Press Releases

Ranking Member Merkley: Interior-Environment Funding Bill Boosts Wildfire Resiliency, Water Infrastructure, and Climate Investments in Oregon and Across the Nation

Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR) released the following statement after the Senate passed the Interior-Environment Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Appropriations bill in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 82-15: “Oregonians turned out in record numbers during my town halls last year and delivered

Merkley, Sullivan, Curtis, Kaine Push for Bipartisan Crackdown on Chinese Government-Controlled Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in U.S.

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)—a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and past Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)—teamed up with current CECC Chair Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Senator John Curtis (R-UT), and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) to introduce bipartisan legislation that

Merkley, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Ban Government Use of Facial Recognition and Other Biometric Technology

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, along with U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13), and Katherine Clark (D-MA-05), have announced the introduction of bicameral legislation to stop government use of biometric technology, including facial recognition tools. The

Merkley, Wyden Announce $215,000 Federal Investment to Keep Oregon’s Beaches Clean

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) will receive $215,000 in federal funding to support additional monitoring to help protect Oregonians from possible waterborne diseases at Oregon’s beaches. The grant will fund the collection and testing of

Senate Indian Affairs Committee Holds Hearing on Wyden and Merkley’s Bills to Support Oregon Tribes

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs yesterday held a hearing on the Western Tribal Water Infrastructure Act of 2019, legislation introduced by U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to improve water quality and services for tribal communities in Oregon.  The Committee also discussed legislation sponsored by Merkley and Wyden that seeks to correct an

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