WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: DC [04/09/24]-- Today Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Senators Peter Welch (D-VT), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) introduced legislation to support the recovery and growth of nonprofit theaters. Many nonprofit theaters and other arts organizations have struggled to rebuild after the losses of the COVID-19 pandemic and face lingering declines in attendance and revenues. The Supp  more

WASHINGTON, April 12 -- Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: On Friday, April 12, U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06) met with Independence resident and real-life "Rosie the Riveter" Clarice Lafreniere and her family in her D.C. office. Lafreniere was recently awarded the Rosie the Riveter Congressional Gold Medal along with dozens of other women who served as riveters, buckers, welders and electricians during World War II. Click here for photos Image  more

WASHINGTON, April 11 -- Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Oregon, chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries, issued the following statement on April 10, 2024: * * * Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held an oversight hearing on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) proposed Biological Integrity, Diversity and Environmental Health (BIDEH) rule. Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) issued the following statement in response: "As   more

WASHINGTON, April 11 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: DC [4/11/24] - This week the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan update to a workforce development law that includes provisions led by Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) to improve job opportunities for youth. The bipartisan A Stronger Workforce for America Act (H.R. 6655) makes critical updates to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act that will increase access to skills development,  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6655, A Stronger Workforce for America Act. The bipartisan package, which seeks to support workers and expand economic opportunity, includes two bills led by Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05). The Opioid Crisis Workforce Act (H.R. 6587) would improve information sharing and training for workers involved in the prevention and treatment of substance use  more

WASHINGTON, April 10 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is receiving $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Future Grants (EFG) Program to advance river and energy system models adapted to the Columbia River Basin that will strengthen the protection and restoration efforts of native salmon. "Indigenous peoples in the  more

WASHINGTON, April 10 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is receiving $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Future Grants (EFG) Program to advance river and energy system models adapted to the Columbia River Basin that will strengthen the protection and restoration efforts of native salmon. "Indigenous peoples in the Pa  more

WASHINGTON, April 10 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on April 9, 2024: Yesterday, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) was awarded the inaugural Earl Blumenauer Champion of Streetcar award from the Community Streetcar Coalition. Blumenauer was the driving force establishing the modern streetcar in Portland and cities across the country. The award was presented by a coalition of more than two dozen modern streetcar systems that are promoting low-carbon, equitab  more

WASHINGTON, April 12 -- Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Today, U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06) issued the following statement after voting "no" on a bill to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA): "Current law allows the government to collect sensitive and personal information on private citizens without a warrant. That is blatantly unconstitutional, which is why I voted against reauthorizing Section 702 of the F  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 -- Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Salem, OR - On Friday, April 5, U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06) and Mr. Andrew Berke, Rural Utilities Service Administrator at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, announced that five small businesses in Oregon's Sixth District will receive federal funding to make energy-efficient upgrades through the USDA's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Rep. Salinas and Mr. Berke made the announcement   more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Oregon, issued the following news release on April 8, 2024: Today, Congressman Cliff Bentz (OR-02), joined by Congressman Paul Gosar (AZ-09), sent a letter addressed to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Young, expressing concerns about the Biden Administration's approach to energy affordability across the Western United States and Pacific Northwest as well as seeking transparency on the future of the Lower Snake River Dams.  more

WASHINGTON, April 12 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on April 11, 2024, at a hearing on updating and strengthening Medicare for seniors: * * * This morning the Finance Committee gathers to discuss how to update and strengthen Medicare's guarantee of high-quality health benefits for the next generation of America's seniors. Colleagues, I want to be clear from the outset: traditional Medicare is falling behind when it comes t  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement at a hearing on March 20, 2024, entitled "The President's Fiscal Year 2025 Social Security Administration Budget": * * * Today, the Finance Committee meets to discuss the Biden administration's commitment to protecting and strengthening Social Security. Thank you, Commissioner O'Malley, for joining us. Commissioner, you're not even 100 days into your time in office, and alr  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement at a hearing on March 21, 2024, on the fiscal 2025 budget for the Treasury Department: * * * This morning the Finance Committee welcomes Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for a hearing on the budget. This hearing always covers a range of economic issues, so I want to start with a look at the state of the economy as we meet here this morning. Right now, the U.S. has the stron  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement at a hearing on March 14, 2024, entitled "The President's Fiscal Year 2025 Health and Human Services Budget": * * * Today, the Finance Committee meets to discuss the year ahead for health care in our country. Thank you, Secretary Becerra, for joining us. I'm going to start us off today with a little history lesson. Topic one: drug prices. In July of 2020 Donald Trump said,  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement at a hearing on March 12, 2024, entitled "American Made: Growing U.S. Manufacturing Through the Tax Code": There's a lot for the Finance Committee to discuss on the topic of manufacturing this morning. I want to start off with a bit of recent history on key manufacturing priorities. On infrastructure, it became a running joke during the Trump administration that every week   more

WASHINGTON, April 8 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Following a new report about how shambolic cybersecurity practices by a federal technology contractor enabled a massive hack of the U.S. government systems, Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released draft legislation today to set mandatory cybersecurity standards, save taxpayers money, and break the anti-competitive lock-in effect caused by proprietary, walled-garden software. Multiple disastrous hacks of U.S. gover  more

WASHINGTON, April 10 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Video of Senator Wyden's remarks can be found here As prepared for delivery Every critical infrastructure sector faces threats, including healthcare, pipelines, and water treatment plants. The dams that generate our hydropower are no exception. Countries like China and Russia present a significant national security concern, as they have the ability to shut down core functions of society, and even cause death  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the North Unit Irrigation District (NUID) in Central Oregon has secured a $2.5 million federal award to build and monitor solar panels on the main canal of its Deschutes project. The irrigation district is proposing to build floating photovoltaic solar panels on the main canal of the Deschutes project located near Bend. The project will allow the novel tec  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the North Unit Irrigation District (NUID) in Central Oregon has secured a $2.5 million federal award to build and monitor solar panels on the main canal of its Deschutes project. The irrigation district is proposing to build floating photovoltaic solar panels on the main canal of the Deschutes project located near Bend. The project will allow the novel techno  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Lake County, Scappoose, Bend Municipal, Albany Municipal and Columbia Gorge Regional/The Dalles Municipal airports earn federal grants Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that airports in Lake, Columbia, Deschutes, Linn and Wasco counties have secured a total of more than $1.4 million in federal grants for construction, infrastructure rehabilitation and more. "Oregonians count on local airpo  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that airports in Lake, Columbia, Deschutes, Linn and Wasco counties have secured a total of more than $1.4 million in federal grants for construction, infrastructure rehabilitation and more. "Oregonians count on local airports in their communities for jobs, economic vitality, public safety and much more that strengthen quality of life," Wyden said. "I'm glad t  more

WASHINGTON, April 10 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today wrote to the CEO of General Dynamics seeking answers on the company's role in the "bungled launch" of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In the letter, the Senators noted that despite General Dynamics receiving a $121.8 million contract to modernize the process, the new FAFSA has been riddled with technical issues, drastica  more

WASHINGTON, April 12 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., vowed to oppose legislation passed by the House of Representatives that would reauthorize Section 702 of FISA and expand warrantless surveillance, in a statement today. "The House bill represents one of the most dramatic and terrifying expansions of government surveillance authority in history," Wyden said. "It allows the government to force any American who installs, maintains, or   more