Merkley, Curtis Announce Bipartisan Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2026
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and John Curtis (R-UT), respectively the Ranking Member and Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight, teamed up to introduce bipartisan legislation that would finally end all commercial and
Senators Markey, Merkley Reintroduce Legislation to Protect Healthcare for Americans Who Cannot Afford Bail
Bill Text (PDF) Washington, D.C. – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) today reintroduced the Equity in Pretrial Health Coverage Act, legislation that would protect the continuity of federal health benefits under Medicaid, Medicare, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and
Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Audit the Pentagon and End Wasteful Spending
Senators: The Pentagon failed its eighth consecutive audit last year, unable to fully account for $4.65 trillion in assets Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today said they joined Senate colleagues in reintroducing legislation that would impose financial consequences if the Pentagon fails to pass a full, independent
Senate Recognizes Hemp History Week
Washington, D.C. – During “Hemp History Week,” the Senate today passed a bipartisan resolution recognizing the important role industrial hemp could play in boosting the agricultural industry and economy of the United States. The Hemp History Week resolution passed the Senate by a unanimous voice vote today. Sens. Ron Wyden,
Wyden, Merkley Call on National Transportation Safety Board to More Closely Examine Future Oil Train Derailments
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today called on the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate future oil train derailments in order to find ways to better prevent such accidents. In their June 9 letter to NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart, the senators expressed their concern
Senate Passes Landmark, Merkley-Backed Bill to Reform Toxic Chemical Safety in the U.S.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, in a bipartisan vote, the United States Senate passed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, landmark legislation that marks the first major update to toxic chemical safety in the United States in 40 years. Merkley worked with a bipartisan coalition to
Senators Urge Administration to Take New Fossil Fuel Leases Off the Table in Offshore Drilling Plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter sent last Thursday, June 2, 2016 to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, eleven United States Senators urged the Obama Administration to take new fossil fuel leases off the table and protect vulnerable Arctic ecosystems in the Administration’s 2017-2022 offshore leasing program. The letter, which was
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