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 Celebrates Landmark Ruling Creating Marriage Equality in Oregon

WASHINGTON – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after a judge ruled that marriage equality can no longer be denied to same-sex couples in Oregon: “Today is a momentous day in Oregon’s fight for equality. Lifetime love and commitment should be celebrated and honored, not relegated to second-class

Merkley Introduces Bill to Make Hospitals Safer for both Nurses and Patients

WASHINGTON – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley introduced the Registered Nurses Safe Staffing Act, which will help improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients through appropriate levels of staffing, reduction in medical errors, and increases in nurse retention. The bill will require Medicare-participating hospitals to create staffing plans

Merkley Helps Pass Job-Creating Transportation Bill Out of Committee

WASHINGTON – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley helped to pass a bipartisan, job-creating transportation bill out of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee. The bill will ensure that construction work across the country does not come to an abrupt halt later this year and will make job-creating investments in

Merkley Leads Senators in Pushing CFPB to Crack Down on Predatory Payday Loans

WASHINGTON – In a letter sent to the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today, six Senators – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, along with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) – pushed the

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