Senator Jeff Merkley comes from a family of fighters. According to family lore, his grandmother lived for a time in a boxcar during the Great Depression. Jeff’s mother stretched a dollar as far as anyone possibly could, and his father overcame a serious illness and went on to work in a lumber mill and become a union machinist. Life wasn’t glamorous, but together, Jeff’s parents saved enough to buy a modest home, take their children on annual camping vacations, and retire comfortably after a lifetime of contributing to their community.
As the situation in Afghanistan continues to evolve, Senator Merkley is focused on ensuring the safe evacuation of Americans, our Afghan allies, and the most vulnerable populations in the country, including women and children. Senator Merkley and his team are working directly with the State Department and other relevant agencies to process requests as quickly and efficiently as possible during this difficult time.
Agriculture has long been a staple of Oregon’s economy, providing the nation and the world with a wide variety of products including onions, wheat, and cattle from Eastern Oregon; salmon and cranberries from the Oregon Coast; berries, hazelnuts, and nursery products from Willamette Valley; and pears and apples from the Columbia Gorge. Our state’s farms provide good jobs and drive the rural economy.
As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, and the only Oregon member of Congress currently serving on the powerful Appropriations Committee, Jeff is focused on making sure that important projects in Oregon have the funding needed to move forward. Jeff is a long-time member of the subcommittee and has used his seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee to advocate for and secure critical resources for top Oregon priorities, like wildfire mitigation and support of strategies to restore fish habitat and scale up ongoing efforts to restore healthy populations of shortnose and Lost River sucker in the Klamath Basin.
Last year’s unprecedented wildfire season serves as another haunting reminder that the health and safety of our communities depend on our ability to maintain healthy forests and aggressively tackle the climate crisis. Jeff is proud to lead the Appropriations subcommittee at the heart of those fights, and will keep working to secure the resources Oregon needs to take on these and other challenges. He also takes seriously the critical role this subcommittee plays in delivering resources for tribal nations and native communities in Oregon and across our country. So often, the United states has not fulfilled its promises to Indian Country, and Jeff is working hard to make sure their needs are heard and reflected in our nation’s spending plans, while honoring tribes’ self-determination and sovereignty.
As a member of the full committee, Jeff will also be working to make sure Oregon’s needs are met to help fund critical community-driven projects in transportation, health care, education, and more. In 2021, the Senate Appropriations Committee restored community-driven project funding opportunities with robust transparency requirements to ensure the integrity of the process. As required by the Committee rules, Senator Merkley discloses all community-driven projects that he submits to the subcommittee for consideration through a competitive process.
Jeff is committed to protecting the rights and liberties of all Americans. Since its creation, our nation has come a long way in the march toward equality and fairness, but there is still much work to be done. All Americans deserve the opportunity to live, work, and succeed without facing discrimination.
When Jeff first took on the challenge of running for the Oregon State Legislature, one of the reasons was because he wanted to build a better education system for his young children. And as the first in his family to go to college, Jeff knows that affordable access to higher education is critical to the success of the middle class.
Education is a major factor in determining whether our children and our nation succeed in today’s increasingly competitive global economy. As a country, we need to do a better job of supporting teachers, giving them the resources they need to provide the best possible environment for teaching our children, and ensuring that no capable student has to give up his or her dreams of higher education because of a lack of affordability.
Jeff is committed to protecting America from those who would do us harm, and to making sure we do so in a way that is consistent with American values and our Constitutional rights. Indeed, Jeff firmly believes that the measure of our strength isn’t just the power of our military, but that the United States is safer and stronger when we honor our fundamental American values like respect for the rule of law and invest in the hard work of working with our allies. In a dangerous world, with global threats ranging from terrorism to global warming to nuclear weapons proliferation, Jeff understands that we need to be able to work with other nations to confront these challenges together.
Having worked as a national security analyst at the Pentagon and at the Congressional Budget Office, Jeff has a unique understanding of national security policy. In both positions, he was immersed in the national dialogue on responsible management of nuclear weapons. Jeff also remained actively engaged in foreign policy issues as President of the World Affairs Council of Oregon.
Jeff believes access to quality, affordable health care is not a privilege, but a human right. Jeff’s perspective on health care has been influenced by his wife, Mary, a registered nurse, who sees the world through the eyes of her patients: the people who should be at the heart of our health care system.
Throughout his career, Jeff has fought to expand access to quality, affordable health care coverage. As Speaker of the Oregon House, Jeff lowered prescription drug prices by expanding the state’s bulk purchasing program and fought to expand and improve children’s health care coverage. Jeff continues working to improve health care quality and coverage for all Oregonians in the U.S. Senate.
Our veterans have served their country with honor and deserve the utmost respect from our nation for their sacrifice. Veterans and their families have put America’s security before their own, and we have a responsibility to ensure that our service members have the tools and training to complete their missions when they leave our shores for duty, as well as the resources they need to stay healthy and financially secure when they return home.
Jeff has been a leader in Oregon to expand educational opportunities and improve medical services for our veterans. He is dedicated to working in the U.S. Senate on behalf of brave men and women who have given so much to serve their country. They have stood up for us, and now we must stand up for them.
Nothing is more important to growing and strengthening the middle class than creating good-paying jobs. We must make smart investments in infrastructure and support Made in Oregon manufacturing in order to create the good jobs Oregon needs.
The Beaver State was built by Americans who relied on the land for their livelihood. Natural resource industries like farming, forestry, and salmon fishing remain integral to Oregon’s economy today. Our state has also long been a destination for Americans looking to experience the great outdoors. Oregon’s protected public lands provide valuable habitats, supply clean water, and generate jobs through sustainable harvests, recreation, and tourism. Preserving our natural resources and making smart decisions about economic development will help spur rural growth and ensure that future generations can enjoy Oregon’s wild places and public lands while putting people to work.
Jeff is fighting to fix our broken financial system and make it work for middle-class families and small businesses again. Jeff is passionate about consumer protection and making sure that ordinary families are protected against scams and predatory schemes that threaten their pocketbooks. He led the fight in Oregon to take on the predatory payday lenders. In the U.S. Senate, he's fought to create and strengthen the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the first-ever federal agency with the sole mission of looking out for consumers in their everyday financial transactions.
We have made promises to our seniors that they have honored through decades of hard work, and that we must keep to seniors today and tomorrow. Jeff believes that Social Security and Medicare are a covenant with our seniors, and has fought against efforts to privatize or weaken these essential programs.
On August 24, 2022, the Biden administration announced a three-part plan to help federal student loan borrowers, including:
Loan forgiveness of up to $20,000 to Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 in debt cancellation to non-Pell Grant recipients for individuals earning less than $125,000 per year and married couples making under $250,000 per year. Parent Plus loans are also included as qualifying loans in this debt relief.
A pause extension on federal student loan repayment through December 31, 2022.
Make the current loan system more manageable for current and future borrowers by:
Making loans payments affordable by limiting payments to 5% of a person’s income.
Fixing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program to ensure our public servants receive appropriate loan forgiveness, something Senator Merkley has led the charge to reform.
Protections for future students and taxpayers, including reduction in the cost of higher education and accountability mechanisms to hold schools accountable when they hike up prices.
The carbon pollution in our atmosphere from burning fossil fuels like oil and coal is waging a direct and unchecked assault on our farming, fishing and forests – the cornerstones of Oregon’s rural economy.
When Jeff was young, his dad worked as a millwright. He spent his childhood in Southern Oregon timber communities, where timber jobs were what put food on the table and kept roofs over folks’ head. Fires and insect infestations are already killing trees at alarming rates across the Northwest, and climate change will only make these threats to our forests worse. Other iconic Oregon industries like our coastal oyster hatcheries are threatened by ocean acidification, and fishing and farming alike are facing threats from declining snowpacks and increased drought.
Congress needs to wake up. Climate change is real, and it’s bad for our economy and jobs, especially in rural Oregon and the places that most depend on our abundant natural resources.
Jeff is committed to protecting the health, rights, and liberties of all women. Throughout his career, Jeff has fought for equal pay, working to restore the balance of power between workers and employees by providing legal protections to women who face pay discrimination. He believes that millions of hardworking American women should have the ability to properly care for themselves and their families, without worrying about their economic security. Jeff also led the successful fight that created the first set of national rights for new mothers who want to continue to breastfeed after returning to work, and he continues to push to expand those rights.
Jeff has fought to protect a woman’s constitutional right to the full scope of comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion, and will continue to stand up against efforts that would allow the government to make personal health care decisions for a woman and her family. He has worked to create a society that is safe for women—one that is free of violence and harassment—and continues to speak out against those who use their positions of power to victimize individuals and silence women.
Dealing with large bureaucracies can be confusing and frustrating. Whether you are dealing with a federal or state agency, your local city or county government, or even a bank or insurance company, Jeff and his staff stand ready to help you. If you have questions about government programs, need help with a benefit application you have submitted, or have a consumer complaint, we will provide as much help and information as we can. If we are unable to directly intervene on your case, we will put you in touch with someone who can.
Jeff's dedicated staff of Constituent Service Representatives stands ready to help Oregonians on finding answers and solutions to whatever questions or problems they have. Below, you will see a list of topics that we are frequently asked to help Oregonians with. Clicking on one of those topics will bring up an online form you can submit to request assistance.
Jeff and his staff can assist you with a wide range of topics, including:
Oregon veterans have served our country honorably and sacrificed a great deal to protect our nation. It’s important to Jeff that Oregon veterans always have access to the educational opportunities, health care services and jobs assistance they deserve. Below you will find helpful links and resources for Oregon veterans. If you have a question about a federal program, or are having problems with a federal agency, please visit the Military and Veterans casework section of the website.
Jeff believes that a good education is the foundation for a prosperous nation and that every student in Oregon should have every opportunity at their disposal to succeed. Below you will find valuable resources for students.
Secondary education has become increasingly expensive, putting the dream of a college degree out-of-reach for many students. This section of the website provides information about numerous State and Federal programs dedicated to helping students from all walks of life be able to attend college.
Every year, Jeff has the privilege of nominating Oregon’s finest to the United States Service Academies. Information about the nomination and application process can be found here.
This page contains information about applying for an internship in Senator Merkley's offices in Oregon or in Washington, D.C.
Pages play a critical role in the day-to-day work of the U.S. Senate. Jeff has the privilege as a United State Senator to nominate a page for appointment. Information about the nomination and application process can be found here.
American flags are available for purchase through Jeff's office in Washington, D.C. for special events, ceremonies, gifts, or celebrations of achievement. Upon request, we can also have flags flown over the U.S. Capitol before sending them. A certificate from our office will accompany flags flown over the Capitol as a record of the event.
The quickest way to receive a flag from our office is by filling out the online order form using the link below. Flags ordered this way take approximately four weeks to process and ship.
Please note that flags flown over the Capitol on a specific date will take longer to process and ship depending on the date you request for flying. If you are submitting a flag request to be flown on a specific date, allow at least two weeks after the requested date of flight for your flag to arrive by mail.
If you are planning a trip to Washington, DC, our office can assist you in planning your visit. The nation’s capital is rich with historic landmarks and cultural resources. We can help you coordinate tours of the White House, the Capitol Building, Library of Congress and many other museums and galleries. You can also join Jeff for coffee while you're in DC.