WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 -- Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, issued the following news release: * * * Cantwell Introduces Bipartisan 'Fire Ready Nation Act' to Strengthen Federal Wildfire Forecasting and Firefighting Tools 01.30.25 Estimates put cost of this month's California fires at $135B-$150B, making them the costliest in U.S. history WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, introdu  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 -- The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement released the following testimony by Jessica M. Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, from a Jan. 22, 2025, hearing entitled "Restoring Immigration Enforcement in America": * * * Thank you, Chairman McClintock and Ranking Member Jayapal, for the opportunity to appear at this hearing to discuss how Congress can help restore immigration enforcement, which   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley Applauds Investigation into TSA's Unchecked Use of Facial Recognition Technology at Airports Nationwide Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today released the following statement in response to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari launching an investigation into the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) use of facial biometric data:   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley: Trump's Fossil Fuel Cabinet is a Disaster for our Climate, Economy, and our Kids' Futures Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley--Ranking Member of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee and a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee--today released the following statement on the nominations of Lee Zeldin for Administrator of the E  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 -- Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-California, issued the following statement on Jan. 31, 2025: Today Representative Kevin Kiley (R-CA) released a statement after introducing the Freedom to Cooperate Act to enable local officials who wish to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement to do so irrespective of any state law. "Americans have sent a loud and clear message that we need to secure our border and prioritize dangerous criminals when it comes to immigration enforcement," Rep.  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on Jan. 31, 2025: * * * Wyden Blasts Announcement of Blanket, Arbitrary New Taxes on Products from Canada, Mexico and China; Working Families Will Be Hit Hardest * * * Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., warned that blanket, arbitrary 25 percent tariffs announced by the White House today on products from Canada and Mexico and 10 percent tari  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following opening statement from a Jan. 22, 2025, confirmation hearing for Russell T. Vought to be director of the Office of Management and Budget: * * * Well thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and congratulations on your new role leading this Committee. I look forward to working with you, and welcome to the Committee. Senator Cornyn, Senator Ricketts - and new to the Senate and new t  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on Jan. 31, 2025: * * * In New Letter to Treasury Secretary Bessent, Wyden Warns That Political Meddling in Treasury Payments Risks Severe Economic Damage, Calls Out Dangerous Conflicts of Interest Stemming from Elon Musk's Close Business Ties to the Chinese Government * * * Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., demanded answers from Treasury   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on Jan. 29, 2025, at a confirmation hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Health and Human Services Secretary: * * * As Prepared for Delivery The question before the Finance Committee this morning is whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. should be trusted with the health and well-being of the American people. Committee staff have examined thousands of pages of statements,   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following statement from a Jan. 21, 2025, confirmation hearing for Scott Bessent to be secretary of the Treasury: * * * I'll have just a few key points explaining why I will oppose Mr. Bessent's nomination. First off, Mr. Bessent is not square on his taxes. Like a lot of Wall Street titans, he's opted out of paying a fair share into Medicare, starving the program of almost a million do  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on Jan. 31, 2025: * * * As Nominee Delivered Written Answers to Finance Ranking Member's Questions, Trump Administration Took Down a Key CDC Webpage for Vaccine Information * * * Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued a statement after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. returned written answers to questions to committee members following his no  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Surface Transportation Board issued the following notice (Docket No. AB 1343X) entitled "Saratoga Railroad LLC - Abandonment Exemption - in Carbon County, Wyoming": * * * Saratoga Railroad, LLC (Saratoga), has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR part 1152 subpart F--Exempt Abandonments to abandon an approximately 23.71-mile rail line between milepost 0.57, near Walcott, Wyo., and milepost 24.28, at Saratoga, Wyo., in C  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Thompson, Merkley Introduce Bill to Combat Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke Washington - Today, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Smoke and Heat Ready Communities Act--legislation to protect communities across the country from the hazardous health, economic, and environmental impacts of severe wildfire smoke and extreme heat events. Thompson introduced the   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 -- Rep. Mike Thompson, D-California, issued the following news release: * * * THOMPSON, MERKLEY INTRODUCE BILL TO COMBAT HEALTH IMPACTS OF WILDFIRE SMOKE Washington - Today, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Smoke and Heat Ready Communities Act--legislation to protect communities across the country from the hazardous health, economic, and environmental impacts of severe wildfire smoke and extreme heat events. Thompson introduced  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document from Economics Daily: * * * Union membership rates highest in Hawaii and New York, lowest in North Carolina in 2024 January 31, 2025 The union membership rate in the United States (the percentage of wage and salary workers who were members of unions) was 9.9 percent in 2024, little changed from the prior year. The number of wage and salary workers belonging to unions, at 14.  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (TNSFR) -- Z-Wave Alliance, Inc. has filed a notification with the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission on December 16, 2024, disclosing several changes in its membership. Skyline Smart Homes, based in Happy Valley, Oregon, has been added to the joint venture. Meanwhile, companies such as Tong Lung Metal Industry, Hogar Controls US, and Casenio AG have withdrawn their membership, and two companies have changed their names--Dwelo, Inc. to Level Home and Evolvere   more