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

Merkley and Wyden Announce Key Oregon Wins to Keep Oregon Communities Safe

Portland, OR – Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee, on which Merkley sits, has passed an Interior Appropriations bill including key provisions to keep Oregon communities safe with clean drinking water and to prepare for the possibility of a large scale Cascadia earthquake.  

Merkley Statement on NDAA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after voting no on the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA): “As someone who worked inside the Pentagon, I know how important it is to give the strongest backing to our men and women in uniform and to plan

Senate Approves Wyden, Merkley Bill to Rename Clinic for War Hero Loren Kaufman

Washington, D.C. – A bill co-sponsored by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to designate the veterans community-based outpatient clinic in The Dalles the Loren R. Kaufman Memorial Veterans’ Clinic passed the Senate today. The Oregon senators said their bill provides long-overdue recognition to a local Army soldier who served with

Senate Recognizes Hemp History Week

Washington, D.C. – During “Hemp History Week,” the Senate today passed a bipartisan resolution recognizing the important role industrial hemp could play in boosting the agricultural industry and economy of the United States.  The Hemp History Week resolution passed the Senate by a unanimous voice vote today. Sens. Ron Wyden,

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