WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: After hearing from veterans concerned about long wait times to access healthcare at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) is questioning Secretary Denis McDonough regarding the department's position on allowing veterans to pursue community care. Chavez-DeRemer's letter relays concerns raised during her recent Veterans Policy Forum in Bend, where veterans   more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) released the following statement after one person was killed in an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump: "Like so many Oregonians and Americans, I'm devastated and deeply troubled by the senseless act of violence that caused innocent blood to be spilled in Pennsylvania. Political violence in all forms is reprehensible and uniquely unAmerican. I'm  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Reps. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05), Jason Crow (CO-06), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), and Jahana Hayes (CT-05) have introduced a bipartisan bill to allow federal work-study funds to cover costs associated with participating in teacher and principal residency programs, which have proven effective to improve teacher demand, quality, and retention. Specifically, the Teacher, Principal, and Leader Residency Ac  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: In a bipartisan letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack, U.S. Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Chair Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) led Senate colleagues in expressing concern about the potential for potato wart to spread from potato imports originating on Canada's Prince Edward Island (PEI) to U.S. farms and production facilities, and urging the implementation of   more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Following the Supreme Court's recent decision to criminalize homelessness in Grants Pass v. Johnson, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., said today they are leading colleagues in urging the Biden administration to advance evidence-based solutions to help people experiencing homelessness in Oregon and nationwide. The lawmakers wrote President Biden, "Punishin  more

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on July 16, 2024: * * * Today, U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) released the following statement in response to the news of that longtime State Senate President Peter Courtney passed away: "Today, Oregon lost a true legend and a leader. Senator Peter Courtney was a mentor and a friend who had a heart as big as his personality. "Peter Michael Coleman Courtney cared deeply for this state and those who were mos  more

WASHINGTON, July 16 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Portland, OR Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement on the passing of former Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney: "I join the many Oregonians who are grieving this loss of Peter Courtney--a true force of nature whose larger-than-life personality was only matched by his work ethic. "Throughout his remarkable, record-setting over 40-year service to our state, Peter was unwaveri  more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today announced his bipartisan bill--the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act--has been signed into law. Merkey's bill, which he co-authored with Indiana's U.S. Senator Todd Young, supports Tibetan self-determination and promotes dialogue between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Dalai Lama toward a peaceful resolution of the long-standing dispute  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Today, Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Massachusetts' U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey, Senate co-chairs of the Congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, expressed their concern about companies seeking to build commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing plants in the United States. The Senators urge U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair Chri  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced they joined the recently introduced Housing Acquisitions Review and Transparency (HART) Act, led by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). The bill requires corporations and private equity firms that buy up large amounts of housing to report those transactions to antitrust enforcers to stop anticompetitive transactions that cou  more

WASHINGTON, July 15 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), co-chair of the bicameral Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group (NWAC), along with co-chairs Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Representatives John Garamendi (CA-08) and Don Beyer (VA-08), released the following statement on the Department of Defense certifying the Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) program's breach under the Nunn-McCurdy statute.   more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on July 15, 2024: * * * Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), released the following statement upon hearing of the tragic death of Naomi Pomeroy: "What a loss. Naomi was not just a fabulous chef and entrepreneur, but an amazing human being. "Her impact went far beyond Portland, helping establish our leadership and reputation for food excellence. "She will be greatly missed" * * * Original text here: http  more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on July 18, 2024: Today, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), introduced the Understanding and Studying American (USA) Civics Act to bolster federal investments in civics education for young adults. The legislation would establish a competitive grant program to fund postsecondary educational opportunities that promote civics education. The effort comes at a time when hal  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on July 16, 2024: * * * Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement on President Biden's announcement of new actions to lower housing costs in America: "The Biden-Harris administration is absolutely right that the key to solving our affordable housing crisis in America is to build, build, build. Donald Trump had four years in offi  more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following statement from a July 9, 2024, hearing entitled "Examining the State of Child Care: How Federal Policy Solutions Can Support Families, Close Existing Gaps, and Strengthen Economic Growth": * * * Today, the Congressional Budget Office is out with its 2024-2034 Budget and Economic Outlook. It seems like a perfect time to take stock of our priorities, especially when it comes to the w  more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following statement from a July 10, 2024, confirmation hearing for Jeffrey Samuel Arbeit, Benjamin A. Guider III, and Cathy Fung to be judges of the U.S. Tax Court: * * * The Finance Committee meets this morning to discuss three nominations to the U.S. Tax Court. I'll begin with Jeffrey Arbeit, who has served for nearly a decade as a legislation counsel with the staff of the Joint Committee  more

WASHINGTON, July 19 -- The Senate Finance Committee released the following written testimony by Megan Pratt, assistant professor of practice at Oregon State University, from a July 9, 2024, hearing entitled "Examining the State of Child Care: How Federal Policy Solutions Can Support Families, Close Existing Gaps, and Strengthen Economic Growth": * * * Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, and distinguished Members of the Committee, it is an honor to submit written testimony regarding this crit  more

WASHINGTON, July 17 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release: In a bipartisan letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack, U.S. Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Chair Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) led Senate colleagues in expressing concern about the potential for potato wart to spread from potato imports originating on Canada's Prince Edward Island (PEI) to U.S. farms and producti  more