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

Merkley Pushes EPA Official for Action on Portland Air Contamination

Portland, OR. — Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley pressed the top administration official on air quality during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee meeting for assurances that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would take all necessary steps to provide answers and solutions to residents of Portland, Oregon about the

Merkley Announces $36 Million In Housing Funds for State of Oregon

Portland, OR. — Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley announced that Oregon would receive over $36 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury to assist homeowners struggling to avoid foreclosure.  Today’s announcement from the Treasury Department includes an opportunity for the state of Oregon to apply for an additional $110 million

Merkley Statement on the Passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia

WASHINGTON, DC – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia: “As our nation mourns the loss of Justice Scalia, our thoughts and prayers remain with his wife Maureen, his children and grandchildren.  “While I often found myself in disagreement with

Merkley, Wyden, Walden, DeFazio Introduce Bipartisan ‘TSA Fairness Act’ to Bring Commercial Air Service Back to Klamath Falls Airport

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and Representatives Greg Walden and Peter DeFazio today introduced the bipartisan Treating Small Airports with Fairness Act, or ‘TSA Fairness Act,’ which would restore commercial air service to the Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport by bringing back federal TSA screening at

en_USEnglish