Risch, Merkley Introduce Bill to Remove Roadblocks for Youth Corps Public Lands Projects
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced legislation to reduce federal cost-sharing requirements for public lands projects performed by qualified youth or conservation corps from 25% to 10%. “Current cost-sharing requirements prevent youth conservation corps from carrying out important public lands projects,” said Risch. “My bill reduces this
Merkley, Kaine Launch Effort to Protect and Strengthen Federal Student Loan Repayment Options
Washington, D.C. – With affordable student loan repayment options at risk under the Trump Administration, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Virginia’s U.S. Senator Tim Kaine today led their colleagues to launch a new effort to protect and expand federal student loan repayment programs. The Savings Opportunity and Affordable Repayment (SOAR)
Bynum and Merkley Introduce Legislation to Protect the Deschutes River
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) and Senator Jeff Merkley introduced the Deschutes River Conservancy Reauthorization Act of 2025. The bill reauthorizes the Deschutes River Conservancy’s (DRC) eligibility to receive federal funding for water quality improvement initiatives and conservation efforts. Since its founding in 1996, the DRC and
Wyden, Merkley Announce $25 Million Expansion to Broadband Technical Assistance Program
Funding from USDA Rural Development Provides Assistance to Rural Communities in Oregon and Across the Nation Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that the federal government is making available $25 million through the broadband technical assistance program to help local organizations, cooperatives and Tribes expand affordable, high-speed
Merkley, Wyden Support Introduction of Resolution Recognizing June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced they joined their colleagues in introducing a Senate resolution recognizing June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month. The resolution—authored by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)—highlights the contributions LGBTQ+ Americans have made to our country, notes several major milestones in the
Co-Chairs of Congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group Lead Letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Regarding Concerns about Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Program
Letter Text (PDF) WASHINGTON, DC— Today, U.S. Representatives John Garamendi (D-CA-08) and Don Beyer (D-VA-08) and Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), co-chairs of the Congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, led a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin regarding concerns about the Department
During Pride Month, Wyden, Merkley Join Resolution Apologizing for Government Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ Civil Servants, Servicemembers
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they are co-sponsoring a Senate resolution that acknowledges and apologizes for the mistreatment of and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals who have served the nation in the uniformed services, as civil servants, or in the Foreign Service. “Even as millions celebrate Pride
Merkley Leads Oregon Delegation Push for the USACE to Fully Funded Fish Hatchery Production in the Willamette Basin
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led members of the Oregon delegation, Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05), in a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) urging the agency’s Portland District to prioritize hatchery fish production, as
Merkley, Wyden Announce Funding for the City of Portland to Transition to Fully Electric Utility Trucks
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the City of Portland received $611,536 as an initial award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fund the replacement of two municipal aerial lift utility trucks with fully battery-electric vehicle (BEV) aerial trucks—the first