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
HIRONO, CARTWRIGHT INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO STRENGTHEN RIGHTS OF PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS TO JOIN UNIONS, BARGAIN COLLECTIVELY
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (D-PA) introduced the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, bicameral legislation to guarantee the right of public sector employees to organize, act concertedly, and bargain collectively in states that currently do not afford these basic protections. “Private
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Urge End of Private Immigration Detention Centers, Demand Closure of Facilities with Inhumane Conditions
Senators’ letter: “We do not support a system that detains people in inhumane conditions that result in long-term medical issues, psychological trauma, and sometimes death. We urge that these facilities be shut down, in a step towards building an immigration system that welcomes and respects migrants.” Washington, D.C. – U.S.
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $6.2 Million to Boost Oregon’s Innovative Wood Products Economy and Support Healthy Forests
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is investing $6,276,170 in 13 projects in Oregon to boost the creation of innovative wood products, develop more markets for uses of mass timber and renewable wood energy, and increase the capacity of
Wyden, Merkley Announce $660,000 for Road Safety in Columbia and Clatsop Counties
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that Oregon will receive $660,000 in federal funds to Columbia and Clatsop counties to help develop transportation improvement plans and boost public safety. “Oregonians need to be confident that the roads they drive on daily are safe,” Wyden
Merkley Statement on Cannabis Rescheduling
Merkley: “Cannabis has not been descheduled, so we still have work to do.” Washington, D.C. – Following the Biden administration’s cannabis rescheduling announcement, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—a lead sponsor of the SAFER Banking Act—shared the following statement: “I pushed the Biden administration to make good on the President’s commitment
Merkley, Wyden Celebrate $24 Million Coming to Oregon to Strengthen and Defend Communities from Wildfire Threats
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (USFS) is investing $24,063,442 in 13 projects across Oregon to make at-risk communities’ homes, businesses, and infrastructure more resilient to wildfires. This funding allocation is part of the Community Wildfire Defense