Press Releases

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,

Oregon Lawmakers Call on EPA to Protect Pollinators from Toxic Pesticide

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici today expressed concerns over the recent decision of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to approve new uses and lift restrictions for sulfoxaflor, a pesticide recognized by the EPA as a

Merkley, Wyden Announce More Than $7.8 Million for Opioid Treatment Programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced more than $7.8 million in federal grants that will support efforts to treat and prevent opioid addiction—one of Oregon’s most pressing issues as communities across the state face an increase in opioid-related deaths. “I have heard heart-wrenching

Merkley Demands Answers on Long-Term Detention of Children

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today demanded answers on a shortage of sponsors to take in children who are awaiting asylum hearings. This shortage, which threatens to keep children locked up in detention centers for months or years on end, appears to have been deliberately caused by the

Wyden, Merkley Condemn Trump Decision to Divert Funding from Military Projects in Oregon, Across the Nation for Vanity Border Wall

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today condemned the Trump administration decision to divert funding from congressionally-approved military construction in Oregon and across the country to fund Donald Trump’s border wall. Wyden and Merkley released the following statement: “This decision is both an abuse of presidential authority

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