Jeff is committed to protecting America from those who would do us harm, and to making sure we do so in a way that is consistent with American values and our Constitutional rights. Indeed, Jeff firmly believes that the measure of our strength isn’t just the power of our military, but that the United States is safer and stronger when we honor our fundamental American values like respect for the rule of law and invest in the hard work of working with our allies. In a dangerous world, with global threats ranging from terrorism to global warming to nuclear weapons proliferation, Jeff understands that we need to be able to work with other nations to confront these challenges together.
Having worked as a national security analyst at the Pentagon and at the Congressional Budget Office, Jeff has a unique understanding of national security policy. In both positions, he was immersed in the national dialogue on responsible management of nuclear weapons. Jeff also remained actively engaged in foreign policy issues as President of the World Affairs Council of Oregon.
Senator Merkley on China’s Erasure of Tibetan, Mongolian, and Uyghur Cultures
Senator Merkley questioned witnesses during a Congressional-Executive Commission on China hearing titled “The Preservation of Memory: Combatting the CCP’s Historical Revisionism and Erasure of Culture” on December 5, 2024. Watch the full hearing: https://www.cecc.gov/events/hearings/preservation-memory-combating-ccps-historical-revisionism-and-erasure-culture
Merkley, Jayapal, Tlaib Introduce Congressional Resolution Raising Awareness of Chemical Disasters in the United States & Abroad
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12) today introduced a bicameral resolution designating December 3rd as National Chemical Disaster Awareness Day. The resolution spotlights the ongoing crisis of chemical disasters nationwide and marks the 40th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster,
Merkley, Whitehouse, Welch, Huffman: at INC-5, U.S. Must Champion Agreement to Address Full Life Cycle of Plastics
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—joined by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Peter Welch (D-VT), and U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA-02)—today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory calling for the United States to use its influence
Merkley: Global Plastics Crisis Requires Global Action
Senator traveling to Busan, South Korea, to help shape global plastic pollution agreement Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—a leading voice in Congress on the urgent need to address the plastic pollution crisis—today issued the following statement before traveling to the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) in Busan,
Merkley Statement on Vote to Block Offensive Arms Sales to the Netanyahu Government
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today issued the following statement after the Senate held votes on Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs) to halt U.S. sales of certain offensive weapons used in Gaza by the Netanyahu government: “While Israel
Ahead of Busy Holiday Travel Season, Merkley Urges Oversight of TSA’s Unchecked Use of Facial Recognition Technology at Airports Nationwide
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today joined forces with a bipartisan group of his colleagues to sound the alarm on the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) facial recognition regime in airports across the United States. Merkley co-led the effort with Senators John Kennedy (R-LA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA),