Press Releases

Risch, Merkley Introduce Bill to Remove Roadblocks for Youth Corps Public Lands Projects

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced legislation to reduce federal cost-sharing requirements for public lands projects performed by qualified youth or conservation corps from 25% to 10%. “Current cost-sharing requirements prevent youth conservation corps from carrying out important public lands projects,” said Risch. “My bill reduces this

Bynum and Merkley Introduce Legislation to Protect the Deschutes River

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) and Senator Jeff Merkley introduced the Deschutes River Conservancy Reauthorization Act of 2025. The bill reauthorizes the Deschutes River Conservancy’s (DRC) eligibility to receive federal funding for water quality improvement initiatives and conservation efforts. Since its founding in 1996, the DRC and

Merkley: Families Lose, Billionaires Win with Trump’s Vision for America

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley tonight issued the following statement after President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress: “We cannot have business as usual while Trump and his unelected billionaire co-president Elon Musk are gutting many parts of the government that help working families thrive. The

IN REBUKE OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ATTACKS ON VETERANS, SENATE DEMOCRATS MAKE DEFENDING VETERANS AND VA CARE A PRIORITY AT JOINT ADDRESS

Senate Democrats’ guests at tonight’s speech to include veterans indiscriminately fired as part of the Trump Administration’s mass terminations of federal government employees and the former VA Inspector General illegally fired by Trump  [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – In light of President Donald Trump’s mass termination of federal veteran employees and egregious

New Hawley, Merkley Legislation to Speed Up Labor Contracts Earns Teamsters Endorsement, Bipartisan Support

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) led a bipartisan group of colleagues in introducing new, Teamsters-endorsed legislation to speed up first contracts for new unions. The legislation would ensure that when workers vote to unionize, a labor agreement ultimately becomes a reality. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio),

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