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 Praise Passage of Their Siletz and Grand Ronde Land Bills

Washington, D.C. – Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today praised the passage of their two bills that would streamline the Bureau of Indian Affairs process for putting land into trust for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.  This week’s House approval

Merkley Statement on Carson HUD Nomination

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after President-Elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Dr. Ben Carson to be the next Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): “Ben Carson has given me plenty of reasons to question his judgment, and I’m curious to

Merkley Joins Amicus Brief in Fight to Protect Consumer Bureau’s Independence

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley joined an amicus brief of 20 current and former Members of Congress supporting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) appeal of a judicial decision that threatens its independent structure. The brief was filed this week in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. The

Merkley Applauds EPA’s Commitment to Fuel Standards that Save Money and Cut Pollution

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to continue the carbon pollution standards for cars and light trucks through 2025: “The EPA’s re-affirmation of the broadly supported fuel efficiency standards through 2025 is a common-sense win-win-win; these fuel

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