Press Releases

Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Reintroduce Updated DISCLOSE Act to End Corrupting Influence of Dark Money in American Elections 

185 Democrats support effort to empower voters and expose billionaire and special interest control over our government and courts  Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined a bicameral group of Democrats in reintroducing the DISCLOSE Act, legislation to shine a bright light of transparency on the scourge of dark money in politics and make government more

Ranking Members Heinrich and Merkley Demand Answers from Trump Administration on Efforts to Erase History on Public Lands

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) demanding answers from the National Park Service (NPS) following reports that

Merkley Investigates Chemical Industry Insiders Taking Over Critical EPA Chemical Safety Office

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) subcommittee overseeing environmental justice, chemical safety, and waste management—today sent an oversight letter following reports of former chemical industry lobbyists filling key positions at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical

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 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,

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