Merkley Statement on NDAA
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after voting no on the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA): “As someone who worked inside the Pentagon, I know how important it is to give the strongest backing to our men and women in uniform and to plan
Merkley Statement on House GOP Blocking Spending Bill over Anti-LGBT Discrimination Amendment
WASHINGTON D.C.—Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement in reaction to a surprise vote by House Republicans to defeat a routine energy and water spending measure because the bill included an amendment protecting LGBT Americans from discrimination by federal contractors: “Today’s vote in the House by the majority to
Elizabeth Warren and more than 100 House Democrats blast lack of diversity at the Fed
The Federal Reserve System is one of the most important institutions in the entire American government. Its composition is also almost shockingly non-diverse, with zero African Americans or Latinos serving on the key panel whose decisions impact job creation and the pace of economic growth, despite fairly overwhelming evidence that
Wyden, Merkley Urge Dept. of Education to Clarify Legal Protections for LGBT Students
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined 38 other Democratic senators in urging the Department of Education to release comprehensive guidance on the protections for transgender and gender non-conforming students in our middle schools, high schools, and colleges. Students across the country are protected
Dems Will Urge GOP House Leaders To Hold Hearing On LGBT-Rights Bill
The Equality Act was introduced with gusto last summer — a cabaret of celebrity Democratic Congress members taking turns at a lectern extolling the bill to ban LGBT discrimination federally. But nine months later, the legislation languishes without a hearing. On Thursday morning, several of those same lawmakers will press
NBA chief: ‘No discussion of moving the All-Star Game’ over bathroom law
The National Basketball Association has no plans to move next year’s All-Star Game outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, despite the state’s controversial anti-LGBT law, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced on Friday. “The law as it now stands is problematic for the league,” Silver said at a news conference in New