As the only Oregon member of Congress currently serving on the powerful Appropriations Committee, Jeff is fiercely opposing President Trump’s plans to slash programs in health care, housing, education, and nutrition that help families thrive. He is also fighting for community-initiated projects, such has projects in advancing clean water, housing, and childcare, that are among the top priorities of Oregon’s communities.
Jeff is the top Democrat serving on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, putting him in a critical position to advocate for and secure critical resources to protect Oregon’s great outdoors. He is focused on driving investments for top Oregon priorities like wildfire mitigation, ensuring healthy forests and waterways, fighting climate chaos, delivering essential resources for Tribes, and scaling up ongoing efforts to restore the ecological and economic prosperity of the Klamath Basin.
As a member of the full Senate Appropriations Committee, Jeff is also working to make sure Oregon’s needs are met to help fund crucial community-initiated projects in transportation, health care, education, affordable housing, and many more essentials working families need to thrive.
Appropriations Committee Actions:
Several FY2026 draft Appropriations bills have passed the full committee so far. The bills include community-initiated projects that Jeff and Senator Ron Wyden teamed up to champion across the state:
- 32 projects for Oregon in the draft Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies bill.
- 23 projects for Oregon in the draft Senate Interior, Environment and Related Agencies bill.
- 21 projects for Oregon in the draft Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill.
- 5 projects for Oregon in the draft Senate Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies bill.
- 4 projects for Oregon in the draft Senate Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill.
- 1 project for Oregon in the draft Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies bill.
This section will continue to be updated as the Senate Appropriations Committee passes draft bills.
Full Senate Actions:
Several FY26 Appropriations bills were included in the first government funding package that cleared the Senate with bipartisan support. This minibus package includes 5 community-initiated projects Jeff and Senator Wyden secured for Oregon:
- 4 projects for Oregon in the Senate Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill.
- 1 project for Oregon in the Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies bill.
Community-Initiated Projects in Oregon
In 2021, the Senate Appropriations Committee restored funding opportunities for community projects, which Jeff calls “community-initiated projects.” These projects don’t originate in the halls of Congress—the ideas start in communities across the nation based on their key priorities, and Jeff and Ron champion as many of the projects in Oregon as they can. Together, they have secured federal funding for 475 projects across the state between fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024. But projects that cleared the Appropriations Committee in FY25 faced a roadblock.
Last year, Congress only passed a stopgap funding solution known as a “continuing resolution” that maintained level funding versus the methods of passing the spending bills individually, or through grouping them together in a FY25 government funding package. That meant those community-initiated projects did not receive funding. However, many of those FY25 projects in Oregon were resubmitted for funding consideration in FY26, and many of them are included in the various draft subcommittee bills once again.
As required by the Appropriations Committee rules, Jeff discloses all community-initiated projects that he submits to the subcommittee for consideration through a competitive process.
Stay in the Loop on Government Funding Updates
For Oregon media and constituents tracking the progress of community-initiated projects and other federal funding wins for Oregon, this webpage will be continually updated as FY26 Appropriations bills clear the Appropriations Committee and move through the government funding process. You can come back to this page to catch up on the latest news.
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Merkley, Wyden Announce Senate Passage of Critical Community-Initiated Projects
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced essential investments for Oregon families and rural and underserved communities passed the Senate, including five community-initiated projects for communities across the state championed by the Senators. These investments were included in the first package of Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) funding bills that cleared the chamber
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