NEW: Trump’s War in Iran Cost DoD Nearly $40 Billion and Drove Nearly Half of Inflation, According to CBO Report
Text of Report (PDF) Washington, D.C. – Today, in response to an inquiry led by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, along with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released new data on the cost of President
Merkley, Williams, Booker Lead Push to Close Constitutional Loophole Allowing for Slavery
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Nikema Williams (GA-05) today teamed up with New Jersey’s U.S. Senator Cory Booker to reintroduce the End the Exception Amendment. The bicameral resolution would strike the ‘Slavery Clause’ of the 13th Amendment, a constitutional loophole that allows slavery “as a punishment
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Bill to Protect Agricultural Water Access Amid Worsening Drought in Oregon
Legislation would help upgrade outdated water infrastructure systems to support agriculture Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today introduced legislation that would help improve water resilience in communities across Oregon and the West as drought in the region persists after last year’s record-low snowpack. “Water scarcity
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 Applauds Oregon’s Decision to Save Ratepayers Money on Water Treatment Facility
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement on the announcement by the Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division that they intend to grant a variance to the City of Portland for its costly water treatment plant: “I have continued to argue that Portland has some of
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
Bipartisan Amendment Calls for Accelerated Handover in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, DC – Ten years after the start of the war in Afghanistan, more than one hundred thousand American troops remain in that nation, providing military and security assistance to the Afghanistan government. A bipartisan group of senators today offered an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill to urge the
Merkley Introduces Bill to Help Small Businesses in Hard-Hit Communities Add Jobs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley introduced a bill to reduce the wait time for counties to benefit from a federal program that aids small businesses in hard-hit areas. There is currently a two-year lag time after the census is completed before metro areas can be designated HUBZones. “Small