Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $52 Million in PILT Payments to Support Vital Services in Oregon
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced counties throughout Oregon will receive a combined total of $52,016,022 in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2026. Because local governments cannot tax federal lands, annual PILT funding helps to defray the costs associated with
During Pride Month, Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Resolution Apologizing for Government Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ Civil Servants, Servicemembers
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined a resolution led by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) to acknowledge and apologize for the mistreatment of and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals who have served in the uniformed services, as civil servants, or in
Rosen, Curtis, Merkley, Banks Introduce Resolution Condemning Chinese Suppression of Ethnic Minorities
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), John Curtis (R-UT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced a bipartisan resolution that condemns a law passed by the Chinese Communist Party and set to go into effect on July 1 that targets ethnic minorities and expresses support for Tibetans,
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Urge Help for Working Class in COVID-19 Relief Proposal
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined four of their colleagues in urging their fellow senators to recognize the enormity of the economic and public-health crisis posed by the pandemic, by ensuring that any COVID-19 relief proposal includes $1,200 in direct payments to adults and $500 to
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