Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $52 Million in PILT Payments to Support Vital Services in Oregon
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced counties throughout Oregon will receive a combined total of $52,016,022 in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2026. Because local governments cannot tax federal lands, annual PILT funding helps to defray the costs associated with
During Pride Month, Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Resolution Apologizing for Government Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ Civil Servants, Servicemembers
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined a resolution led by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) to acknowledge and apologize for the mistreatment of and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals who have served in the uniformed services, as civil servants, or in
Rosen, Curtis, Merkley, Banks Introduce Resolution Condemning Chinese Suppression of Ethnic Minorities
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), John Curtis (R-UT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced a bipartisan resolution that condemns a law passed by the Chinese Communist Party and set to go into effect on July 1 that targets ethnic minorities and expresses support for Tibetans,
Oregon Leaders call for Oil Train Moratorium in the Columbia River Gorge
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, Governor Kate Brown and Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici released the following statement today calling for a temporary halt to oil train traffic in Columbia River Gorge in light of last Friday’s derailment of a Union Pacific oil train in Mosier, OR:
Merkley Applauds Major New CFPB Rule On Small Dollar Lending
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a long-awaited proposed rule on small dollar lending. The rule will crack down on predatory lending models that are based on trapping consumers in unaffordable and escalating cycles of debt. “I
Merkley Announces New Suicide Hotline for Veterans
Medford, OR – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley visited the Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics in White City, OR today to discuss the high rates of suicide among veterans and his role in helping push for a new direct connection for veterans to access. Senator Merkley was joined at today’s
Merkley Statement on House GOP Blocking Spending Bill over Anti-LGBT Discrimination Amendment
WASHINGTON D.C.—Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement in reaction to a surprise vote by House Republicans to defeat a routine energy and water spending measure because the bill included an amendment protecting LGBT Americans from discrimination by federal contractors: “Today’s vote in the House by the majority to
Merkley Applauds House Passage of Landmark Toxic Chemicals Reform Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a landmark toxic chemicals reform bill that marks the first major reform of chemical safety laws in 40 years. Merkley worked with a bipartisan coalition to help craft the U.S. Senate version
Oregon Lawmakers Announce Funding to Revitalize Willamette Falls
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Representatives Kurt Schrader, Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici today announced that $600,000 has been awarded to Metro-Portland, Oregon’s regional government, to restore and revitalize one of Oregon’s natural treasures, Willamette Falls, from contamination left over from a now-shuttered industrial