WASHINGTON, July 30 (Rep.) -- House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release: * * * "50 States of Fraud" * On 60th Anniversary of Medicaid, Speaker Johnson highlights waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid across the country WASHINGTON -- Sixty years ago today, Medicaid was created as an important safety net for pregnant women, single mothers, low-income seniors, and Americans with disabilities. Since then, the program has become dramatically expanded beyond its or  more

WASHINGTON, July 31 -- Sixteen State Attorneys General submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The letter addresses the department's interim final rule, "Withdrawing the Attorney General's Delegation of Authority," which pertains to the restoration of firearms rights under 18 U.S.C. Sec. 925(c). The Attorneys General urged the department to consider evidence from states' experiences with firearms rights restoration to inform its actions. They highlighted state  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Coast Guard issued the following news release: * * * Coast Guard medevacs woman from cruise ship 120 miles off Washington coast * ASTORIA, Ore. - A Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter crew from Air Station Astoria, Oregon, medevaced a woman experiencing a health emergency onboard the cruise ship Carnival Legend nearly 120 miles west of Grays Harbor, Washington, Tuesday night. The cruise ship was transiting from Prince Rupert, British  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: * * * Crapo, Warner Lead Bipartisan Push Urging Timely Deployment of Federal Funds to Community Lenders * Washington, D.C.-- U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Mark R. Warner (D-Virginia), co-chairs of the Senate Community Development Finance Caucus, today led a bipartisan group of Senators in a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, urging swift action to disburse congre  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Hoyle, Wyden, Merkley: Federal Disaster Relief Coming to Southern Oregon Flooding Recovery * UPDATE 7/29 | 4:45PM PT: Merkley, Wyden, and Hoyle have been informed that FEMA denied Governor Kotek's Major Disaster Declaration request to provide support to eligible individuals and households in Coos, Curry, and Douglas counties through the Individual Assistance (IA) program. Additionally, FEMA denied the O  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, issued the following news release: * * * In Aftermath of Tsunami Alert, Cantwell Thanks First Responders & NOAA: "Those Warnings Were Made Possible Because Of The Incredible Work of NOAA Employees" * 07.30.25 Tsunami warning comes on the heels of Cantwell's letter to Trump calling for more NOAA investments in ocean data collection, emergency alert systems WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell thanked first responde  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley Statement on His Bipartisan Bill to Rein in TSA Facial Recognition Technology at Airports Nationwide * Washington, D.C. - Today, Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley--a longtime leader in sounding the alarm on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)'s use of facial recognition technology--issued the following statement on his Traveler Privacy Protection Act : "No one should be requir  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley, Lujan Demand Public Release of Epstein Files * Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and New Mexico's U.S. Senator Ben Ray Lujan launched an effort to direct the U.S. Department of Justice to publicly release all files relating to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. Merkley and Lujan introduced the Epstein Files Transparency Act to provide full transpar  more

SAN FRANCISCO, California, July 30 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics - Western Regional Information Office issued the following report: * * * Oregon Job Openings and Labor Turnover -- May 2025 * Oregon had 86,000 job openings in May 2025, compared to 89,000 openings in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the job openings rate in Oregon was 4.1 percent in May and 4.2 perce  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- The Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance issued the following news release: * * * SBA Offers Relief to Idaho Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by July Drought * SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the availability of low-interest federal disaster loans to small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Idaho to offset economic losses caused by drought. The disaster declarati  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- The Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance issued the following news release: * * * SBA Offers Relief to Washington Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by Drought * SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the availability of low interest federal disaster loans to small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Washington to offset economic losses caused by drought beginning July 8.   more

WASHINGTON, July 31 (TNSLrpt) -- A report from Ocean Conservancy reveals sobering results: American states average just 1.5 stars out of five in efforts to curb plastic pollution, with 44 of 50 states plus D.C. scoring below 3 stars, indicating widespread need for policy improvements. In its most comprehensive state-level benchmark yet, Ocean Conservancy evaluated over 20 policy factors, including single-use plastic bans, microplastics regulation, extended producer responsibility, bottle deposi  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Warren, Markey, Merkley, Whitehouse Press Top Trump Officials on Rising Electricity Prices for Americans * Consumers face higher electricity prices than when Biden left office, despite Trump campaign promise to cut energy and electricity prices in half Text of Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), joined by Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), an  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Coast Guard issued the following news release: * * * WEATHER ALERT: Tsunami advisory in effect for state of California * ALAMEDA, Calif. -- As of 9:26 PDT, the National Weather Service has initiated a Tsunami Warning from Cape Mendocino to north of the California/Oregon border. An Advisory is in effect from Cape Mendocino to the California/Mexico border. According to the National Weather Service, a tsunami is expected that cou  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: * * * Whitehouse, Grassley Lead Bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Justice Grant Reauthorization Act * Grant program comes from Whitehouse's bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Pr  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden Calls for Investigation Into Reported Diversion of Resources From Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Investigations By Department of Homeland Security * Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called for an immediate investigation of reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has drastically diverted resources away from investigations into serious crimes against children,   more

WASHINGTON, July 31 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on July 30, 2025: * * * Wyden Statement on Trump Plan to Privatize Social Security Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement after reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent outlined how a provision in the Republican budget bill will operate as a backdoor tool to privatize Social Security. "Calling this a f  more