Latest News

Home / News

Merkley, Salinas Lead New Bill to Hold ICE, CBP Accountable for Abusing Americans’ Constitutional Rights

January 29, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06) introduced new legislation to hold U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) liable for violating individuals’ constitutional rights. The ICE and CBP Constitutional Accountability Act would make the federal government

Elfreth, Merkley Introduce Legislation to Prohibit Partisan National Park Passes

January 29, 2026

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), Vice Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the top Democrat overseeing funding for the National Park Service, introduced the Prohibit Partisan Park Passes Act. The bill is straightforward legislation that would explicitly prohibit the National

CBO Tells Merkley: Trump’s Brazen National Guard Deployment to American Cities Has So Far Cost U.S. Taxpayers Upwards of $589 Million

January 28, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) told U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, that President Donald Trump’s brazen decision to deploy National Guard personnel to U.S. cities, including Portland, has cost taxpayers upwards of $589 million to date. If these

Merkley, Durbin, Peters Lead Amicus Brief Urging Circuit Court to Affirm the Critical Protections of Minors in Immigration Detention

January 28, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee led a group of 23 Senators in filing an

Merkley Joins Senate Probe of Trump’s Cuts to Child Care for Rural Families

January 27, 2026

“Trump vowed to lower costs for Americans, yet his administration’s actions…make this [child care crisis] worse.” Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley joined a group of Senators in announcing a new investigation into how the Trump Administration’s cuts to affordable child care programs are affecting rural families. The

Merkley, Rounds, Panetta, Moore, Carbajal Champion Bipartisan Effort to Strengthen Monarch and Pollinator Highways

January 26, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and South Dakota’s U.S. Senator Mike Rounds partnered with U.S. Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19), Blake Moore (R-UT-01), and Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) to introduce new bipartisan legislation to support pollinator-friendly habitats along roads and highways in states across America. The Roadside Pollinator Program Amendments Act builds

Merkley, Wyden Deliver Over $100 Million for Critical Community Projects Funding Across Oregon

January 23, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced they secured over $100 million in federal investments for essential community-initiated projects in nearly every Oregon county in both Fiscal Year 2026 packages that recently cleared Congress. Both Merkley and Wyden hold a town hall in each Oregon county

Merkley, Whitehouse, Warren, Kaine Sound the Alarm Over Trump Administration’s Plan to End Affordable Student Loan Repayment Program

January 22, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Rhode Island’s U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Massachusetts’ U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Virginia’s U.S. Senator Tim Kaine today led their Senate colleagues to demand answers from U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon about the Trump Administration’s proposal to eliminate affordable student loan

Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $2.1 Million Grant for Postsecondary Manufacturing Education at Central Oregon Community College

January 21, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that $2,187,923 in federal funding is coming to Central Oregon Community College to boost its manufacturing postsecondary education program, expanding the pipeline of skilled workers to meet the needs of local employers while supporting long-term regional economic growth.

Merkley, Underwood Honor 130th Anniversary of the American Nurses Association

January 20, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) introduced a bicameral resolution recognizing 2026 as ‘‘The Year of The Power of Nurses’’ in celebration of the 130th anniversary of the American Nurses Association. (ANA). “Our nurses make the world better, one bedside at a