{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-merkley-announce-federal-investment-in-manufacturing-equipment-for-columbia-gorge-community-college", "Wyden, Merkley Announce Federal Investment in Manufacturing Equipment for Columbia Gorge Community College", "2024-09-20", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Ron Wyden", "W000779", "www.wyden.senate.gov", "wyden", "https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington D.C.\u2014 U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced a nearly $300,000 federal investment for Columbia Gorge Community College to add manufacturing equipment to its Advanced Manufacturing and Technology program.\n\n\u201cIn my nearly 1,100 town halls throughout Oregon, I hear regularly about the need for local workforce development and creating avenues of success for young Oregonians,\u201d Wyden said. \u201cI\u2019m gratified this federal investment in the Gorge combines both those objectives by giving Oregon\u2019s future workforce and entrepreneurs the practical tools they need to help them blaze their own trails.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf we don\u2019t make things in America, we won\u2019t have a middle class in America, and when Oregon\u2019s manufacturing industry does well, all Oregonians benefit,\u201d said Merkley, who secured funding for this community-initiated project as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. \u201cThis Columbia Gorge Community College program helps set a path for young Oregonians to reach high-paying careers in manufacturing\u2014opportunities they may not see in the traditional classroom setting. This is the exact kind of project that Senator Wyden and I are pushing to fund, and we\u2019ll keep pushing to ensure CGCC has the necessary equipment to support its programs.\u201d\n\nThis funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology will allow the community college to add milling and additive manufacturing equipment into its Columbia Gorge Regional Skills Center, aligning student training with the needs of the industry while fostering small business growth by providing public access to the equipment.\n\n\"The Columbia Gorge Regional Skills Center is an exemplification of Columbia Gorge Community College\u2019s (CGCC) commitment to fostering inclusive prosperity in our region through education and innovation,\" said Dr. Kenneth Lawson, Columbia Gorge Community College President. \u201cBy providing access to state-of-the-art 3D printing, CNC milling, and welding equipment, we are empowering students, local, and statewide small and medium businesses alike to transform their ideas into tangible products. This initiative aligns perfectly with CGCC's mission to ensure that everyone in our community has the opportunity to succeed. We are incredibly grateful for Senator Ron Wyden's and Senator Jeff Merkley\u2019s unwavering support in again securing this vital grant from NIST, which enables us to continue offering these invaluable resources and programs.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:46:43Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-merkley-announce-federal-investment-in-manufacturing-equipment-for-columbia-gorge-community-college"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5683199744671583, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}