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

Emergency Unemployment Extension Overcomes Key Hurdle

WASHINGTON – Today, the recent bipartisan agreement on an extension of emergency unemployment insurance passed a key hurdle in the U.S. Senate, with 65 Senators voting to move ahead on the bill. Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley was among the 10 Senators – five leading Democrats and five leading Republicans –

MERKLEY CALLS ON SUPREME COURT TO PROTECT WOMEN’S HEALTH CARE

Portland, OR – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today joined with a small business owner and women’s health advocates to call on the U.S. Supreme Court to protect women’s health in a case that will be heard before the Court next week. The case, Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius, could allow for-profit

Congress Passes Bipartisan Flood Insurance Fix Based on Merkley Bill

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate passed legislation based on a proposal by Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley that will delay flood insurance rate hikes threatening Oregon homes and businesses. The legislation heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.  In September, Merkley held a hearing in his Economic

Merkley Helps Reach Bipartisan Agreement to Restore Emergency Unemployment Insurance

Washington, DC –Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley joined four fellow Democrats and five Republicans in announcing an agreement to reauthorize expired emergency unemployment insurance (UI) benefits for 5 months.  The bill is cosponsored by Merkley and Senators  Dean Heller (R-NV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Rob Portman (R-OH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mark

Merkley Holds Hearing on the State of Retirement Security

WASHINGTON – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, the Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Economic Policy, today held a hearing on the state of retirement security to explore the major challenges facing Americans in preparing financially for retirement. The hearing, titled “The State of U.S. Retirement Security: Can the Middle Class

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