Jeff believes access to quality, affordable health care is not a privilege, but a human right. Jeff’s perspective on health care has been influenced by his wife, Mary, a registered nurse, who sees the world through the eyes of her patients: the people who should be at the heart of our health care system.
Throughout his career, Jeff has fought to expand access to quality, affordable health care coverage. As Speaker of the Oregon House, Jeff lowered prescription drug prices by expanding the state’s bulk purchasing program and fought to expand and improve children’s health care coverage. Jeff continues working to improve health care quality and coverage for all Oregonians in the U.S. Senate.
Merkley, Wyden Announce More Than $92 million in Additional Funding for Critical Community Projects Across Oregon
Projects Dedicated to Improving Housing, Health Care, and Transportation & Infrastructure Improvements Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced they secured more than $92 million in federal investments for essential community-initiated projects in nearly every Oregon county in the final funding package that recently
Merkley, Watson Coleman, Murkowski, Rutherford Team Up for Bipartisan Effort to Combat Opioid Overdoses in the Workplace
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Congressman John Rutherford (R-FL-05) partnered together on bipartisan legislation to help tackle rising rates of opioid overdoses with increased access to overdose reversal medications like naloxone. The Workplace Overdose Reversal Kits (WORK)
Merkley Joins Senate Probe of Trump’s Cuts to Child Care for Rural Families
“Trump vowed to lower costs for Americans, yet his administration’s actions…make this [child care crisis] worse.” Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley joined a group of Senators in announcing a new investigation into how the Trump Administration’s cuts to affordable child care programs are affecting rural families. The
Merkley, Underwood Honor 130th Anniversary of the American Nurses Association
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) introduced a bicameral resolution recognizing 2026 as ‘‘The Year of The Power of Nurses’’ in celebration of the 130th anniversary of the American Nurses Association. (ANA). “Our nurses make the world better, one bedside at a
Merkley, Scott Lead Bipartisan Legislation to Fight Opioid Overdose in Schools, Support School Access to Naloxone
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Florida’s U.S. Senator Rick Scott teamed up to reintroduce their bipartisan School Access to Naloxone Act. The bipartisan legislation would ensure school personnel have the training and education to administer lifesaving drugs and devices for emergency treatment in cases of
Wyden, Merkley Raise Alarm Over Loss of Mental Health Access in Eastern Oregon
Senators: Trump and congressional Republicans’ budget bill threatens essential mental care for nearly 800 Malheur County residents enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today wrote health care providers serving Malheur County to ask how they’ll ensure nearly 800 residents keep access
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