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 Payroll Tax and Unemployment Insurance Compromise

Washington, DC – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement after the passage of the conference report of the extension of the payroll tax cut and continuation of unemployment insurance.  “I am pleased that the House and the Senate have come to a deal on the extension of the

Merkley Introduces Bipartisan Amendment to Help Oregon Farmers and Ranchers

Portland, OR– Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today introduced a bipartisan amendment to the transportation bill currently on the Senate floor that would cut red tape for farmers and ranchers transporting their products. The amendment, co-sponsored by Senator’s Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), would allow farmers and ranchers who

Merkley: 2013 Budget Lays Groundwork for Success of America’s Middle Class

Washington, DC – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement on the release of President Obama’s budget for the fiscal year 2013. “The budget put forth by the President lays out a plan for America’s success by prioritizing the success of America’s middle class.  It puts our economic focus

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

en_USEnglish