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
WYDEN, MERKLEY, COLLEAGUES PUSH TO AUDIT THE PENTAGON AND END WASTEFUL SPENDING
Monday, June 26, 2023 Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley and Senate colleagues announced today they introduced bipartisan legislation that would require the Department of Defense to pass a full, independent audit in fiscal year 2024. Last year, the Department of Defense failed its fifth audit and was
MERKLEY: NEARLY $700 MILLION COMING TO OREGON TO ENHANCE BROADBAND ACCESS ACROSS THE STATE
Monday, June 26, 2023 Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today applauded the news that a total of $688,914,932.17 in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding is heading to Oregon. These new federal investments—which are part of President Biden’s Internet For All program—will help ensure Americans in every
WYDEN, MERKLEY, COLLEAGUES REINTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO REPEAL THE GUN INDUSTRY’S LEGAL LIABILITY SHIELD
Legislation would give victims of gun violence their day in court & hold manufacturers accountable for negligence Friday, June 23, 2023 Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley and Senate colleagues today reintroduced legislation that would ensure victims of gun violence in Oregon and nationwide have their day in
MERKLEY INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO MAKE SURE POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY PLANTS ARE LABELED AS SAFE
Friday, June 23, 2023 Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced new legislation that would create the “Pollinator-Friendly Plant Labeling Program,” modeled after the Organic Foods Production Act, which created Organic Labeling. The program would require the Department of Agriculture to create a certification program for plant producers
FARMS, FOOD, AND FIBER: MERKLEY ANNOUNCES COMMITTEE ACTION INVESTMENTS IN OREGON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL COMMUNITIES
Funding included in the fiscal year 2024 Senate agriculture funding bill champions family farms, rural housing, broadband, and more Thursday, June 22, 2023 Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced today he secured major investments in Oregon agriculture, rural housing,
MERKLEY EFFORT TO ENABLE VA PROVIDERS TO DISCUSS MEDICAL CANNABIS WITH VETERANS PASSES KEY HURDLE
Thursday, June 22, 2023 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley successfully passed an amendment to the FY 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to protect veterans’ ability to discuss with VA physicians the use of medical cannabis in states where it is legal. “Veterans