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 Urges Obama to Include Mortgage Help, Energy Efficiency Programs in Jobs Agenda
Portland, OR – Next week, President Barack Obama plans to lay out an agenda to jumpstart the American economy and create jobs. Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley is urging him to use that opportunity to take aggressive action to keep families in their homes and to finance energy efficiency renovations to
Merkley Unveils Legislation to Promote Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
Portland, OR – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today visited Hillsboro High School to announce his education legislation designed to increase student access to courses in STEM education subjects and provide additional resources to recruit, train, and support teachers of these subjects. “Standing here in the heart of the Silicon Forest
Merkley Statement on Trip to Afghanistan
Portland, OR – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after returning from a Congressional Delegation trip to Afghanistan. “You can’t meet with our troops overseas and not be blown away by their skill, dedication, and sacrifice. They undertake and accomplish amazing things under incredibly difficult conditions every day,
Senators Call on McConnell to Put Jobs First in “Super Committee”
WASHINGTON – One day after Republicans in the House and Senate announced their picks for the Joint Select Committee (JSC), Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley and 22 of his Democratic colleagues sent a simple message to Republican lawmakers: Put jobs first. In a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the
Merkley, Wyden, DeFazio, Blumenauer, Schrader Express Concerns Over Potential Oregon Post Office Closures
Washington, D.C. – Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-4), Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), and Representative Kurt Schrader (OR-5) sent a letter to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe Monday expressing concern over the possibility that as many as 41 post offices in Oregon could be closed
Merkley Statement on the Passing of Senator Mark Hatfield
Portland – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement on the passing of former Governor and Senator Mark O. Hatfield of Oregon. “I am deeply saddened to hear about Senator Hatfield’s death. “Senator Hatfield took courageous positions of conscience — from opposing the Vietnam War to advocating for the