Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today issued the following statement after the Senate voted last night to pass the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act without a vote on his amendment to address the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) use of facial recognition technology: “Facial surveillance creates the
Senators Unveil ‘Next Step Home Act’ to Build on Success of ‘First Step Act’ Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they are co-sponsoring the Next Step Home Act, a crucial piece of legislation aimed at restoring voting rights for people with felony convictions who have been released under the First
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09) today led their colleagues in filing a brief with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to support the Juliana v. United States youth plaintiffs, 11 of whom are Oregonians from Eugene, Beaverton, Bend, Roseburg, and Oakland
Washington D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced they joined 10 of their colleagues in a letter to the Federal Trade Commission applauding its recent enforcement against Rite Aid for its use of discriminatory and invasive facial recognition technology. In the Rite Aid settlement, the FTC found the company’s use
Senator Jeff Merkley questioned election officials about efforts to preserve our democratic process, work to protect the right of every eligible voter to cast their ballot, and threats made to county clerks and other election officials in Oregon and across the country in a Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
“We urge the BOP not to renew its ACA accreditation contract when it expires next month.” “The ACA’s accreditation system is ineffective at best, and at worst misleads the public to believe that a failing facility’s operations are adequate.” Text of Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. – Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.),
Senator Jeff Merkley spoke on the floor of the United States Senate on Wednesday, December 13, 2023 about the TSA’s use of facial recognition in airports and their failure to make it clear that this program is voluntary. This speech follows months of Senator Merkley monitoring the use of facial
Lawmakers submit comment regarding HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement’s proposed rule, “Unaccompanied Children Foundational Rule” WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) led 14 colleagues in submitting a bicameral comment regarding the Department of Health and
Senators introduce bipartisan legislation to ban collection of biometric data at U.S. airports Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley joined forces with Senators John Kennedy (R-LA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to introduce the bipartisan Traveler Privacy Protection Act.
Senator Merkley was at Reagan Washington National Airport on Friday, July 28, 2023 and recounts his experience with TSA’s use of facial recognition technology. Read more about Sen. Merkley’s previous encounter with TSA facial recognition technology: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/07/11/tsa-airport-security-facial-recognition/
English 
Spanish