Press Releases

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,

Wyden, Merkley, Heinrich Introduce Bill to Expand Access to Clean Drinking Water, Safe Sanitation for Underserved Communities

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore, Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., today introduced legislation that would expand access to safe sanitation and clean drinking water for rural and underserved communities. “Between historic drought and increasingly outdated infrastructure, Western communities are in desperate need of federal help to

Merkley, Wyden Over $1.5 Million in Federal Funds Headed to Oregon

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a total of $1,524,951.53 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is headed to Oregon to help fund the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) acquisition of five properties in the floodplain. “I saw firsthand how the

Merkley, Wyden, Blumenauer Announce Funding for Earthquake-Resilient Runway at PDX

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley, Ron Wyden and Representative Earl Blumenauer today announced that Portland’s airport will receive a major federal investment to ensure its runway survives a major earthquake.  The funding was among a range of federal investments in Oregon’s emergency preparedness, public safety, and economic

Merkley Statement on Rohingya Genocide Designation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a leading voice on the Rohingya crisis—issued the following statement after reports that the U.S. State Department will make a formal determination that the Burmese military has been carrying out a genocide against

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