Tag: Protecting Consumers

Home / Protecting Consumers

Bynum, Congressional Delegation Lead Effort to Protect Clean Drinking Water for Oregon Communities

July 14, 2026

Washington, DC – Yesterday, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) led a letter along with Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), urging the District Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Colonel Larry Caswell Jr., to ensure impacted communities are fully prepared before beginning work on the Detroit Reservoir deep drawdown

Merkley Joins Push to Kick Private Equity Out of Kids’ Sports and Stop the Ripoffs

July 9, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced he joined Senate and House lawmakers in supporting the Let Kids Play Act, legislation to stop Wall Street from pricing kids out of sports. The proposed legislation bans private equity firms from taking over youth sports, shutting down the vulture practices they use to jack up costs, and getting money

Merkley Joins Bipartisan Push to Help Teachers and First Responders Achieve Homeownership

July 1, 2026

Washington, D.C. –Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced he joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in supporting the Homes for Every Local Protector, Educator, and Responder (HELPER) Act, legislation to help teachers and first responders buy homes in the communities they serve. “Across Oregon, teachers and first responders are vital

Warren, Sanders, Merkley, Hirono Press KKR Executives On Deal with Sallie Mae to Expand Private Equity’s Reach Over Student Loans

June 30, 2026

“Private equity should not prey on people’s educational dreams for profit, but if the past is prologue, it will.” Text of the Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member of the

Foster, Merkley Introduce Bicameral Investor Choice Act

June 25, 2026

Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL-11) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Investor Choice Act, legislation to prohibit pre-dispute mandatory, or “forced,” arbitration agreements and preserve customers’ ability to bring or join class action lawsuits in certain financial sectors. “Individuals shouldn’t need to surrender their legal rights because

Blumenthal & Merkley Lead Colleagues in Push to End CFTC Assault on State Prediction Markets Oversight

June 25, 2026

“Through engaging in this campaign of litigation and intimidation, the CFTC risks becoming an instrument and enabler of online prediction markets’ efforts to bypass states’ consumer protections and oversight, creating a race-to-the-bottom in gambling.” WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) this week led 15

Merkley and Alsobrooks: Senate Republicans Vote to Allow Federal Student Loan Costs to Soar

June 24, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Maryland’s U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks slammed Senate Republicans for voting to allow the Trump Administration to cap federal student loans and overhaul the student loan system, driving up costs for students across the nation: “As the first in my family

Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Demand Major Credit Bureau CEOs Protect Student Loan Borrowers

June 24, 2026

Senators: Inaccurate Credit Reports Increase Financial Burden on Student Loan Borrowers and Prevent Them From Obtaining Strong Financial Standing Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined Democratic Senate colleagues today in demanding the CEOs of three major credit report bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, immediately take

Senate Passes Landmark Housing Bill with Merkley-Inspired Provision to Crack Down on Hedge Fund Control of American Homes

June 22, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—a long-time champion of kicking hedge funds out of the housing market—released the following statement after the Senate passed an updated version of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the biggest housing bill in 30 years, that includes the first-ever limits

Merkley Spearheads Common-Sense Bills to Support the American Dream of Homeownership

June 17, 2026

Washington, D.C. – During National Homeownership Month, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced two new bills to help support the dream of homeownership for Americans by strengthening consumer protections and affordable homebuying opportunities for families nationwide. First, the Home Equity Lending Integrity Act would provide clear consumer lending protections and