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, Lowenthal, Clark Urge President-Elect Biden to Implement Comprehensive Approach to Tackle Plastic Crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley teamed up with Representatives Alan Lowenthal (D-CA-47) and Katherine Clark (D-MA-5) to urge President-elect Biden to adopt a comprehensive plan that would address the ramifications of plastic pollution on Americans’ health and our environment—both of which disproportionately impact communities of color—while also
Wyden, Merkley Urge Feds to Begin Expedited Review of Klamath Dam Removal Plan
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today wrote federal regulators to urge consideration of an amended application for the Lower Klamath Project and begin environmental reviews as soon as possible of the plan’s four proposed dam removals. The Oregon senators’ letter to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Wyden, Merkley Call for Wildfire Relief Funds to be Included in Next COVID-19 Relief Package
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and colleagues today sent a letter to House and Senate leadership requesting that funds for wildfire risk mitigation and recovery efforts be included in the next COVID-19 relief package. “Entire communities in Oregon and across the West were leveled to ash in
Wyden, Merkley Urge Inclusion of County Payments in End-of-Year Federal Funding Efforts
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today that the COVID-19 pandemic is one more reason that payments to counties under the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) and Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) programs should be prioritized in a year-ending appropriations bill. “In order to assist these rural
Merkley, Reed Lead Push For U.S. Department of Agriculture to Provide Seafood Industry With Much Needed Support
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today requested that the Government Accountability Office conduct a study to explore ways to ensure that American fisheries receive the expanded economic support they desperately need, by increasing the volume and variety of seafood products the
Merkley Sounds the Alarm Over Forced Removal of Rohingya Refugees from Mainland Bangladesh to Remote Island
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—issued the following statement today regarding reports that the government of Bangladesh has set plans in motion to forcibly move thousands of vulnerable Rohingya refugees to Bhashan Char, an uninhabited and potentially unsafe island in the
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