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, Wyden Announce Grants for Rural Business Development

PORTLAND, OR – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced nearly $560,000 in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business Development grants were awarded to projects across Oregon. “Oregon can’t be successful if we don’t have good jobs and vibrant communities in rural parts of the state,” said

DeFazio, Wyden, Merkley Blast Efforts to Overturn Protections for Critical Watershed

WASHINGTON—Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04) and Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) today sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke decrying House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop’s efforts to overturn the Southwestern Oregon Mineral Withdrawal. “The prohibition on mining on the Smith River and the

Merkley Statement on INF Treaty Withdrawal

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement regarding reports that the Trump Administration plans to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty: “Fifty-six years ago today, President Kennedy announced a quarantine of Cuba that brought the world

Merkley, Wyden Announce Sea Grant Funding for Oregon Projects

PORTLAND, OR — Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced two National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Sea Grant awards for Oregon—one finding new ways to cultivate red seaweed, and the other helping the oyster industry’s baby oysters survive. “Oregon’s coast is not just beautiful, it’s also

Wyden, Merkley Seek Answers on Railway Safety Standards

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today requested an update from Union Pacific and BNSF on the railway companies’ plans to ensure trains carrying hazardous material have updated braking systems. “Too often our constituents in the Pacific Northwest have seen trains carrying crude oil crashing within

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