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 Joins Kennedy in Supporting Hate Crime Prevention Bill

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley joined Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D – Mass.) to co-sponsor the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. The bill will enable the Justice Department to assist local authorities in the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes by authorizing

Merkley Introduces Two Bills to Promote Mortgage Transparency and Protect Homeowners

Washington, DC – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today introduced two pieces of legislation designed to protect homeowners from deceptive, unfair lending practices. The Transparency for Homeowners Act ends secret steering payments to brokers who lead homeowners into deceptive mortgages that they cannot afford over the long term. The Promoting Mortgage

Merkley Applauds Obama Endorsement of Credit Card Legislation

Washington, DC – President Barack Obama today met with executives of credit card companies and expressed his support for congressional efforts to strengthen credit card reforms through legislation.  Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Development Committee, wrote to the White House earlier this

Merkley to Hold Washington and Columbia County Town Halls

Portland – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley will hold town halls in Washington and Columbia counties on Sunday, May 3rd. He will update constituents on his work in Washington, DC and answer their questions about the challenges facing Oregon and America.   “Advocating for Oregonians is my number one responsibility,” Merkley

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