Press Releases

Merkley Denounces Unjust Sentencing of Hong Kong Democracy Advocate Jimmy Lai

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and past Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)—issued this statement following the sentencing of Jimmy Lai, an entrepreneur and democracy advocate in Hong Kong who has been imprisoned since 2020 under

Merkley, Wyden Lead the Charge to Limit DHS’ Use of Facial Recognition Technology Amid Trump’s Rapidly Growing Surveillance State

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced they introduced the ICE Out of Our Faces Act. The bicameral legislation would rein in the use of facial recognition technology (FRT) by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), banning agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs

Merkley to Gavel in First-Ever Senate Environment and Public Works Hearing on Environmental Justice

Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, July 22, 2021, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—the Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight—will gavel in the Subcommittee’s first-ever hearing on disproportionate human health and environmental burdens on communities of color and

Merkley Presses Transportation Secretary Buttigieg to Stop Road Infrastructure from Poisoning Salmon

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today pressed U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to address the impacts of transportation infrastructure—which include dangerous microplastic particles that are generated from tire and road wear—on Pacific Northwest salmon populations. Salmon are ecologically irreplaceable, have long been of major cultural significance

Merkley, DeFazio Lead Oregon Delegation to Push FEMA for Maximum Readiness for 2021 Wildfire Season

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR-4)—who serves as the Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)—are leading U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), Kurt Schrader (D-OR-5), Suzanne Bonamici

Merkley Announces Arrival of Child Tax Credits in Oregonians’ Bank Accounts

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement today, as Child Tax Credits—resources included in the American Rescue Plan, which Merkley helped pass in March—began hitting Oregonians’ bank accounts: “This is the largest tax cut for low-income and middle class families in the history of our

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