June 18, 2025 4:30 p.m. 

On Wednesday, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with Idaho’s U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, celebrated the Senate’s unanimous passage of their legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Forest Service’s Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Program through Fiscal Year 2026.

Wyden said, “This is a significant, encouraging and urgently needed step for Oregonians living and working in counties that have depended for decades on these federal investments for local schools, roads, law enforcement and more”. Wyden, who co-authored the initial bipartisan SRS legislation in 2000, said, “I’m glad the Senate has once again done the right thing by passing this bill in a timely fashion, and I strongly urge the House to act ASAP to reconnect this proven lifeline for rural communities in Oregon and nationwide”.

Merkley said, “By passing our bipartisan bill, the Senate has taken critical action to provide reliable funding that is crucial to keeping schools and libraries open, maintaining roads, restoring watersheds, and ensuring there are police officers and firefighters to keep rural communities safe”. Merkley said, “The House must not fail to act again and swiftly pass our bill to extend the SRS program and Oregon communities can maintain access to these important lifelines and resources”.

The release said the Oregon and Idaho Senators introduced the legislation in the 118th Congress and the Senate unanimously passed it in November 2024. It did not receive a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives before the end of Congress. The House must reauthorize the program as soon as possible to avoid a gap in funding for rural counties that rely on the program for much-needed services.