Ranking Member Press
CBO Releases New Analysis Showing House-Passed “Big Beautiful Bill” Will Add Even More to the Deficit When Including Interest
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement following a new analysis published by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) which shows the Republican House-passed “Big Beautiful Bill” will add $3 trillion to the deficit when including the $551 billion in increased interest on the national debt caused by the provisions in the bill which overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest Americans. Yesterday, CBO rele… Continue Reading
06.04.25
Merkley Statement on New CBO Analysis Showing Republican Plan Kicks 16 Million People Off Their Health Insurance
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement following analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) showing that the Republican plan will kick 16 million people off of their health insurance to fund tax breaks for billionaires. “This is the Republican plan: stripping away health coverage from millions of hardworking middle-class families to fund tax breaks for billionaires. This bill is simply fami… Continue Reading
06.04.25
CBO Analysis Shows House-Passed Reconciliation Bill Adds $2.4 Trillion to the 10-year Deficit
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement following new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) showing that the House-passed reconciliation bill would cost $2.4 trillion over the next 10 years. “Congressional Republicans will let nothing stand in the way of enacting their families lose, billionaires win agenda. This ‘Big, Beautiful Betrayal’ will leave millions without health c… Continue Reading
06.04.25
Trump Tariffs Will Hurt Economic Growth, Boost Inflation, Raise Costs to Families, CBO Finds
WASHINGTON, D.C. - If the Trump tariffs remain in effect - in spite of a recent court ruling that they are illegal - they will slow economic growth, boost inflation, and hurt working- and middle-class families, according to a new analysis from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The analysis was requested by Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR). "Tru… Continue Reading
06.03.25
Merkley Statement on Trump’s Request to Codify Illegal, Disastrous DOGE Cuts to Foreign Aid, NPR and PBS
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee and senior member of the Senate Appropriations and Senate Foreign Relations Committees, released the below statement after the Trump Administration sent Congress a rescissions package that would implement disastrous cuts made illegally and unconstitutionally by the “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).” The Trump Administration is currently unconstitutionally impounding funds, includi… Continue Reading
05.22.25
Merkley Statement on GAO’s First Determination Showing the Trump Administration Violated the Impoundment Control Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published its first finding that the Trump Administration has violated the Impoundment Control Act. “The President is not a king, and laws are not suggestions,” said Ranking Member Jeff Merkley. “Today’s determination by GAO reiterates what we knew all along: the Impoundment Control Act is the law of the land, an… Continue Reading
05.22.25
Merkley Statement After Republican Reconciliation Bill Passed Out of the House
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement following House passage of the Republican reconciliation bill. “House Republicans have just passed Trump’s so called ‘big, beautiful bill.’ There is nothing beautiful about it. It is: families lose, billionaires win. “Millions of families will lose health care to fund tax breaks for billionaires. Millions of children will go hungry to fund tax breaks for bil… Continue Reading
05.21.25
Merkley: Nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office Confirms Republican Reconciliation Bill’s Impact is Families Lose, Billionaires Win
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement following analysis published by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) showing that the Republican reconciliation bill will heavily favor the rich, while working families pay the price. “The Republicans’ reconciliation bill has one outcome: families lose and billionaires win,” said Ranking Member Jeff Merkley. “CBO’s analysis shows that passing this bill will be… Continue Reading
05.19.25
Merkley Statement on the Republican Economy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement after the latest troubling economic news on the Republican economy. “We are in the grip of the Trump Slump. Americans’ optimism on the economy has reached a near-record low, Moody’s has downgraded the United States’ credit rating, and families continue to pay more due to Trump’s trade war. “On top of that, in the dark of night last night, House Budget Committee Repub… Continue Reading
05.02.25
Merkley Statement on Trump Administration’s “Skinny” Budget
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement following the release of President Trump’s ‘skinny’ budget for Fiscal Year 2026. “This budget is exactly what we expected: a betrayal of hardworking, middle-class families that shows the President’s singular focus is slashing essential government programs in order to fund more tax breaks for his billionaire buddies. This is not what the American people voted for, and … Continue Reading
04.30.25
Merkley Statement on GDP Report Showing Economy Slowing
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement following the Commerce Department’s report showing the economy began to shrink in the first three months of the year. This is a major shift from uninterrupted economic growth since 2022, including the last three months of 2024 where the economy grew by 2.4% under President Biden’s administration. “Trump has been in office for only 100 days, and costs, chaos and corrup… Continue Reading
04.16.25
Merkley Calls on GAO to Conduct Audit of DOGE’s Destruction of U.S. Foreign Aid
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee and senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a comprehensive audit of the foreign policy and national security implications of the Trump administration’s recent actions to terminate foreign assistance programs, downsize the State Department, and attempt to dissolve the U.S. Agency for International Development (U… Continue Reading
04.10.25
In Open Letter to the American Public, Wyden, Merkley, Senate Democrats Warn Against Republican Cuts to Health Care to Pay for Tax Handouts for Billionaires
Text of the Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. - Senate Democrats sent an open letter to the American public today, warning families across the nation about Republicans’ efforts in Congress to pass legislation that would deliver a tax handout that disproportionately benefits millionaires and billionaires while taking away health insurance and health care benefits from millions of American families. “The Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are planning to give another round of tax han… Continue Reading
04.10.25
Merkley: House Republicans Are Betraying Middle-Class Families by Advancing Senate Republicans’ Budget Resolution
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement following House Republicans’ vote to advance Senate Republicans’ budget resolution. “After all their concerns around the Senate Republicans’ budget resolution, House Republicans bent the knee to President Trump and advanced this resolution that will slash programs that help families thrive to fund massive tax breaks for billionaires. This is not only immensely … Continue Reading
04.10.25
New CBO Analysis Shows Republicans’ Tax Giveaways Add $52 Trillion to National Debt Over 30 Years
WASHINGTON, D.C. - At the request of U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, the independent, nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a new projection showing that the tax giveaways in the Senate Republicans’ budget proposal will add $52 trillion to the national debt over the next 30 years. The previous projection for the cost of extending the Trump tax law and the Republican leadership’s attempt to use a budget gimmick, known as “current p… Continue Reading
04.09.25
GAO Raises Concern Over OMB’s Actions to Remove Budget Data Website
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, and Congressman Brendan Boyle (PA-02), Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, released the following statements in response to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) raising concerns with the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) actions last month to remove the website that listed the funding that Congress appropriated and have since been sent out the door by the Trump Ad… Continue Reading
04.07.25
Merkley Demands OMB Turn Over All Documents Relating to Agencies’ Plans to Fire More Federal Workers
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, demanded that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) turn over all documents from agencies and departments in response to large-scale reduction in force directives issued by OMB in February. “The February 26 memo’s directives enable further disastrous mass firings of federal employees. The Trump Administration has already fired tens of thousands of civil servants at several agencies, ma… Continue Reading
04.05.25
Merkley: Families Lose, Billionaires Win in Republican Budget Resolution
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement after Senate Republicans passed another version of their budget resolution: “For a second time, Republicans passed their budget resolution in the dark of night to double down on their mission to slash programs that help families thrive to fund massive tax breaks for billionaires. “Democrats fought back with amendment after amendment to lower the cost of groceries… Continue Reading
04.04.25
Merkley: Democrats are Here to Expose this Fraud, Fight for Families
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, took to the Senate floor to highlight the purpose of the Republicans’ budget plan: to give tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of working families. Merkley’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow. M. President: Families lose, billionaires win. That is the Republican plan. This Republican budget slashes $2 trillion from programs that families depend on. Why? To fund even more massi… Continue Reading
04.03.25
Merkley Highlights How Republicans’ Budget Proposal Benefits Billionaires, Not Working Families
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, took to the Senate floor to start debate on the Republicans’ budget proposal which will benefit millionaires and billionaires, while gutting programs families rely on. Merkley’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow. M. President: Families lose, billionaires win. That’s the proposition at the heart of the Republican budget resolution. This Republican budget slashes programs for families… Continue Reading