SALEM, Oregon, Feb. 12 -- Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield issued the following news release: * * * AG Rayfield urges EPA to reinstate pesticide ban Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and a coalition of attorneys general are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to reinstate its prior ban of a harmful pesticide on almost a dozen food crops. Chlorpyrifos has been shown to have devastating effects on human health, particularly for children, pregnant women and farmworkers. Oregon has   more

SAN FRANCISCO, California, Feb. 13 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Western Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 12, 2025, entitled "Consumer Price Index, West Region - January 2025": * * * Area prices were up 0.6 percent over the past month, up 2.4 percent from a year ago * * * The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the West Region advanced 0.6 percent in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics repor  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Bonamici Rolls Out Legislative Agenda to Address Housing Crisis WASHINGTON, DC [02/13/25] - Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) announced her package of legislation to address the housing crisis in Oregon and across the country. Bonamici introduced three bills: the Build Housing with Care Act, the Project Turnkey Act, and the START Housing Act. These bills reflect the complex nature of t  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 11, 2025: * * * Bynum Joins Downing in Introducing Bipartisan Bill to Expand Access to Capital for Rural Small Businesses Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (D-OR-05) joined Congressman Troy Downing (R-MT-02) in introducing the Expanding Access to Capital for Rural Job Creators Act. This bipartisan legislation would require the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Office of the Advocate for Sm  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley, Murray, Peters Seek Clarity on Scope, Reach of OMB Funding Cuts, Who Authored Disastrous Memo WASHINGTON, DC - Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-MI) continued their Congressional oversight responsibilities of th  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley, Murray, Peters Seek Clarity on Scope, Reach of OMB Funding Cuts, Who Authored Disastrous Memo WASHINGTON, DC - Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-MI) continued their  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley, Wyden Join Effort Demanding Trump Reverse Illegal Firing of Independent FEC Chair Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined an effort led by California's U.S. Senator Alex Padilla to demand President Trump rescind his unprecedented and illegal firing of Federal Election Commission (FEC) Chair Ellen Weintraub. The Senators also advised Trump to pursue the lawf  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley, Wyden Join Effort Demanding Trump Reverse Illegal Firing of Independent FEC Chair Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined an effort led by California's U.S. Senator Alex Padilla to demand President Trump rescind his unprecedented and illegal firing of Federal Election Commission (FEC) Chair Ellen Weintraub. The Senators also advised Trump to pursue the lawful   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley, Wyden Raise the Alarm Over NIH Funding Cuts that Derail Lifesaving Research, Cost Lives and Jobs in Oregon Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined an effort led by Washington State's U.S. Senator Patty Murray in expressing serious alarm over the Trump Administration's threats to cut the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) federal funding to research universi  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley: Republicans Are Running Up Massive Debt at Betrayal of America's Working Families WASHINGTON, D.C. -Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley - Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee - released the following statement after Republicans passed a FY25 budget resolution through committee:? "This Republican budget opens the door to massive cuts for  more

SALEM, Oregon, Feb. 14 -- Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield issued the following news release on Feb. 13, 2025: * * * AG Rayfield Files Lawsuit to Stop Musk's Power Grab Today, Attorney General Dan Rayfield, along with 13 other attorneys general, filed a lawsuit challenging the unlawful delegation of executive power to Elon Musk. The lawsuit argues that President Trump has exceeded his authority and violated the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution, by creating a new feder  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration has released the following public communication dated Jan. 14, 2025, from Environmental Defense Fund: * * * To: Stephen Schayer, Director Office of Physical Hazards and Others, OSHA Directorate of Standards and Guidance 200 Constitution Ave., NW Washington, DC 20210 osha.dsg@dol.gov Re: Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings (Docket No. OSHA-2021-0009; RIN 121  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- President Trump sent 63 nominations to the Senate on Feb. 11, 2025: Kirsten Baesler, of North Dakota, to be Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of Education. Gary Andres, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services. Sean Cairncross, of Minnesota, to be National Cyber Director. Daniel Aronowitz, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor. John Hurley, of California, to be Under Secretary for Terroris  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- President Trump sent 68 nominations to the Senate on Jan. 20, 2025: Scott Bessent, of South Carolina, to be Secretary of the Treasury. Keith Bass, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Pamela Bondi, of Florida, to be Attorney General. Jayanta Bhattacharya, of California, to be Director of the National Institutes of Health. Douglas Burgum, of North Dakota, to be Secretary of the Interior. James Bishop, of North Carolina, to be Deputy Director of the Offic  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Salinas Statement on Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act Washington, DC - Today, Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06) issued the following statement after voting yes on the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act : "I support secure borders and orderly migration. I also believe we must do more to prevent dangerous, and often deadly, high-speed car chases that put the lives of both officers and c  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee released the following testimony by Keeff Felty, president of the National Association of Wheat Growers, from a Feb. 5, 2025, hearing entitled "Perspectives From the Field: Farmer and Rancher Views on the Agricultural Economy, Part 1": * * * Chairman John Boozman, Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, and distinguished Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Foresty members thank you for the opportunity to testify   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following floor remarks on Feb. 12, 2025, opposing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Health and Human Services Secretary: * * * As Prepared for Delivery I rise today to oppose the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. There's been a lot of ink spilled about this nominee over the past several months. Based on   more

SALEM, Oregon, Feb. 13 -- The Oregon School Boards Association issued the following news: * * * State School Fund shorts special education funding costs Paraprofessional Jenine Rubus attends Knappa High School classes to assist students with individualized education plans. She helps students understand concepts and stay on track so that they can attend mainstream classes that might be a struggle otherwise. The law requires the Knappa School District to provide necessary supports, such as par  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Warren, Raskin, Merkley, Schiff, Lawmakers Call on Elon Musk to Publicly Release Financial Disclosures After White House Claims Musk Will Self Police Conflicts of Interest Musk Is Subject to Federal Ethics Laws as a "Special Government Employee" "Given the scale of your power to carry out sweeping administrative policies and your vast personal financial interests, the American people deserve to know  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden and Biggs Urge New Intel Chief Gabbard to Protect Americans' Communications From Foreign Surveillance U.S. Must Resist Reported U.K. Efforts to Spy on Americans' Encrypted Files, They Write in Bipartisan Letter Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Representative Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., today urged Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to protect U.S. communications from d  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden Joins Colleagues on Legislation to Protect Schools, Hospitals and Other Sensitive Locations against ICE Raids Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he is joining Senate colleagues in introducing legislation that would prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement from making arrests at sensitive locations like hospitals, schools, churches and courthouses in Oregon and nationwide. "T  more