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, Wyden Join Effort to Restore the Chevron Doctrine Following MAGA Supreme Court Ruling

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined the recently introduced Stop Corporate Capture Act after the Supreme Court—stacked with Trump-appointed justices—overturned the 40-year-old Chevron doctrine. The bill codifies Chevron deference and strengthens the rulemaking process to block corporations from hijacking our government.  “This MAGA Supreme

Merkley Announces August Town Halls

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced today he will be holding three, in-person town halls on Friday, August 2 for folks in Lincoln, Lane, and Clackamas counties. The events continue Merkley’s 2024 town hall tour of Oregon, where he is holding a community conversation for each of the state’s 36 counties.    

Merkley Announces Key Committee Action to Boost Oregon’s Wildfire Resiliency, Water Infrastructure, and Climate Investments Under his Chairmanship

As chair of a key Senate Appropriations subcommittee, Merkley wrote the fiscal year 2025 Interior-Environment spending bill to fund top Oregon priorities, including essential community-initiated projects across the state. Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—as Chair of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee—announced he secured critical investments to strengthen forest health and

Merkley, Wyden Push to Bring More Federal Firefighting Resources to Oregon

Washington, D.C. – As an unprecedented number of devastating wildfires burn across the state this July, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden sent an urgent letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland calling for more firefighting resources to respond to the growing wildfire crisis.

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