Press Releases

Merkley Condemns More Pocket Rescissions by Trump Administration

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the below statement after President Donald Trump and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russ Vought issued more illegal pocket rescissions, this time clawing back nearly $1 billion in

Sens. Markey, Merkley and Reps. Jayapal, Tlaib, Pressley Reintroduce Legislation to Halt Government Use of Facial Recognition and Other Biometric Technology

Bill Text (PDF) Washington (September 25, 2026) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), announced the reintroduction of the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act, legislation to prohibit the government from using

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,

Merkley, Wyden and Schrader Announce $10 Million Award for City of Stayton

Washington D.C. – Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Congressman Kurt Schrader (D- Ore.)announced today that the Rural Development office within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved an award to the City of Stayton for over $10 million. The award includes a loan of

en_USEnglish