When Jeff first took on the challenge of running for the Oregon State Legislature, one of the reasons was because he wanted to build a better education system for his young children. And as the first in his family to go to college, Jeff knows that affordable access to higher education is critical to the success of the middle class.
Education is a major factor in determining whether our children and our nation succeed in today’s increasingly competitive global economy. As a country, we need to do a better job of supporting teachers, giving them the resources they need to provide the best possible environment for teaching our children, and ensuring that no capable student has to give up his or her dreams of higher education because of a lack of affordability.
Wyden, Merkley, Crapo, Risch Celebrate Senate Passage of Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization
Washington D.C.— U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore., along with U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, both R-Idaho, celebrated today’s unanimous Senate passage of their legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Forest Service’s Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Program (SRS) through Fiscal Year 2026. “This is a
Merkley, Wyden, 38 Senators Fight Trump’s Cuts to the Job Corps Program
In Oregon, Tongue Point, PIVOT, and Springdale Centers at Risk Washington, D.C. – As the Trump Administration attempts to shutter the nation’s largest jobs training program for low-income and at-risk young people, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and 38 Senate colleagues demanded U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer
Merkley SLAMS Trump Ed. Secretary McMahon for Gutting Student Programs: “Profoundly Disturbing”
Senator Merkley questioned Secretary of Education Linda McMahon about gutting critical college-support and financial aid programs for first-generation college students during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on June 3, 2025.
During National Nurses Month, Merkley, Collins, Baldwin, Blackburn Champion Bipartisan Bill to Support America’s Nursing Workforce
Joyce, Bonamici, Underwood, Kiggans lead House version of the bill Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Maine’s U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Wisconsin’s U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, and Tennessee’s U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn—along with U.S. Representatives Dave Joyce (R-OH-14), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), and Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02)—marked
Merkley Statement After Republican Reconciliation Bill Passed Out of the House
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement following House passage of the Republican reconciliation bill. “House Republicans have just passed Trump’s so called ‘big, beautiful bill.’ There is nothing beautiful about it. It is: families lose, billionaires
Senators Kim and Merkley Lead Effort to Revive Invaluable Federal Pipeline Program of Top Talent into Public Service
As program alumni, Senators Kim and Merkley introduce the TALENTS Act to defend the Presidential Management Fellows program after President Trump canceled this crucial tool for good governance. WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) led his first bill in the U.S. Senate, with Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), to codify
English 
Spanish