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, Senate and House Lawmakers: Trump Administration Risking a New Arms Race with Failure to Renew Nuclear Treaty with Russia
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—co-chair of the Congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group and a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—led his Senate and House colleagues in raising urgent concerns about the expiration this week of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
Omar, Sanders, Merkley, Markey, Barragán Introduce Bill to End Corporate Handouts to the Fossil Fuel Industry
WASHINGTON–Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) together with Sen. Merkley (D-Ore.), Sen. Markey (D- Mass.) and Rep. Barragan (D-Calif.) introduced legislation to close tax loopholes and eliminate other federal subsidies for the oil, gas, and coal industries. Right now, American taxpayers are on the hook for about $15 billion
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Introduce Senate Resolution Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week joined Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Kamala Harris, D-Calif., to introduce a Senate resolution to declare racism a public health crisis. “The coronavirus has laid bare the racial inequities in our public health systems. It’s clearer than
At Request of Oregon Delegation, DHS and DOJ Offices of Inspector General Open Investigations into Federal Operatives in Portland
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, with U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici, today announced that at their request, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) offices of Inspector General (OIG) are opening investigations into the unrequested presence
Merkley Opposes NDAA, Continues to Press for Vote on Trump’s Secret Police
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after voting against the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) today. Earlier this week, Merkley offered an amendment to the NDAA that would stop President Trump’s federal deployment of secret police to Portland and other U.S. cities, but
Merkley Introduces Legislation to Ban Airlines’ Sale of Middle Seats As Coronavirus Infections Soar
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today introduced the Maintaining Important Distance During Lengthy Epidemics (MIDDLE) Act of 2020, legislation that would require face masks on planes and ban the sale of middle or otherwise adjacent seats for the duration of the coronavirus crisis. The introduction follows Senator Merkley’s experience on
Wyden, Merkley, Warren Press Interior Department on Agency’s Disregard for COVID-19 Safety
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., urged the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to immediately issue guidance for its employees on mask and personal protective equipment (PPE) policies consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. The senators also asked that DOI