WASHINGTON, May 17 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: D.C. [05/17/24] - Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici announced thatMaia Schabel, a senior from Ida B. Wells High School, won this year's Congressional Art Competition for Oregon's First District. Schabel's painting, "The Skier," will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building for one year. As the winner, Maia will also have the opportunity to fly with one guest to D.C. for an award ceremony with the othe  more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: DC [05/16/2024] -Today Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Sharice Davids (D-KS) introduced legislation to improve rural senior service programs to better serve LGBTQI+ elders and older Americans living with HIV.A significant number of LGBTQI+ older adults and older adults living with HIV reside in rural communities, and they often face greater barriers to receiving the support   more

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05), a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Aviation Subcommittee, released the following statement after supporting the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act - legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) through 2028. "Like many Oregonians who fly out of PDX, I was surprised and  more

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) voted in favor of bipartisan bills over the past several days to support law enforcement in recognition of National Police Week. The proposals that passed the House, which include efforts to support the recruitment and retention of police officers, come as the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and many other local law enforcement agencies face staffing shortages. Additionally  more

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (D-PA) introduced the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, bicameral legislation to guarantee the right of public sector employees to organize, act concertedly, and bargain collectively in states that currently do not afford these basic protections. "Private sector workers are guaranteed the right to organize under federal   more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on May 15, 2024: Today, U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) voted in favor of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill (H.R. 3935). This bipartisan legislationincludes two key pieces of pro-worker legislation led by the Congresswoman that supportground and flight crew workers across thecountry. The first is the bipartisan AIR PUMP Act that supports families and guarantees new moms have a s  more

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on May 16, 2024: * * * Today, U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) released the following statement after voting against H.R. 7343, the so-called"Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act": "This is another performative House Republican messaging bill that fails to address our nation's real challenges.This broadly drafted billisunconstitutional, undermines due process rightsand has no chance at becomin  more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Following the Biden administration's cannabis rescheduling announcement, Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley--a lead sponsor of the SAFER Banking Act--shared the following statement: "I pushed the Biden administration to make good on the President's commitment to address the harms done by the criminalization of cannabis and move swiftly to remove marijuana's Schedule I status, and it's good to see action taken  more

WASHINGTON, May 13 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09) led their colleagues today in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House Senior Advisor John Podesta calling for the United States to support the development and adoption of conflict of interest guidelines for the Conference of Parties (COP) presidency to address the influence of the fossil fuel industry  more

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is awarding $3.63 million to further support the Tualatin Mountain Forest Project through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Forest Legacy Program. This new federal funding builds off of the $10 million foundation Merkley and Wyden announced for the project last year. The additional investment will furth  more

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is awarding?$3.63 million to further support the Tualatin Mountain Forest Project through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Forest Legacy Program. This new federal funding builds off of the?$10 million foundation Merkley and Wyden announced for the project last year.?The additional investment will further h  more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is investing $6,276,170 in 13 projects in Oregon to boost the creation of innovative wood products, develop more markets for uses of mass timber and renewable wood energy, and increase the capacity of wood processing and manufacturing facilities. The federal funding is critical to ensuring the state's leadership in  more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is investing $6,276,170 in 13 projects in Oregon to boost the creation of innovative wood products, develop more markets for uses of mass timber and renewable wood energy, and increase the capacity of wood processing and manufacturing facilities. The federal funding is critical to ensuring the state's leadership in th  more

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service (USFS) is investing $24,063,442 in 13 projects across Oregon to make at-risk communities' homes, businesses, and infrastructure more resilient to wildfires. This funding allocation is part of the Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program (CWDG), funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,   more

WASHINGTON, May 14 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined a coalition of Senators led by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in a letter to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) urging the agency to hold student loan servicer MOHELA accountable for its failures. The letter comes after ED announced that more than a million MOHELA borrowers will be transferred to other federal student loan servicers to "improve bor  more

WASHINGTON, May 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined a coalition of Senators led by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in a letter to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) urging the agency to hold student loan servicer MOHELA accountable for its failures. ?The letter comes after ED announced that more than a million MOHELA borrowers will be transferred to other federal student loan servicers to "improve borro  more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on May 15, 2024: Today, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced the Service Charge Tax Fairness Act to help small businesses, like neighborhood restaurants and bars, better navigate the challenges of the industry. The Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) applauds this legislation, which would treat service charges like tips and provide an avenue within the tax system for independent restaurants and b  more

WASHINGTON, May 14 -- Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: "Growing up in a Latino household, we never talked about trauma or unhealthy family dysfunction. It was only once I got older and saw my sister and other family members struggling with their mental health that I knew we needed to do better as a community," said Rep. Salinas. "Persistent stigma, cultural differences, and language barriers are some of the key reasons why Latino youth aren't getting the care th  more

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and colleagues today applauded the Senate's passage of their bipartisan resolution to empower young people and their families to get outdoors and promote healthy outdoor recreation by designating May 18, 2024 National Kids to Parks Day. Started in 2011 with the National Park Trust, the fourteenth annual Kids to Parks Day kicks off a summer-long series of  more

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on May 14, 2024: * * * Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Trade Representative's announcement that the U.S. will substantially raise tariffs on a range of green technology products made in China: "I'm pleased President Biden is taking steps to fight back against China's predatory trade practices in   more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on rural health care: * * * This morning the Finance Committee gathers to discuss the challenges and opportunities in rural communities when it comes to health care. I'm not going to mince words: without rural health care, you can't have rural life. It's just that simple. And yet across the country, rural health providers are struggling to keep their doors open. Too many h  more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following remarks on republican proposal to cancel thousands of infrastructure projects, on May 15, 2024: * * * The Senate will take a vote shortly on a resolution from Senator Schmitt dealing with infrastructure funding. The discussion of this resolution has been pretty quiet. That's because on its face, this looks like an issue dealing with a whole lot of budgetary lingo -- obligated funds   more

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on May 16, 2024: * * * U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released the following statement today after the Biden administration announced it is officially moving to reschedule cannabis as a Schedule III substance: "It's official, the Biden administration has taken a historic step toward ending reefer madness and bringing commonsense to federal cannabis policy. "Now it's time  more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release: Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights Chair Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I, sent a letter on Wednesday to an attorney representing Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas demanding that Thomas clarify whether he repaid any of the principal on the loan he received to purc  more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release: Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Senate Finance Committee Member Michael F. Bennet, D-Colo., Senator Jack Reed, D-R.I., along with 17 colleagues, urged the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies to fully fund Unemployment Insurance (UI) administration based on President Joe Biden's request in his Fiscal Year 2025  more

WASHINGTON, May 18 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Chair Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) released a white paper outlining policy concepts related to reforming the way physicians are paid by Medicare and meeting the needs of those with chronic illness. "The Finance Committee is committed to ensuring access to high-quality health care for the tens of millions  more

WASHINGTON, May 18 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release: Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Ranking Member Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, today released a white paper outlining policy concepts related to reforming the way physicians are paid by Medicare and meeting the needs of those with chronic illness. "The way Medicare pays doctors for their work has not kept up with the times, and if it's not working for doctors,  more

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: DC [05/15/24] - Local and national advocates for affordable housing are praising Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici's Project Turnkey Act. The legislation models Oregon's successful Project Turnkey Program to provide flexible housing assistance that can quickly convert unused buildings into affordable housing and emergency shelters, enhance services for people experiencing homelessness, and address the nation  more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Portland - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today announced he will hold in-person town halls in Josephine, Curry, Coos and Douglas counties on May 28-29. Heading into these four town halls, Wyden will have held 1,081 town halls throughout Oregon - including 16 so far this year -- in fulfillment of his pledge to hold at least one town hall each year in each of our state's 36 counties. The town halls in these four counties  more

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senator Ron Wyden today urged top federal Department of Veterans Affairs officials to act quickly to make improvements identified in a troubling new report that details how problems with staffing levels and electronic records at the Roseburg VA Health Care System are undermining care for veterans. Wyden's letter to Dr. Teresa Boyd of the VA Northwest Health Network Office follows a report this week by the VA's O  more

WASHINGTON, May 15 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and his colleagues today called on Senate Appropriations Committee leadership to provide no less than $3 billion in FY 2025 funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Shelter and Services Program for humanitarian assistance funding. That funding supports state, local, and nonprofit service providers who assist the federal government by providing critical services for asylum  more

WASHINGTON, May 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senator Ron Wyden said today he and three congressional colleagues are urging the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General to investigate the department's grant funding spent on the ShotSpotter acoustic gunshot detection system, including whether the use of ShotSpotter led to civil rights violations. ShotSpotter purportedly lets law enforcement accurately detect and locate gunshot incidents  more

WASHINGTON, May 14 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai'i, today urged the Senate Appropriations Committee to provide increased funding-at least $32 million-for the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHS) in FY 2025 to ensure these highly-trained frontline workers are always ready and fully-deployable to protect the health, safety, and welfare of all Americans. Current  more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that Oregon will receive $660,000 in federal funds to Columbia and Clatsop counties to help develop transportation improvement plans and boost public safety. "Oregonians need to be confident that the roads they drive on daily are safe," Wyden said. "This federal investment funded from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I fought to pass will help ensure that folk  more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that Oregon will receive $660,000 in federal funds to Columbia and Clatsop counties to help develop transportation improvement plans and boost public safety. "Oregonians need to be confident that the roads they drive on daily are safe," Wyden said. "This federal investment funded from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I fought to pass will help ensure that f  more

WASHINGTON, May 13 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Legislation co-sponsored by Oregon senators means Oregon City veteran Gary Hagen, 72, will receive Congressional Gold Medal; Four Oregonians to earn this congressional honor posthumously Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today welcomed the Senate passage of legislation they cosponsored to award a collective Congressional Gold Medal to U.S. Army Dustoff crews in recognition of their extraordinary heroism and  more

WASHINGTON, May 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today welcomed the Senate passage of legislation they cosponsored to award a collective Congressional Gold Medal to U.S. Army Dustoff crews in recognition of their extraordinary heroism and life-saving actions during the Vietnam War. Among the Oregonians now earning this well-deserved Congressional Gold Medal under the Dustoff Crews of the Vietnam War Congressional Gold Medal   more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they and seven colleagues urged federal agencies, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to phase out the use of private detention centers, and close four facilities with well-documented inhumane conditions. "The federal government should not pay private facilities with continuously problematic conditions," the lawma  more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senators' letter: "We do not support a system that detains people in inhumane conditions that result in long-term medical issues, psychological trauma, and sometimes death. We urge that these facilities be shut down, in a step towards building an immigration system that welcomes and respects migrants." Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they and seven colleagues urged federal agencies, the Depart  more