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Merkley, Harder Push to Increase Federal Response for Hazardous Wildfire Smoke

June 10, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Josh Harder (CA-09) today reintroduced the Wildfire Smoke Emergency Declaration Act, legislation to help communities respond to increasingly dangerous wildfire smoke events. The bicameral bill would create a federal framework for smoke emergencies, unlock resources to protect public health, support small businesses, and help communities weather worsening wildfire seasons. “When the 2020

Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $9.3 Million to Support Working Forestlands in Oregon

May 19, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is awarding $3.75 million to Lostine Forest in Wallowa County and $5.56 million to Madrone Ridge Forest in Jackson County. The Senators secured this federal funding in the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior-Environment

Merkley Remarks at FY27 Forest Service Budget Hearing with Chief Schultz

April 30, 2026

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 2027 budget request for the U.S. Forest Service with Chief Tom Schultz: Senator Merkley’s remarks, as prepared for

Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Raise Concerns about Forest Service Reorganization

April 23, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, led over 30 of his colleagues—including Senator Ron Wyden—in raising strong concerns about the reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “We write with

Wyden, Merkley Introduce Legislation to Modernize Power Grid, Lower Energy Costs and Reduce Wildfire Risk

March 25, 2026

WATCH: Wyden unveils legislation at Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on power grid resilience Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today introduced legislation that would overhaul aging power line infrastructure and improve efficiency in order to bring down energy costs and reduce wildfire risks

Merkley, Wyden Deliver Over $100 Million for Critical Community Projects Funding Across Oregon

January 23, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced they secured over $100 million in federal investments for essential community-initiated projects in nearly every Oregon county in both Fiscal Year 2026 packages that recently cleared Congress. Both Merkley and Wyden hold a town hall in each Oregon county

Ranking Member Merkley: Interior-Environment Funding Bill Boosts Wildfire Resiliency, Water Infrastructure, and Climate Investments in Oregon and Across the Nation

January 15, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR) released the following statement after the Senate passed the Interior-Environment Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Appropriations bill in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 82-15: “Oregonians turned out in record numbers during my town halls last year and delivered

Merkley Statement on House & Senate Negotiated Interior-Environment FY 2026 Appropriations Bill

January 6, 2026

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, the Ranking Member of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement after the House and Senate negotiated text of the Interior-Environment FY 2026 Appropriations bill was released: “This bill is far superior to a Continuing Resolution for funding the core programs

Merkley, Marshall Launch New Bipartisan Effort to Unlock Federal Support for Hazardous Cleanup Following Wildfires

December 16, 2025

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Kansas’ U.S. Senator Roger Marshall introduced the brand-new Post-Wildfire Environmental Assistance Act. The bipartisan bill provides a straightforward solution for communities in Oregon and across the nation to access federal aid for hazardous material cleanup following a wildfire. “Fighting wildfires

Merkley, Klobuchar, Heinrich, Colleagues: Trump Staffing Cuts at Forest Service Threatening Wildfire Prevention Efforts Across the U.S.

December 2, 2025

Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-NM) led 9 Senators to demand urgent answers from U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz regarding