WASHINGTON, July 16 -- The Education and Labor subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services issued the following statement by Chair Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, at a hearing entitled "Strengthening Federal Support to End Youth Homelessness": "We are here today to discuss our responsibility to provide every child and youth with a safe and stable environment to learn and grow. "Today, millions of youth across the country do not have access to a stable home. For many of them, the effects of hom  more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- 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 Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) announced the Subcommittee will hold a roundtable on railroad shippers. The purpose of this roundtable is to learn from railroad shippers about  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Reps. 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 Water Resources and Environment Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA) reacted to news that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has sent its final rule to repeal the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule to the White  more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- 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, "Examining the Federal Role in Improving School Bus Safety." The purpose of this hearing is to evaluate cu  more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on planned improvements to aircraft surveillance. The report (GAO-19-532) is titled "Air Traffic Control: FAA's Analysis of Costs and Benefits Drove Its Plans to Improve Surveillance in U.S. Oceanic Airspace". The report was sent to Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman, and Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri, ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on July 17. Here are excerpts of summari  more

WASHINGTON, July 20 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on the Department of Transportation's process for evaluating and selecting applications for awards. The report (GAO-19-541) is titled "Discretionary Transportation Grants: Actions Needed to Improve Consistency and Transparency in DOT's Application Evaluations". The report was sent to Sen. Roger F. Wicker, R-Mississippi, chairman, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and   more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on the use of medication synchronization. The report (GAO-19-520) is titled "Medicare: Limited Information Exists on the Effects of Synchronizing Medication Refills". The report was sent to Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, chairman, Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking member of the House Energy   more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 116-148) on legislation (H.R. 1984) to amend chapter 11 of title 31, U.S. Code, to require the director of the Office of Management and Budget to annually submit to congress a report on all disaster-related assistance provided by the federal government. The report was advanced by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, on July 11. Excerpts of the report follow: Purpose of Legislation The purpose of H.R.  more

WASHINGTON, July 20 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 116-145) on legislation (H.R. 1306) to amend the Disaster Recovery Reform Act to develop a study regarding streamlining and consolidating information collection and preliminary damage assessments. The report was advanced by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, on July 11. Excerpts of the report follow: Purpose of Legislation The purpose of H.R. 1306, the Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act,   more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 116-147) on legislation (H.R. 2502) to amend title 40, U.S. Code, to require certain prospectuses for public buildings to be made publicly available. The report was advanced by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, on July 11. Excerpts of the report follow: Purpose of Legislation The purpose of H.R. 2502, the Transparency in Federal Buildings Projects Act of 2019, is to require the General Services Ad  more

WASHINGTON, July 20 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 116-146) on legislation (H.R. 1311) to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to ensure that unmet needs after a major disaster are met. The report was advanced by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, on July 11. Excerpts of the report follow: Purpose of Legislation The purpose of H.R. 1311 is to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance   more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Thirteen months after his first trip to McAllen, Texas pushed the issue of family separation to the top of the national debate, Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley returned to McAllen today with a delegation of 12 Senate Democrats. Merkley helped lead the on-the-ground mission to investigate the Trump policies that have created overcrowding and suffering, as Senate Democrats responded to the latest Trump administr  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - The Good Jobs for 21st Century Energy Act will ensure that new jobs in the renewable energy economy are reliable, living-wage jobs with benefits * * * At a press conference at the U.S. Capitol, Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley and AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka today unveiled the Good Jobs for 21st Century Energy Act, major new legislation to create good-paying jobs in the transition to clean ene  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release: * * * - Because of slow-moving approval process since 2017, analysis shows local governments scrambled to make up at least $845 million in extra costs unnecessarily caused by Federal Transit Administration * * * Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) released the findings of the Co  more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following speech, which was published in the Congressional Record on July 17, introducing a resolution formally condemning the Trump Administration's systematic cruel and inhumane treatment of migrants, particularly children, at the southern border: Today I introduced a resolution formally condemning the Trump Administration's systematic cruel and inhumane treatment of migrants, particularly children, at the southern border. Thi  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, chair of the House Education and Labor subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services, issued the following statement on the House passage of the Raise the Wage Act: The Raise the Wage Act gradually raises the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour by 2025, indexes future minimum wage increases to median wage growth, and phases out the subminimum wages for tipped workers, youth, and workers with disabilities. The federal minimum w  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following opening remarks at a hearing entitled "Oversight of the Federal Transit Administration's Implementation of the Capital Investment Grant Program": "Since the election in 2016, I have been cautiously optimistic that the President and Congress could really work together and invest in the rebuilding of America. President Trump was clear in his public statem  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on a resolution (H.Res. 498) to impeach President Trump: "President Trump's recent remarks about four duly-elected Members of Congress were, without a doubt, racist and xenophobic. He has moved from tropes and dog-whistles to full-throated racist attacks, and his words and actions are unacceptable. "However, racism and bigotry, while abhorrent, are not impeachable offenses. Impeachment is one of the most seriou  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following speech, which was published in the Congressional Record on July 15, supporting the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2020 (H.R. 2500): Last Friday I voted in support of H.R. 2500, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. While I have consistently opposed this legislation in previous years and still have concerns about a number of provisions included in this year's legislation--  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Massachusetts, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following joint statement after the announcement of a final rule by the Trump administration that would ease restrictions on arbitration agreements that nursing homes can use to limit legal action in the event of harm or death of a patient: * * * - New Regulations Would Limit Seniors' Le  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Last weekend, Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River) appeared on KATU's "Your Voice, Your Vote." Walden, who had just finished a 13 town hall tour across the vast Second District, discussed what he heard about most while on the road. He said preparing for fire season and forest management was one of the top issues raised. "Fire season is approaching, that is a big issue and topic especially in the rural p  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following opening remarks at the full committee markup of 26 bills: "Today, we'll consider bipartisan legislation to address a challenge that nearly every American with a telephone faces - illegal robocalls - through the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act. I'd like to thank Chairman Pallone, and Mr. Doyle and Mr. Latta for their partnership on this legislation to protect c  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following opening remarks at the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing entitled "Oversight of Federal Efforts to Combat the Spread of Illicit Fentanyl": "Fentanyl is so deadly that a piece the size of a few grains of salt can kill you, and reportedly led to 49 deaths in Oregon in 2017. Ridding our communities of fentanyl is a key piece of combating t  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following opening remarks at the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing entitled "Our Wireless Future: Building A Comprehensive Approach to Spectrum Policy": "I want to welcome our witnesses to this hearing on spectrum. Almost two years ago, we held a hearing on the so-called Race to 5G, and as I said at the hearing - this is a sprint, not a marathon  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement: Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR) released the following statement on the passage of bills to combat illegal robocalls, protect consumers, improve energy systems and delivery, strengthen America's public health programs and shield Americans from surprise medical bills through the Energy and Commerce Committee.   more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following statement after his visit to the southern border regarding the humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border: Over the weekend, Walden went to Carrizo Springs, Texas and Yuma, Arizona to tour key border sites including facilities operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and an Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) temporary influx shelter. Walden also received a tour of the U.S.-- Mexican border near Yuma, Arizon  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following statement after the Energy and Commerce Committee passed legislation that would improve the lives of Oregonians: One of the many bipartisan bills passed by the Committee was the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, which would require phone carriers to implement call authentication technology so that consumers can trust their caller ID at no cost to them. According to one study, last year 47.8 billion illegal robocalls were placed n  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following statement on President Trump's tweets about certain Members of Congress: "America is a nation of immigrants and I do not, and will never, condone discrimination. The President's recent tweets do not reflect the values that we hold dear in America and they are comments that should not be made about any American citizen regardless of who they are or where they work. "Comments like these and others stating that CBP agents ar  more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release: Welcome to the Friday Round-Up from the Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans. It's been a busy week at E&C with a full committee markup and two hearings. 1. Full Committee Markup This week there was a full committee markup on over 20 pieces of legislation, touching a range of issues from illegal robocalls, surprise medical bills, pub  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Reps. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rick Larsen, D-Washington, chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation, issued the following opening remarks at a hearing entitled "State of Aviation Safety": Chair DeFazio: "Ensuring the safety of our nation's transportation systems is the most important job of this Committee, and today we will hear about many areas in which safety needs to be improved. "Although fata  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- 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 joint statement on full committee passage of the No Surprises Act (H.R. 3630): * * * - The Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Patients from Surprise Medical Bills Advanced Out of Committee by Voice Vote * * * "Today the Energy and Commerce Committee took a significant step forward in our determined effort to protect pa  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Today, Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Ted Yoho (R-FL) introduced the bipartisan Advancing Emergency Preparedness Through One Health Act. This legislation would improve public health preparedness in the event of an emergency by helping federal agencies implement a "One Health" approach. The One Health concept recognizes that the health of people is connected to the health of animals and the environment. "As   more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Reps. Fred Upton, R-Michigan, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Energy, and Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following joint statement on the passage of energy bills through the committee: "These bills reflect this Committee's commitment to strengthening energy delivery, security, and reliability for Americans. "We are advancing legislation to bolster our protections against cy  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Reps. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Michael Burgess, R-Texas, ranking Republican member of the Subcommittee on Health, issued the following joint statement on full committee passage of bills to strengthen America's public health programs: "The Energy and Commerce Committee has a strong history of working diligently to strengthen America's public health programs, and we are staying true to that history toda  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following joint statement with Reps. S. Brett Guthrie, R-Kentucky, ranking Republican member of the Subcommittee Oversight and Investigations, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Washington, ranking Republican member of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, on the exploratory report the Athlete and National Governing Bodies Engagement Commission, or Border  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Reps. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Robert E. Latta, R-Ohio, ranking Republican member of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, issued the following joint statement on full committee passage of the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act: "Even in a divided Congress, it is our job to act and to solve problems on behalf of the American people. Nearly 50 billion illegal robocalls were placed last year. "The  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- 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 joint statement on full committee passage of the No Surprises Act (H.R. 3630): * * * "Today the Energy and Commerce Committee took a significant step forward in our determined effort to protect patients and families from surprise medical bills. "From the outset, our top priority has been to hold patients ha  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Reps. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Washington, ranking Republican member of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, issued the following joint statement on full committee passage of six consumer safety bills: "Today is about protecting America's consumers, families, and children - a bipartisan priority we can all support. "The six proposals we are advancing today w  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Reps. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Fred Upton, R-Michigan, ranking Republican member of the Subcommittee on Energy, issued the following joint statement on full committee passage of energy bills: "These bills reflect this Committee's commitment to strengthening energy delivery, security, and reliability for Americans. "We are advancing legislation to bolster our protections against cybersecurity threats   more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on July 17, on the Stop Cruelty to Migrant Children Act: Tonight I am rising to talk about legislation that I have introduced that now has 40 Senators sponsoring it. It is called the Stop Cruelty to Migrant Children Act. I think all of us in America have seen so many stories of refugee children being treated in a horrific manner at the border or beyond the border   more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on July 17, on the Affordable Care Act: On October 22, 2018, the Departments of Health and Human Services and the Treasury issued a document, entitled State Relief and Empowerment Waivers, relating to section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act and its implementing regulations. Although it was not submitted to Congress for review under the Congressional Review Act, CRA,   more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on the decision by the Government Accountability Office that the Trump administration's guidance on section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act, which allows states to pursue changes to health care like weakening pre-existing condition protections and allowing plans to be subsidized with tax credits, is subject to the Congressional Review Act: "Trump and Republ  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on Senate passage of tax treaties with Spain, Switzerland, Japan and Luxembourg: "Senate approval of tax treaties with Spain, Switzerland, Japan and Luxembourg is welcome and long overdue. "These treaties will promote trade with our allies, attract foreign investment and combat tax fraud by improving information sharing. "It's unfortunate that the Senate d  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on the Treasury Department's cooperation with his investigation into political interference with the Ways and Means Committee's request for President Trump's tax return information under section 6103 of the tax code: "The Treasury Department has finally cooperated with my investigation into political interference with the Ways & Means Committee's request fo  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Massachusetts, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, issued the following joint statement after the announcement of a final rule by the Trump administration that would ease restrictions on arbitration agreements that nursing homes can use to limit legal action in the event of harm or death of a patient: * * * - New Regulations Would Limit Seniors' Le  more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news: Democratic congressional leaders who oversee Social Security and federal employee rights in the House and Senate today urged newly-confirmed Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul to work in good faith with federal employee unions at the Social Security Administration (SSA) to reverse anti-union actions from the Trump administration. In a letter (https://www.  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee issued the following hearing information: Challenges for Cannabis and Banking: Outside Perspectives at 538 Dirksen Senate Office Building at 10 a.m. on July 23: Witnesses Panel I * Cory Gardner, United States Senator, Colorado * Jeff Merkley, United States Senator, Oregon Panel II * Rachel Pross, Chief Risk Officer, Maps Credit Union * Joanne Sherwood, President and CEO, Citywide Banks * Garth Van Meter, Vice   more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Most New Election Systems Depend on Outdated, Insecure Software, Associated Press Reports * * * Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked the Election Assistance Commission how it plans to address a new looming election security crisis - the fact that most new election management systems depend on out-of-date software that will soon be highly vulnerable to hackers, in a letter sent Friday. The Associated Press r  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) sent a letter to Kevin McAleenan, Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, calling on the Administration to enforce existing law and investigate and block any cocoa imports produced with forced child labor. The Senators' letter follows a Washington Post report detailing the prevalence of child labor in the production of cocoa imported   more