Press Releases

Forty-One Senators Push to Keep Harmful Environmental Riders Out of Appropriations Bills

Senators warn that inclusion of poison pills harming the environment would undermine Senate’s ability to pass bipartisan spending bills Washington, D.C. – Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works; Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior,

Merkley, Salinas, Pacific Northwest Democrats to Secretary Rollins: Act Quickly to Hire Agricultural Research Staff Across the Region

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06) led a group of their Pacific Northwest colleagues in pressing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins over her commitment to promptly fill critical staff positions that remain vacant at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service

Merkley Announces Key Appropriations Win To Address Spotted Frog Issues In Central Oregon

Portland, OR – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley announced today that included in the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations bill is language that could help Central Oregon farmers maintain access to water supplies while protecting endangered species.  The provision urges the Bureau of Reclamation to provide additional funds for the WaterSmart program

With a Week Before Tax Day, Merkley Calls on IRS to Tackle Tax ID Theft

Portland, OR – In preparation for tax day, Senator Merkley visited the Matt Dishman Community Center to call on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to increase its efforts to effectively tackle the problem of tax ID theft. As of September 2015, over 600,000 Americans were victims of tax ID theft

Federal Agencies Commit To Marijuana Scheduling Decision This Year

Washington, D.C. – In a response to requests from U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and their Senate colleagues, three federal agencies announced plans to release a determination this year about whether to reschedule marijuana. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Department of Health and Human

en_USEnglish