WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release: A bipartisan group of Energy and Commerce Committee leaders sent a letter (https://republicans-energycommerce.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/GAO.2019.08.07.-Letter-re-BioWatch.pdf) to Government Accountability Office (GAO) Comptroller General Gene Dodaro requesting an examination of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) new biodet  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release: Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Congressman Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) sent a follow-up letter to Administrator Howard Elliott of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) requesting an update on where the special permit for Energy Transport Solutions, LLC to mov  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Rep. Peter DeFazio today sent a letter to VA Roseburg Healthcare System (VARHS) Director Keith Allen expressing concerns with the recent decision to accelerate the closure of the medical center's Emergency Department and convert the facility to an Urgent Care clinic as soon as August 16, 2019. DeFazio writes, "The decision to cease preparations and move forward abruptly with this plan is an alarming departu  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on issues regarding the approval of generic drug applications in the first review cycle. The report (GAO-19-565) is titled "Generic Drug Applications: FDA Should Take Additional Steps to Address Factors That May Affect Approval Rates in the First Review Cycle". The report was sent to Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, an  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on the status of selected states' implementation of Medicaid third-party liability changes. The report (GAO-19-601) is titled "Medicaid Payment: CMS Has Not Overseen States' Implementation of Changes to Third-Party Liability". 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, and  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on the prevalence of obesity and the use and insurance coverage of obesity drugs. The report (GAO-19-577) is titled "Obesity Drugs: Few Adults Used Prescription Drugs for Weight Loss and Insurance Coverage Varied". The report was sent to Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman, Sen. Patty Murray,  more

BEAVERTON, Oregon, Aug. 4 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following statement after gun violence that claimed dozens of lives in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio and across the U.S. including Portland State University student Deante Strickland: "Gun violence is a preventable and deeply disturbing American tragedy that continues to terrify communities, destroy families, and take away thousands of precious lives every year. "I'm heartbroken by the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas,  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following statement regarding the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio: "Yesterday, President Trump gave a weak response to the violent mass shootings that left more than 30 people dead and dozens more wounded. While the President called for the nation to come together to heal, he failed to offer effective solutions. Instead, he blamed the media and video games. "President Trump should demand that Senate Majority Lead  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following statement after the shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio: "Once again, hate and violence have stricken innocent people going about their everyday lives. The murderer in El Paso should receive quick and certain justice, including any added penalties as a result of his hateful atrocity. "We must all stand in solidarity against acts of white supremacy, racism and discrimination and the evil nature of its manifestation  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release: Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR) and Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) sent a letter (https://republicans-energycommerce.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/USTradeRep.2019.8.6.-Letter-re-Section-230-in-Trade-Agreements.pdf) to United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer expressing their concerns r  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following statement after news that all remaining children are being moved out of the migrant child prison at Homestead, Florida: Merkley led the charge in Congress to shut down the child prison, introducing the Shut Down Child Prison Camps Act. "Bowing to public pressure, the Trump administration has announced that they have moved all unaccompanied children from Homestead, the notorious, for-profit child prison in Florida. "This   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., this week called on the Trump administration to reject its misguided plans to set the refugee cap for 2020 at zero, which would effectively shut down refugee admissions for the year. In a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Wyden called the reports "a shameful assau  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take action that protects consumers from cellphone fraud and helps victims to understand their recourse options. "Consumer protection is a core responsibility of the FCC," Wyden wrote the FCC in a letter signed by eight colleagues. "While we recognize that consumers can take steps to better protect themselves from this fraud by securi  more

WASHINGTON, July 31 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news: * * * - 42 senators warn against unilateral action to cut capital gains taxes * * * Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., today led 42 Democratic senators in urging Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin against unilaterally cutting   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced a $26,205 federal grant awarded to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for its program to improve environmental conditions for whales off the Oregon Coast by reducing the risk of whales entangled in fishing gear. "Oregon has a proud history of conservation, and fishing is the lifeblood of our coastal communities economies," Wyden said. "This important   more