WASHINGTON, May 20 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release on May 19: Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, the Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, the Chair of the Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations, sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. C  more

WASHINGTON, May 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 members held a bipartisan teleconference forum today with Greg Burel, former Director of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) from March 2007 until January 2020. E&C Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR) and Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) released a joint statement following the call: "Energy and Commerce   more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release on May 19: Energy and Commerce Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Republican Leader Bob Latta (R-OH), and Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) were joined by Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee Republican Leader John Shimkus (R-IL) to  more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, announced his plan to introduce The Real Economic Support That Acknowledges Unique Restaurant Assistance Needed to Survive (RESTAURANTS) Act of 2020. The plan calls for a $120 billion restaurant stabilization grant program designed to help independent restaurants deal with the long-term structural challenges facing the indus  more

WASHINGTON, May 18 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Tom Reed (R-NY), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Ann Wagner (R-MO), and 126 of their colleagues urged Treasury Department Secretary Mnuchin to delay the federal excise tax filing and payment due dates for beverage alcohol for 90 days. "Today, the alcohol industry's workers, supply chain, and consumers face unprecedented levels of disruption and uncertainty due to the COVID-19 health cris  more

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following statement on the approval of a resolution (H.Res. 965) to temporarily conduct virtual committee proceedings and the implementation of remote voting: "Ever since President Trump declared a national emergency concerning COVID-19 more than two months ago, workplaces across our country, including the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Senate, have adapted thei  more

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following floor remarks opposing the COVID-19 bill: I rise today in opposition to this bill. It is deeply troubling to me that during the worst pandemic in modern history and amidst a deep economic crisis, Democrats in the House continue to take the partisan path. As Republicans and the Trump Administration moved to respond quickly, Congressional Democrats needless  more

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement after House passage of Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act: "Speaker Pelosi has had quite the day. She was so excited to both upend 231 years of precedent as well as send a bill to the Senate she knows has zero chance of becoming law. "I hope that - now that House Democrats have the talking points they were hoping for -   more

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement on Speaker Nancy Pelosi proxy-voting proposal: "These are unprecedented times, and unprecedented times call for unprecedented actions. But using these times to smash a wrecking ball into the foundation of democratic lawmaking by making government more remote and isolated from the American people, by dramatically centralizing even more power with   more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release: Energy and Commerce Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR), Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Republican Leader Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Diana DeGette (D-CO) sent a letter to White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx urging the Tru  more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Representatives Peter DeFazio (OR-04) and Lloyd Doggett (TX-35) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) led a bicameral group of more than 80 lawmakers calling on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to put workers--not corporate profits--first and include strict corporate accountability measures in any coronavirus relief aid provided by Treasury and the Federal Reserve. "The  more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York, chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, and Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following joint statement on May 21 after the Transportation Department responded to the letters they sent opposing President Trump's replacement of ex-Acting Inspector General Mitch Behm and questioning the new Acting Inspector General's conflicts of interest: "The response  more

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Washington, ranking Republican member of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, issued the following joint statement on the Public Health Emergency Privacy Act: "The COVID-19 pandemic has made American leadership in emerging technology more important than ever as we find innovative ways to combat the virus. As our nation and ou  more

WASHINGTON, May 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) and Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) penned a letter to ByteDance Founder and CEO Mr. Yiming Zhang regarding data privacy concerns with TikTok. The letter asks 22 questions related to TikTok's potential violations o  more

WASHINGTON, May 20 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, ranking Republican member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. John Shimkus, R-Illinois, ranking Republican member of the Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee, released the following statements on May 19 on the Environmental Protection Agency announcement of a proposed rule to establish clear requirements for the Agency in issuing guidance documents: "This announcement is terrific news for the EPA, our federal government,   more

WASHINGTON, May 20 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley announced $11.6 million of habitat restoration projects in the Klamath Basin, part of continued efforts toward a long-term solution for water resource challenges in the region. Merkley--the only Oregon member of Congress from either chamber since Senator Mark Hatfield to serve on the Appropriations Committee, considered to be one of the most powerful on Capitol Hill--secured th  more

WASHINGTON, May 19 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), teamed up with Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), to press USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to increase the agency's efforts to speed funding for food aid appropriated by Congress to those in need. Congress appropriate  more

WASHINGTON, May 20 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley is leading a group of fellow senators in urging Senate leadership to establish and enforce adequate protections for America's farmworkers--whose essential work enables families across America to keep food on the table during the coronavirus crisis. The letter comes as reports highlight farmworkers' critical need for additional health and safety safeguards to protect themselv  more

WASHINGTON, May 20 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, along with a bipartisan group of 27 Senators, is urging Senate leadership to include robust funding for America's schools, educators, and students in the next round of coronavirus relief funding. In a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the senators wrote, "We continue to see the challenges our states and school districts  more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- 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., highlighted a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that shows most nursing homes failed to meet federal standards on a variety of infection prevention and control measures, in a multi-year survey. The data comes as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact nursing homes across the co  more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said he has joined combat veteran U.S. Sen Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., to introduce a bill to ensure that all National Guard troops activated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic receive additional benefits and provide states with greater certainty. "The brave members of the National Guard risking their lives on the frontlines of the COVID-19 health crisis deserve the utmost support   more

WASHINGTON, May 20 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following statement after voting no on the nomination of Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, to serve as director of national intelligence: "John Ratcliffe is the least qualified, most partisan nominee to be director of national intelligence since the creation of the position. Worse still, his confirmation process revealed additional concerns that require the Senate to reject his confirmation. "First, Representative Ratcliffe has demonstrat  more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement in reaction to Washington Post reporting that President Trump does not support extending the $600 boost in unemployment benefits: "With nearly 1 in 5 Americans out of work, Donald Trump's plan is to cut off the boost in unemployment benefits and shower his wealthy buddies with more tax cuts. "This is the worst economic crisis in 100 years and Donald Trump   more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement in response to the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee vote to subpoena Blue Star Strategies: "With more than 90,000 Americans dead and 36 million workers unemployed, Chairman Johnson is using the Homeland Security & Government Affairs Committee--the principal committee responsible for overseeing the federal response to the pandemic--to   more

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on May 14 after voting against a bill to renew surveillance powers: "Today I voted no against reviving sweeping programs that spy on innocent Americans without a warrant. This bill does far too little to protect Americans' Constitutional rights against unnecessary government spying, a prospect that should terrify everyone concerned by the Trump administration and Attorney General Barr's trampling on the rule of law.   more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following statement: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released the following statement in response to the decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to deny a rehearing of the controversial Jordan Cove energy project in Oregon and allow Pembina Pipeline Corp. to pursue eminent domain proceedings, despite strong objections to the project by three Oregon state regulatory agencies. * * * "This FERC decision provides fresh  more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- 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., outlined policies to preserve and expand affordable housing that he will push to include in the next COVID-19 relief bill. "The pandemic and resulting economic crisis have laid bare the fact that millions of Americans are one or two missed paychecks away from not being able to pay their rent or mortgage  more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) released a Senate Democratic plan to expand health care coverage and affordability during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a white paper, the senators alongside U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Tina Smith (D-MN) outlined a series of common sense-legislativ  more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- 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-OR) and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) released a Senate Democratic plan to expand health care coverage and affordability during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a white paper, the senators alongside U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Tina Smith   more

WASHINGTON, May 20 -- 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 21 Democratic colleagues pressed the Trump administration to ensure unemployed workers are not forced to choose between their financial security and health by clarifying eligibility for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. The senators requested three points of clarification: Workers remain   more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) are pressing CLEAR, a biometric identification company, for details regarding what privacy practices and precautions are being undertaken for Health Pass--a new product being marketed to businesses to screen their employees and consumers for the coronavirus. According to CLEAR, Health Pass will allow consumers to verify their identity by taking  more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that $5 million in federal funding will be distributed to 102 rural health clinics throughout Oregon to help boost their coronavirus testing capacity. The funding was part of a $25 billion fund for increased testing that Congressional Democrats insisted on in the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which Congress passed last   more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that $5 million in federal funding will be distributed to 102 rural health clinics throughout Oregon to help boost their coronavirus testing capacity. The funding was part of a $25 billion fund for increased testing that Congressional Democrats insisted on in the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which Congress passed last mon  more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that TriMet will receive nearly $185 million in funding to support its public transportation operations and projects, including coronavirus response efforts. The funding was authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and is being distributed by the Federal Transit Administration. "Throughout the coronavirus crisis,  more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that TriMet will receive nearly $185 million in funding to support its public transportation operations and projects, including coronavirus response efforts. The funding was authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and is being distributed by the Federal Transit Administration. "Throughout the coronavirus crisis, tr  more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that over $3.3 million will be distributed to Grant County to finance construction and safety improvements at the Grant County Regional/Ogilvie Field Airport. "As we continue to grapple with the coronavirus crisis, it's critical that communities throughout Oregon have every resource available to build a strong economic foundation for the future," sai  more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that over $3.3 million will be distributed to Grant County to finance construction and safety improvements at the Grant County Regional/Ogilvie Field Airport. "As we continue to grapple with the coronavirus crisis, it's critical that communities throughout Oregon have every resource available to build a strong economic foundation for the future," said M  more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden introduced legislation that would ensure Americans who were evacuated from foreign nations by the State Department this spring as the coronavirus pandemic hit will not be saddled with huge, unaffordable bills. As the coronavirus pandemic accelerated earlier this year, countries moved to close their borders, leaving thousands of Americans stranded overseas. Man  more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden introduced legislation that would ensure Americans who were evacuated from foreign nations by the State Department this spring as the coronavirus pandemic hit will not be saddled with huge, unaffordable bills. As the coronavirus pandemic accelerated earlier this year, countries moved to close their borders, leaving thousands of Americans stranded overseas. Many o  more

WASHINGTON, May 20 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with a group of their senate colleagues, are urging Senate leadership to establish and enforce adequate protections for America's farmworkers--whose essential work enables families across America to keep food on the table during the coronavirus crisis. The letter comes as reports highlight farmworkers' critical need for additional health and safety safegua  more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 16 of their Senate colleagues, are calling on Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to extend the 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window by 180 days to August 3, 2020. Extending this deadline would allow tribal governments additional time to secure access to unassigned spectrum over tribal lands suitable for both mobile coverage an  more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 16 of their Senate colleagues, are calling on Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to extend the 2.5 GHz Rural Tribal Priority Window by 180 days to August 3, 2020. Extending this deadline would allow tribal governments additional time to secure access to unassigned spectrum over tribal lands suitable for both mobile coverage and b  more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley urged Senate leadership to include economic relief for live venue operators in Oregon and nationwide as part of any additional response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter from the Oregon senators and 41 of their colleagues to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, they noted that live event venues were among the first to close   more

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley urged Senate leadership to include economic relief for live venue operators in Oregon and nationwide as part of any additional response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter from the Oregon senators and 41 of their colleagues to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, they noted that live event venues were among the first to close as   more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced that Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland will receive $368,912 in federal funds to help provide telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic. "Telehealth has proven to be an incredibly valuable tool for medical providers to care for patients in Oregon and nationwide," Wyden said. "During a pandemic, that value is magnified even more -- and I am gratifi  more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced that Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland will receive $368,912 in federal funds to help provide telehealth services during the coronavirus pandemic. "Telehealth has proven to be an incredibly valuable tool for medical providers to care for patients in Oregon and nationwide," Wyden said. "During a pandemic, that value is magnified even more -- and I am gra  more

WASHINGTON, May 20 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., with Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., led 20 members of the House and Senate in a request to encrypt phone calls between the chambers to protect communications against foreign surveillance. "Congress must secure itself from the serious threat posed by foreign spies," the members wrote. "Please take immediate action to encrypt, in bulk, all internal calls and ot  more