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,
Banking Committee Members Urge SEC Nominees to Support Rule Requiring Public Companies to Disclose Political Spending
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Eight members of the Senate Banking Committee urged the newly-named nominees for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to support a requirement that publicly-held companies disclose their political spending to shareholders, and pressed the nominees to work to put such a rule into action should they
Merkley Applauds Administration Action to Extend Income-Based Student Loan Repayment to All Federal Borrowers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education finalized a new rule making all Americans who take out student loans directly from the federal government eligible for income-based repayment that will cap monthly payments at 10% of their discretionary income. The
Merkley Raises Alarm on Impending Debt Ceiling Battle
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley took to the Senate Floor today to discuss the impending deadline to lift the debt ceiling before the nation’s borrowing authority runs out on November 3rd. Merkley noted that America has an obligation to pay its debts and that the full faith and
Merkley Presses for Fix to Rural Development Rental Assistance Shortfall that Could Kick Low-Income Oregonians Out of their Homes
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, the Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, brought a key Oregon witness, Tony Chrisman, to testify before the panel on an impending rural housing disaster. Specifically, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development agency – due to a budget
Senators Press OMB to Quickly Review Rule Finally Regulating E-Cigarettes and Other Unregulated Tobacco Products
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), joined by Sens. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), pressed the White House
Wyden, Merkley Aim to Lower the Cost of College
WASHINGTON – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today introduced legislation to make college more affordable for students and families in Oregon and across the country. The PARTNERSHIPS Act would encourage states to hold down college tuition costs by creating a program that provides federal matching funds for