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

Oregon Senators Co-Sponsor Craft Brewing Bill

Washington, DC – Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced their co-sponsorship of a bill that would stimulate the growing craft brewing industry in Oregon and nationwide by reducing the excise tax on each barrel of beer brewed by small brewers. The bill, S. 375, the Small Brewer

Senators Coons, Merkley introduce bill to expand ACA small business tax credit

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced legislation on Thursday to help small business owners who want to provide health insurance to their workers. The Small Business Tax Credit Accessibility Act would expand and simplify the Affordable Care Act’s small business tax credit, making it

Following Institute of Medicine Study Confirming Agent Orange Exposure, Bipartisan Group of Senators Calls on VA Secretary to Ensure Post Vietnam Air Force Veterans Receive Proper Benefits and Compensation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bipartisan group of senators led by Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) today called on VA Secretary Robert McDonald to ensure that veterans long denied care for exposure to Agent Orange receive timely and proper benefits and compensation. The letter follows a

Merkley Leads Senate Group Urging FDA to Regulate Electronic Cigarettes

Washington, DC – Today, Senator Jeff Merkley joined with Senators Boxer (D-CA), Blumenthal (D-CT), Brown (D-OH), Durbin (D-IL), Markey (D-MA) to send a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner urging the FDA to finalize its plan for regulating e-cigarettes. The Senators pointed to a new study from

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