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,
Senate Passes Merkley Proposal to Create Jobs by Repairing Crumbling Water Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Senate passed Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley’s Water Infrastructure Financing Innovation Act (WIFIA) as part of the Water Resources Development Act of 2013. The program would create jobs by providing low-cost loans to communities for infrastructure projects to repair or upgrade their water systems. “A
Senate Passes Merkley-Brown “Buy America” Amendment to Water Infrastructure Bill
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Senate passed an amendment authored by Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio to extend Buy America provisions to water infrastructure. The amendment, which was added to the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), will strengthen and support U.S. manufacturing by ensuring
Merkley Statement on Inspector General IRS Report
Washington – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement after the release of an Inspector General report that the IRS was inappropriately targeting conservative groups for reviews of their tax-exempt status. “What the IRS did was wrong. Targeting groups by their name or their ideology is absolutely unacceptable. The
Merkley Cosponsors Bill to Lower Student Loan Rates
Washington, DC- Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley cosponsored a bill that would allow students to pay the same interest rate on their federally-subsidized Stafford loans as big banks get when they borrow money from the Federal Reserve. On July 1st of this year, student loan interest rates are set to
Merkley Introduces Breastfeeding Legislation and Highlights Portland Police Bureau’s Commitment to Working Mothers
Portland, OR – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today joined Portland Police officers and breastfeeding advocates to introduce the Supporting Working Moms Act. This legislation would expand a provision that Merkley succeeded in including in the health care reform law to ensure that new mothers have the time and space to
Wyden, Merkley Ask Agriculture, Interior Secretaries for Emergency Grazing Rights on Federal Land in Southeastern and South Central Oregon
Washington, D.C. – Faced with another year of drought conditions in Southeastern and South Central Oregon, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are asking the Department of Agriculture extend emergency grazing of cattle on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land. “Given the severity of the drought and