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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 – […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirms that President Trump’s Big Ugly Law overwhelmingly benefits the ultra-rich, while working Americans pay the price. The report makes clear that the Big Ugly Law steals from working families to hand billionaires massive tax breaks. This report was requested by Senate Budget […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) published additional findings that the Trump Administration has violated the Impoundment Control Act by withholding appropriated National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant funding. U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement. “Withholding National Institutes of Health grant […]
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 when accounting for interest costs and assuming the temporary tax provisions of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” are instead made permanent, the debt will increase by $5 trillion over the next […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) published additional findings that the Trump Administration has violated the Impoundment Control Act by withholding appropriated funding for the Department of Energy’s Renew America’s Schools Program, which is intended to help K-12 public schools make necessary energy infrastructure improvements across the country. U.S. Senator Jeff […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After Republicans passed legislation earlier this month that would kick more than 15 million people off their health insurance and totals more than one trillion dollars in healthcare cuts, Senate Democrats are fighting back and pushing to reverse these devastating cuts and extend tax credits to make health care affordable. Today, Ranking […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, and U.S. Representative Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA-2), Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, introduced legislation that would end the political brinkmanship around the debt ceiling and allow for a process to suspend the debt ceiling, subject to a […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published an additional finding that the Trump Administration has violated the Impoundment Control Act by withholding appropriated funding for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Head Start program, which promotes school readiness, nutrition, and health of children from low-income families, including infants, toddlers, and […]
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 nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) showing that the final version of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” that was signed into law will increase the debt by $3.4 trillion over the next […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; and U.S. Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA), Ranking Member of […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee and a senior member of the Senate Appropriations and Senate Foreign Relations Committees, released the following statement after Senate Republicans capitulated to the disastrous cuts proposed by the Trump Administration and intended to appease Elon Musk and the “Department of […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the below statement after the House of Representatives passed the “One Big, Beautiful Bill.” “After Senate Republicans refused to stand with working families, House Republicans followed their lead and passed this disastrous bill where families lose, and billionaires […]
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 the Senate-version of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill.” “Families lose; billionaires win. That’s the heart of the Republican budget bill. Over the last 27 hours as we voted, Senate Republicans had several […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement after the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that a Republican provision to defund Planned Parenthood could remain in the Senate reconciliation bill: “Republicans will stop at nothing in their crusade to take […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, has gone to the Senate floor several times to urge his Republican colleagues to preserve honest budgeting and to reject the abuse of section 312 authority in the Budget Act. Republicans are attempting to interpret this section as […]