WASHINGTON, April 30 -- The Government Accountability Office has issued a report (GAO-20-341) is entitled "Antibiotic Resistance: Additional Federal Actions Needed to Better Determine Magnitude and Reduce Impact". The report was sent to Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, chairman, Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, Republican leader of the House  more

WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release on April 28: Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Sam Graves (R-MO), Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA), and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Aviation Garret Graves (R-LA) called on  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: House Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) led House and Senate Democrats in introducing legislation to invest $15 billion in America's workforce training infrastructure as well as career and technical education. The Relaunching America's Workforce Act authorizes funding to   more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: 11 Members of Congress sent a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Government Accountability Office (GAO) Comptroller Gene Dodaro requesting the examination of multiple issues concerning the federal government's response to harmful algal blooms (HABs) and hypoxia (state of low oxygen in the water), including how it is helping state and local governments address the problem, what adaptation methods are being e  more

WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04) announced that the Oregon Employment Department (OED) has launched the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program to support those individuals who are ordinarily ineligible for unemployment benefits, including self-employed, contract, and gig workers. The CARES Act, passed by Congress on March 27, 2020, provides funding for enhanced Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits, inclu  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following statement on U.S. airlines' announcement requiring cloth masks for frontline employees and passengers during check-in, boarding, in-flight and deplaning in order to help stop the spread of COVID-19: "I'm encouraged to see airlines making public health a priority by requiring cloth masks during the pandemic for all passengers and the employees who interact  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04) led a bipartisan group of 63 other lawmakers on a letter calling for Congress to finally provide much-needed financial certainty during the COVID-19 crisis for rural communities to ensure long-term funding needed for essential services. In a letter addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, DeFazio pushed for, "a long-term solution for the Secure   more

WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) is demanding answers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after numerous accounts of the agency redirecting or re-prioritizing urgently-needed protective gear and medical equipment amid allegations of political influence from the White House. Chair DeFazio also wants answers about FEMA's atypical coordination   more

WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) called on U.S. airlines to relax their flight cancellation policies to the extent practicable and implement measures to ensure the safety of airline workers and passengers who travel during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Noting that some travelers don't have the luxury of knowing when or if they'll be able to rebook thei  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04) and Rep. Abigail Spanberger (VA-07) led more than 50 lawmakers in sending a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin urging him to ensure that Americans with limited or no internet access are able to receive Coronavirus Economic Impact Payments as soon as possible. As part of the economic recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 public health crisis, the Internal Revenue Service  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- 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) are demanding answers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after numerous accounts of the agency redirecting or re-priorit  more

WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, issued the following news release on April 28: An Update for April 27, 2020 Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River) released an update on COVID-19 for April 27, 2020. The latest on the coronavirus: More Help for Farmers and Ranchers: Last week, President Trump signed a supplemental funding package to replenish a number of federal COVID-19 relief programs. Importantly, this package expanded eligibility for Small Business Administration (S  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: During Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Don Young (R-AK), Jared Huffman (D-CA), and Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (R-PR) introduced bipartisan legislation to expand the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) sexual assault and sexual harassment prevention and response policy, and to secure more resources for survivors. The bipartisan NOAA Sexual Haras  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on May 1: U.S. Representatives Peter DeFazio (D-OR-04), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), John Katko (R-NY-24), and Rodney Davis (R-IL-16) led a 101-member effort calling on Congress to invest in direct funding for smaller and rural county governments in upcoming COVID-19 relief packages. In a letter sent to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the bipartisan group of lawmake  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-New Jersey, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following joint statement with Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colorado, chair of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, and Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Kentucky, ranking member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, on a report from the Government Accountability Office detailing rec  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Reps. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following joint statement urging President Trump to release funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for burial costs for victims of COVID-19: In past disasters, FEMA has paid these costs: "The current coronavirus pandemic has not only been the deadliest disaster the c  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley pressed Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza to provide urgent assistance to help America's farmers and agricultural producers navigate the economic abyss caused by the coronavirus. Despite the fact that Congress increased funds for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program--and specifically included language making farmers and agricultural  more

WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led a group of ten of his colleagues in urging Senate leadership to include critical support for America's nursing workforce in upcoming coronavirus relief legislation. Specifically, the senators requested in their letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that at least $15 billion in supplemental funding be allotted for Title VIII   more

WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley is joining with a bipartisan group of 74 senators in calling for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Acting Director Russell Vought to support radio and television broadcasters and local newspapers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to Vought, the senators wrote, "Our radio and television broadcasters and rural newspapers provide local and national news, emerg  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called on Senate leadership to prioritize funding childcare in the next COVID-19 relief package. Wyden, along with 30 of his colleagues, also requested that the legislation ensures small businesses and nonprofits involved in caring for children receive support from the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program. "We write to strongly urge you to prioritize  more

WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement proposing automatic triggers to preserve the extension of unemployment insurance benefits: "The Congressional Budget Office has projected that the U.S. unemployment rate could remain at 9.5 percent at the end of 2021 without sufficient economic stimulus now. This would represent an unprecedented and unnecessary level of financial pain and suffering for the   more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on Google and Apple's plans to roll out Bluetooth-based contact tracing technology: "This plan appears to be a sincere effort to bring tech's resources to bear on the COVID-19 pandemic, and I appreciate Google and Apple's transparency about their contact-tracing technology. However, I remain pessimistic about the prospect that Bluetooth-based contact tracing will be a viable way to trace or contain the coronavirus  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., urged the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to release system-wide demographic data on the number of incarcerated people and staff affected by COVID-19. In a letter to BOP Director Michael Carvajal, Wyden and 15 of his colleagues requested data on the age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, pregnancy status, sexual orientation, and disability of all incarcerated people and BOP staff who h  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden asked federal officials for information on their efforts to protect federal workers in Oregon and nationwide during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In a letter with 21 colleagues to the federal Offices of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Wyden and the senators sought information on efforts to ensure that agencies maximize telework across their workforc  more

WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., again called on Congressional leadership to provide much-needed financial certainty for rural communities during the COVID-19 crisis to ensure they have long-term funding needed for essential services. Wyden's renewed call follows the release of the Trump administration's Coronavirus Relief Fund guidance for state, territorial, local and tribal governments. The guidance falls da  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden urged the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to reverse its suspension of key information reporting and data required under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the letter to Bureau Director Kathy Kraninger, Wyden and 18 Senate colleagues wrote that eliminating these reporting requirements could allow discrimination in mortgage lending and servicing to   more

WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: As the Senate heads back into session next week, Senate Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., joined his colleagues to urge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to make COVID-19 related matters and oversight of all COVID-related legislation the Senate's focus. Despite the severity of the COVID-19 public health and economic emergencies, no legislative or committee business related to the COVID-19   more

WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said that new guidance from the Small Business Administration (SBA) on who can participate in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) will help rural health district hospitals, tribes and employee-owned businesses in Oregon and nationwide. As ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, Wyden had advocated strongly for the SBA to make those much-needed clarifications that will expand the P  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) led a group of twenty-two lawmakers in urging Senate leadership to support and strengthen SNAP--also known as food stamps--to help ensure that families across America can keep food on their tables despite the mounting economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. "SNAP is the nation's first line of defense against hunger and is proven t  more

WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: The funding is the second tranche distributed by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which Congress approved last month. The first allocation was distributed the week of April 10. "Throughout this crisis, Oregon's dedicated health care workers and hospitals have made countless sacrifices to save lives and protect our communities. On behalf of all Oregonians, I thank them from the  more

WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that over $103 million will be distributed among 141 health care providers across the state to boost their coronavirus response efforts. The funding is the second tranche distributed by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which Congress approved last month. The first allocation was distributed the week of April 10. "Throug  more

WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that the U.S. Treasury Department will allow Oregon to use funding from its Hardest Hit fund to assist Oregonians facing housing challenges during the coronavirus pandemic. Previously, these programs were set to expire on April 30, 2020. The Hardest Hit fund was created during the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis for states, like Oregon, that  more

WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that the U.S. Treasury Department will allow Oregon to use funding from its Hardest Hit fund to assist Oregonians facing housing challenges during the coronavirus pandemic. Previously, these programs were set to expire on April 30, 2020. The Hardest Hit fund was created during the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis for states, like Oregon, that we  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that nearly $6.5 million will be distributed among 10 airports and the Oregon Department of Aviation for critical construction projects and planning. "As we continue to grapple with this public health crisis, it's all the more important that communities throughout Oregon have the resources they need to build a strong economic foundation for the future  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that nearly $6.5 million will be distributed among 10 airports and the Oregon Department of Aviation for critical construction projects and planning. "As we continue to grapple with this public health crisis, it's all the more important that communities throughout Oregon have the resources they need to build a strong economic foundation for the future,"   more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 44 of their Senate colleagues, have introduced legislation that fills the vacuum left by Trump administration inaction, laying out a framework for an effective, strong, national COVID-19 response. The bill would direct production of, and add critical oversight and transparency to the supply chain for, vital medical supplies and equipment. The Medical S  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 25 of their colleagues, are urging Senate leadership to include additional emergency funding for nonprofit organizations in the next COVID-19 relief bill. Nonprofits are an essential part of the frontline coronavirus pandemic response, providing important social services such as food assistance, shelter for those experiencing homelessness, child care  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 25 of their colleagues, are urging Senate leadership to include additional emergency funding for nonprofit organizations in the next COVID-19 relief bill. Nonprofits are an essential part of the frontline coronavirus pandemic response, providing important social services such as food assistance, shelter for those experiencing homelessness, child care an  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led a group of twenty-two lawmakers--including Senator Ron Wyden--in urging Senate leadership to support and strengthen SNAP, or food stamps, to help ensure that families across America can keep food on their tables despite the mounting economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. "SNAP is the nation's first line of defense against hunger and is proven to help lifts mil  more

WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 20 of their colleagues, are pushing Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza to develop strong supervisory mechanisms to identify instances of unjust enrichment and ensure that the just-passed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding actually reaches struggling small businesses who truly need the money.   more

WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 20 of their colleagues, are pushing Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza to develop strong supervisory mechanisms to identify instances of unjust enrichment and ensure that the just-passed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding actually reaches struggling small businesses who truly need the money. The  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 142 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, are urging FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to work directly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure that the millions of Americans who have recently become eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SN  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 142 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, are urging FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to work directly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure that the millions of Americans who have recently become eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), are demanding that Medicaid enrollees continue to receive the same quality and range of care from CareOregon after the state's largest Medicaid provider announced a new affiliation with Providence Plan Partners. "Over the years, CareOregon has unwaveringly shared our commitme  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), are demanding that Medicaid enrollees continue to receive the same quality and range of care from CareOregon after the state's largest Medicaid provider announced a new affiliation with Providence Plan Partners. "Over the years, CareOregon has unwaveringly shared our commitment   more

WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on April 30: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), are demanding that Medicaid enrollees continue to receive the same quality and range of care from CareOregon after the state's largest Medicaid provider announced a new affiliation with Providence Plan Partners. "Over the years, CareOregon has unwaveringly shared  more

WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley expressed grave concern with the Department of Defense's (DoD) failure to adequately respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. "Civilian leadership of the Department has failed to act sufficiently quickly, and has often prioritized readiness at the expense of the health of servicemembers and their families," Wyden and Merkley wrote with eight other senators in a l  more

WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley urged that the next COVID-19 relief package include bipartisan legislation designating 9-8-8 as the three-digit number for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. "The creation of this three-digit dialing code is essential in order to address the growing suicide crisis across the United States," Wyden and Merkley wrote in a letter with more than 20   more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley called for a full assessment, including site inspections, of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities nationwide to evaluate whether the facilities' operations, management, standards, and conditions have adapted to address the threat of COVID-19 to both the staff and detainees. The letter asking Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector Gener  more

WASHINGTON, April 30 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley called for a full assessment, including site inspections, of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities nationwide to evaluate whether the facilities' operations, management, standards, and conditions have adapted to address the threat of COVID-19 to both the staff and detainees. The letter asking Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General   more

WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley called on the Trump Administration to revise needless bureaucratic restrictions on how governors can distribute COVID-19 relief funds to their states. Wyden, Merkley and 44 other Democratic senators said in their letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin those needed revisions would allow governors to provide essential public services to their states, as clearly inten  more

WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley called on the Trump Administration to revise needless bureaucratic restrictions on how governors can distribute COVID-19 relief funds to their states. Wyden, Merkley and 44 other Democratic senators said in their letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin those needed revisions would allow governors to provide essential public services to their states, as clearly intended  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and colleagues applauded the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for blocking the sale of the .org registry to a little-known venture capital firm, Ethos Capital. U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., also praised the decision to put users and nonprofit organizations above private equity profits. "I  more