Ranking Member Press
Republicans Again Block Merkley’s Push to Permanently Ban Pocket Rescissions
WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the Senate considers bipartisan legislation to set funding for a portion of the federal government, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, offered an amendment to codify a permanent ban on pocket rescissions by prohibiting the President from sending Congress a “special message” under the Impoundment Control Act within 90 days of the expiration of the funds proposed for rescission. Merkley offered the amendment to an annual appropri… Continue Reading
01.28.26
CBO Tells Merkley: Trump’s Brazen National Guard Deployment to American Cities Has So Far Cost U.S. Taxpayers Upwards of $589 Million
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) told U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, that President Donald Trump’s brazen decision to deploy National Guard personnel to U.S. cities, including Portland, has cost taxpayers upwards of $589 million to date. If these deployments continue at current levels, they will cost an additional $93 million per month. Furthermore, for each additional Guard unit that is activated in the… Continue Reading
01.28.26
Merkley, Durbin, Peters Lead Amicus Brief Urging Circuit Court to Affirm the Critical Protections of Minors in Immigration Detention
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee led a group of 23 Senators in filing an amicus brief to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals urging the Court to uphold the 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement, which sets critical minimum standards for children in immig… Continue Reading
01.20.26
Merkley Leads Budget Democrats in Demanding OMB Director Vought Provide Answers on Use of His $100 Million Slush Fund
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Seante Budget Committee, led Budget Committee Democrats in calling on Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought to provide answers to Congress and the American people on what he has used or is planning to use the $100 million slush fund that Republicans gifted his office when they passed the Big, Ugly Betrayal law last July. The provision, which was vague and did not specify the use of the fund… Continue Reading
01.14.26
CBO Tells Merkley: Trump Administration Attempt to Rename the Department of Defense Could Balloon to $125 Million
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) told U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, that the Trump Administration could spend upwards of $125 million in its attempt to rename the Department of Defense (DOD). Similar to Trump’s attempt to rename the Kennedy Center after himself, without action by Congress to pass legislation to legally rename DOD, the President’s executive order is an unofficial and symbolic designation… Continue Reading
01.08.26
CBO Projects Inflation to Remain High, Labor Market to be Weaker Due to Trump Administration Policies
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Following publication of the Congressional Budget Office’s Current View of the Economy from 2026 to 2028, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement. The report makes clear that President Trump’s tariffs, immigration policy, and the passage of the Big, Ugly Betrayal bill will keep inflation high while also slowing employment growth, making it harder for working families to make ends meet. “We knew before … Continue Reading
12.08.25
Merkley Statement on Trump’s Farmer Bailout to Fix Crisis Created by Trump
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Following the unveil of a $12 billion bailout package for U.S. farmers who have been hurt by President Trump’s reckless and haphazard tariffs, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement. Due to the Trump Administration’s policies, farmers across several commodities - especially soybeans - have faced devastating financial loses this year when foreign governments dramatically decreased or halted purchasing U.S. c… Continue Reading
11.04.25
Merkley, Wyden Probe CMS for Answers Surrounding the Disastrous Roll Out of the Medicare Advantage Provider-Directory Portal, Potentially Putting Seniors at Risk
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, and Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, demand that Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, answer for the rushed launch of the Medicare Advantage provider-directory tool that is riddled with erroneous, conflicting, and duplicative information. In their letter, Merkley and Wyden detail how the issues involved with the la… Continue Reading
10.27.25
Merkley Leads Colleagues in Demanding CBO Probe the Cost of Trump’s National Guard Deployment to American Cities, Including Portland
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, led several of his Senate colleagues in calling on the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to probe the cost of the Trump Administration’s brazen decision to deploy National Guard personnel to U.S. cities. President Trump has ordered troops into major cities across the country, including Portland, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Memphis. The senators are requesting that CBO analyz… Continue Reading
10.24.25
Merkley, Wyden Call on Oz to Resolve Chaos as States Implement Trumpcare
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, and Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, called on the leadership of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to help states preserve key protections in Medicaid for children, seniors, and people with disabilities that were not repealed as a part of Trumpcare, amid confusion about how the massive Republican cuts will be implemented across the country. “… Continue Reading
10.11.25
Schumer, Merkley, Murray, Peters Call On Trump Budget Chief Russ Vought To Resign
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and US Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice-Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the following joint statement calling for the resignation of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought. “Even before his first day… Continue Reading
09.29.25
GAO Finds Trump Administration Again Violated the Impoundment Control Act by Withholding Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) published additional findings that the Trump Administration again violated the Impoundment Control Act (ICA) by withholding funds appropriated for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement. “Donald Trump is not a king, and the laws of our land are not suggestions. The administration’s decision to withhol… Continue Reading
09.25.25
Merkley Statement on OMB’s Threat to Fire Public Servants if Republicans Shut Down the Government
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement following release of the memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) detailing mass layoffs as Republicans continue on a path toward shutting down the government. “This threat has nothing to do with keeping the government open - it is just another strong arm attempt from Donald Trump and his hatchet man Russ Vought to dismantle the government piece by piece. T… Continue Reading
09.22.25
Merkley Leads Senators in Demanding CBO Probe Trump’s Wasteful Use of Taxpayer Dollars in Renaming Department of Defense
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, led nine of his Senate colleagues in calling on the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to probe the cost of President Donald Trump’s recent executive order renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War. The lawmakers requested this analysis because without action by Congress to pass legislation to legally rename the Department of Defense, the president’s executive o… Continue Reading
09.18.25
Premium Spikes, Coverage Loss Will Worsen If Republicans Fail to Act on Tax Credits, CBO Says
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. issued a statement after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the nonpartisan budget scorekeeper, released an analysis of the harm resulting from Republicans’ war on health care, including their repeated atta… Continue Reading
09.16.25
Merkley to Senate Colleagues: Reject Paul’s Disastrous Budget Proposal
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, urged his Senate colleagues to reject the budget proposal put forth by U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). The Paul budget proposes cutting $22 trillion from vital programs and services like Medicare, border security, law enforcement, and federal prisons - while enshrining $4.8 trillion of tax cuts for the wealthy from the recently passed Big, Ugly Betrayal bill. Merkley’s remarks, as prepared … Continue Reading
09.16.25
Trump Administration Violated the Impoundment Control Act by Withholding Funding, GAO Reports
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) published additional findings that the Trump Administration violated the Impoundment Control Act by withholding funds appropriated for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement. “The administration’s decision to withhold this funding is not only irresponsible but illegal. These funds were appropriated by… Continue Reading
09.04.25
Federal Court Backs Up Merkley’s Call that Trump’s Pocket Rescission is Illegal
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement following a ruling from U.S. District Judge Amir Ali that reaffirms Congress’s power of the purse. “A federal court slapped down Trump and Vought’s illegal attempt to use a ‘pocket rescission’ to claw back funding appropriated by Congress. This should not be a surprise to anyone; the Congress’s constitutional ‘power of the purse’ would have no meaning if the Pr… Continue Reading
08.29.25
Merkley Blasts Trump Administration for Invoking Illegal Maneuver to Claw Back Bipartisan, Congressionally Appropriated Foreign Aid
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement after President Donald Trump announced plans to use an illegal, unconstitutional tactic known as a “pocket recission” to cancel billions in funding that Congress has appropriated. “Trump just made it clear that he is going to use an illegal and unconstitutional tactic known as a ‘pocket rescission’ to claw back bipartisan, congressionally appropriated funding. … Continue Reading
08.18.25
Trump’s Big, Beautiful-for-Billionaires Law Triggers $536 Billion Cut to Medicare Over Next Decade
Washington, D.C. - In Case You Missed It: the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released a letter on Friday at the request of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA) confirming that by exploding the deficit, President Trump’s Big, Beautiful-for-Billionaires Law will automatically trigger the S… Continue Reading