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
Merkley, Kaine Launch Effort to Protect and Strengthen Federal Student Loan Repayment Options
Washington, D.C. – With affordable student loan repayment options at risk under the Trump Administration, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Virginia’s U.S. Senator Tim Kaine today led their colleagues to launch a new effort to protect and expand federal student loan repayment programs. The Savings Opportunity and Affordable Repayment (SOAR)
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
Senator Merkley Leads Group of 32 Senators to Urge Consumer Agency to Issue “Strongest Possible Rules” to Stop Predatory Payday Lending
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) considers new rules to rein in predatory practices in payday and similar types of lending, Senator Merkley and 31 of his Senate colleagues expressed their support today for the initial steps the agency has taken and urged the agency to
Senate Passes Reforms to NSA Programs, Including Merkley-Backed “End Secret Law” Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate passed the USA Freedom Act, legislation that will enact reforms to sweeping NSA spying programs for the first time since those programs were put in place more than a decade ago. The legislation includes a provision modeled on Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley’s “no
Oregon Delegation Members Announce Bend and Eugene Postal Processing Centers Will Remain Open
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Oregon Congressional delegation including Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and Congressmen Peter Defazio, Greg Walden, Earl Blumenauer, Kurt Schrader and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici announced that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has taken the postal processing centers in Bend and Eugene off of the closure list
Merkley Statement on Memorial Day 2015
Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement in recognition of Memorial Day: At a Memorial Day Ceremony 57 years ago, when he was still a young Senator, President Kennedy said, “Their sacrifice is a constant stimulus to us on the long road forward – they didn’t die in vain…but
Merkley Leads Senators In Opposition To Dangerous, Recently Re-Opened Arctic Drilling
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, after a state of emergency was declared in California due to a pipeline oil spill polluting miles of Pacific coastline, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, joined by seventeen other Senators, urged the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to halt all offshore oil and gas drilling permits
Wyden, Merkley Laud FAA Decision on Unmanned Aircraft
Washington, D.C . – Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley praised today’s announcement by federal regulators that cuts red tape for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) test sites in Pendleton, Tillamook and Warm Springs to conduct research that creates jobs in an innovative industry. The announcement by the Federal Aviation