Press Releases

Risch, Merkley Introduce Bill to Remove Roadblocks for Youth Corps Public Lands Projects

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced legislation to reduce federal cost-sharing requirements for public lands projects performed by qualified youth or conservation corps from 25% to 10%. “Current cost-sharing requirements prevent youth conservation corps from carrying out important public lands projects,” said Risch. “My bill reduces this

Bynum and Merkley Introduce Legislation to Protect the Deschutes River

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) and Senator Jeff Merkley introduced the Deschutes River Conservancy Reauthorization Act of 2025. The bill reauthorizes the Deschutes River Conservancy’s (DRC) eligibility to receive federal funding for water quality improvement initiatives and conservation efforts. Since its founding in 1996, the DRC and

Merkley, Senators Urge Continuation of Unemployment Insurance

Washington, DC – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley led a group of fourteen Senators calling on the conference committee negotiating the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act to renew federal unemployment insurance provisions through the end of the year without new barriers to participation or new burdensome requirements for states. 

Merkley Praises New 2013 Timeline to End Combat in Afghanistan

Washington, DC – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley wrote to President Barack Obama to express his strong support of the announcement of an accelerated transition in Afghanistan.  The letter came on the heels of comments by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta that the United States will complete its transition from major

Merkley Calls For Komen To Reconsider Planned Parenthood Decision

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley joined with 25 U.S. Senators to call on Nancy Brinker, Founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, to reconsider her organization’s decision to stop funding cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood.     “It would be tragic if any woman—let alone thousands

MERKLEY, BROWN OUTLINE AMENDMENT THAT WOULD STRENGTHEN INSIDER TRADING BILL

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of the Senate and their staff would be required to divest themselves of any individual stock holdings or put them in a blind trust under an amendment outlined by Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Brown (D-OH). In a conference call earlier today, the Senators outlined

MERKLEY: CALLER ID “SPOOFING” MUST COME TO AN END

Washington, DC – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today sent a letter to Federal Communications Chairman Julius Genachowski concerning recent reports of fraudulent use of caller ID technology. Press reports have indicated a dramatic increase of caller ID “spoofing”, or callers that misrepresent themselves on caller IDs.  In many cases, these

Merkley Applauds USDA Investment in ZeaChem Biofuel Production Facility in Boardman

PORTLAND, OR – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley applauded today’s U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) announcement that ZeaChem Inc. has been selected for a $232.5 million USDA loan guarantee to help the construction of ZeaChem’s first commercial scale cellulosic biorefinery in Boardman, Oregon. The state-of-the-art facility will turn woody biomass and

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