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
Merkley, Senate and House Lawmakers: Trump Administration Risking a New Arms Race with Failure to Renew Nuclear Treaty with Russia
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—co-chair of the Congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group and a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—led his Senate and House colleagues in raising urgent concerns about the expiration this week of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
As Tensions Mount from Threat of North Korea, Senator Merkley Travels with Congressional Delegation to Korea, Japan and China
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is traveling with a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers to Korea, Japan and China. The delegation is working to strengthen partnerships with allies in the region as tensions between North Korea and the global community continue
Merkley Leads More Than Two Dozen Senators Urging Trump Administration to Back Off Plans to Reopen Offshore Drilling
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley led a group of 30 Senators urging the Trump administration to back off recently-announced plans to reopen offshore drilling leases around the U.S. This move could potentially jeopardize coastal economies and the environment along the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans. On June
Merkley, Oregonians Rally to Support Transgender Military Members, Veterans
PORTLAND, OR – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today held a rally decrying President Trump’s ban on transgender individuals serving in the military. The president on July 26 announced via Twitter that transgender people would no longer be allowed to serve in the military. Military leaders were surprised by the unexpected
Wyden, Merkley Secure Major Win for Oregon Crab Fisheries
Washington, D.C. – A bill introduced by Oregon’s Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to strengthen Oregon’s crab fishery passed the United States Senate and will now head to the president’s desk for signature into law. The bill permanently extends a decades-long fishery management agreement that has been vital to the
Senate Dems Blast FDA for “Step Backwards” On Tobacco Oversight; Call on Agency to Get Serious About Plan to Curb Nicotine in Cigarettes
(Washington, D.C.) – Led by U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), today 13 Senate Democrats sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb denouncing the agency’s recent move to delay oversight of newly-regulated tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes and cigars. Senate Democrats are
Wyden, Risch, Merkley, Heinrich Urge Congress to Pass Bipartisan Wildfire Funding Fix in Senate Bill
Washington, D.C. – As wildfire season rages across Oregon, Idaho and the West, Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., today urged the Senate to pass a wildfire funding fix included in new legislation to address funding for floods and other natural disasters. A