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 Statement on Keystone Report

WASHINGTON – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement after the U.S. State Department released a report on the environmental impacts of the Keystone pipeline: “When the Keystone pipeline’s own proponents argue that the pipeline is essential to the rapid development of the tar sands, it is clear this

Merkley Praises Passage of Flood Insurance Bill

Washington, DC – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley praised the passage of the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act, which would block currently planned increases in flood insurance premiums for primary residences and businesses. Merkley, an original cosponsor of the bill, was instrumental in the bill’s development and passage, raising awareness

Merkley: Shell Made Right Decision, Arctic Drilling Too Risky and Dangerous

 Washington, DC – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement after Royal Dutch Shell announced they will not drill in the Arctic Ocean in 2014.  “An oil spill in the Arctic would be disastrous, and I am glad Shell is cancelling plans to drill in this sensitive area this

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