WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 -- 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) sent a letter to Stephen Dickson, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) raising concern over reports the agency will conduct a full rulemaking process instead of simply requiring installation of secondary cockpit barriers on a  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) issued a subpoena to the General Services Administration (GSA) for key documents regarding the federal lease with the Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C. GSA failed to comply with multiple requests from Chair DeFazio and the Chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- 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) issued a subpoena (https://transportation.house.gov/download/2019-10-24-gsa-subpoena) to the General Services Administration (GSA) for key documents regarding the federal lease with the Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C. GSA failed to co  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley and Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) today introduced the Scrutinizing White House Activities that Make Profits (SWAMP) Act of 2019, legislation that would prohibit any multilateral summits or meetings with foreign heads of state from being held at Trump Organization-owned properties. The SWAMP Act follows President Trump's recent attempt to host the G-7   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 -- Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release: Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley and Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) today introduced the Scrutinizing White House Activities that Make Profits (SWAMP) Act of 2019, legislation that would prohibit any multilateral summits or meetings with foreign heads of state from being held at Trump Organization-owned properties. The SWAMP Act follows President Trump's recent attempt to ho  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley joined Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) today to announce that Phyllis K. Fong, the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has opened an investigation into potential suppression and alteration of scientific reports, documents, and communications by political appointees at USDA. Today's announcement followed a June request by Sen  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on Medicaid coverage for pregnant and postpartum women with a substance use disorder, including opioid use disorder. The report (GAO-20-40) is titled "Medicaid: Opioid Use Disorder Services for Pregnant and Postpartum Women, and Children". 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,   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's and the Federal Highway Administration's traffic safety performance management frameworks. The report (GAO-20-53) is titled "Traffic Safety: Improved Reporting Could Clarify States' Achievement of Fatality and Injury Targets". The report was sent to Sen. Roger F. Wicker, R-Mississippi, chairman, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, ranking member of the Senate Co  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment issued the following testimony by Dennis McLerran, ex-regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency Region 10, at a hearing entitled "Pebble Mine Project: Process and Potential Impacts": "I am Dennis McLerran, the former Regional Administrator for EPA Region 10, which covers the States of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska and 271 Tribal governments within those   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release: * * * - Bipartisan legislation follows documentation by human rights groups that U.S.-made police equipment has been used by Hong Kong police to violate the human rights of peaceful, pro-democracy protesters * * * Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley and Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) today led the introduction of new, bipartisan legislation that would  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Bipartisan legislation follows documentation by human rights groups that U.S.-made police equipment has been used by Hong Kong police to violate the human rights of peaceful, pro-democracy protesters * * * Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley and Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) today led the introduction of new, bipartisan legislation that would ban the U.  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), founder and co-chair of the Congressional Bike Caucus, today introduced the Vision Zero Act of 2019. Across the country, communities are recognizing the importance of bicycle safety and have a goal to reduce the number of bicycle deaths to zero. "Vision Zero" is the goal of eliminating all transportation-related fatalities, including pedestrians, bicyclists, tran  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici applauded the House passage of legislation to protect elections from foreign interference. The Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act increases transparency and closes loopholes to prevent foreign governments and entities from influencing American elections. It includes a requirement that any offer of campaign assistance from f  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Members question decline in enforcement of LGBTQ rights under Trump administration * * * Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee's Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services, led 58 of her colleagues in demanding that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kenneth Marcus provide answers about the sharp decline  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Today, top Democrats on the Education and Labor Committee submitted a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Eugene Scalia calling on the Department to publish legally required estimates about the full impact of its proposed tip rule on American workers. The proposed rule, published earlier this month, included a provision codifying a repeal of the 80/20 rule but failed to include an economic analy  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04), today in an oversight hearing examining the impacts of the Pebble Mine Project, criticized the project as a sham and a shell game, pointing to inflated job-creation numbers, wishful claims of environmental protection on a project unprecedented in scale, and the absence of financial viability of the project. De  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following statement: Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) reacted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHSTA) announcement that roadway fatalities are down 2.4%, though pedestrian and cyclist deaths are up 3.4 percent and 6.3 percent respectively. "While total traffic fatalities are dow  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following statement after media reports of the Trump organization looking to sell its hotel housed in the federally-owned Old Post Office Building in Washington: "I issued a subpoena just yesterday to get answers about what I believe is the illegal nature of the lease and a violation of the emoluments clauses because the American people have a right to know if th  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio today was joined by a bipartisan group of 72 members in a letter to House Leadership urging Congress to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) Program for at least two years. "Congress has an obligation to ensure counties with large swaths of federally-owned, tax-exempt forests and rangelands can adequately provide essential services for their residents said Rep. Peter DeFazio. "  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release: Reminder, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will hold a hearing on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, titled "The Boeing 737 MAX: Examining the Design, Development, and Marketing of the Aircraft." Members of the media are encouraged to RSVP to help the Committee plan accordingly. HEARING DETAILS "The Boeing 737 MAX: Exam  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Part of DEA's "National Prescription Drug Take Back Day" initiative to combat the opioid epidemic * * * Today, Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River) announced the collection sites in Oregon's Second District for the disposal of excess opioid and prescription medications. The announcement is part of the DEA's "National Prescription Drug Take Back Day" initiative on Saturday, October 26. This day   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River) recently appeared on KOBI's 5 on 5 and discussed his efforts to stop surprise medical billing and combat the opioid epidemic. Walden started the interview off by talking about his efforts to hold patients harmless and end surprise billing. While Oregon has already passed legislation to stop this senseless practice, Oregonians are still at risk of encountering surprise  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Congressman Kurt Schrader (OR-05) voted today for the Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act. This bill strengthens reporting requirements, closes loopholes and deters illegal foreign activity in American elections. "There is no place for foreign interference in our elections, said Rep. Kurt Schrader. This is a strong, commonsense bill that will safeguard our elections  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release: Today marks the one-year anniversary of the signing into law of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act - a bipartisan response to the nation's opioid crisis that has been called the most significant congressional effort against a single drug crisis in histo  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 -- 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 statements after Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee released its report on the Lion Air flight 610 crash: The report comes ahead of the Committee's scheduled hearing on Wednesday, October 30, titled "The Boeing 737 MAX: Examining the Design, Development, and Mark  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- Reps. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Grace Napolitano, D-California, chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, issued the following opening remarks at a hearing entitled "The Pebble Mine Project: Process and Potential Impacts": Chair DeFazio: "Let me state, right from the start, that the Pebble Mine proposal is a bad idea made even worse by the sham review process currently under  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Dina Titus, D-Nevada, chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, issued the following opening remarks at a hearing entitled "An Assessment of Federal Recovery Efforts from Recent Disasters": Chair DeFazio: "It's hard to believe that we're already at the two-year anniversary of the devastating series of 2017 Hurrican  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following joint statement with Reps. John Shimkus, R-Illinois, ranking Republican member of the Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, and Fred Upton, R-Michigan, ranking Republican member of the Subcommittee on Energy, on the Government Accountability Office report detailing recommendations to improve cleanup efforts at the Energy Department: "Bolstering   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, issued the following news release: Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the United States Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded $2,700,000 grant to the city of Oregon to help attract new businesses to the region to expand Cedar Point Industrial Park. This grant, to be matched with $679,179 in local funds to bring total funds to $3,395,895, is expected to create 22 jobs, save 15 jobs, a  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Merkley created the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act that will save ratepayers in the Portland metro area hundreds of millions of dollars in loan repayment * * * Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today announced that the City of Portland and City of Beaverton each have received massive, low-interest loans through special federal funding from the Water Infrastructure Finance and Inno  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - The Trump administration's anticipated withdrawal would be giveaway to Russia and America's adversaries * * * Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley today led a group of 11 Senators in urging the Trump administration to not withdraw the United States from the Treaty on Open Skies, a key transparency treaty that has benefited the United States, its allies, and its partners since Open Skies flights first began   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on Oct. 22, recognizing team member Kaitlin Gaffney: I come to the floor today to recognize Kaitlin Gaffney, a longtime member of my Senate team who, after nearly 11 years, is leaving to start a new chapter in her life. Kaitlin has been a key part of Team Merkley since our earliest days. In fact, she was part of the original team that built our office and our cons  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement at a hearing on substance use treatment: "Today's hearing will spotlight the pitfalls Americans face when they try to find quality treatment for a substance use disorder. A person battling this disease is often jostled around from one end of the health care system to the other. The last thing they need when you're suffering from this disease is another obsta  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- The Senate Finance Committee issued the following statement by Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, at a hearing entitled "Treating Substance Misuse in America: Scams, Shortfalls, and Solutions": "Today's hearing will spotlight the pitfalls people face when they try to find quality treatment for a substance use disorder. A person battling this disease is often jostled around from one end of the health care system to the other. The last thing they need is another obstacle -  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement in reaction to House passage of the Corporate Transparency Act (H.R. 2513): "The House today passed important legislation that would finally force disclosure from anonymous shell companies. "Shell companies have facilitated rampant criminality, including real estate deals being used to launder illicit funds. "Senator Rubio and I have twice offered companio  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement in reaction to Ways and Means Committee passage of legislation to tax e-cigarettes: "The Ways & Means Committee today advanced important legislation to combat a growing public health crisis and tax e-cigarettes at the same rate as tobacco cigarettes. "A new generation of nicotine users has been created virtually overnight, and we must take action. "The goo  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news: * * * - Wyden requests information about whether Secretary Mnuchin's conversations with President Trump were about criminal investigation into Turkish state-owned bank * * * Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today launched an investigation into the lapses in administration and financial oversight that resulted in the indictment of Hal  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Legislation would help save endangered species and cut off lucrative profit source for terrorists * * * Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) announced today the Senate passage of the Rescuing Animals With Rewards (RAWR) Act, legislation that would help save endangered animals by combatting wildlife trafficking and poaching. Specifically, the RAWR Act would authorize the St  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley today joined Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to announce a new resolution to reaffirm the importance of nonpartisanship in the Foreign Service of the United States. Senator Merkley serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senator Van Hollen is Co-Chair of the bipartisan Senate Foreign Service Caucus. The Senators' resolution stresses that members of the Foreign Servic  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - New Senate legislation is a companion to House-passed bill that will improve agency accountability and ensure better engagement with border communities * * * U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., and Senate Democrats to introduce legislation to address some of the nation's immigration challenges at the southwest border and improve Department of Homeland Sec  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - New Senate legislation is a companion to House-passed bill that will improve agency accountability and ensure better engagement with border communities * * * U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., and Senate Democrats to introduce legislation to address some of the nation's immigration challenges at the southwest border and improve Department of Homeland Securi  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Senators urge HHS Secretary Alex Azar to reverse the policy and demand more information on why HHS decided to implement it * * * Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Finance, and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), sent a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar   more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Senators Urge FTC to Investigate Whether Amazon's Failure to Secure Servers Rented to Capital One Broke Federal Law * * * U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., today urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate and determine if Amazon's failure to secure the servers it rented to Capital One violated federal law. In July 2019, a hacker stole the personal informatio  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 -- 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), Health Subcommittee Republican Leader Dr. Michael Burgess (R-TX), and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Republican Leader Brett Guthrie (R-KY) are raising concerns to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) about the Navigator program established under t  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer marked tonight's start of the Portland Trail Blazers' 50th NBA season with a concurrent Congressional resolution that honors both the team's history and fans' faithful support of the franchise. "From Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas leading the Trail Blazers to the NBA title in the team's first playoffs run to last season's playoff heroics by D  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer marked tonight's start of the Portland Trail Blazers' 50th NBA season with a concurrent Congressional resolution that honors both the team's history and fans' faithful support of the franchise. "From Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas leading the Trail Blazers to the NBA title in the team's first playoffs run to last season's playoff heroics by Dami  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - SALT Caps Are Costing Homeowners Tens-Of-Thousands Of Dollars And Undermining Many Other State Tax Credits * * * U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today announced that he and fellow Senate Democrats will force a vote tomorrow on a resolution to undo Republican-made IRS rules blocking critical state workarounds to harmful state and local tax (SALT) deduction caps, restoring states' ability to work around  more