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

Wyden, Merkley Announce LWCF Grants in Oregon

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that 11 local and state park projects in Oregon received nearly $2.9 million in Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grants this week. “These resources for Oregon parks prove once again the tremendous value that the Land and Water

Wyden, Merkley Announce Funds for Sagebrush Program

Washington, D.C. –Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced restored funding for a program that puts inmates to work producing sagebrush plants that help restore sage grouse habitat after wildfires. The announcement by the Oregon senators of $600,000 in funding for the Sagebrush in Prisons Project follows their requests for

Merkley Introduces Bill to Reduce Severity of Wildfires

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today introduced the Wildfire-Resilient Communities Act to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, and the smoke and economic losses that they cause.  “Across the country, our communities have been threatened by increasingly severe wildfires,” Merkley said. “As we saw this summer in

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