Press Releases

Merkley, Curtis Announce Bipartisan Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and John Curtis (R-UT), respectively the Ranking Member and Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight, teamed up to introduce bipartisan legislation that would finally end all commercial and

Senators Markey, Merkley Reintroduce Legislation to Protect Healthcare for Americans Who Cannot Afford Bail

Bill Text (PDF) Washington, D.C. – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) today reintroduced the Equity in Pretrial Health Coverage Act, legislation that would protect the continuity of federal health benefits under Medicaid, Medicare, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and

Merkley Secures Additional Funding for National Guard Wildfire Fighting Training

Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee included $8.5 million in the Department of Defense appropriations bill to train National Guard Members to fight wildfires.  The funding is a $1.5 million increase over last year and the previous year, when Merkley first secured the additional

Merkley Urges Financial Regulators to Reject Gutting of Volcker Rule

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, who co-authored the Volcker Rule along with former Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), today strongly urged federal financial regulators to reject a proposed rewrite of the landmark financial reform provision that would place gaping loopholes into the rule’s protections. “Your agencies have been charged

Merkley Reacts to FDA Withdrawal of Flavored E-Cigarettes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), released the following statement after the FDA announced that it is temporarily pulling all flavored e-cigarette products from the market: “This action is outrageously overdue. It’s been clear

Merkley, Blumenthal, Colleagues Demand Action, Answers on Deaths Related to E-Cigarettes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today led 21 colleagues in demanding answers from the heads of health agencies on their actions to address the health impacts of e-cigarette products, as illnesses and even deaths are increasingly linked to vaping. Already, six individuals—including

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

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