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
Merkley, Wyden, Hoyle Push VA to Build Roseburg Veterans’ Home
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, alongside U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04), are calling on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to prioritize funding for the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA) proposed Roseburg Veterans’ Home project. Currently, ODVA operates two high-quality, award-winning Oregon Veterans’ Homes: the
Oregon Delegation Condemns Trump Administration’s Decision to Eliminate Key Manufacturing Program
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06) led the Oregon delegation – including U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05) – in a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, condemning
Oregon Delegation Urges Fishery Disaster Declaration
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led his Democratic colleagues in the Oregon delegation—Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)—in urging the U.S. Department of Commerce to declare a federal fishery resource disaster for the 2024 Oregon troll salmon fishery. “This declaration is critical to provide economic relief
Oregon Delegation Denounces Trump Administration’s Attacks on Humanities Funding
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today led his Democratic colleagues in the Oregon delegation—Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)—in slamming federal funding cuts at the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) following a majority of the agency’s entire staff being placed on paid administrative leave and cuts to more
Oregon Delegation Urges Reversal of Cuts, Planned Layoffs at Social Security That Hurt State’s Seniors
Letter from Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici, Hoyle, Salinas, Bynum, Dexter cites disastrous decisions in Social Security field offices in Warrenton, La Grande and The Dalles Washington, D.C. –U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today led his Democratic colleagues in the Oregon delegation – Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Janelle Bynum (OR-05) and Maxine Dexter (OR-03) – in urging
Oregon Delegation Demands Immediate Restoration of Critical FEMA Program
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led his Democratic colleagues in the Oregon delegation—Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)—in calling for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to immediately restore Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grants. These federal grants are critical to ensuring that Oregon’s communities—especially in