Ranking Member Press
New Analysis Shows Federal Government to Save Nearly $2 for Every $1 Invested in Flood Prevention
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, at the request of U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report detailing that every $1 the federal government invests in flood adaptations can save taxpayers nearly $2 in disaster spending, as well as reduce National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims. “Every year, billions of taxpayer dollars are spent cleaning up and restoring the damage caused by flood waters. … Continue Reading
10.02.26
Merkley, Meeks, Shaheen, Jacobs Issue Statement on Troubling GAO Report on Status of Trump Admin’s Foreign Assistance
WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Representatives Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY-5), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sara Jacobs (D-CA-51), Ranking Member of the Africa Subcommittee, issued a statement following the release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report they requested on the Trump Administration’s hollow… Continue Reading
09.30.26
Republicans Block Merkley’s Bill to Eliminate Pocket Rescissions After the Trump Administration Again Illegally Claws Back Funds Without Consent from Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. - After the Trump Administration issued another illegal pocket rescission late Friday night, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, took to the Senate floor to pass his bill, which would eliminate any future pocket rescissions and would nullify the newest illegal cancelation of Congressionally appropriated funds that the administration is currently putting into effect. Republicans blocked the bill. In January, Merkley offered an amendme… Continue Reading
09.30.26
New Report Reveals How American Families Are Paying the Price for Trump’s Broken Promises
REPORT: Broken Promises, Real Costs: 11 Trump Lies That Are Hurting Americans WASHINGTON, D.C. - As costs continue to skyrocket and President Trump shows no interest in addressing the needs of the American people, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, today released a report documenting 11 failed promises Trump made to American families. For each failed promise, costs either went up or the promise was abandoned. “Donald Trump is a con man. From his ti… Continue Reading
09.29.26
Merkley Applauds GAO for Reaffirming that Trump’s Pocket Rescissions Are Illegal
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement after the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reaffirmed that the Impoundment Control Act does now allow for the President to issue a pocket rescission on expiring funding. On Friday, President Trump issued more illegal pocket rescissions, this time clawing back nearly $1 billion in congressionally appropriated funding. “Today, GAO reaffirmed what we ha… Continue Reading
09.25.26
Merkley Condemns More Pocket Rescissions by Trump Administration
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the below statement after President Donald Trump and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russ Vought issued more illegal pocket rescissions, this time clawing back nearly $1 billion in congressionally appropriated funding. “Once again, President Trump and Russ Vought have violated the law by sending Congress more illegal pocket rescissions in the dark of night.… Continue Reading
09.25.26
Merkley, Baldwin Leads 25 Colleagues in Rejecting the Trump Admin’s Latest Move to Politicize and Undermine Education Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee, led 25 of their Senate colleagues in slamming the Department of Education’s (ED) latest move to further undermine the Department and jeopardize billions of dollars in funding for schools. Specifically, the Senators outlined their concerns with ED’s proposed ch… Continue Reading
09.24.26
CBO Issues Scary As Hell New Debt Projections That Will Profoundly Impact American’s Economic Future
CBO Issues Scary As Hell New Debt Projections That Will Profoundly Impact American’s Economic Future If Interest Rates Increase by 1 Percent, the National Debt Will be 222 Percent of GDP Merkley Recently Penned an Op-Ed Detailing How the Federal Government Could Get Control of Our Growing Debt and Deficit WASHINGTON, D.C. - As interest rates continue to skyrocket due to high inflation caused by President Trump’s war in Iran and tariffs, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) respon… Continue Reading
09.15.26
NEW: Trump’s War in Iran Cost DoD Nearly $40 Billion and Drove Nearly Half of Inflation, According to CBO Report
Text of Report (PDF) Washington, D.C. - Today, in response to an inquiry led by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, along with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released new data on the cost of President Trump’s war in Iran. The major findings include: Trump’s war with Iran cost the Department of Defense (DoD) nearly $40 billion as of Aug 1 - without including the c… Continue Reading
09.01.26
ICYMI: As National Debt Surpasses $40 Trillion, Budget Committee Ranking Member Merkley Calls on Congress to Curb Growing Deficit And Lays Out Deficit Reduction Plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In Case You Missed It, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, published an MS Now opinion essay detailing how the U.S. Government has reached unprecedented levels in our national debt while allowing federal deficits to continue to grow, even during a period of relative peace and prosperity. Merkley goes on to explain steps that Congress could take to reduce the deficit and curtail the skyrocketing national debt. Merkley breaks down ho… Continue Reading
08.13.26
Merkley, Schumer, Top Senate Democrats with Jurisdiction Over Trump’s Gilded Ballroom Boondoggle Call on Watchdog to Conduct a Full Audit of the Project
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committe… Continue Reading
08.05.26
Trump’s “Golden Fleet” Could Cost Taxpayers More Than $455 Billion
Initial Ship Estimated at $23.4 Billion, Each Additional Ship Could Cost $18 Billion If Tonnage of Ships Increases Beyond 35,000 Ton Estimate, Costs Will Increase Significantly WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, at the request of U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released independent analysis showing that President Trump’s “Golden Fleet” battleship program will cost $23.4 billion to construct the first vess… Continue Reading
08.04.26
Merkley Delivers Opening Statement at Medicaid Hearing
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, delivered the following opening statement at a hearing on Medicaid. Sen. Merkley’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you to our witnesses for being here today. Last year, my Republican colleagues passed their so-called Big, Beautiful Bill. I call it a Big Ugly Betrayal because it slashes more than $1 trillion from our health care systems, kic… Continue Reading
07.23.26
CBO: Over 10 Percent of U.S. Population Will Be Uninsured Due to the Republican Big, Ugly Betrayal Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report showing that the number of uninsured Americans climbs to 37.4 million in 2036, or 10.4% of the population “largely because of provisions of the 2025 [Republican] reconciliation act.” The increased number of uninsured Americans include the 15 million people who won’t have health insurance… Continue Reading
07.23.26
ICE, CBP Now Sitting on $152 Billion After Republican Funding Bills
WASHINGTON, D.C. - As of the end of June, data from the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) SF-133 reports shows that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have $152 billion in unobligated funding from the two partisan funding bills that Republicans passed over the last year—the One, Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which was enacted in July 2025 and the Secure America Act, which became law in early June 2026. Following this news, U.S. Senator Jeff… Continue Reading
07.16.26
Merkley Statement on House Budget Committee’s Out-of-Touch Budget
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement after the House Budget Committee advanced a fiscal year 2027 budget resolution that kicks off a third reconciliation process to spend nearly $100 billion on wasteful programs, ignores the needs of working families, and funds Trump’s war of choice with Iran. “Over the past year and a half, Republicans have already passed two reconciliation bills—one that str… Continue Reading
07.14.26
Merkley, Wyden Demand Answers from Kennedy, Oz on Newly Formed Healthcare Advisory Committee
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley, Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, and Ron Wyden, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee and a senior member of the Senate Budget Committee, demanded answers from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz on the newly formed Healthcare Advisory Committee. Merkley and Wyden expressed concerns with the Committee, i… Continue Reading
07.12.26
Merkley Statement on the Sudden Passing of Senator Lindsey Graham
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement following the news of the passing of Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. “I am shocked to hear of the sudden passing of Senator Graham. We shared a strong interest in defending Ukraine and, to the surprise of many, in climate change. We got to know each other as we served together on three committees, including the Budget Committee, … Continue Reading
07.02.26
Peters, Schumer, Murray & Merkley Lead Senate Democrats in Demanding OMB Rescind Rule Giving President Sweeping Power to Politicize Federal Grants
WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee; Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Democratic Leader; Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee; and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, led the entire Senate Democratic caucus in demanding Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought immediately rescind OMB’s proposed regulation on federal financial… Continue Reading
06.25.26
Merkley Asks CBO To Examine the Long-Term Impact Higher than Expected Interest Rates Would Have on the National Debt
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, calls on the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to examine how the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, the Republican signature undertaking that stripped health care and food assistance from families to give tax cuts to the wealthy, would affect the federal debt over the next 30 years. Merkley also asked how the debt would be impacted if interest rates rose even 1 percent more over this… Continue Reading