WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- A coalition of 183 environmental, conservation, and outdoor recreation organizations has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service urging the agency to maintain the Roadless Conservation Area Rule. The groups, representing millions of members across the country, express concerns that rescinding the rule could jeopardize nearly 45 million acres of vital national forests, which play a crucial role in the ecological health of the   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- A coalition of 19 Attorneys General has submitted a public comment letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) urging the agency not to alter its supervision threshold for international money transfer providers. The letter responds to the CFPB's advance notice of proposed rulemaking, which proposes raising the threshold that qualifies entities as "larger participants" in the international money transfer market. The current threshold permits broader oversig  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- A coalition of 19 Attorneys General has expressed strong objections to proposed rule changes by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that could drastically reduce the number of automobile finance companies under its supervision. In a public comment letter submitted by attorneys general from eighteen states and the District of Columbia, the group stressed the importance of maintaining oversight amid increasing consumer complaints and industry risks. The CFPB is  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- A coalition of 19 Attorneys General has submitted a public comment letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) expressing opposition to the CFPB's advance notice of proposed rulemaking regarding the definition of "larger participants" in the consumer debt collection market. The proposed change could potentially reduce the number of debt collectors subject to the bureau's supervision, an idea the coalition believes is dangerous for consumer protections. The   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- A coalition of 19 Attorneys General has submitted a public comment letter urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to reconsider its proposal to raise the threshold for determining which consumer reporting entities are deemed "larger participants." The proposed adjustment would significantly decrease the number of entities under the bureau's supervision, a move that the attorneys general argue could harm consumers. The letter responds to the CFPB's advance   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 -- A coalition of 254 civil rights, social justice and consumer advocacy organizations has issued a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Education expressing strong opposition to a proposed rule that threatens the integrity of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The letter, filed in response to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published on August 18, critiques the proposed changes as unconstitutional and harmful to borrowers engaged in public servic  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- A coalition of 31 consumer advocacy and financial reform organizations has submitted a public comment letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) expressing strong opposition to proposed changes that could drastically reduce the number of companies deemed "larger participants" in the auto finance, debt collection, credit reporting, and international money transmission markets. The letter highlights that the CFPB's advance notices of proposed rulemaking (AN  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- A coalition of 31 consumer advocacy and public interest organizations submitted a public comment letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) expressing strong opposition to proposed changes that would narrow the definition of larger nonbank participants in several key financial markets. The letter, issued by numerous advocacy groups, highlights concerns over the potential reduction in oversight of auto finance, debt collection, credit reporting, and internat  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- Seven consumer advocacy organizations have submitted a public comment letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) urging the agency to reject plans to redefine the criteria for classifying larger participants in the auto finance market. The organizations argue that altering the existing definition would greatly diminish the oversight necessary to protect consumers, especially in a market increasingly plagued by debt. The commentary comes in response to the   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- Eight state Attorneys General have voiced their concerns in a public comment letter addressed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service regarding its proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. This rule has long provided essential environmental protections for nearly 45 million acres of national forest land, restricting road construction and logging activities to safeguard crucial ecosystems. The proposed action by the Forest Service could l  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- The Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project (BMBP) has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture opposing the proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The letter emphasizes that the Roadless Rule has been a cornerstone of conservation efforts, protecting over 58 million acres of critical undisturbed forest landscapes across the United States. According to BMBP, the Roadless Rule plays a vital role in sustaining clean drin  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 -- The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding the proposed rescission of the 2001 Roadless Rule. The Tribe's letter emphasizes the need for ongoing consultation with the U.S. Forest Service to address the implications of any changes to the Roadless Rule, particularly concerning their ceded lands. The Grand Ronde community, comprising over 30 ancestral tribes and bands with   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- The Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center issued a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service expressing strong opposition to proposed changes affecting the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The organization, which works to protect over eight million acres of public land within the Klamath-Siskiyou region, is concerned that rolling back this rule would negatively impact wildlife habitat and the vital sources of clean drinking water. The Kl  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 -- Lane County (Oregon) Public Health has expressed strong support for the Food and Drug Administration's proposed rulemaking concerning a Tobacco Product Standard for Nicotine Yield of Cigarettes and Certain Other Combusted Tobacco Products, as outlined in Docket No. FDA-2024-N-5471. This public comment letter commended the agency for its efforts to mitigate public health risks associated with tobacco use. In the letter, Lane County highlighted the pressing need for nicoti  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley Leads Senate Recognition of America's LGBTQ+ Veterans and Servicemembers Marking September 20 th as National LGBTQ+ Servicemembers & Veterans Day *  Today, Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley introduced a resolution recognizing September 20, 2025, as National LGBTQ+ Servicemembers and Veterans Day--continuing his longtime work as a champion in Congress to restore full honor to veterans and   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following news release on Sept. 22, 2025: * * * Merkley Leads Senators in Demanding CBO Probe Trump's Wasteful Use of Taxpayer Dollars in Renaming Department of Defense Without Action from Congress, Trump's Move to Rename Department of Defense is Unofficial * Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, led nine of his Senate colleagues in  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has submitted a public comment letter addressing the proposed actions by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) primarily focusing on the Forest Service's intentions to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) regarding the management of inventoried roadless areas covering approximately 44.7 million acres of National Forest System lands. This review seeks to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, wh  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: * * * Welch, Wyden, Bennet, Jayapal Reintroduce Bicameral Legislation to Improve Child Nutrition * WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, joined Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07) in reintroducing the Local School Foods Expansion   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- The White House issued the following fact sheet on Sept. 22, 2025: * * * President Donald J. Trump Designates Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization DESIGNATING ANTIFA AS A DOMESTIC TERRORIST ORGANIZATION: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Order to designate Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. * The Order notes that Antifa is a militarist, anarchist enterprise that calls for the overthrow of the U.S. government, law enforcement authorities, and   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden, Gillibrand, Blumenthal Lead Calls to Halt Experiment to Undermine Traditional Medicare Ranking Members Lead 18 Senate Democrats as Trump Administration Moves Ahead with WISeR Experiment, Which Hands Health Care Decisions to AI and Private Health Insurance Companies for Doctors and Seniors in Traditional Medicare * Senate Finance Committee Ranking   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden, Merkley Call on Trump Administration to Secure Oregonians' Food Benefits Against Hackers and Thieves * Wyden renews calls for passage of bipartisan bill to protect SNAP benefits nationwide following spike of SNAP skimming in Eastern Oregon Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today called on the Trump administration to take immediate action to protect Supplemental Nu  more