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

Merkley Statement on Passage of the Every Child Achieves Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the Senate overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill to replace No Child Left Behind, the nation’s main K-12 education law: “I’m the product of public schools, and my kids went to the same working class high school I

Merkley Announces Bill to Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley announced the Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act of 2015, a major piece of legislation to stop offshore Arctic drilling. The legislation would prevent any new or renewed leases for the exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, or any other mineral

Merkley Statement on Nuclear Agreement with Iran

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the announcement of a comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran: “Today’s announcement is a significant milestone in the effort to preclude Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon. It is essential for the surety of the United States and for

Merkley Video: Shark Week’s Most Dangerous Predators – Payday Loan Sharks

This week, in honor of TV’s “Shark Week,” Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley released a whiteboard video entitled “Loan Shark Week” to urge the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to crack down on predatory payday lending and prevent loan sharks from trapping American families in a vortex of debt. In the

Senate Committee Passes Merkley Climate Amendment with Bipartisan Support

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee threw bipartisan support behind an amendment sponsored by Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley to help tackle climate change. The amendment enables the U.S. State Department to invest in the global Green Climate Fund. The amendment passed on a bipartisan 16-14 vote and

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