Press Releases

Van Hollen, Merkley, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Protect Aid Workers in Conflict Zones

WASHINGTON – Today, on Human Rights Day, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced legislation to protect humanitarian aid workers operating in conflict zones. The lawmakers’ legislation, the Commitment to Aid Workers Act, would strengthen U.S. efforts to safeguard those who risk their

Senate Republicans Block Merkley’s Bill to Prevent War with Venezuela

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after Senate Republicans blocked consideration of his Prohibiting Unauthorized Military Action in Venezuela Act of 2025, which would block federal funds from being used for military actions in Venezuela: “As the Constitution so clearly says, Congress has the power

Senators Blunt Rochester, Merkley, Warnock Introduce Bill to Repair Infrastructure, Bridge Communities

Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) today introduced the Restoring Essential Public Access and Improving Resilient (REPAIR) Infrastructure Program Act. The bill would reauthorize and expand the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Reconnecting Communities Program as the REPAIR Infrastructure Program,

Merkley Statement on Trump’s Move to Dismantle DACA, Endanger Future for DREAMers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement in reaction to President Trump’s move to dismantle the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program and remove key protections for DREAMers: “President Trump’s move to go back on our promise to DREAMers is not only heartless, it’s shortsighted.

Merkley, Wyden Respond To Reports On Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Review

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today responded to the Trump Administration’s “review” of Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, after media reports that the administration will take unprecedented steps to undermine protections for some of the most biodiverse public land in the United States. The Trump Administration

Following Congressional Delegation to Korea, Japan, and China, Merkley Calls for Stronger Sanctions and Focused Diplomacy to Address Threat of North Korea

Portland, OR — Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Subcommittee on East Asia, on Friday called for stronger sanctions and focused diplomacy to address the crisis with North Korea. Merkley returned late Thursday night from a weeklong trip to South Korea, Japan and China with a bipartisan

Merkley Statement on Trump’s Address on Afghanistan

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement in reaction to President Trump’s August 21 address on the future of the war in Afghanistan: “This evening, in his address to the nation on the future of the war

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