Ranking Member Merkley, Colleagues Denounce Trump Administration’s Partisan Changes to National Park Service Access for 2026
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—the top Democrat overseeing funding for the National Park Service— today led U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jack Reed (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ed Markey (D-MA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Patty Murray (D-WA), Cory
Ranking Member Merkley: Interior-Environment Funding Bill Boosts Wildfire Resiliency, Water Infrastructure, and Climate Investments in Oregon and Across the Nation
Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR) released the following statement after the Senate passed the Interior-Environment Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Appropriations bill in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 82-15: “Oregonians turned out in record numbers during my town halls last year and delivered
Merkley, Sullivan, Curtis, Kaine Push for Bipartisan Crackdown on Chinese Government-Controlled Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in U.S.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)—a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and past Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)—teamed up with current CECC Chair Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Senator John Curtis (R-UT), and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) to introduce bipartisan legislation that
Merkley Statement on Additional Water for Klamath Users
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, announced that additional water resources would be made available for Klamath irrigators. Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement on the announcement: “Mother nature has dealt the farmers and ranchers in the Klamath Basin a harsh blow this year.
Merkley, Bond, Bayh Introduce Bill to Rebuild Local Economies Hit Hardest by Recession
Washington D.C. – U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Kit Bond (R-Mo.), and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) today introduced legislation to help local businesses stay afloat during times of recession and high unemployment. The Rebuilding Local Business Act creates a temporary three-year HUBZone “Rebuilding Status” for counties that have an unemployment rate
Senate Committee Clears Merkley Columbia River Restoration Act
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed a bill authored by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo and Montana Senator Max Baucus, to support the clean-up and restoration of the Columbia River Basin. The bill will authorize the Environmental Protection Agency to provide
Merkley, Wyden Announce $4.8 Million for Health Care Job Training Through Portland Community College
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that Portland Community College will receive $4.8 million to train over 800 Oregonians for jobs in high-demand health care fields. The Healthcare Oregon Pathways to Employment (HOPE) program focuses on training for unemployed, dislocated, and incumbent workers and
Merkley Statement on PILT Funding Announcement
WASHINGTON, DC – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement on the Department of Interior’s announcement of Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding being sent to local governments today: “Oregon taxpayers don’t have the luxury of waiting to pay their property taxes, and the federal government shouldn’t either.
Merkley Statement on Passing of Senator Robert Byrd
WASHINGTON, DC – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement on the passing of West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd: “Thirty years ago, I first entered the Capital as an intern for Senator Mark Hatfield. Even then, Senator Byrd was already a mainstay of the Senate. In the years since,