Press Releases

Merkley, Salinas Lead New Bill to Hold ICE, CBP Accountable for Abusing Americans’ Constitutional Rights

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06) introduced new legislation to hold U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) liable for violating individuals’ constitutional rights. The ICE and CBP Constitutional Accountability Act would make the federal government

Elfreth, Merkley Introduce Legislation to Prohibit Partisan National Park Passes 

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), Vice Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the top Democrat overseeing funding for the National Park Service, introduced the Prohibit Partisan Park Passes Act. The bill is straightforward legislation that would explicitly prohibit the National

Merkley Demands Changes to Help Oregon Timber Workers Get Jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Though Oregon’s timber counties have among the highest unemployment rates in the Northwest, a recent report from the Department of Labor’s Inspector General revealed that millions of dollars in stimulus funds were used by contractors employing foreign workers to perform forest thinning work. Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff

Senate Passes Christmas Tree Resolution

Washington, DC- Today, the United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution sponsored by Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley designating the first full week of December in 2011 as “National Christmas Tree Week”.  “This resolution honors the joy that Christmas trees bring to families every December, and also the Oregon farms and

Senate Sends Message To President: Bring U.S. Forces In Afghanistan Home Faster

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate passed an amendment introduced by Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley requiring President Obama to develop a plan to expedite the reduction in U.S. forces in Afghanistan and to make periodic reports to Congress on the progress of that plan. “Our American forces have successfully

Merkley: Help Working Families Like the Fed Helped Big Banks

Washington, DC– Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today wrote a letter to President Obama after news broke that the Federal Reserve secretly loaned or guaranteed $7.7 trillion to major financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and J.P. Morgan.  It is reported by Bloomberg Markets Magazine that the Wall

Merkley: We Need to Focus on Jobs

Washington, DC – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement regarding press reports that the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction would be unable to come up with a deficit-reduction agreement, triggering $1.2 trillion in automatic defense and domestic spending cuts:  “The supercommittee failed to reach an agreement for

en_USEnglish