WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Chair Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) sent a letter to Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Martin O'Malley, requesting information about the Administration's use of artificial intelligence (AI), especially in decisions about benefit eligibility or payment amounts. The letter builds on Crapo and Wyden's ongoing oversight of federal agencies' use o  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Chavez-DeRemer and Simpson By Reps. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) and Mike Simpson (ID-02) Bend Bulletin(link is external) As wildfire seasons grow longer and more intense, the brave men and women on the front lines of these catastrophic blazes are deservingly hailed as heroes. Yet, federal wildland firefighters are frequently subjected to inconsistent compensation despite their essential role in prot  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 -- 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 (USDA) is sending a total of $2,182,023 in Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants, and $3,176,875 in a REAP loan, to support renewable energy projects in the state. The investments--much like the $4.5 million for other REAP projects the Senators announced in April--will help farmers, ranchers, and rura  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Investments included in fiscal year 2025 government funding bills champion programs and projects that expand health care and education access, modernize water infrastructure and energy storage, and support manufacturing and job creation. Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced he secured critical investments for Oregon families and rural, coastal, and   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today led a group of lawmakers in pressing the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to ban gambling on American elections. The letter--signed by Senators Merkley, Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and John Sarbanes (D-MD)--urg  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle and Andrea Salinas today urged top federal officials to visit Oregon this month so the state can showcase the jobs and investment generated by the CHIPS and Science Act as the landmark legislation marks its second anniversary. "In keeping with our excitement about Oregon's thriving semiconductor industry and its potential,   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Letter from Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici, Hoyle, Salinas: "We stand ready to welcome you to our state, celebrate the progress made in the past two years, and share our vision for the future of Oregon's semiconductor industry." Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle and Andrea Salinas today urged top federal officials to visit Oregon this month so the state can showcase   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola, D-Alaska, issued the following news release on Aug. 5, 2024: Today, Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (AK-AL) joined an amicus brief urging the Federal District Court for the District of Oregon to grant the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) request for a preliminary injunction in the Kroger-Albertson's merger case. The brief outlines three major concerns with the merger: harm to consumers, harm to workers, and the growing consolidation of grocer  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, issued the following news: U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) are leading more than 25 Members of Congress in filing an amicus brief urging the Federal District Court for the District of Oregon to grant the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) request for a preliminary injunction in the Kroger-Albertson's merger case. The brief outlines three major concerns with the merger: harm to consumers, harm t  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, issued the following news release: LAS VEGAS, NV U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined her colleagues in submitting an amicus brief to block the Kroger-Albertsons mega-merger that could limit competition and raise grocery prices for Nevadans. In the brief, they urge the Federal District Court for the District of Oregon to grant the Federal Trade Commission's request for a preliminary injunction to stop the merger. This challenge comes after Sen  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 -- Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: "Two years ago, President Biden signed the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act into law. Already, this legislation has helped spur immense private investment in our nation's industrial capacity and secure our future economic competitiveness. Industrial incentives alone, however, are not enough," writes Salinas. "The CHIPS and Science Act put forth a bold vision for an innovation ecosystem that underlies our eco  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee released the following remarks from a July 25, 2024, open executive session on U.S. Tax Court nominations: * * * The Finance Committee meets this morning to vote on three nominations. Jeffrey Arbeit, Cathy Fung, and Benjamin Guider are all nominated to serve as judges of the United States Tax Court. I'll have brief remarks on each nominee before I turn it over to Senator Crapo. The tax court is an essent  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on Aug. 5, 2024: In a letter to an attorney representing Justice Clarence Thomas' billionaire benefactor Harlan Crow, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today newly revealed flights taken by Thomas aboard Crow's private jet that Thomas has failed to disclose. The letter also restated demands for travel and financial records pertaining to Crow's yacht, the Mi  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., today released bipartisan legislation to help Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stop the flow of illicit goods, including fentanyl, counterfeits, and products made with forced labor, into the country by tightening import requir  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- 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) sent a letter to Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Martin O'Malley, requesting information about the Administration's use of artificial intelligence (AI), especially in decisions about benefit eligibility or payment amounts. The letter builds on Crapo and  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on Aug. 7, 2024: Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, today sent a letter to Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Martin O'Malley, requesting information about the Administration's use of artificial intelligence (AI), especially in decisions about benefit eligibility or payment amoun  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) led Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.),and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) in introducing the Digital Integrity in Democracy Act,legislation to increase accountability of social media platforms that knowingly host false election administration information. The bill aims to strengthen voting rights protections by carving   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Legislation Would Prevent Workplace Harassment, Strengthen and Expand Key Protections For Workers, Support Workers in Seeking Accountability And Justice Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined the reintroduction of a bill that would address workplace harassment and ensure workers can seek accountability and justice. Workers across the country continue to face sexual harassment at work  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and 31 other senators in introducing legislation that would reaffirm that presidents and vice presidents do not have immunity for actions that violate federal criminal law. The legislation also clarifies that Congress, not the Supreme Court, determines to whom federal criminal laws may be applied. On   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with five senators and 12 House members, sent a letter to eight private probation and electronic monitoring (EM) companies, expressing concern about the industries' abusive business practices, which often drive poor and vulnerable communities into cycles of debt or jail time. In the criminal system, EM technology is used to track and analyze the location of people u  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Val Hoyle today urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to thoroughly and expeditiously complete its investigation into concerns about Republic Services Coffin Butte Landfill in Benton County. "This 178-acre landfill accepts over 1 million tons of waste annually from nearly two dozen Oregon counties and southwest Washington. Surrounding   more