Merkley Remarks at FY27 Interior Department Budget Hearing with Secretary Burgum
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—the Ranking Member of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee—delivered the following remarks as prepared for delivery at the hearing reviewing the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget request for the U.S. Department of the Interior with Secretary Doug Burgum: Senator Merkley’s remarks, as
Merkley Seeks Answers on Hegseth’s Role in Dismantling Military’s Civilian Harm Prevention Guard Rails in Advance of Iran War
Washington, D.C. — Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—joined a group of Senators in seeking answers on U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s role in weakening civilian harm prevention programs and the catastrophic civilian impacts of President Trump’s war in Iran. “The high human
Merkley, Kaine, Warren, Whitehouse, Colleagues Demand Secretary McMahon Provide Flexibility to Student Loan Borrowers Who Are Being Forced to Exit the SAVE Plan
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Virginia’s U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Massachusetts’ U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Rhode Island’s U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse led a group of their Senate Democratic colleagues in pressing the U.S. Department of Education on its recent announcement to move more than 7
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Raise Alarm Over Trump Administration Siphoning At Least $2 Billion from Military Budget for Immigration Enforcement
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senate and House colleagues to release a new report detailing the Trump administration’s diversion of funds and resources from the Department of Defense to the Department of Homeland Security for immigration enforcement, and its impact on
Merkley, Wicker, Kiggans, Bonamici Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral Effort to Oppose New Limits on Student Loans for Nurses
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Mississippi’s U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, along with U.S. Representatives Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), led over 140 bipartisan lawmakers to sound the alarm over a proposed framework by the U.S. Department of Education to declassify nursing degrees as
Merkley, Schiff, Underwood Lead Push to Increase Nursing Education and Workforce Support
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, California’s U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, and Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) introduced the bicameral Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN) Act. In an effort to address nursing workforce shortages around the country, the FAAN Act would authorize grants to increase the number
Van Hollen, Merkley, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Protect Aid Workers in Conflict Zones
WASHINGTON – Today, on Human Rights Day, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced legislation to protect humanitarian aid workers operating in conflict zones. The lawmakers’ legislation, the Commitment to Aid Workers Act, would strengthen U.S. efforts to safeguard those who risk their
Senate Republicans Block Merkley’s Bill to Prevent War with Venezuela
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after Senate Republicans blocked consideration of his Prohibiting Unauthorized Military Action in Venezuela Act of 2025, which would block federal funds from being used for military actions in Venezuela: “As the Constitution so clearly says, Congress has the power
Senators Blunt Rochester, Merkley, Warnock Introduce Bill to Repair Infrastructure, Bridge Communities
Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) today introduced the Restoring Essential Public Access and Improving Resilient (REPAIR) Infrastructure Program Act. The bill would reauthorize and expand the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Reconnecting Communities Program as the REPAIR Infrastructure Program,