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: It Is Time for a New Direction in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, DC – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today reiterated his call that the President commit to a sizeable and sustained drawdown of troops from Afghanistan. President Obama is scheduled to speak about the future of that country later tonight. Early news reports indicate that Obama will call for small decreases
Merkley: New Leadership Needed at OCC
Washington, DC – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today urged President Obama to appoint a new head to the Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC), a position held for the past several year by Acting Comptroller John Walsh. Merkley’s comments came in response to recent statements from Walsh that criticize
Merkley Statement on the Confirmation of Michael Simon as U.S. District Judge for Oregon
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley joined 63 of his colleagues in voting to confirm Michael Simon of Oregon as a United States District Judge for the District of Oregon. After the vote, Merkley issued the following statement: “Michael Simon is a man of enormous integrity, intellectual breadth and
Senators to FDA: It’s Time to Close the Door on Tobacco Candy
WASHINGTON, DC – A group of Senators, led by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, are calling on the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) to reverse a recent decision that could potentially open the door to the possible sale of tobacco candy –
Senators Call on President to Shift Strategy in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mike Lee (R-UT) and Tom Udall (D-NM) and 24 other senators sent a letter to President Obama today calling for a shift in strategy in Afghanistan ahead of next month’s announced deadline to begin an accelerated transition to Afghan security forces. In the letter, the senators
Merkley, Snowe, Reed, Whitehouse Offer Amendment to End Worst Mortgage Abuses
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) offered the Regulation of Mortgage Servicing Act of 2011 as an amendment to the Public Works and Economic Development Reauthorization Bill. The mortgage servicing bill would help homeowners stay in their homes by ending