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,
Merkley Statement on Tigray Crisis in Ethiopia
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a new report from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations—released the following statement regarding the crisis in Ethiopia and the ongoing conflict, famine, and human rights violations, including in the Tigray region: “The escalating situation is
Merkley, Wyden Announce Major IIJA Funding for Oregon’s Airports
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) begins to make an impact across the nation, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced the allocation of $43 million in federal funding to Oregon’s airports for key infrastructure needs. “Having safe and sustainable airports
Members of Congress Push to Increase U.S. Assistance to Help Vaccinate the World
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), and Representatives Tom Malinowski (D-NJ-07), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), and Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-04) are leading a congressional effort urgently requesting supplemental funding be included
Merkley, Jacobs Urge Administration to Lift Red Tape on Humanitarian Aid for Education in Afghanistan
Washington, D.C. – Today Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53) are calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to amend the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) general license on humanitarian assistance to authorize education programming activities in Afghanistan. In a
Bipartisan Merkley Bill to Crack Down on Slave Labor in Xinjiang Passes Senate, Heads to President’s Desk
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, the Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), announced today that legislation he co-authored with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) has passed the U.S. Senate and is headed to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The legislation, the Uyghur
RUBIO, MERKLEY ON UYGHUR FORCED LABOR PREVENTION ACT
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) praised the bipartisan, bicameral agreement to send the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act to President Joe Biden’s desk. The bill will ensure that goods made with the slave labor from Uyghurs and others in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous