Press Releases

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 REINTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO ENSURE DOCTORS CAN PROVIDE LEGAL ABORTION CARE, PROTECT PROVIDERS FROM OUT OF STATE EXTREMISTS

Friday, April 28, 2023 Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that they and Senate colleagues have reintroduced legislation that would protect abortion providers in Oregon and nationwide from Republicans’ attempts to restrict their practice and create uncertainty about their legal liability. “Abortion access in Oregon

WYDEN, MERKLEY: SEVEN OREGON AIRPORTS SECURE NEARLY $14 MILLION FOR IMPROVEMENTS

FAA grants headed for airports in Hillsboro, Medford, Portland, Lexington, Brookings, North Bend and Ontario Friday, April 28, 2023 Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that Oregon airports in Washington, Jackson, Multnomah, Morrow, Curry, Coos and Malheur counties have earned nearly $14 million collectively in

MERKLEY, CORNYN, TUBERVILLE, KHANNA, AND CARTER INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO END CHILDREN’S ABUSE IN RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTERS

Paris Hilton, Abuse Survivors Join Lawmakers at Capitol Press Conference Thursday, April 27, 2023 Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley teamed up with Texas’ U.S. Senator John Cornyn, Alabama’s U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville and Representatives Ro Khanna (D-CA-17) and Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-GA-01) to introduce the bipartisan Stop Institutional

MERKLEY, COLLINS, PELTOLA, AND MCCLAIN INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN, BICAMERAL LEGISLATION TO WIPE OUT NON-FLUSHABLES FROM OUR WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE

Thursday, April 27, 2023 Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley teamed up with Maine’s U.S. Senator Susan Collins and U.S. Representatives Mary Peltola (D-AK) and Lisa McClain (R-MI-09) to introduce the Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety (WIPPES) Act. This bipartisan, bicameral bill aims to address heath, ecosystem,

MERKLEY, WYDEN ANNOUNCE OVER $2 MILLION COMING TO OREGON FOR FISH PASSAGE PROJECTS

Thursday, April 27, 2023 Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is awarding Oregon a total of $2,039,061 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support fish passage projects in Benton, Crook, Douglas, and Lane Counties. This funding will

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