Interior Cuts in Trump Administration’s “Skinny” Budget to Leave Lasting Scars on Public Lands, Tribal Nations, and Human Health
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Interior-Environment Subcommittee on the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the below statement following the release of President Trump’s ‘skinny’ budget for Fiscal Year 2026. “This budget is exactly what we expected from this administration: abandoning critical programs, slashing essential government services,
Merkley Announces Central Oregon Town Halls
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced today he will hold three town halls for Oregonians in Jefferson, Crook, and Deschutes counties on Saturday, May 10. Merkley will be joined by U.S. Representative Janelle Bynum for the Deschutes County town hall in Sisters. The three rescheduled events in Central
Sens. Wicker, Merkley Introduce Bipartisan Nurse Corps Tax Parity Act
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Co-Chairs of the Senate Nursing Caucus, introduced the Nurse Corps Tax Parity Act. This legislation would ensure that nurses in the federal Nurse Corps do not need to pay income tax on their student loan repayments and scholarships. “Nurses are essential to
RUBIO, MERKLEY INTRODUCE BILL TO REAUTHORIZE UYGHUR HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY ACT
The People’s Republic of China continues to brutally suppress Uyghurs and other ethnic groups. The United States must continue to hold officials accountable for these abuses. The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, which U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) led, was signed into law in 2020 and its sanctions are set
Wyden, Merkley Announce National Trail Designation for Banks-Vernonia State Trail
WASHINGTON D.C.—Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced the designation of the Banks-Vernonia State Trail to the National Trails System. The newly designated trail joins a network of more than 1,300 existing national recreation trails, which can be found in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Wyden, Merkley Press Navient to Cancel Loans of Borrowers Scammed by Fraudulent, For-Profit Colleges and Servicer Misconduct
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined seven colleagues in urging student loan servicer Navient to cancel decades-old private student loans pushed onto borrowers attending fraudulent, for-profit colleges. “We write to urge the Navient Corporation to cancel the decades-old, predatory student loans
Cardin, Rubio, Merkley Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Commemorating 35th Anniversary of Tiananmen Square Massacre
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), introduced a bipartisan resolution commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. The resolution also condemns the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) widespread use of repression and transnational repression against
Merkley Announces June Town Halls
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced today he will be holding six in-person town halls for Oregon communities in June: Coos and Curry counties on Friday, June 7; Klamath and Lake counties on Saturday, June 8; and Crook and Wheeler counties on Sunday, June 9. The events continue
Merkley, Wyden Announce $22.6 Million for Oregon School Districts to Transition to Clean School Buses
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding over $22.6 million to 15 school districts around Oregon through its 2023 Clean School Bus Program rebate competition. The federal investment will help replace 96 older buses in school districts across