Senate Republicans Block Merkley’s Bill to Protect and Strengthen Federal Student Loan Repayment Options
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after Senate Republicans blocked consideration of his Savings Opportunity and Affordable Repayment (SOAR) Act: “As the first in my family to go to college, I know the barriers that so many students face in accessing higher education. We should
Republicans’ “One Big, Beautiful Bill” Includes Additional Provisions That Violate the Byrd Rule
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Senate Parliamentarian again advised that several provisions in the Republicans’ “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” would be subject to a 60-vote threshold if they remain in the bill. The below provisions are in the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee’s jurisdiction. “The Byrd Rule must be
Merkley, Bipartisan Group of Senate Appropriators Direct Labor Department to Reverse Closure of Job Corps Centers
Letter was signed by nine members of the influential Senate Appropriations Committee Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley joined a bipartisan group of Senators on the Appropriations Committee—which oversees all government funding—to urge Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to reverse DOL’s decision to begin the closure of Job
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.
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