Merkley, Schiff, Underwood Lead Push to Increase Nursing Education and Workforce Support
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, California’s U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, and Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) introduced the bicameral Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN) Act. In an effort to address nursing workforce shortages around the country, the FAAN Act would authorize grants to increase the number
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
Wyden, Merkley Statement on Transportation Department Oil Trains Rule
Washington, D.C. – Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today released the following statement after the Department of Transportation issued a final rule to address the safety of shipping oil-by-rail: “After years of our urging, the Department of Transportation’s rule includes meaningful steps on rail safety, but does not
Giving America a Raise: Merkley and Colleagues Introduce Legislation Calling for National Minimum Wage Increase
Washington, DC – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the leading Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Senators from the Democratic Caucus to introduce new legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $12.00 by 2020. The Raise the Wage
Wyden, Schumer, Feinstein, Casey, Merkley, Brown, Warner Introduce Bill to Protect Communities from Oil Train Accidents
Washington, D.C. – Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Bob Casey, D-Penn., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Mark Warner, D-Va., today introduced legislation to protect local communities by getting unsafe oil trains off the tracks and giving firefighters and other first responders in local
Merkley Introduces Education-To-Jobs Package
Washington, DC – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley announced an education-to-jobs package to better connect students to careers. Merkley’s bills, introduced today in the U.S. Senate, would protect students from predatory for-profit colleges peddling degrees that do not actually lead to jobs, and improve access to middle and high school
Merkley Introduces Legislation to Make Hospitals Safer for Nurses and Patients
Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley introduced legislation to make hospitals safer for nurses and patients. The Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2015 requires hospitals participating in Medicare to implement thorough staffing plans for nursing services and establishes whistleblower protections for patients and employees. “As the husband
Merkley on Supreme Court Marriage Equality Cases: “Discrimination Has No Place in our Nation’s Laws”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in landmark cases that could bring marriage equality for same-sex couples to all 50 states: “There are few concepts as fundamentally American as equality. As the United States Supreme Court hears oral