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,
As Congress Negotiates COVID-19 Relief, Wyden and Merkley Call for Federal Support for Rural Economies
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today introduced legislation to create thousands of living wage jobs in rural America as these communities continue to grapple with unique and devastating economic challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 21st Century Conservation Corps Act builds on a recent Wyden bill and a
VIDEO RELEASE: Merkley Highlights Abuses of Peaceful Protesters by Federal Forces in Portland at Senate Hearing
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today testified before a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee, emphasizing Oregonians’ cry for justice and an end to systemic racism, and providing firsthand accounts of demonstrators’ experiences in Portland after the Trump administration escalated tensions by sending unmarked federal forces into the city. Nkenge
Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $750,000 Water Infrastructure Grant for City of Echo
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that the City of Echo, Oregon will receive $769,875 in federal grant funding to upgrade and improve the efficiency of the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The funding is being allocated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)
Merkley, Sanders Introduce Legislation to Put Strict Limits on Corporate Use of Facial Recognition
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today continued his leadership at the intersection of privacy rights, racial justice, and emerging technologies by introducing the National Biometric Information Privacy Act of 2020, groundbreaking legislation that would prohibit private companies from collecting biometric data—including eye scans, voiceprints, faceprints, and fingerprints—without
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Urge Senate to Reject Trump Administration Plan to Cut Funding to Schools that Follow Public Health Guidance
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 28 of their Senate colleagues, are urging Senate leadership to reject the Trump administration push to condition education funds in the next coronavirus relief package on the reopening of elementary and secondary schools for in-person instruction. In
“Unlawful, Unfair, Illogical, Impossible”: Oregon Members Call on U.S. Department of Education to Rescind Rule that Would Misdirect $11M from Oregon Public Schools
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/04/20] –?Congresswoman?Suzanne?Bonamici,?Senators Ron Wyden?and Jeff Merkley, and?Representatives?Peter DeFazio?and?Earl Blumenauer?called on the U.S. Department of Education to rescind a rule that would take?up to $11,310,291 from Oregon public schools?and redirect it to private schools, calling it?unlawful, unfair, illogical, and impossible.? The Representatives and Senators responded to an interim final