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 Announces Internship Scholarships for Oregonians
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today announced a new scholarship program to enable Oregonians who could otherwise not afford to participate in a congressional internship to gain experience in his Washington D.C. and Portland offices. In addition to the existing Otto and Verdell Rutherford Congressional Intern Scholarship, which
Merkley, Wyden Introduce Legislation to Crack Down on Foreign Countries that Help Alleged Criminals Escape Accountability in the U.S.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today introduced two new pieces of legislation that would impose significant consequences on foreign consulates that help their citizens escape legal accountability within the U.S. Merkley and Wyden’s legislation follows investigative reporting by the Oregonian that found Saudi consular officials
Oregon Members Call for Unemployment Insurance for All Federal Employees
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Kurt Schrader, along with Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, and Peter DeFazio, sent a letter today to the Department of Labor asking to make clear that federal employees deemed “essential” or “excepted” may be eligible for unemployment insurance. The
Merkley Presses FCC to Take on Predatory, Threatening Robocalls
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today pressed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai on whether the Commission is doing enough to protect consumers from predatory robocalls, including ones that impersonate federal law enforcement agencies. Merkley’s action today follows a robocall he received in recent months, purporting to
Merkley, Wyden Join Push To Protect Dreamer Data
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that they are cosponsoring the Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act of 2019, a bill to safeguard the private information—such as addresses and telephone numbers—of the young immigrants known as Dreamers to ensure they are not targeted by the Trump
Merkley Asks FBI to Open Perjury Investigation into Secretary Nielsen
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today formally requested that FBI Director Christopher Wray open a perjury investigation into Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, after new documents show that Nielsen lied in sworn testimony to Congress about the administration’s family separation policy. A previously-undisclosed administration memo, which Merkley