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 Judicial Selection Panel Resumes Taking Applications for 9th Circuit Vacancy
Washington, DC – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and U.S. Rep. Greg Walden today announced that new applications are being accepted through June 21 for the Oregon vacancy on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Finalists chosen by the three Oregon lawmakers’ bipartisan judicial selection committee will be
Oregon Delegation Announces Millions of Dollars for Improvements at Oregon Airports
PORTLAND, OR – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, and U.S. Congressmen Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio and Greg Walden, today announced more than $16.2 million in grant funding for taxiway improvements at airports in Oregon. “Oregon’s airports connect our state to economic opportunity—not to mention wildfire fighting resources,
Merkley Introduces Bill to Increase Opioid Treatment Availability, Hold Drug Companies Accountable
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the wake of discoveries that the opioid epidemic is worsening due to the rise of synthetic opioids, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today announced the Opioid Treatment Surge Act to fund a dramatic increase in treatment capacity funded by imposing fees on the drug companies that created
A Year After Exposing Trump Administration’s Child Separation Policy, Merkley Keeps Pushing Back on Cruelty at the Border
WASHINGTON, D.C. – One year ago today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley ignited national outrage about the Trump administration’s child separation policy after being turned away from a child detention center in Brownsville, Texas. Merkley released the following statement today marking the one year anniversary and the events since: “One year
As Regulators Consider Further Gutting Financial Reform, Merkley Presses on Volcker Rule Enforcement
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today pressed federal banking regulators on reports that they are considering further gutting the Volcker Rule, and whether regulators are falling down on the job when it comes to current Volcker enforcement. Merkley and former Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) co-authored the Volcker Rule,
Merkley Introduces Bill to Reduce Severity of Wildfires, Protect Communities
BEND, OR – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, joined by local leaders in the effort to manage wildfires in Central Oregon, today announced introduction of the Wildfire-Resilient Communities Act, a bill that would reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, and the smoke and economic losses that they cause. “Folks here