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Merkley, Colleagues Fight to Restore Fairness in Federal Student Aid

April 1, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley joined a group of Senators in introducing a bill to re-establish access to federal student aid after Congressional Republicans and President Trump’s “Big, Ugly Betrayal” law imposed burdensome provisions that restricted access to affordable higher education. The Restoring College Access and Affordability Act reinstates student loan programs

Wyden, Merkley Push to Stop Trump’s Education Department From Politicizing Civil Rights Investigations

March 25, 2026

Oregon senators: “Students whose civil rights have been violated should never serve as political pawns. They deserve justice and an equal opportunity to pursue an education” Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today called on the Trump administration to stop weaponizing the Department of Education’s Office

Merkley Launches Investigation into Private Equity Ownership of Child Care Centers

March 24, 2026

Investigation Seeks to Determine if Private Equity Ownership in the Child Care Industry is Prioritizing Investor Profits Over the Health, Safety, and Welfare of Children Washington, D.C. — To address the growing concern over the role private equity is playing in the child care industry, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR),

Merkley, Padilla Lead Senate Colleagues to Urge Education Department’s Timely Execution of Federal Education Programs for Agricultural Farmworker Students

March 19, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and California’s U.S. Senator Alex Padilla today led a group of Senators in urging U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to ensure the timely delivery of federal funds for the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) and College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), which

Merkley, Sanders: Immediate Relief Needed for Student Loan Borrowers

March 4, 2026

Letter follows federal judge dismissing an ongoing legal challenge to borrowers under SAVE Plan repayment program Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Vermont’s U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led their Senate colleagues to press the

Merkley, Wicker, Kiggans, Bonamici, 150+ Lawmakers: Changes to Nursing Student Loans Threaten Profession

March 2, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Mississippi’s U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, along with U.S. Representatives Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), led a bipartisan group of over 150 lawmakers in calling for the U.S. Department of Education to not make changes to post-baccalaureate nursing degrees

Wyden, Merkley Announce Nearly $49 Million in Retroactive Secure Rural Schools Funds for Oregon Counties

February 23, 2026

Funding comes after passage of Wyden/Merkley/Crapo/Risch bill to reauthorize Secure Rural Schools Program Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that nearly $49 million in retroactive federal funding from the U.S. Forest Service for fiscal year 2024 will be coming to Oregon counties following the

Merkley, Collins, Warnock Lead Bipartisan Group of Senators to Urge Education Department’s Timely Execution of Federal TRIO Programs

February 19, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Maine’s U.S. Senator Susan Collins, and Georgia’s U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock led a bipartisan group of Senators in urging U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to ensure the timely delivery of federal funds from TRIO. TRIO is a long-standing set

Warren, Merkley Slam Education Secretary McMahon’s Attempts to Block Congressional Oversight, Renew Push for Data on Student Loan Servicers’ Performance

February 19, 2026

“Under your tenure as Secretary, ED has not only ignored repeated Congressional requests for servicer performance data but now appears to have progressed to active obstruction of efforts to obtain this information directly from the servicers.” Text of Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley

Merkley, Wyden Announce More Than $92 million in Additional Funding for Critical Community Projects Across Oregon

February 11, 2026

Projects Dedicated to Improving Housing, Health Care, and Transportation & Infrastructure Improvements Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced they secured more than $92 million in federal investments for essential community-initiated projects in nearly every Oregon county in the final funding package that recently