Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $52 Million in PILT Payments to Support Vital Services in Oregon
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced counties throughout Oregon will receive a combined total of $52,016,022 in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2026. Because local governments cannot tax federal lands, annual PILT funding helps to defray the costs associated with
During Pride Month, Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Resolution Apologizing for Government Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ Civil Servants, Servicemembers
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined a resolution led by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) to acknowledge and apologize for the mistreatment of and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals who have served in the uniformed services, as civil servants, or in
Rosen, Curtis, Merkley, Banks Introduce Resolution Condemning Chinese Suppression of Ethnic Minorities
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), John Curtis (R-UT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced a bipartisan resolution that condemns a law passed by the Chinese Communist Party and set to go into effect on July 1 that targets ethnic minorities and expresses support for Tibetans,
Merkley, Wyden Introduce Bill to Protect West Coast from Dangerous Offshore Drilling
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden on Thursday joined colleagues in introducing the West Coast Ocean Protection Act to permanently ban offshore drilling in federal waters off the coast of Oregon, Washington and California. Last year, the Trump administration released its five-year offshore leasing plan that proposed opening up the entire
Merkley Calls for Investigation Following the Death of Another Child in U.S. Custody
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the revelation yesterday that another migrant child has died in U.S. custody, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today formally called for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to open an investigation into the circumstances of the boy’s death. “I write with great sadness and urgency
Senators Urge Department of Energy to Uphold Energy Efficiency Standards
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led a group of 14 Senators today in pressing U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry to reverse course on proposed rule changes that would alter classifications of lightbulbs, effectively rolling back energy efficiency standards and leaving families with higher bills to
Senators Demand Answers on the Politicization of the Arms Control Compliance Report
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today led a group of five Senators in questioning whether the Trump Administration inappropriately politicized the State Department’s 2019 report on arms control and nuclear weapons compliance. Merkley was joined in his letter to Secretary
“A Historic Step in the Journey to Equality:” Merkley Applauds House Committee Passage of Equality Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, the lead Senate sponsor of the bipartisan Equality Act, released the following statement after the House Judiciary Committee today passed the legislation out of committee by a vote of 22-10 and sent it to the floor for a vote of the full House: “A
Senators Introduce ‘Choose Medicare Act’ to Make Medicare Available to Everyone
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), joined by U.S. Senators Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Tina Smith (D-Min.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.),