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
Merkley Statement on New Halt to Coal Leasing on Public Lands
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, the lead sponsor of the Keep It in the Ground Act, released the following statement after reports that the Interior Department will halt new leases for coal production on federal public lands until further studies about the environmental impact of continuing coal production
MERKLEY STATEMENT ON STATE OF THE UNION
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement after President Obama’s final State of the Union speech: “Tonight President Obama reminded us of what we can and should be: a country of political and economic opportunity for all. “I share the President’s vision for growing our middle
Merkley Announces State of the Union Guest
Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley announced that his guest to the 2016 State of the Union Address will be Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges that extended marriage equality to all 50 states in June 2015. This morning, the White House announced
Senators Call for Transparency for LGBT Students at Schools Seeking Religious Exemptions
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Al Franken, D-Minn., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., today called for greater transparency and accountability after a recent rise in the number of colleges and universities seeking religious
Merkley Statement on Omnibus Vote
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the U.S. Senate voted to pass an end-of-year spending omnibus bill. The package also included extensions of tax provisions and legislation to lift the ban on U.S. exports of crude oil. “This omnibus and tax bill contains many
Senate Passes Landmark, Merkley-Backed Legislation to Protect Consumers from Toxic Chemicals
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate passed a major toxic chemical reform law backed by Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, positioning Congress to potentially complete the most significant overhaul of chemical safety laws in the U.S. in forty years. The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act