Jeff (Jeff) Merkley (D)
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Capitol: 202.224.3753
FAX: 202.228.3997
District: 541.465.6750
Senator
Room 531 HSOB- Hart Senate Office Building 120 Constitution Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20510-3705

Residence: East Multnomah County, OR
Elected: 2008    Next Election: 2026
Spouse: Mary Sorteberg   DOB: 10/24/1956
Committee Assignments
ChairmanSenate Subcommittee on Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Co-ChairSenate Nursing Caucus
ChairmanSenate Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight
Co-ChairApiary and Beekeeper Caucus
FC MemberHonoring, Embracing, and Recognizing Our Exceptional Service Members (HEROES) Caucus
MemberSenate Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues
MemberSenate Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy
Co-ChairNuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group
MemberSenate Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy
FC MemberSenate Recreational Vehicle (RV) Caucus
MemberSenate Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
MemberSenate Committee on Rules and Administration
MemberSenate Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
MemberSenate Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
FC MemberSenate Caucus on Foster Youth
FC MemberCongressional Planetary Science Caucus
MemberSenate Committee on Environment and Public Works
MemberSenate Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety
FC MemberSenate Defend Social Security Caucus
MemberSenate Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
FC MemberSenate Friends of Scotland Caucus
FC MemberSenate Human Rights Caucus
FC MemberSenate Caucus on WMD Terrorism (Weapons of Mass Destruction)
Co-ChairJoint Congressional-Executive Commission on China
MemberSenate Committee on Appropriations
MemberSenate Committee on Foreign Relations
MemberSenate Subcommittee on Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies
MemberSenate Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
MemberSenate Committee on Budget
FC MemberSenate General Aviation Caucus
FC MemberSenate Taiwan Caucus
FC MemberBipartisan Members Group
FC MemberSenate Military Family Caucus
FC MemberSenate Travel and Tourism Caucus
FC MemberElectrification Caucus
FC MemberEnvironmental Justice Caucus
FC MemberSenate ALS Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Bicameral High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Caucus
FC MemberSenate Law Enforcement Caucus
FC MemberExpand Social Security Caucus (Senate)
FC MemberSenate Veterans Jobs Caucus
FC MemberSenate National Service Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Sportsmen's Caucus
FC MemberSenate Oceans Caucus
FC MemberSenate Small Brewers Caucus
FC MemberSenate National Guard Caucus
FC MemberSenate India Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Recycling Caucus
FC MemberSenate Cultural Caucus
FC MemberRenewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Cystic Fibrosis Caucus
FC MemberCongressional TRIO Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Wine Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Rare Disease Caucus
FC MemberCongressional Fire Services Caucus

Bio

Senator Jeff Merkley comes from a family of fighters. According to family lore, his grandmother lived for a time in a boxcar during the Great Depression. Jeff's mother stretched a dollar as far as anyone possibly could, and his father overcame a serious illness and went on to work in a lumber mill and become a union machinist. Life wasn't glamorous, but together, Jeff's parents saved enough to buy a modest home, take their children on annual camping vacations, and retire comfortably after a lifetime of contributing to their community.

Jeff learned to take that same determination his father took with him to the lumber mill into the classroom-and with the help of his public school teachers, Jeff went on to be the first in his family to graduate from college. He returned to the same blue collar community in Oregon where he grew up, and led non-profits to help Oregonians put roofs over their heads. When he was elected to the Oregon House, he hit the ground running for working families, creating the state's first-ever rainy day fund, expanding access to affordable prescription drugs, protecting LGBTQ Oregonians from discrimination, and throwing predatory payday lenders out of the state for good.

And now, as a U.S. Senator for Oregon, Jeff has continued to be a champion for everyday people-at a time when the people need a champion more than ever.

For decades, three distinct crises have been mounting in intensity and urgency. A democracy crisis- massive sums of dark money in politics, more and more obstacles to Americans exercising their freedom to vote, gerrymandering of districts, and the corruption of our government to benefit the most powerful and privileged among us. A climate crisis that threatens the well-being of our families and our businesses while costing lives around the world. And an opportunity crisis- rising costs and stagnating wages that keep countless families from the good paying jobs, affordable housing, quality education, and reliable health care that are the foundations for families to thrive.

Every Oregonian, and every American-regardless of the color of their skin, their zip code, or their income-deserves the same opportunity to make a better life for themselves and their families. But for years, the powerful and the privileged have been calling the shots, playing on fears and resentments to divide us from each other, and stacking the deck in their own favor.

Jeff is fighting to take on the powerful and put power back in the hands of the people. He's taking on the stagnant wages and the lack of affordable housing in America, leading the fight to get dark money out of politics, and fighting against efforts that rob millions of Americans of their freedom to vote.

In the face of the greatest existential crisis of our lifetimes, Jeff has stood up for bold climate action. He's fought to protect Oregon's coastal and agricultural economies from the effects of climate chaos, and has brought labor unions and environmental leaders together to craft bold new legislation to curb emissions and strengthen protections for America's workers. His innovative proposals have earned the support of union leaders and climate advocates alike, helping to build a climate strategy that not only safeguards the planet but will build a stronger future for America's working families.

And in the face of the privileged and powerful trying to stack the decks against working Americans, Jeff has taken on David vs. Goliath fights to ensure that today's kids have the same opportunities he did as the son of a blue collar family. That means he has drafted innovative affordable housing reforms, stood up for student borrowers, cracked down on predatory colleges, and has fought to expand access to affordable, high-quality health care and bring down drug prices-because no hardworking Oregonian should be homeless or crushed by a burden of medical or student loan debt.

In some of the world's darkest moments in recent history, Jeff has emerged as a leading voice for protecting human rights-from advocating for solutions to our broken immigration and asylum process, to condemning the internment and torture of over one million Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities by the Chinese government. In June 2018, Jeff sparked a national outcry when he went to the border to investigate the Trump administration's child separation policy and was turned away from a child detention center. Jeff has remained a champion for human rights and has continued to bring scrutiny and public pressure to push back on the cruel treatment of children seeking asylum.

Jeff is a member of the Appropriations Committee, where he Chairs the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; the Environment and Public Works Committee, where he Chairs the Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight; the Budget Committee; the Rules Committee; and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He is also the Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. He and his wife Mary Sorteberg, a nurse, have been married for more than twenty years and have two children, Brynne and Jonathan.