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

Joyce, Merkley, Colleagues Reintroduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Increase Access to Nurses

WASHINGTON, DC – This week, Representatives Dave Joyce (OH-14), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Jen Kiggans (VA-02), and Lauren Underwood (IL-14) and Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) reintroduced the Improving Care and Access to Nurses (I CAN) Act. This bipartisan legislation would increase healthcare access, improve quality of care, and lower costs by removing the remaining barriers imposed by the

Merkley, Wyden Raise the Alarm Over NIH Funding Cuts that Derail Lifesaving Research, Cost Lives and Jobs in Oregon

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined an effort led by Washington State’s U.S. Senator Patty Murray in expressing serious alarm over the Trump Administration’s threats to cut the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) federal funding to research universities and institutions across America and in Oregon, including groundbreaking medical and

Warren, Raskin, Merkley, Schiff, Lawmakers Call on Elon Musk to Publicly Release Financial Disclosures After White House Claims Musk Will Self Police Conflicts of Interest

Musk Is Subject to Federal Ethics Laws as a “Special Government Employee” “Given the scale of your power to carry out sweeping administrative policies and your vast personal financial interests, the American people deserve to know how you stand to profit from your role in the Trump Administration.” Text of

Merkley, Murray, Peters Seek Clarity on Scope, Reach of OMB Funding Cuts, Who Authored Disastrous Memo

WASHINGTON, DC – Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-MI) continued their Congressional oversight responsibilities of the Trump Administration’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by seeking clarity

Huffman, Merkley, Reintroduce Bill to Restore Critical Kelp Forests

The Help Our Kelp Act Would Improve Conditions for the Marine Life Central to Our Economy Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) reintroduced the bicameral Help Our Kelp Act of 2025 to improve conditions for kelp forests and marine life. This

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