{"id":22726,"date":"2025-07-24T17:15:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T21:15:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/?p=22726"},"modified":"2025-07-24T17:15:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T21:15:59","slug":"merkley-announces-committee-action-to-advance-critical-community-initiated-projects-for-oregon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/es\/merkley-announces-committee-action-to-advance-critical-community-initiated-projects-for-oregon\/","title":{"rendered":"Merkley Announces Committee Action to Advance Critical Community-Initiated Projects for Oregon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Appropriations Hub on Merkley\u2019s website will update as Oregon projects are selected and move through the Fiscal Year 2026 government funding process<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington, D.C. \u2013 Oregon\u2019s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced he secured essential investments for Oregon families and rural and underserved communities in the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) government funding bills that recently passed the committee\u2014a key first step on the road to becoming law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congress holds the power of the purse, and the Appropriations process is a check on the Trump Administration\u2019s efforts to drastically cut the federal funding needed for agencies to continue providing every day, essential services for Oregonians and Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cOregonians turned out in record numbers during my town halls to deliver a clear message\u2014we need to do everything we can to fight against harmful federal funding cuts and to instead double down on investing in the foundations working families need to thrive: housing, health care, education, and good-paying jobs,\u201d dijo Merkley.<\/strong> \u201cThese Appropriations bills go a long way toward delivering on essential programs and services for families, while providing strong support for critical community-initiated projects that will benefit Oregonians in every corner of the state for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Merkley is the only Oregon member of Congress from either chamber since Senator Mark Hatfield to serve on the powerful Appropriations Committee. He joined the committee in 2013 so that Oregon would have a strong voice in decisions about the investments our nation should be making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first steps in the annual Senate Appropriations process are to write and pass 12 bills out of the committee that provide the federal funding needed for numerous government agencies, departments, and organizations on an annual basis. It\u2019s these investments that drive federal support for efforts to protect public lands and mitigate wildfires and invest in transportation, health care, education, and many more essential services. The bills also include funding for community-initiated projects\u2014projects identified as key priorities by the communities themselves, and Senators Merkley and Ron Wyden teamed up to secure as many as possible in every corner of Oregon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several FY2026 draft Appropriations bills have passed the full committee so far. Below are the bills that include community-initiated projects that the Senators teamed up to champion across the state: <\/p>\n\n\n\n