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Sen. Merkley, Rep. Meeks Issue Statement Calling for Further U.S. Action to Support Rohingya on the Second Anniversary of the Determination of Genocide

March 22, 2024

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY-05), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) — a member of both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee — issued the following statement on the second anniversary of the Rohingya genocide determination and called on the

Merkley, Wyden: OSU Receives Federal Funding Award to Boost Wildfire Smoke Resiliency in Oregon

March 21, 2024

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today Oregon State University (OSU) received $667,500 as an initial award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a set of interventions that includes tailored toolkits and resources that can be used by schools, preschools, and

Wyden, Merkley Support DEQ Oversight for Knife River Corporation West’s Wastewater Permit in Crook County

March 21, 2024

Washington D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they support the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) addressing concerns raised by the Crook County Board of Commissioners and local residents regarding the Knife River Corporation-West’s wastewater permit in the county. “[Crook County] residents have continued to raise

Astoria to receive $1.8 million for waterline project

March 20, 2024

The Astorian Astoria will receive $1.8 million in federal funding for the replacement of a nearly 100-year-old waterline on Irving Avenue. The funding, backed by U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, is part of a spending package approved by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden this month. Merkley and

Merkley, Huffman Lead 30+ Senate & House Colleagues to Urge Biden Administration to Embrace Strong Action, Combat Plastic Pollution

March 20, 2024

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) led their colleagues today in a letter to encourage U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to push for decisive measures in addressing plastic production at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC)’s current session next month. The lawmakers

Merkley Speaks with Election Officials about Threats to County Clerks and Election Workers

March 19, 2024

Senator Jeff Merkley questioned election officials about efforts to preserve our democratic process, work to protect the right of every eligible voter to cast their ballot, and threats made to county clerks and other election officials in Oregon and across the country in a Senate Committee on Rules and Administration

U.S. Bans the Last Type of Asbestos Still in Use

March 18, 2024

New York Times The United States joins more than 50 other countries that have banned the deadly carcinogen, although the phaseout will take more than a decade. The Biden administration on Monday finalized a ban on the only type of asbestos still used in the United States, the first time

The U.S. bans most common form of asbestos, after decades of pushback from industry

March 18, 2024

NPR The Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that it is banning the most common form of asbestos, a cancer-causing substance that’s linked to the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans every year. The U.S. is prohibiting the use of chrysotile asbestos, joining more than 50 other countries that have

Oregon leaders, Albina Vision Trust applaud big investment in reversing ‘shameful’ disruption of Black neighborhood

March 16, 2024

OPB State and federal leaders are casting a vote of confidence in a Portland nonprofit working to revitalize a historically Black neighborhood that’s been targeted by decades of racist development policies. The Albina Vision Trust helped the Oregon Department of Transportation win $450 million in federal funding to advance an

Merkley, Wyden Join Senate Colleagues in Letter to USPS Postmaster General DeJoy Demanding Protection of Jobs and Mail Delivery

March 15, 2024

Washington, D.C. — Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined a letter led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, urging him to stop any changes to United States Postal Service (USPS) service standards that would result in job losses and further degrade mail delivery performance, especially