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 End of Iraq War

WASHINGTON, DC – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement on the end of the Iraq War:  “This day, the day marking the end of combat troops in Iraq, has been far too long in coming.  This misguided war should never have been fought, but today we can all

Merkley: Post Office Moratorium on Closures Is Good News for Rural Oregon

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Postal Service announced a voluntary moratorium on post office closures in response to concerns raised by a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators.  Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of that coalition, released the following statement: “Post offices are essential hubs of life in rural

Crowdfunding on Internet Should be Safe, Accessible

Washington, DC- Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley and Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the Capital Raising Online While Deterring Fraud and Unethical Non-Disclosure Act of 2011 (CROWDFUND Act), which would legalize and regulate the raising of start-up capital for small businesses on the internet.  The promise of crowdfunding is that investments

Merkley Statement on EPA Rule Change for Boilers

Portland, OR – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement after today’s release of the Environmental Protection Agency proposed change to the March 2011 Clean Air Act emissions standards for large and small boilers and incinerators that burn solid waste. “I appreciate that the EPA is listening to the

Merkley Applauds Energy Efficiency Announcement

Portland, OR – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley made the following statement after the White House announced that it will direct agencies to establish financing arrangements and public-private partnerships to spur billions of dollars in energy efficiency renovations on federal buildings at no cost to taxpayers: “I applaud the White House’s

Merkley Demands Changes to Help Oregon Timber Workers Get Jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Though Oregon’s timber counties have among the highest unemployment rates in the Northwest, a recent report from the Department of Labor’s Inspector General revealed that millions of dollars in stimulus funds were used by contractors employing foreign workers to perform forest thinning work. Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff

en_USEnglish