricultural practices within their own borders. Critically, the EATS Act would threaten states' abilities to enact common-sense animal welfare pro  more

PORTLAND, Oregon, Aug. 23 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on Aug. 22, 2023: * * * Today, Congressman Earl Blumenauer released the following statement on the conclusion of the first Portland Central City Task Force meeting: "I appreciate the task force coming together to keep the momentum going and make progress on the challenges facing our Central City. "There is a shared recognition of how critical things are at this moment. Watching people come together is  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) has cosponsored the Help Ensure Lower Patient (HELP) Copays Act - a bipartisan effort to protect patients from harmful insurance and pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices that raise patients' out-of-pocket drug costs. Specifically, the proposal would prohibit the use of "copay accumulator" schemes that health plans and PBMs developed to pocket a patient's copay assi  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: In response to unprecedented passport processing delays at the Department of State, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) recently joined several of her colleagues to introduce the Passport Modernization Act. The bipartisan proposal seeks to make the passport application process easier and more efficient. The State Department is experiencing a post-pandemic travel surge, with a nearly 40 percent increase i  more

KETCHIKAN, Alaska, Aug. 22 -- Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, issued the following news release on Aug. 21, 2023: U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) port facility in Ketchikan to host the return of the NOAA ship Fairweather--an effort Sen. Sullivan has championed since coming to the Senate. A 2002 law authored by the late Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) mandated the Fairweather be hom  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Aug. 24, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced that four Oregon counties will receive a combined $25.7 million from the USDA Rural Development's ReConnect program to bring broadband to homes and businesses in the Mid-Valley and Central Coast. "I will not rest until 100 percent of Oregonians get the broadband necessary to access jobs, education and telehealth," said Wyden, who advocated for   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Aug. 22, 2023: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) today urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to expedite its work with states to expand automatic voter registration (AVR) through the Medicaid application process. Recently, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed legislation that authorizes the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to automatically  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Aug. 24, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced that the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians has secured a $482,325 federal grant to improve broadband service for its Tribal lands in southwest Oregon. "Federal investment in fast and dependable broadband is a must-do infrastructure priority, and those resources must include Tribal communities in Oregon and nationwide," said Wyden, who e  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Aug. 24, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced that six Oregon counties will receive a combined $19.3 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for culverts to encourage fish passage and species conservation. "Culverts and the Salmon SuperHwy are proven methods for tackling depleted salmon and steelhead stocks while preventing floods," said Wyden, who fought for crucial dollars to   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Aug. 22, 2023: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Oregon State University will receive nearly $160,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for disaster preparedness, innovation and education. "I'm all in to ensure Oregon's coastal communities have all the resources they need to prepare and then recover from a disaster that could strike at any moment," Wyden said  more