Tag: Protecting Consumers, Taxpayers, and the Economy

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Padilla, Merkley, Schakowsky Introduce Bicameral Bill to Strengthen Nursing Staff Standards, Improve Patient Care

May 12, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, on International Nurses Day, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced the Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act to improve hospital patient care and nurse retention by setting mandatory minimum registered nurse-to-patient staffing ratios. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.-09)

Warren, Merkley, Blunt Rochester Lead 19 Senators Pressing Trump on How His Chaotic Tariffs are Raising Americans’ Housing Prices

May 1, 2025

“America is in the midst of a nationwide housing shortage … your reckless trade policies will only make the crisis worse.” Read letter here Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member

Merkley, Lee Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Save Taxpayers’ Money by Eliminating Penny Production

May 1, 2025

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Utah’s Senator Mike Lee introduced bipartisan legislation today that would advance responsible spending by ending production of the penny. Striking the penny has become increasingly costly, and the Make Sense Not Cents Act would permanently eliminate this wasteful spending. Each penny costs nearly 4 cents to make—a number that has risen more than 20

Merkley Exposes Trump’s Authoritarian Takeover: “We are in a Constitutional Crisis”

April 29, 2025

Senator Jeff Merkley spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate about President Trump’s attacks on our democracy, Constitution, and rule of law.

Merkley SLAMS Disastrous GOP Budget Plan

April 3, 2025

Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Senator Jeff Merkley spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate to expose why the Republic budget is a disaster for America’s families. The GOP’s plan is simple: Families lose, billionaires win.

Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Introduce Honor Farmer Contracts Act

April 1, 2025

Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said today they have joined Senate colleagues to introduce legislation that would release funding illegally withheld by the Trump administration for all contracts and agreements previously entered into by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “The unlawful freezing of federal

Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Reverse Damage from Trump Administration’s Egregious Cuts at VA

March 17, 2025

Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they have joined Senate colleagues in introducing comprehensive legislation that would protect veterans, military spouses and VA employees in Oregon and nationwide indiscriminately targeted in the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) cuts at VA and across the federal government. “Veterans

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

March 4, 2025

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

Wyden, Merkley Demand HHS Secretary Kennedy Reverse Drastic Cuts to Critical Health Care Assistance Program

February 28, 2025

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today demanded U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. reverse extreme and harmful funding cuts to the Affordable Care Act Navigator program. In a letter to Secretary Kennedy, Wyden and Merkley joined Senate colleagues to

Warren, Raskin, Merkley, Schiff, Lawmakers Call on Elon Musk to Publicly Release Financial Disclosures After White House Claims Musk Will Self Police Conflicts of Interest

February 13, 2025

Musk Is Subject to Federal Ethics Laws as a “Special Government Employee” “Given the scale of your power to carry out sweeping administrative policies and your vast personal financial interests, the American people deserve to know how you stand to profit from your role in the Trump Administration.” Text of