Press Releases

Dexter, Bonamici, Merkley Conduct Unannounced Oversight Visit to Portland ICE Facility After Reports of Denied Access to Legal Counsel 

PORTLAND, OR – Today, Congresswomen Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-03), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) conducted an unannounced congressional oversight visit to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility on Macadam Avenue in Portland following troubling reports that attorneys were repeatedly denied access to detained clients.  “No one should be denied

Wyden, Merkley, Bynum Announce $100,000 for Central Oregon Wildfire Recovery

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with U.S. Representative Janelle Bynum, today announced $100,000 in federal awards to support displaced Oregonians and wildfire recovery efforts for Central Oregon communities that lost homes in the 2026 wildfires. “As wildfires in central Oregon and statewide set new

Senate Unanimously Passes Merkley-Curtis Bipartisan Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act

Bipartisan legislation would remove regulatory burden on proactive forest management, lower net emissions Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and John Curtis (R-UT), members of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, announced that the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act (WEPA). Merkley and Curtis’ bipartisan legislation

Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici, Salinas, Hoyle, Dexter, Bynum Oppose Trump’s Undermining of Due Process and Politicizing Immigration Courts

Oregon lawmakers demand an end to expedited “mega master” hearings in Portland, Tacoma, and other immigration centers. Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Andrea Salinas, Val Hoyle, Maxine Dexter and Janelle Bynum, today demanded the Trump administration end the practice

Two Federal Courts Rule Trump Administration’s Elimination of Solar For All Program Unlawful, Advancing the Effort of Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Senator Jeff Merkley To Save the Program

Congress created the $7 billion renewable energy program to deliver solar projects to 900,000 households in disadvantaged communities, saving families $350 million every year on energy costs Washington, D.C. – Two federal courts have ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unlawfully eliminated the Inflation Reduction Act’s Solar for All

Merkley Applauds GAO for Reaffirming that Trump’s Pocket Rescissions Are Illegal

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement after the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reaffirmed that the Impoundment Control Act does now allow for the President to issue a pocket rescission on expiring funding. On Friday, President

Merkley Renews Push to Crack Down on State and Local Corruption 

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley pushed to strengthen federal anti-corruption laws after the U.S. Supreme Court made it easier for state and local officials to accept gratuities for official actions. Merkley reintroduced the Stop Corrupt Gratuities Act, which would restore public trust in state and local government

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