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 and Snowe Introduce Bipartisan Energy Security Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As President Obama discussed strategies to reduce American dependence on foreign oil Wednesday, Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation that sets a goal of ending America’s dependence on overseas oil by 2030.  The Energy Security Act of 2011 would establish a National

Merkley Amendment Would Reduce Wait Time for HUBZone Designation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley put forward an amendment Wednesday to reduce the wait time for small businesses to benefit from a federal program that aids small businesses in hard-hit areas.  There is currently a two-year lag time after the census is completed before metro areas can be

Merkley Calls for Crack Down on Oil Speculation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today pushed to corral speculators who’re feverishly trading oil contracts and driving up the price of gas.  Merkley joined more than a dozen U.S. senators to press regulators for an immediate crackdown. The senators are pushing for tougher regulation because new data shows

en_USEnglish