WASHINGTON, July 9 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley today responded to the Trump administration's attempts to rip health care away from tens of millions of Americans by introducing a new resolution supporting a "health care bill of rights" for all Americans. Merkley was joined by Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Maggie Hassan  more

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Today, Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced a bicameral Congressional resolution declaring the climate crisis a national emergency. This resolution, which was cosponsored by over a dozen House Members and 6 Senators, and endorsed by 14 independent organizations, urgently demands a national mobilization to "halt, reverse, mitig  more

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release: Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA) announced the Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled "State of Aviation Safety." The hearing will gather government and stakeholder perspectives on the state of aviation safety, includi  more

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release: * * * - Legislation protecting the U.S. aviation industry and jobs from unfair international competition * * * Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Sharice Davids (D-KS), Ranking   more

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on the extent to which the Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service collaborate on oversight of prohibited transaction rules for individual retirement accounts. The report (GAO-19-495) is titled "Individual Retirement Accounts: Formalizing Labor's and IRS's Collaborative Efforts Could Strengthen Oversight of Prohibited Transactions". The report was sent to Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the S  more

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release: Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and Chair of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), announced the Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, "Oversight of the Federal Transit Administration's Implementation of the Capital Investment Grant Program."  more

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Bicameral, bipartisan bill keeps libraries open at summer meal sites * * * Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley, along with Congressmen Joseph Morelle (D-NY-25) and John Katko (R-NY-24), today introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Summer Meals and Learning Act of 2019--legislation to address summer learning inequality by keeping school libraries open at schools that already serve free summer meals. "Every  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley, joined by Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), today introduce  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced over $7.5 million in federal grants that will help Oregon airports fund installation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction projects to modernize facilities and improve safety. "Airports across our state play a critical role in connecting Oregonians with economic opportunities and critical resources," Merkley said. "I'm going to keep using my position  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced over $7.5 million in federal grants that will help Oregon airports fund installation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction projects to modernize facilities and improve safety. "Airports across our state play a critical role in connecting Oregonians with economic opportunities and critical resources," Merkley said. "I'm going to keep using my position on  more

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Senators urge Secretary to avoid mistakes made in previous program rollouts * * * Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today pressed the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie to not repeat the same mistakes of the Veterans Choice Program when establishing the new Veterans Community Care Program. Congress passed the VA MISSION Act in 2018 to strengthen VA Com  more

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Senators urge Secretary to avoid mistakes made in previous program rollouts * * * Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today pressed the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie to not repeat the same mistakes of the Veterans Choice Program when establishing the new Veterans Community Care Program. Congress passed the VA MISSION Act in 2018 to strengthen VA Commun  more

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, chair of the House Education and Labor subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services, issued the following statement after the resignation of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta: "As a prosecutor, Alexander Acosta denied survivors justice and gave Jeffrey Epstein, who was and is accused of child sex trafficking, a deal that did not serve justice. We have had concerns about the case since his nomination, and his resignation is long overdue.   more

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following statement regarding the Lights for Liberty rallies: "As thousands take part in vigils across Oregon, the U.S., and the globe, I rise today in strong opposition to the Trump administration's inhumane detention policies. These policies and practices have led to families being ripped apart, children dying, and a shameful chapter written in our nation's history. "That's why I voted for the House-passed bill which had strong   more

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following statement condemning President Trump's planned deportation raids: "The Trump administration's plans to execute massive raids across the country are nothing more than an assault on vulnerable immigrant children and families, many whose only crime is being here in this country without proper documentation. These cruel tactics will likely destroy families, ruin lives, and tear apart communities. "I am in full support of det  more

WASHINGTON, July 13 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following speech, which was published in the Congressional Record July 12: As thousands take part in vigils across Oregon, the U.S., and the globe, I rise today in strong opposition to the Trump administration's inhumane detention policies. These policies and practices have led to families being ripped apart, children dying, and a shameful chapter written in our nation's history. That's why I voted for the House-passed bill which   more

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Congressman Kurt Schrader (OR-05) voted for the National Defense Authorization for Fiscal Year 2020 Act today which included his amendments to protect the rights of Oregon veterans, increase Department of Defense transparency, and reduce government waste. The overall defense package includes a pay raise for our service members, provides key reforms for military housing improvements, requires stricter Congres  more

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following opening remarks at the Subcommittee on Energy hearing entitled "Keeping The Lights On: Addressing Cyber Threats to the Grid": "By any measure, the reliable supply of electricity is an essential part of almost everything we do. And, as we've learned in previous briefings and hearings, in today's highly interconnected, digital world, the threat of cyberatta  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following opening remarks at the Subcommittee on Health markup of legislation aimed to improve public health and reauthorize health programs: "First, we will be marking up a package of several public health related measures as well as a number of Medicare policies and extenders. "The Reauthorizing and Extending America's Community Health, or REACH Act, provides fo  more

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following opening remarks at the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce markup on six legislation aimed to protect consumers from dangerous products: "Today, we will consider six bills under the Consumer Product Safety Commission's jurisdiction: H.R. 2211, H.R. 3172, H.R. 3170, H.R. 1618, H.R. 806, and H.R. 2647. All of these bills were discussed at the l  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission announced a plan to implement provisions from the Ray Baum's Act to ban malicious spoofing calls and text messages: * * * - RAY BAUM's ACT, named after La Grande native, reauthorized FCC for first time in 28 years * * * Today, Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River) released the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a plan t  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement on the advancement of the No Surprises Act (H.R. 3630) from the Subcommittee on Health to the full committee for consideration: "To Sonji Wilkes - who received a $50,000 bill because her son stayed 50 steps from her in the NICU for one night - and to the countless others who have experienced a surprise medical bill: we are fighting for you. "Th  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement on the Subcommittee on Health passage of the Community Health Investment Modernization and Excellence Act (H.R. 2328) that reauthorizes Community Health Center funding for four years and included an amendment to eliminate cuts to Disproportionate Share Hospitals for the next two years: "Today marks another step forward in this Committee's bipart  more

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement on the importance of continuing to work on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances legislation through the committee process: "The House Energy and Commerce Committee takes our responsibility to keep our communities safe very seriously. "We tackle complicated issues and we work to get it right - using deliberation and in this case, the scientific p  more

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement praising President Trump for signing an executive order to improve kidney health: "I am thrilled to see President Donald Trump sign an executive order on kidney health - the first in more than 40 years. This will help the millions of Americans who suffer from a kidney disease by increasing the options patients have, such as increasing home dialy  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following statement on President Trump for signing an executive order to improve kidney health: "I am thrilled to see President Donald Trump sign an executive order on kidney health -- the first in more than 40 years. This will help the millions of Americans who suffer from a kidney disease by expanding the options patients have, such as increasing home dialysis and encouraging early stage transplants. "But more than that, the Admi  more

WASHINGTON, July 8 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement after President Trump praised the committee's efforts from last Congress on his speech: * * * - Key E&C Efforts from Last Congress Highlighted * * * "The Trump administration has demonstrated that economic growth and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive principles. We can do both. "I am proud that President Trump highlighted ou  more

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release: The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health advanced several key pieces of legislation to the full committee such as reauthorizing Community Health centers and public health programs, protecting patients from surprise medical bills and delaying funding cuts to Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH). The Health Subcommittee forwarded the f  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Reps. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Grace Napolitano, D-California, chairman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, issued the following statements at a hearing entitled "Water Resources Development Acts: Status of Implementation And Assessing Future Needs": Chair DeFazio: "For nearly 200 years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has played a central role in addressing the Nation'  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Ranking Member Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission announced a plan to implement provisions from the RAY BAUM'S Act to ban spoofing calls and text messages: * * * - FCC Using Authorities Required by the Act to Ban Malicious Spoofing Calls, Texts * * * "Last Congress, we began legislating against fraudulent robocall  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Chairman Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, issued the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission announced a plan to implement provisions from the RAY BAUM'S Act to ban spoofing calls and text messages: "Last Congress, we began legislating against fraudulent robocalls and spoofing with the RAY BAUM'S Act, arming the FCC with new tools to protect consum  more

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following statement calling on Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta to resign: Merkley's call follows new details about the serial sexual abuse of children by Jeffrey Epstein, a powerful financier with whom Acosta negotiated a lenient 2007 plea deal when Acosta was serving as U.S. attorney in Florida: "Over many years, Jeffrey Epstein concocted and executed a diabolical scheme so that he could prey on and sexually abuse dozens of childr  more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Trump administration's proposed policy change would end protections against deportation of military spouses & families, threatening military readiness * * * Following reports that the Trump administration is ending protections against the deportation of military families whose loved ones are deployed, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today joined with 21 Senate colleagues to demand the administration reverse cours  more

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following joint statement regarding the U.S. Trade Representative's opening of a section 301 investigation under the Trade Act of 1974 of a proposed digital services tax being pursued by France: "The digital services tax that France and other European countries are pursuing is clearly protectionist and unfairly targets American companies in a way that   more

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today joined U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats to introduce the Stop Cruelty to Migrant Children Act. This new legislation, supported by more than three dozen Senators, would put an end to the Trump administration's cruel and neglectful treatment of children at the U.S.-Mexico border and reform how children fleeing persecution are trea  more

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Oregon senators introduce bill ahead of Trump's Planned ICE raids Sunday * * * Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week introduced legislation to block immigration enforcement actions at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals and religious institutions without prior approval and exigent circumstances. The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act codifies the Department of Homeland S  more

WASHINGTON, July 12 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Oregon senators introduce bill ahead of Trump's Planned ICE raids Sunday * * * Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week introduced legislation to block immigration enforcement actions at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals and religious institutions without prior approval and exigent circumstances. The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act codifies the Department of Homeland Secu  more

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Declaration opens up opportunity for aid to help Curry, Douglas, Grant, Linn, Umatilla and Wheeler counties after spring storms * * * U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio and Greg Walden today announced that federal officials have determined the spring storms that hit Curry, Douglas, Grant, Linn, Umatilla and Wheeler counties qualified as major disasters. This announceme  more

WASHINGTON, July 10 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Declaration opens up opportunity for aid to help Curry, Douglas, Grant, Linn, Umatilla and Wheeler counties after spring storms * * * U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio and Greg Walden today announced that federal officials have determined the spring storms that hit Curry, Douglas, Grant, Linn, Umatilla and Wheeler counties qualified as major disasters. This announcement   more