BLUMENTHAL, DURBIN, HIRONO, & MERKLEY DEMAND ANSWERS AFTER UNQUALIFIED ORGANIZATION WITH CLOSE TIES TO ICE RECEIVES NO-BID CONTRACT TO PROVIDE LEGAL SERVICES TO MIGRANT CHILDREN
“This award is concerning given the incredible lack of details provided in the award notice, the nonexistence of legal services provided by your organization, the Trump Administration’s continued use of no-bid awards…and the Trump Administration’s staggering disregard for the welfare of children in immigration enforcement.” [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator
Wyden, Merkley Demand Federal Agencies Stop Sharing Medicaid Data With ICE
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today demanded that the federal departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Homeland Security (DHS) as well as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) immediately stop unlawfully transferring Medicaid data to DHS and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “Congress has a responsibility to
Merkley, Wyden Secure Federal Funding to Expand Pollinator Habitat Along Oregon Highways
Washington, D.C. — Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced $150,000 in federal funds for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to create and restore pollinator habitats along Oregon highways.The funding, which is the maximum award under the Federal Highway Administration’s Pollinator-Friendly Practices on Roadsides and Highway Rights-of-Way Program
Merkley, Bonamici, Cummings Introduce SAFE Lending Act to Protect Consumers from Predatory Practices in Payday Lending
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, along with Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD), introduced the Stopping Abuse and Fraud in Electronic (SAFE) Lending Act. The SAFE Lending Act would crack down on some of the worst abuses of the payday lending industry,
Wyden, Merkley Join Colleagues to Reintroduce the Marijuana Justice Act
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley last week joined Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and colleagues in reintroducing the Marijuana Justice Act to end the federal prohibition on marijuana. “The War on Drugs destroyed lives, and no one continues to be devastated more than low-income communities
Merkley Pushes USDA to Get Rural Broadband Funding to Communities
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today pushed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to make sure that new rural broadband funding reaches the communities it was intended to help. As the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture and Rural Development Appropriations Subcommittee, Merkley successfully fought to
Merkley Decries ICE Detainment of Infants
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the American Immigration Council (AIC) filed a complaint with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), calling on ICE to release infants with their mothers from custody. Currently, at least nine infants under one year of age are being
Merkley Introduces Resolution to Prevent Military Intervention in Venezuela Without Explicit Congressional Authorization
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following repeated hints from the Trump Administration that it is considering a military intervention in Venezuela, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today introduced a Senate resolution that would prohibit military action in Venezuela without explicit congressional approval. Merkley is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and
Merkley and Colleagues Offer $2 Billion Plan to Reduce Class Sizes
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, along with U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), today introduced bold new legislation to invest in smaller class sizes for public schools across America. Smaller class sizes increase student achievement and