Press Releases

Risch, Merkley Introduce Bill to Remove Roadblocks for Youth Corps Public Lands Projects

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced legislation to reduce federal cost-sharing requirements for public lands projects performed by qualified youth or conservation corps from 25% to 10%. “Current cost-sharing requirements prevent youth conservation corps from carrying out important public lands projects,” said Risch. “My bill reduces this

Bynum and Merkley Introduce Legislation to Protect the Deschutes River

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) and Senator Jeff Merkley introduced the Deschutes River Conservancy Reauthorization Act of 2025. The bill reauthorizes the Deschutes River Conservancy’s (DRC) eligibility to receive federal funding for water quality improvement initiatives and conservation efforts. Since its founding in 1996, the DRC and

Wyden, Merkley Call for Immediate Action on County Payment Funding

Washington, D.C. – Recognizing the drain on many rural county budgets, Oregon’s Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley called for reauthorizing the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act (SRS) and fully funding the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Program, in bipartisan letters to Republican Leader Mitch McConnell,

Wyden, Merkley Southwest Mineral Withdrawal Bill Takes Step Forward

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced that the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee considered their legislation to protect more than 100,000 acres in southwest Oregon from mining, in a hearing today. The Southwest Oregon Watershed and Salmon Protection Act would prohibit new mining leases in

Merkley Pushes for Stronger Generic Marketplace Following EpiPen Price Increase

Washington, DC—Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today questioned a top official at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the FDA’s role in the generic drug marketplace in light of the dramatic increase in the price of EpiPens this summer. At the hearing, Senator Merkley asked the FDA’s Director of the

Merkley Demands Accountability From Wells Fargo CEO at Senate Banking Committee Hearing

Washington, DC—Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today demanded accountability and answers from Wells Fargo at a Senate Banking Committee hearing investigating the recent revelations that the bank had illegally created millions of bank and credit card accounts without customers’ knowledge. Merkley told CEO John Stumpf, “All these people were fired because

Merkley Calls on SEC to Investigate Wells Fargo for Failures of Internal Controls

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the wake of Wells Fargo’s scandal in which bank employees created millions of unauthorized accounts, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today called on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to open an investigation into whether the bank violated internal controls provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley by not recognizing and

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