Press Releases

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

Wyden, Merkley Introduce Bill to Support Oregon’s Dungeness Crab Fishing Industry

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley introduced legislation this week to continue a decades-long fishery management agreement that has been vital to Oregon’s Dungeness crab fishing industry. The bipartisan bill would help ensure certainty for the industry and coastal communities by making permanent a tri-state state

Merkley Celebrates Launch of Job-Creating Water Infrastructure Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today celebrated the official launch of his Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), which will make low-cost loans available to communities across the country to invest in repairing and upgrading crumbling water infrastructure. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that Congress’s

Wyden, Merkley Pledge to Fight for More Funding to Restore Northwest Fisheries

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today renewed their pledge to fight for more resources to restore Northwest fisheries, in a letter to Oregon fishers and irrigators. Their legislation, the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act (FRIMA), was passed into law at the end of December

BROWN, MERKLEY PUSH BACK ON OCC’S PLAN FOR FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY CHARTER

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) today expressed concerns that a new federal charter for financial technology firms could weaken consumer protections, limit competition, and threaten financial stability. The Senators outlined their concerns in a letter to the head of the Office of the

Merkley Statement on Tillerson Meeting

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after meeting with Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson: “Mr. Tillerson and I had an extensive and substantive conversation. After talking with him, I still have significant questions about Mr. Tillerson’s foreign policy

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