WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release on Dec. 21, 2021: Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA) called on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan to prioritize equity and environmental justice when awarding the more PR

BEAVERTON, Oregon, Dec. 24 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) announced that Oregon will soon receive $92,079,000 in federal funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to strengthen drinking and wastewater systems and replace dangerous lead service lines and pipes. This funding is the first round of a five-year investment authorized by the new law. "Access to safe and reliable drinking water is c more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 -- Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, issued the following news release on Dec. 22, 2021: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), and Representatives Tom Malinowski (D-NJ-07), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), and Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-04) are leading a congressional effort urgently requesting supplemental funding be included in the Fiscal Year  more PR

BEAVERTON, Oregon, Dec. 24 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 23, 2021: U.S. Representatives Kurt Schrader (OR-05) and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) introduced two separate bills as a step forward for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, so they have the ability to work toward amending and modernizing their hunting, fishing, trapping and animal gathering rights. The House bills serve as companions to the Sena more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 -- Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 23, 2021: U.S. Representatives Kurt Schrader (OR-05) and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) introduced two separate bills as a step forward for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, so they have the ability to work toward amending and modernizing their hunting, fishing, trapping and animal gathering rights. The House bills serve as companions to the Senate bills,  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 -- Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release on Dec. 22, 2021: Committee on Homeland Security Chair Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Transportation & Maritime Security Subcommittee Chair Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), and Aviation Subcommittee Chair Rick Larsen (D-WA) sent letters to four major airlines urging them to more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on Dec. 20, 2021: Following a new report from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley--a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations--released the following statement regarding the crisis in Ethiopia and the ongoing conflict, famine, and human rights violations, including in the Tigray region: "The escalating situation is Ethiopia is heartbreaking and deeply conce more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 23, 2021: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, the Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), announced today that legislation he co-authored with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) has been signed into law by President Joe Biden. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act is legislation that will ban U.S. imports of products that are made with slave labor in the Xinjiang Autonomous Regi more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 22, 2021: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today asked the Ball Corp. to postpone recent action it's taken that will hurt small brewers in Oregon and nationwide who order printed beer cans from the company starting in the new year. Wyden noted that his concerns follow Ball's notification last month to its existing non-contracted customer base that, effective January 1, 2022, it will quintuple the minimum number of more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2021: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined colleagues in calling out anti-worker and anti-union practices in a letter to Amazon demanding answers about the circumstances that led to the death of six employees after an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois collapsed during a tornado on December 10, 2021. "We have heard alarming reports about the events that took place in the warehouse  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden this week joined colleagues in urging the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) to suspend administrative wage garnishment of student loan borrowers. The letter comes nearly a month before student loan and interest payments are set to resume on January 31, 2022. "Currently, over 9 million borrowers are in default on more than $180 billion in federal student loan debt," Wyden and lawmakers  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 22, 2021: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today joined colleagues in a letter urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to address the ongoing energy crisis and its impact on families served by the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in Oregon and nationwide. "As the world economy recovers from the pandemic, global energy markets are struggling to keep up with a surge in demand  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 23, 2021: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a $20 million grant from the Department of Transportation (DOT) heading to Oregon to assist in the roads and highway recovery efforts from 2020's massively destructive wildfires. "The effects of the devastating fire season in 2020 are still being felt by Oregonians all over the state," said Merkley. "Our roads and highways conn more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 23, 2021: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a $20 million grant from the Department of Transportation (DOT) heading to Oregon to assist in the roads and highway recovery efforts from 2020's massively destructive wildfires. "The effects of the devastating fire season in 2020 are still being felt by Oregonians all over the state," said Merkley. "Our roads and highways connec more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2021: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced $289.1 million dollars in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to help support the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District (TriMet) in Portland, Oregon. This funding is awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and will help TriMet stay afloat and recover from the major impacts the more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2021: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced $289.1 million dollars in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to help support the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District (TriMet) in Portland, Oregon. This funding is awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and will help TriMet stay afloat and recover from the major impacts  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 22, 2021: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Ron Wyden today announced $500,000 in Economic Development Administration (EDA) funds to research and develop further opportunities for mass timber development in Oregon, through the Biden administration's Build Back Better Regional Challenge program. These funds will be administered by the Port of Portland as part of a regional coalition to expa more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Ron Wyden today announced $500,000 in Economic Development Administration (EDA) funds to research and develop further opportunities for mass timber development in Oregon, through the Biden administration's Build Back Better Regional Challenge program. These funds will be administered by the Port of Portland as part of a regional coalition to expand the mass timber i more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced $21.7 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to assist in recovery efforts from severe storms and flooding that devastated many roads, highways, and communities throughout Oregon in 2020 and 2021. "From the February 6, 2020 storm that hit Northeast Oregon, to the torrential rains and severe flooding we experienced ea more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 22, 2021: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced $21.7 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to assist in recovery efforts from severe storms and flooding that devastated many roads, highways, and communities throughout Oregon in 2020 and 2021. "From the February 6, 2020 storm that hit Northeast Oregon, to the torrential rains and severe flooding we  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 21, 2021: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Congressman Cliff Bentz, today announced that $10 million in additional federal funding is headed to the Klamath Basin to help with drought relief and resiliency. This funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation adds to the $33 million that the lawmakers secured earlier this year for water users--including irrigators, Klamath Trib more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 21, 2021: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Congressman Cliff Bentz, today announced that $10 million in additional federal funding is headed to the Klamath Basin to help with drought relief and resiliency. This funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation adds to the $33 million that the lawmakers secured earlier this year for water users--including irrigators, Klamath Tribes, more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2021: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) today announced they have introduced bipartisan legislation that would strengthen spectrum rights for certain low power television (LPTV) stations, which fill important gaps in broadcast service, particularly in those rural communities outside the reach of a full power signal. "Low power television stations provide diverse, locally-oriented br more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2021: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, today released submissions responding to the committee's bipartisan initiative to address barriers to mental health care. "Far too frequently, Americans struggle to access timely, affordable, high-quality behaviorial health care and substance u more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 22, 2021: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined their West Coast colleagues in the Senate to request details from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on future plans and funding needs for the West Coast Early Earthquake Warning (EEW) system. "After years of strong congressional and state-level support, we are glad to see the EEW system has advanced to having nearly 70 percent of seismic  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined their West Coast colleagues in the Senate to request details from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on future plans and funding needs for the West Coast Early Earthquake Warning (EEW) system. "After years of strong congressional and state-level support, we are glad to see the EEW system has advanced to having nearly 70 percent of seismic stations in place an more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week joined colleagues in expressing their deep disappointment in the reimplementation of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as the 'Remain in Mexico' program, and strongly urged the Biden-Harris Administration to reverse course on the program's expansion. The re-implementation of MPP subjects more vulnerable asylum seekers to a program that Secretar more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week joined colleagues in expressing their deep disappointment in the reimplementation of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as the 'Remain in Mexico' program, and strongly urged the Biden-Harris Administration to reverse course on the program's expansion. The re-implementation of MPP subjects more vulnerable asylum seekers to a program that Secretary M more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 23, 2021: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the Oregon Department of Forestry will receive more than $2.2 million in federal funds to help cover costs from fighting the Mosier Creek Fire that destroyed eight homes and threatened hundreds of others in the Columbia River Gorge.in August 2020. "The frightening threat to lives and property from the Mosier Creek Fire last year requir more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 23, 2021: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the Oregon Department of Forestry will receive more than $2.2 million in federal funds to help cover costs from fighting the Mosier Creek Fire that destroyed eight homes and threatened hundreds of others in the Columbia River Gorge.in August 2020. "The frightening threat to lives and property from the Mosier Creek Fire last year required  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2021: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that the Housing Authority of Washington County and the Klamath Housing Authority - serving Klamath and Lake counties -- will receive nearly $515,000 in combined federal resources to provide rental assistance for homeless veterans. "Housing is a human right, and that's especially true for America's veterans when they return from their  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2021: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that the Housing Authority of Washington County and the Klamath Housing Authority - serving Klamath and Lake counties -- will receive nearly $515,000 in combined federal resources to provide rental assistance for homeless veterans. "Housing is a human right, and that's especially true for America's veterans when they return from their ser more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2021: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Oregon will receive nearly $50 million in funds from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) for debris removal and power line repair in the Santiam Canyon for recovery from the devastating 2020 Labor Day fires. "Oregon has made incredible progress recovering from the catastrophic Labor Day fires, but these efforts hav more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2021: U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Oregon will receive nearly $50 million in funds from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) for debris removal and power line repair in the Santiam Canyon for recovery from the devastating 2020 Labor Day fires. "Oregon has made incredible progress recovering from the catastrophic Labor Day fires, but these efforts more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., with Sens. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, asked the Biden administration to take action to ensure a whole-of-government strategy to dismantle the scourge of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Despite cases of CSEC skyrocketing, the federal government's strategy for years ha more PR