Jeff Merkley

Funding For Rural Counties Clears The Senate
Funding For Rural Counties Clears The Senate
Funding For Rural Counties Clears The Senate
On Wednesday, the Senate unanimously passed legislation to reauthorize the Forest Service’s Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Program through Fiscal Year 2026.  The votes was celebrated by Idaho’s Republican senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo, as well as Oregon Democrats Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden; the four worked together to get the legislation across the finish line.   The Secure R... R
NW Lawmakers Look To Expand Forest Landscape Restoration
NW Lawmakers Look To Expand Forest Landscape Restoration
NW Lawmakers Look To Expand Forest Landscape Restoration
On Thursday, Idaho senator Mike Crapo and Oregon’s Jeff Merkley announced the introduction of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration (CFLR) Program Reauthorization Act of 2025.  They say this bipartisan legislation would reauthorize and expand the CFLR program, which helps fund collaborative and community-based forest management.  The lawmakers said...
Democrats Ask USDA About Food Bank Funding Cancelation
Democrats Ask USDA About Food Bank Funding Cancelation
Democrats Ask USDA About Food Bank Funding Cancelation
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, Ranking Member of the Senate Ag Committee, led 25 colleagues in pressing the USDA for information about previously approved funding for food banks and other emergency providers.  USDA’s taking away funds from the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which the lawmakers said will hurt hungry Americans who already face high grocery prices and hurts American farmers get
Northwest Lawmakers Look To Promote Mass Timber
Northwest Lawmakers Look To Promote Mass Timber
Northwest Lawmakers Look To Promote Mass Timber
Under a recently proposed bill, the federal government would prioritize use of mass timber in construction.  Senators from Oregon and Idaho are leading the bipartisan effort to pass the Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act.  The bill would make it a preference to use mass timber in federal construction projects.   Mass timbe...
NW Lawmakers Call For SRS To Be Reauthorized
NW Lawmakers Call For SRS To Be Reauthorized
NW Lawmakers Call For SRS To Be Reauthorized
Senators from Oregon and Idaho are pushing for Congress to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools Act before funding runs out.  States with timber on federal land depend on the program for funding schools and other projects that would have been paid for by timber harvests, which aren’t allowed on federal land.   “The S...
Merkley Worries Wildfire Funding Could Be Cut
Merkley Worries Wildfire Funding Could Be Cut
Merkley Worries Wildfire Funding Could Be Cut
The Trump Administration says it's reviewing federal spending, in an effort to cut waste, and that has some Oregon lawmakers concerned about what MIGHT be deemed wasteful.  With the ongoing threat of cuts to federal programs and funding, Oregon stands to lose millions in anticipated payments.  U....
Merkley Highlights Monarchs
Merkley Highlights Monarchs
Merkley Highlights Monarchs
Nearly $760,000 in federal funds are coming to three western states, including Oregon, to help boost monarch butterfly populations.  U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley said the funding will benefit two projects in Oregon.   “One is to restore acres and make them better pollinator habitats, and also better acres for the monarch itself, which involves - you gotta make sure you’ve got some milkweed in there;
Central Oregon Irrigation Projects Awarded Federal Funds
Central Oregon Irrigation Projects Awarded Federal Funds
Central Oregon Irrigation Projects Awarded Federal Funds
Oregon’s senators announced funding Monday for a trio of Central Oregon irrigation projects.  Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced $37.4 million from the Inflation Reduction Act for piping projects in Central Oregon that the two say will boost drought resiliency, conserve almost 5,000 acre-feet of water annually, and create stronger aquatic ecosystems in the Deschutes River Basin.   “Benef... Read

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