Press Releases

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 Opposes Craft Confirmation as UN Ambassador

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s subcommittee overseeing the United Nations (UN), released the following statement after the Senate voted to confirm Ambassador Kelly Craft as UN Ambassador: “At a time when climate chaos is the greatest global challenge we

Merkley, DeFazio Lead Oregon Delegation in Push to Reverse Cuts to Food Assistance

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio, along with Senator Ron Wyden and Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Earl Blumenauer and Kurt Schrader, today pushed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to immediately withdraw the harmful proposed rule that would take food assistance away from 3

Merkley Announces Oregon Priorities Included in Transportation Funding Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley today announced key Oregon priorities—from electric vehicle infrastructure, to grants for rural infrastructure, to funding for resiliency measures to counter the effects of climate-related hazards—are included in the reauthorization of a surface transportation funding bill that passed out of the Senate Environment

Following Visit to Inspect Southern Border Facilities, Merkley, Wyden and Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Immediately Address a Number of Issues the Senators Witnessed

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined colleagues in a new a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan outlining serious concerns regarding the conditions at the southern border that the

Oregon Delegation Conducts Oversight Tour of Facility Holding Migrant Children

PORTLAND, OR – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, with Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici and Peter DeFazio, on Sunday conducted an oversight tour of Oregon’s only facility contracted by the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to hold children who have crossed the border unaccompanied by a parent or guardian.

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