WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- 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 Chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Dina Titus (D-NV) sent a letter to the General Services Administration (GSA), with follow-up questions after Administrator Emily Murphy testified before the C  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news: Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and all Democratic members of the Finance Committee called on the Trump administration to end its harmful attacks on the Medicaid program, which provides essential health care to more than 70 million Americans. The letter comes ahead of the committee's hearing on the president's budget. "This Administra  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley is pressing the Department of Education to review a substantial backlog of federal student loan discharge requests, after the abrupt announcement that Concordia University will close in May 2020. Over 6,000 students are currently enrolled at Concordia University. * "I write with ongoing concerns regarding the U.S. Department of Education's ('Department') continued backlog   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on Medicaid eligibility. The report (GAO-20-157) is entitled "Accuracy of Determinations and Efforts to Recoup Federal Funds Due to Errors". The report was sent to Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pennsylvania chairman of the Senate Finance subcommittee on Health, Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, Republican leader of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and R  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on the National Weather Service. The report (GAO-20-271R) is entitled "Information on Contractor Selection and Work Performed for Its Operations and Workforce Analysis Project". The report was sent to Rep. Henry C. 'Hank' Johnson Jr., D-Georgia, chairwoman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Florida, and Rep. Paul D. Tonko, D-New York on Feb. 1  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report on airport infrastructure. The report (GAO-20-298) is entitled "Information on Funding and Financing for Planned Projects". The report was sent to Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Washington, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee on Aviation on Feb. 13, 2020. Here are excerpts of summaries associate  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River) spoke at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing entitled: "Autonomous Vehicles: Promises and Challenges of Evolving Automotive Technologies." This hearing comes after Walden led the effort last Congress to pass landmark legislation to pave the way for self-driving cars. The bipartisan SELF DRIVE Act would have made America's roads safer, created new economic  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release: Today, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) led the introduction of a resolution opposing changes proposed by the Trump Administration to make significant rollbacks to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The resolution is co-sponsored by House Committee on Natural Resources Chair Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ), House Committee on Transpo  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release: Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed six bills from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, including bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Estuary Program, and support restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay, the Great Lakes, and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin. "  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 116-287) on the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (H.R. 4031), which amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The report was advanced by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, on Nov. 13. Excerpts of the report follow: Purpose of Legislation...1 Background and Need for Legislation...2 Hearings...3 Legislative History and Consideration...3  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 116-290) on the Promoting United Government Efforts to Save Our Sound Act (H.R. 2247), which amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide assistance for programs and activities to protect the water quality of Puget Sound. The report was advanced by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, on Nov. 14. Excerpts of the report follow: Purpose of Legislation...8 Background and Need for Legislatio  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 116-290) on the Promoting United Government Efforts to Save Our Sound Act (H.R. 2247), which amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide assistance for programs and activities to protect the water quality of Puget Sound. The report was advanced by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, on Nov. 14. Continued from Part 1 TEXT OF AMENDMENTS TO H.R. 4863 MADE IN ORDER 1. An Amendment To Be Of  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 116-288) on the Protect and Restore America's Estuaries Act (H.R. 4044), which amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize the National Estuary Program. The report was advanced by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, on Nov. 13. Excerpts of the report follow: Purpose of Legislation...1 Background and Need for Legislation...2 Hearings...3 Legislative History and Consideration...3   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 13: Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) supported ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment with her vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Equal Rights Act (ERA), which would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, originally passed Congress in 1972 but included an arbitrary deadline for states to ratify. The vote today eliminates that deadline. The state of Virginia ratified the   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 11: Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04) announced he has secured an additional $11.7 million from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) for projects in Oregon's Fourth Congressional District as part of the Fiscal Year 2020 work plan for the Corps' Civil Works program. "Our ports and harbors along the Oregon coast are critical lifelines for coastal communities, and support jobs throughout the state," said R  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following remarks at a hearing titled "Assessing the Transportation Needs of Tribes, Federal Land Management Agencies and U.S. Territories": Thank you, Madam Chair, for holding this hearing today to examine the infrastructure needs of tribes, Federal Land Management Agencies, and U.S. territories. An assessment of the Federal-aid highway programs that support crit  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following statement highlighting aspects of the President Trump's budget within the committee's jurisdiction: "Despite pledging to fight for working families and invest in our communities, President Trump's budget fails to deliver. Not only does his budget slash badly-needed funding to help make sure people get clean water, his vision for 'making America great' w  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers preliminary final environmental impact statement on the Pebble Mine Project: "The Army Corps of Engineers' environmental analysis of the Pebble Mine was flawed from the start, and recent reports indicate it isn't improving. "When the Chief of the Corps told me the Corps was taking its statutory  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following statement in response to President Trump's state of the union address: "Tonight, President Trump spent a great deal of time talking up the strength of the U.S. economy. It's true that CEOs and high-dollar donors, especially those hell-bent on gutting environmental protections, are doing better than ever under this administration. But President Trump bare  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following joint statement with Ranking Member Greg Walden, R-Oregon, Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, and Ranking Member Patty Murray, D-Washington, on the surprise medical billing proposals from the House Education and Labor and House Ways and Means committees: "Surprise medical bills are the outrageous result of a broken system that takes ad  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) introduced the bipartisan GENE Therapy Payment Act with Reps. Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Jason Crow (D-CO), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA), Mike Kelly (R-PA), and David Schweikert (R-AZ). This legislation will help those with life-threatening illnesses who can benefit from gene-therapy treatments. These treatments can be incredibly expensive, and this legislation w  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following remarks at an Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee hearing titled, "Clearing the Air: Legislation to Promote Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage": H.R. 1166, the USE IT Act, sponsored by Mr. Peters and Mr. McKinley is a practical, widely supported, bipartisan bill. Versions of this legislation were passed out of the Senate last year and we inclu  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following remarks on Feb. 11 at the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee hearing entitled "Autonomous Vehicles: Promises and Challenges of Evolving Automotive Technologies": Thank you to our witnesses for being here and sharing your thoughts on this important legislative effort. This subcommittee did some amazing work the last few years. We laid out a com  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following remarks at an Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing titled, "Vaping in America: E-Cigarette Manufacturers' Impact on Public Health": Chair DeGette, thank you for holding this hearing. Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, the lung illnesses associated with vaping, and the youth vaping epidemic are a major health concern in the United States,   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following remarks on Feb. 11 at the Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee hearing entitled "EPA's Lead and Copper Proposal: Failing to Protect Public Health": The issue of lead exposures in drinking water is obviously of great concern to the safety of our communities and our children's health and well-being. The question is how do we tackle this issue in a wa  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following remarks at an Energy Subcommittee hearing entitled, "Modernizing the Natural Gas Act to Ensure it Works for Everyone": Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding today's hearing to provide Members with an opportunity to examine the role of natural gas and the challenges and opportunities to upgrade and modernize our nation's natural gas pipeline system. Abundan  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following remarks on Feb. 12 at the Health Subcommittee hearing entitled "Protecting Women's Access to Reproductive Health Care": During the State of the Union address, President Trump welcomed and spoke about Ellie Schneider, a little girl who was delivered at just 21 weeks' gestation. The President called for policies to protect the unborn after fetal viability.   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following floor remarks in honor of Oregon's 161st birthday: The day that Oregon celebrates her 161st birthday. Age does not wither her, as she is as beautiful and magnificent as ever. As a lifelong Oregonian whose ancestors came to Oregon by wagon train in 1845, I may be biased, but I can confidently say there is no place like Oregon. She boasts of so many unparalleled wonders and sights: The power of the waters and winds of the  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement upon the announcement of President Trump's intent to nominate and appoint Mark Menezes to be the Deputy Secretary of Energy and Douglas Benevento to be Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: Mr. Walden on Mark Wesley Menezes of Virginia, to be the Deputy Secretary of Energy "The 'best committee on the Hill' will now have t  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following statement on the Novel Coronavirus after attending a White House Roundtable on the outbreak: "The Coronavirus roundtable we had in the situation room at the White House was very productive. We met with the top leaders in the U.S. government that are on this -- from the CDC, to NIH, to DoD and beyond. They are responding using every tool that Congress has given them. "They have the funding, they have the resources, and the  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement in reaction to President Trump's state of the union address. Walden specifically addressed the President's leadership on lowering health care costs and promoting America's energy independence: "I've never seen a President lean in further than President Donald Trump on lowering health care costs. He is engaged, he cares, and he wants results. "P  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement after the House Education and Labor Committee and House Ways and Means Committee finished marking up proposals to end surprise medical billing: "We have heard from Sonji Wilkes and countless others who have experienced a surprise medical bill. We have heard repeatedly a call to action from the President of the United States. "And, now we have h  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. District Court rejection of a lawsuit from a coalition of state attorneys general to block the T-Mobile-Sprint merger: "While the expert career staff at the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice have already determined this transaction is in the public interest and will promote competition, I look fo  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 -- Reps. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rick Larsen, D-Washington, chair of the Aviation Subcommittee, issued the following remarks on Feb. 11 at a hearing entitled: "Looking Forward: The Future of America's Aviation Maintenance and Manufacturing Workforce": Chair DeFazio: Thank you, Chair Larsen, for calling today's hearing on the outlook for the workforce of women and men who build airplanes and those who  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Reps. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rick Larsen, D-Washington, chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation issued the following statements regarding the Transportation Inspector General report on FAA's safety oversight of the Southwest Airlines: "The Inspector General's report not only paints a disturbing picture of the safety culture at Southwest Airlines, but it also raises serious questions about the FAA's   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Reps. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Dina Titus, D-Nevada, chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, issued the following remarks on Feb. 12 at a hearing entitled "Animals in Disasters": Chair DeFazio: I'm very interested in this issue because animals are often overlooked when we think about emergency management and preparedness. I have a dog, Mandy, a  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nevada, chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, issued the following statements after the D.C Circuit dismissed a lawsuit filed by more than 200 members of Congress to enforce the emoluments clause of the Constitution, ruling that individual members could not act on behalf of the House or Senate and   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, issued the following joint statement in response to the Federal Communications Commission's C-band auction plan: "The U.S. must win the race to 5G; it's us or China. "We know the Trump administration and Chairman Pai share that view--and today the FCC will take a major step forwa  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following joint statement with Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, and Ranking Member Patty Murray, D-Washington, on the surprise medical billing proposals from the House Education and Labor and House Ways and Means committees: "Surprise medical bill  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following statement regarding President Trump's fiscal 2021 budget request: * * * - Working families in Oregon are hanging on by their fingertips, and Donald Trump is stomping on their fingers * * * "At Donald Trump's events, he talks and talks and talks but never listens. If he did a town hall in every county in Oregon every year, like I do, and actually listened to people, maybe his budget wouldn't make life worse for people i  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on Feb. 13 after the Senate passed a resolution to prevent unauthorized war with Iran on a bipartisan vote of 55-45: Merkley, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been a leading proponent of limiting presidents' ability to wage war and drew national attention for a comprehensive proposal to require explicit Congressional authorization of American military campaigns. Since last summer, Merkley h  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley announced that he has joined U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representatives Deb Haaland (D-NM) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) in introducing a groundbreaking Farmers Bill of Rights resolution--which affirms the rights of family farmers, ranchers, and traditional agricultural communities in Oregon and across the country. "Family farms have been the backbone of Oregon's agricultu  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 14: Oregon's U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley has joined 26 Senate colleagues in sending a letter to National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, pressing him to appoint a qualified, dedicated, senior global health security expert to the White House's National Security Council (NSC) to address and coordinate administration efforts in response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus and other global health security threats.   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Sens. Patty Murray, D-Washington, and Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, ranking Democratic member and chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following joint statement with Reps. Frank Pallone, D-New Jersey, and Greg Walden, R-Oregon, chairman and ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on the surprise medical billing proposals from the House Education and Labor and Ways and Means committees: "Surprise medical bills  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following joint statement with Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Ranking Member Greg Walden, R-Oregon, on the surprise medical billing proposals from the House Education and Labor Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee: "Surprise medical bills are the outrageous result of  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced legislation that would put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2050. The world's leading scientists have warned that humanity must limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. According to the United Nations annual Emissions Gap Report released la  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- The Senate Finance Committee issued the following opening statement by Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, at a hearing with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on the Trump administration's fiscal 2021 budget: Trump's health care agenda rips scores of new holes in the safety net that vulnerable Americans are sure to fall through. The textbook example is Medicaid. Right now, the administration is attempting to do on its own what it failed to through the Congres  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement at hearing on the Trump administration's fiscal 2021 budget: Trump's health care agenda rips scores of new holes in the safety net that vulnerable Americans are sure to fall through. The textbook example is Medicaid. Right now, the administration is attempting to do on its own what it failed to through the Congress: block grant the Medicaid program. It's a  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- The Senate Finance Committee issued the following testimony on Feb. 12 by Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, at a hearing on the Trump administration's fiscal 2021 budget: This administration's budget is built on policies that pillage working families to pay for brand new windfalls for corporations and the wealthy. That harmful agenda has been on clear display over the last few weeks in two events I want to address. First, it recently came to light that the Trump admini  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on the Justice Department charging Chinese Military hackers in the 2017 Equifax data breach: "There's no separating privacy and national security. When companies like Equifax amass vast stores of sensitive personal information and then cut corners on security, they become irresistible targets for unfriendly regimes like China. "Passing strong privacy legislation like my Mind Your Own Business Act is essential for o  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on President Trump's budget for fiscal 2021: "For a president who makes himself out to be a champion of typical working Americans, Donald Trump has run the same old Republican playbook of giving tax handouts to the wealthy and slashing the safety net that supports everybody else. "He started this con with his 2016 campaign promises not to touch Medicare, Me  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on Feb. 13 regarding the Senate's vote on the war powers resolution to prevent further escalation of hostilities with Iran: "Donald Trump started the year racing our country toward war with Iran like it was his New Year's resolution. With this vote, the Senate is exercising its constitutional role to check an unstable and dangerous executive. "My vote was informed by the late Senator Wayne Morse, the Oregonian who  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Senator says overwhelming response will be part of new legislation * * * U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden announced he has received more than 15,000 nominations for more than 4,000 miles of rivers and streams in Oregon that enthusiasts believe deserve to be added to the national Wild and Scenic Rivers designation list. Those named rivers, streams, and portions of rivers and streams came from more than 2,200 Orego  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news: * * * - Wyden request ensures complete record of State Department activities as Department prepares to comply with Republican requests * * * Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., requested documents from the State Department on the full scope of the Department's policy in Ukraine, including the firing of former Ukrainian Prosecutor Genera  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released the following statement on the Trump budget: "For a president who makes himself out to be a champion of typical working Americans, Donald Trump has run the same old Republican playbook of giving tax handouts to the wealthy and slashing the safety net that supports everybody else. He started this con with his 2016 campaign promises not to touch Medicare, Medicaid and Soci  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news: * * * - Energy tax policy critical to address growing threat of climate change * * * To help address the growing threat of climate change, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., led 27 Democratic senators in requesting Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, take action on languishing energy tax policy priorities. The   more

PORTLAND, Oregon, Feb. 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer asked the U.S. Attorney's Office to investigate whether a black Portlander's civil rights were violated by local police departments. The Oregon lawmakers' letter to U.S. Attorney Billy Williams follows a report this week in The Oregonian detailing how former West Linn Police Chief Terry Timeus directed officers to conduct an unwarranted,   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced legislation to protect the privacy of consumers from rapidly advancing facial recognition technology and data collection practices that heighten the risk of over-surveillance and over-policing, especially in communities that are already disproportionately targeted by law enforcement. Amid growing concerns of inappropriate use of facial r  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced new legislation that would require the Senate to consider evidence and hear from witnesses in future impeachment trials. The Senators' resolution follows the conclusion last week of the first-ever Senate impeachment trial that did not include any witness testimony. The Merkley-Van Hollen resolution would ensure the rights   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - For 18th consecutive year, nurses ranked most honest and ethical professionals in America * * * Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced a bipartisan Senate resolution recognizing the essential contributions of America's nurses and midwives, and support for the goals and ideals of the World Health Organization's "International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife."  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * - Pair of Bills to Hold Corporations Accountable for Plastic Production, Spur Improved Recycling Efforts, Average American involuntarily consumes a credit card's piece of plastic per week * * * Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced the introduction of a pair of bills that offer multiple pathways to tackling America's growing plastic pollution crisis, including a national version of O  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced the introduction of a pair of bills that offer multiple pathways to tackling America's growing plastic pollution crisis, including a national version of Oregon's groundbreaking "bottle bill." The Original Recycling (OR) Bottle Act of 2020 would establish a federal "bottle bill" recycling program modeled after Oregon's. And the Break Free from Plastic Pollut  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined their Democratic colleagues in calling for U.S. Attorney General William Barr to resign immediately. In a letter addressed to Barr, the senators expressed alarm at, and opposition to, unethical political intervention of senior Department of Justice (DOJ) officials in the case of Roger Stone, a former campaign insider and adviser to Donald Trump.   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined their Democratic colleagues in calling for U.S. Attorney General William Barr to resign immediately. In a letter addressed to Barr, the senators expressed alarm at, and opposition to, unethical political intervention of senior Department of Justice (DOJ) officials in the case of Roger Stone, a former campaign insider and adviser to Donald Trump. Mr. Stone  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news: Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senator Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, introduced legislation to block the Treasury Department's latest corporate giveaway--an exception to the new tax on foreign earnings that allows multinationals to essentially choose the lowest available tax rate. The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated that  more