Tag: wildfire

Merkley, Hoyle Fight Back Against Trump Funding Cuts with Renewed Effort to Reduce Wildfire Risk, Boost Economic Opportunities in Forest-Dependent Communities

Washington, D.C. – As the Trump Administration illegally cuts and withholds funding for wildfire mitigation projects, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) teamed up to introduce the Wildfire Resilient Communities Act in Congress. This legislation would provide dedicated federal support to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires in Oregon and across the West, while

Merkley, Murray, Heinrich, Klobuchar Demand Immediate Halt to Forest Service Reorganization, Funding Cuts

Washington, D.C. – Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Merkley: Trump Firefighting Reorganization Plan ‘Literally Playing with Fire’

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the subcommittee that oversees funding for the U.S. Interior Department and U.S. Forest Service, released the following statement after President Trump issued an executive order directing the agencies to reorganize and consolidate wildland firefighting efforts: “Instead of focusing on

Merkley: Forest Service Dangerously Unprepared for Wildfire Season

Washington, D.C. – Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR) issued the following statement after a hearing with U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz on the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for the agency: “Forest Service Chief Schultz’s testimony only underscored the immense, serious challenges facing communities

Merkley Remarks at Forest Service Budget Hearing with Chief Schultz

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—the Ranking Member of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee—delivered the following remarks as prepared for delivery at the hearing reviewing the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for the U.S. Forest Service with Chief Tom Schultz: Senator Merkley’s remarks, as prepared for

Oregon Delegation: Over $80 Million to Support ODOT’s Natural Disaster Recovery Efforts

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden—along with U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), and Janelle Bynum (OR-05)—announced the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is receiving $83,215,245 for work it completed to repair roads and other critical infrastructure that were deeply damaged during natural disasters. The federal funds from the Federal Highway Administration

Merkley to Burgum: Our Public Lands Are Not for Sale

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, released the following statement after a hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of the Interior with Secretary Doug Burgum: “Secretary Burgum testified

Heinrich, Murray, Klobuchar, Merkley Slam USDA for Evasive Response on Wildfire Mitigation Projects, Workforce Cuts, and Funding Freezes

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, along with U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley

Merkley Remarks at Department of the Interior Budget Hearing with Secretary Burgum

Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR) delivered the following remarks at the hearing reviewing the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of the Interior with Secretary Doug Burgum: Senator Merkley’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below: “Thank you,

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