WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Oregon, chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries, issued the following news release: The Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held an oversight hearing on the Biden administration's recent attempts to eliminate the Lower Snake River dams. Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) issued the following statement in response: "Today's Congressional hearing called out the Biden Administration for enga  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, DC [12/11/23] - Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced bipartisan legislation to accelerate innovation in teaching and learning by establishing a national center to promote informed-risk, high-reward education research. The New Essential Education Discoveries (NEED) Act of 2023 would create a National Center for Advanced Development in   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, DC [12/15/23] -Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (R-Puerto Rico), Co-Chairs of the House Oceans Caucus, introduced legislation to help remove marine debris from the ocean and waterways. H.R. 6781 would reauthorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Marine Debris Program through 2028. The representatives introduced the bill ahead of   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Morgan McGarvey (D-KY) led 25 of their colleagues in drawing attention to the decline in federal housing assistance programs for families with children.  Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit are two of the largest federal housing programs that can help prevent homelessness. Unfortunately, data from the Department of Housing and Urban De  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, D.C. - Reps. Derek Kilmer (WA-06) and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) have introduced the bipartisan Investing in Digital Skills Act, which seeks to expand training opportunities around digital skills and digital literacy. "In today's technologically advanced economy, digital literacy is critical for building a well-rounded workforce," said Chavez-DeRemer. "Our bipartisan Digital Skills Act wi  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Nicole G. Berner, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit; Adeel Abdullah Mangi, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit; Amy M. Baggio, to be United States District Judge for the Dist  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on Dec. 13, 2023: U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Nicole G. Berner, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit; Adeel Abdullah Mangi, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit; A  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce passed H.R. 6655, A Stronger Workforce for America Act. The workforce development legislation contains two bills led by Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05): the Opioid Crisis Workforce Act and the Investing in Digital Skills Act. "Supporting workforce development is imperative as we continue working to improve our communities a  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act, which increases price transparency throughout the health care system, addresses the soaring cost of prescription medication, and provides patients with timely information about the cost of procedures and services. The Health Data Access, Transparency, and Affordability (DATA) Act, a bipartisan bil  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, D.C. - Last night, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, who serves as Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and previously worked as a missionary in Honduras, concluded a bicameral congressional delegation visit to Guatemala and Honduras to meet with elected officials, the private sector, and civil society leaders. Kaine led the delegation, which included U.S. Senators Di  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley joined U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) in the introduction of the Fishing Industry Safety, Health, and Wellness Improvement (FISH Wellness) Act, bipartisan legislation that would build upon the success of the Commercial Fishing Occupational Safety Research & Training Program to better address the range of occupational safety a  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Washington, D.C. - As climate chaos intensifies, threatening more than one million species and creating an unprecedented biodiversity crisis, Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley introduced a resolution in the Senate today to establish a National Biodiversity Strategy. "As the impacts of climate chaos become deadlier and more frequent--threatening our health, planet, and future--we must continue to do all we c  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a total of $164,343 in U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Housing Preservation grants are heading to assist with badly-needed home repairs in rural Harney and Malheur counties. "When home repairs are critical to health and safety, we need to come together as a community to make sure they get done," said Merkley  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a total of $3,669,840 in federal funding heading to three Oregon counties to develop and update comprehensive road and street safety plans. "Whether walking, driving, or biking, Oregonians in every corner of the state deserve safe streets in their communities to get where they need to go," said Merkley. "These investments wi  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a total of $3,669,840 in federal funding heading to three Oregon counties to develop and update comprehensive road and street safety plans. "Whether walking, driving, or biking, Oregonians in every corner of the state deserve safe streets in their communities to get where they need to go," said Merkley. "These investments will   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on Dec. 14, 2023: * * * Following her 'No' vote on the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle (OR-04) released the following statement. "Today I voted against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which extends mass government surveillance of Americans' communications for effectively 16 months without any reforms. This bill also does nothing to put a stop to our en  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 -- Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 15, 2023: This week, U.S. Representative Val Hoyle's (OR-04) "Supporting Commercial Fishing in Port Infrastructure Projects Act" (H.R. 4618) passed both the House and Senate as part of the Maritime Administration (MARAD) Reauthorization Act. President Biden is expected to sign this bill into law. H.R. 4618 will ensure ports can apply for infrastructure grants that support commercial fishing, bolster jobs  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following floor statement on Dec. 12, 2023, on solving the national housing crisis: * * * I come to the floor today to talk about something I've heard raised in nearly every single one of the 1,065 open-to-all town halls I've held in every county across Oregon: our nation's housing crisis. Oregonians from Brookings to Baker City and everywhere in between are facing rising rent and housing cos  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on Dec. 15, 2023: * * * Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on new guidance from the U.S. Department of Treasury on the sustainable aviation fuel credit: "Thanks to Senator Brown's leadership, Congress passed this innovative credit to tackle one of the hardest-to-decarbonize sectors and to reward American fuel producers   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on Dec. 14, 2023: * * * Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on new guidance from the U.S. Department of Treasury on the advanced manufacturing production credit for solar, wind, battery and critical mineral supply chains: "I wrote the Inflation Reduction Act to make an historic investment in clean energy manufacturing he  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2023: Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., with Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., revealed that major pharmacy chains fail to protect the privacy of their customers, in the results of a new inquiry released today. The members called on the Department of Health and Human Services to improve federal health privacy regula  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., today introduced legislation that would end hours-long lines at polling places that suppress hundreds of thousands of votes, and restore Americans' constitutional rights to vote in free and fair elections. "Oregonians are fortunate to have the option to vote at home, but many other voters nationwide lack that opportunity and shouldn't  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Washington D.C.--U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he is asking federal officials to act immediately to prevent concessionaire mismanagement from continuing to pose safety risks to Crater Lake National Park, its visitors, and the employees who live and work at this world-renowned natural treasure in southern Oregon. "The annual concessionaire assessments paint a troubling picture of the concessionaire's fulfill  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he reintroduced legislation that reauthorizes and modernizes the Health Profession Opportunity Grant program to help address health care shortages in Oregon and nationwide and create pathways to high quality, in-demand health care careers. "Addressing the nation's health care worker shortage means helping struggling families with job opportunities," said  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Watch a video of Wyden deliver his remarks here As prepared for delivery Chairman Durbin, Ranking Member Graham, members of the committee, I'm very pleased to join you this morning to introduce Judge Amy Baggio, nominee for the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. Judge Baggio comes before the Committee today with extensive experience as both a jurist and a litigator. That experience includes four   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he's joined Senate colleagues from both parties to urge federal officials to provide clear guidance and communication to students, families, educators, college access counselors, and schools leading up to and after the release of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The redesigned FAFSA will make it easier for students to get financial a  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he's joined Senate colleagues to urge top federal officials to increase the Department of Agriculture's research budget by at least five percent, plus inflation, for Fiscal Year 2025. "As the President's Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget request is prepared, we request that an increase of at least five percent, plus inflation, above the FY 2024 funding levels pro  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland to introduce legislation that would phase out single-use plastic foam food service products, "loose fill" such as packing peanuts, and non-medical disposable coolers - materials known to harm human health and pollute waterways. The Farewell to Foam Act they introduced along with Senate a  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) to introduce the Eliminating Bias in Algorithmic Systems (BIAS) Act to ensure that every federal agency that uses, funds, or oversees artificial intelligence has an office of civil rights focused on combating AI bias and discrimination, among other harms. "There is no place for racial and eth  more