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,

Merkley Applauds Senate Passage of United States Innovation and Competition Act, Which Includes Critical Merkley Amendments to Promote Human Rights and Democracy in China

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and the Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)—is applauding the Senate passage of the United States Innovation and Competition Act, legislation that includes a number of key Merkley amendments and CECC-recommended provisions

Merkley, Wyden Announce $300,000 in Federal Funding for Wildfire Prevention Efforts in the Deschutes National Forest

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project is receiving $300,000 in federal funding, supporting its ongoing science-driven forest management efforts. Last week, Merkley used his position as chair of the Senate Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee,

ICYMI: Amidst Avalanche of Republican Voter Suppression Bills, Momentous Public Support for Voting Protections Senate Majority Leader Schumer Sets Deadline for For the People Act Vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. – An avalanche of Republican voter suppression bills in state legislatures across America—including an extremely restrictive bill in Texas that was narrowly staved off by state Democrats last week—has continued to contribute to momentous public support from a supermajority of Americans for voting protections and other measures to strengthen

Merkley Welcomes Decision from U.S. Department of the Interior to Suspend Leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the U.S. Department of the Interior—released the following statement today, after the agency announced that it is suspending leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge until crucial defects in the environmental review process underlying

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