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, Wyden Join Legislation to Combat Urban Heat Islands
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined colleagues in introducing the Excess Urban Heat Mitigation Act, which would create a competitive grant program to provide funding to combat the causes and consequences of urban heat islands. “In places like East Portland, where a lack of
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Demand Trump Rescind Illegal Anti-Voter Executive Order
Senators say “requirements in this illegal order would likely disenfranchise millions of American voters…places a variety of other process burdens on voters, especially married women, rural residents, and low-income voters, and communities of color.” Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said today they have joined Senate
UPDATE: Merkley Announces Early April Town Halls
UPDATE: Because of a change in the U.S. Senate voting schedule, all three town halls in Central Oregon on Saturday, April 5 have been postponed. The town halls in Grant and Wheeler counties on Sunday, April 6 currently remain as scheduled. An updated event schedule and invitations will be shared in
Senators Schmitt and Merkley Reintroduce the Worldwide Animal Testing Compliance and Harmonization (WATCH) Act
WASHINGTON – Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) released the following statements after the reintroduction of S.1104 – the Worldwide Animal Testing Compliance and Harmonization (WATCH) Act. This bill would ensure the United States is not funding risky research on animals in unregulated foreign laboratories. “The outsourcing
Merkley, Pingree: EPA’s Elimination of Scientific Research Arm Threatens Clean Air and Water for All
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01), the top Democrats on the subcommittees that oversee funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), sounded the alarm over the EPA’s illegal plans to dismantle the Office of Research and Development (ORD) and fire hundreds of scientists nationwide.
Oregon Delegation Calls on Trump Administration to Reinstate Fired Agricultural Researchers in Oregon
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06) led her Oregon colleagues – including U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05), along with U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley – in a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins, expressing