Bend awarded $5 million federal grant to fuel affordable housing production
Bend Bulletin The city of Bend has received a $5 million grant intended to kickstart affordable housing supply, the federal government announced Wednesday. Awarded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the grant set the course for the city to identify and address policies that slow affordable housing
Wyden, Merkley announce $30.1 million in ‘Payments in Lieu of Taxes’ to Oregon counties; $6 million to C. Oregon
KTVZ WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced Thursday that counties throughout Oregon will receive more than $30.1 million in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2024, including over $6 million for Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties. Because local governments cannot tax federal lands, annual PILT
Wyden, Merkley, colleagues call on Postal Service to prepare for November election
KTVZ WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Senator Ron Wyden said Thursday he is leading Senate colleagues including fellow Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley in calling on Postmaster General DeJoy and the U.S. Postal Service to share their plans to accommodate high volumes of mail expected in the upcoming 2024 general election in Oregon and nationwide.
Merkley: Housing aid must pick up the pace
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., took administration officials to task on Thursday for the snail’s pace at which federal aid is reaching homeowners at risk of foreclosure. While the foreclosure rate in Central Oregon and nationwide remains high, lenders have been slow to modify mortgages for borrowers on
Merkley demands answers on mortgage relief funds
WASHINGTON – Expressing frustration at the slow pace of a key program, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley is pressing federal officials to explain why $75 billion in funding to help people avoid foreclosure is not flowing faster to people in need. In a pair of letters this week to Treasury Secretary
Merkley says health care deal likely by year’s end
Sen. Jeff Merkley predicted Friday that Congress will create a health care reform package by Christmas that will pool participants and increase competition among insurers to reduce health care costs. During a conversation with three people in Medford, the Oregon Democrat said a government-managed public insurance program “remains the big
To get your mortgage modified, hit 3 –and wait
At the start of this year, when the U.S. economy seemed to be circling the drain and “green shoots” meant grass growing in the streets, everybody agreed it was essential to deal with the real estate crisis. To help people stay in their homes, the Obama administration –partly at the
The Senator Takes on Talking Points
The Huffington Post got it right. Sort of. “Senator Calls Out Frank Luntz from the SenateFloor” read a June 10 headline on the national Internet news site. Huffington Post’s political reporter Sam Stein had seized on a short speech that Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley made on the Senate floor, attacking
Merkley’s first year in Congress sees changes
WASHINGTON — Like all rookies on the Senate’s big stage, Jeff Merkley has been making constant adjustments since arriving in Washington eight months ago. He’s had to decide when to stand up and when to stay low, whom to trust and how to budget his time — all while competing
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