DC Report: What your Senators did this Last Week

It’s been a busy week for Oregon’s dynamic Senatorial duo, and at over five-thousand words already, we’re just going to stick to the highlights. Bills introduced have covered everything from keeping ski fees at national parks local, to protecting beaches. Other bills from our delegations have included a bipartisan job training bill, and a not so bipartisan gender equity sports bill.

We’ve included some of the more notable gnashings of teeth for the week, but like we said, we’re already asking you to at least skim thousands of words – and we’re not so sure those gnashings are moving anyone in the administration. Not  much to report from Val Hoyle’s camp for the week, so, without further ado…

Merkley’s week…

An oddly awesome invite for you, from your senator: Merkley has announce his 2025 Oregon Treasures Quest—a compilation of many beautiful and exciting spots to explore in every county of the state. He wants you to visit some sites too, and he has a challenge for you.

“Oregon is the most spectacular place. As I explore our plentiful hiking trails with my family and visit each of our 36 counties every year to hold town hall conversations, I reflect on the rewarding spots in our state. From our stunning and sprawling coast, mountains, forests, grasslands, and everything in between, every nook and cranny of Oregon has something special to offer,” Merkley said.

“We certainly need to keep working hard together to take on complex issues facing Oregon and America, but it’s important to take breaks and restore our soul to meet these challenges. I put together the 2025 Oregon Treasures Quest book not only to highlight the beauty and adventures in our state, but also as a fun way to recharge and reconnect. A wonderful way to do that is to hit the road and explore the familiar favorites and hidden gems in our own backyards.

“It is a great honor to represent the people of Oregon in the U.S. Senate. I hope folks will enjoy visiting every county of the state as much as I have.”

In 2024, hundreds of people participated in Senator Merkley’s first Oregon Treasures Quest Challenge. This updated book, now in its second year, will help Oregonians and beyond find and enjoy even more sites.

To participate in the challenge, folks need to visit at least 10 different counties in the state by November 1, 2025, and submit selfies with the sites in the background. If participants visit sites in at least 10 different counties, they will win an invitation to the 2025 Oregon Treasures Quest Party, to be held near the end of the year, likely mid-November.

Click HERE to visit the Oregon Treasures Quest website for more information about the challenge and how to submit entries.

Bill seeks to help kelp: On Wednesday, Merkley joined U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) and to reintroduced the bicameral Help Our Kelp Act of 2025 to improve conditions for kelp forests and marine life. This legislation would invest federal resources to address the ongoing crises that kelp forest ecosystems face in Southern Oregon, Northern California, and across the country.

Over the last 50 years, more than 95% of kelp forests stretching from the South Coast of Oregon to the North Coast of California have been damaged due to a few different factors – specifically rising ocean temperatures that limit kelp growth and spreading sea star wasting disease that removes a key predator of purple sea urchins and drives those overpopulated urchins to voraciously consume kelp. As the climate crisis worsens, water quality dips, and overfishing becomes commonplace, kelp forests are in decline.

“Oregon’s kelp forests provide critical habitats and food sources for the marine mammals, birds, and many fish species that support Oregon’s commercial fishing industry, Tribes, and coastal economies,” said Sen. Merkley. “As these forests vanish, the wildlife that depends on kelp forests will struggle, throwing nature out of balance and leaving coastal and Tribal communities in uncharted waters. The Help Our Kelp Act will get us back on track and protect our ecosystems, our local economies, and our fishing industry.”

“Healthy kelp ecosystems are essential not only to the stability and survival hundreds of marine species, but also to protecting coastlines, generating income for coastal communities, and supporting sustainable fisheries,” said Rep. Huffman. “As we continue to see the decline of these ecosystems due to climate change, it’s urgent that Congress steps in and passes much-needed federal assistance to help counter these challenges in our oceans. With this bill, we can take an important step toward improving and recovering conditions for kelp and other marine life before it’s too late.”

The Help Our Kelp Act of 2025 would:

• Establish a new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant program to fund conservation, restoration, and management efforts to support kelp forest ecosystems;
• Take steps to address the greatest relative regional declines, long-term ecological or socioeconomic resilience, and focal recovery areas identified by Tribal, federal, or state management plans;
• Authorize $5 million annually for FY2026 through FY2030.

Rep. Huffman was also able to secure $2,000,000 for Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Kelp Recovery Community Project in the Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations package. More information about that project can be found here.

Additionally, Sen. Merkley secured $2,521,000 for the Oregon Kelp Alliance’s project to help restore kelp forests in Southern Oregon in the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations package.

In the Senate, this legislation is cosponsored by Senators Angus King (I-ME), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Adam Schiff (D-CA).

The Help Our Kelp Act is endorsed by Monterey Bay Aquarium, Center for the Blue Economy, Seattle Aquarium, Blue Frontier, Noyo Center for Marine Science, Ocean Conservancy, Greater Farallones Association, Oregon Kelp Alliance, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, American Sportfishing Association, Surfrider Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and The Bay Foundation.

“Kelp forests are vibrant, ever-changing living systems that sustain life in the ocean and along our shores. They are among the most productive environments on Earth, nurturing diverse marine relatives, storing carbon, and strengthening coastal resilience. For Indigenous peoples, these forests have long been vital woven into our traditions, sustenance, and way of life,” said ‘Wáahlaal Gidaag, Vice President, Arctic and Northern Waters at Ocean Conservancy. “Congressman Huffman and Senator Merkley’s Help Our Kelp Act is a crucial step toward ensuring these forests continue to thrive, supporting biodiversity and the essential connections that sustain us all.”

“The health of Columbia River salmon is tied to the health of the ocean ecosystem where they spend a large portion of their lives,” said Aja DeCoteau, executive director of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. “Our member tribes support efforts to protect or restore salmon habitat wherever these far-travelling fish journey. Juvenile salmon especially depend on the kelp forests off the Oregon and Washington coasts, an ecosystem that has been struggling in recent years. Senator Merkley’s Help our Kelp Act has our support and we look forward to working together to protect this dynamic and important marine ecosystem that provides habitat for not only salmon but an entire community of wildlife, provides carbon sequestration, acts as a buffer for coastal erosion, and provides important ecological balance to the marine system.”

“Kelp Forests are the Sequoias of the Sea only with sea otters. They’re a magnificent and productive marine species and habitat that generate over $500 billion a year in terms of fisheries, tourism, coastal protection, and indigenous and community-based cultural values. Plus, they provide the ‘mother seed’ for the world’s growing seaweed farming industry, vital to future food security and medical and materials innovation. With 60 percent of the world’s kelp forests damaged or destroyed, including over 90 percent in Northern California and parts of New England, we need the Help the Kelp Act to protect and restore these natural engines of productivity. One of the fastest growing organisms on earth (giant kelp can grow well over a foot a day) we know that these types of investments work. In South Korea, their fisheries ministry has restored 50,000 acres of kelp and aims to restore 150,000 by 2030. The U.S. needs to invest in kelp that, like coral, keeps our public seas healthy and productive. Let’s restore the blue in our red, white, and blue by passing the Help the Kelp Act,” said David Helvarg, Executive Director Blue Frontier, author ‘The Forest in the Sea’ (upcoming, Island Press, 2026).

“The Oregon Kelp Alliance strongly supports the Help Our Kelp Act championed by Senator Merkley and his colleagues. This vital legislation will help restore and protect the underwater forests that are essential to Oregon’s coastal ecosystems and communities. The Act’s emphasis on collaborative restoration work, integration of Indigenous knowledge, and focus on reestablishing natural trophic relationships through actions like urchin control aligns perfectly with our science-based approach to kelp forest recovery. We’re particularly encouraged by the bill’s support for monitoring and assessment, which will help ensure restoration efforts are effective and lasting. This federal investment in kelp forest conservation couldn’t come at a more critical time for Oregon’s marine ecosystems and the coastal communities that depend on them,” said Tom Calvanese, Oregon Kelp Alliance.

Bill text can be found here and a bill summary can be found here.

Wyden’s week…

Bill for gender equity in sports: On Wednesday, Wyden and U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici today reintroduced legislation that would promote gender equity in college and K-12 sports in Oregon and nationwide.

“With so much excitement and momentum around women’s sports in America, including a new WNBA team coming to Portland, I call foul on retreating to a time before Title IX when girls didn’t receive the athletic support they deserve to nourish their potential,” Wyden said. “I’m putting a full-court press on any legislation that blocks progress we’ve made, and the Fair Play for Women Act will ensure every young Oregonian gets the same shot at succeeding, no matter their gender.”

“Since the passage of Title IX we’ve seen an increase in the number of female students participating in sports. Despite that increase, college women still have nearly 60,000 fewer athletics opportunities than men, and high school girls have about one million fewer opportunities to play sports than high school boys. I’m co-leading the Fair Play for Women Act to promote strong Title IX protections and compliance from K-12 schools and colleges,” said Bonamici.

The Fair Play for Women Act would promote fairness in participation opportunities and institutional support for women’s and girls’ sports programs, ensure transparency and public reporting of data by college and K-12 athletic programs, hold athletic programs and athletic associations more accountable for Title IX violations and discriminatory treatment, and improve education and awareness of Title IX rights among college and K-12 athletes as well as athletics staff.

Specifically, the Fair Play for Women Act would:

• Hold schools and athletic associations accountable for discriminatory treatment. The bill would codify that state and intercollegiate athletic associations, including the NCAA, cannot discriminate based on sex, along with asserting non-discrimination protections within all school-based athletics, including club and intramural sports. It would also provide a robust private right of action for all athletes in their discrimination claims, making it easier for athletes to push for change at their schools. The bill would authorize the U.S. Department of Education to levy civil penalties on schools that repeatedly discriminate against athletes and require schools to submit publicly available plans to remedy violations, providing more tools to compel compliance and resolve ongoing discrimination.

• Expand reporting requirements for college and K-12 athletics data and make all information easily accessible to the public. The bill would establish a one-stop shop for key athletics data by expanding the scope and detail of reporting by colleges, extending these requirements to include athletics at elementary and secondary schools, and requiring the U.S. Secretary of Education to house all data on the same public website. The bill also requires that schools certify the data they submit and report how they are claiming Title IX compliance and directs the U.S. Department of Education to publish an annual report on gender equity in school-based athletics. These provisions will help weed out reporting tricks by programs to skirt non-discrimination laws and make it easier for athletes and stakeholders to evaluate persisting gaps in athletic programs or use publicly available data in their claims against schools.

• Improve education of Title IX rights among athletes, staff, and stakeholders. The bill would require Title IX trainings on an annual basis for all athletes, Title IX coordinators, and athletic department and athletic association staff. The bill would also establish a public database of all Title IX coordinators at colleges andK-12 schools, included in the one-stop shop for athletics data. These provisions will ensure all people involved with K-12 and college athletics understand what Title IX means and what students’ rights are under the law.

Wyden co-sponsored the senate bill with U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn), who led the legislation. Bonamici, Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C), and Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

A one-page summary of the legislation is here. Full text of the legislation is here.

Nope on Gabbard: Tulsi Gabbard has now been confirmed as the administration’s new Director of National Intelligence. Well, Wyden has sat on the Intelligence Committee for almost 25 years, and he had some pretty choice words about why she’s not a good choice – here’s his floor speech on the matter…

“Today, I will be speaking about the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to be Director of National Intelligence and my reasons for opposing her confirmation.

First, I believe the Senate must consider with this nomination the examples of blatant lawlessness of this administration.  At every turn, Donald Trump is attacking the rule of law, disregarding the constitutional role of the Congress, and trying to purge the civil servants who defend this country every day.  Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s unvetted minions are gaining access to some of the government’s most sensitive systems and records.

American democracy and national security are at stake and if the Senate is going to confirm nominees we need to know whether they will stand up for democratic principles, no matter what.

So, at her hearing, I asked Ms. Gabbard what she would do if Donald Trump tried to illegally withhold funding from the Intelligence Community Inspector General.  This was hardly a hypothetical question.  Donald Trump has, in fact, sought to unilaterally cut off funding for a broad range of organizations, despite the money having been appropriated by Congress.  And it’s not just me saying this is illegal; the courts have ordered the administration to cut it out and resume the funding.  But when I asked Ms. Gabbard this question, she said – quote – “I don’t believe for a second President Trump would ask me to do something that would break the law.”  Well, he is breaking the law, and this country needs leaders who acknowledge that fact and stand up to him.

My concerns about Ms. Gabbard are also based on her recent turn toward extreme partisanship.  Now other partisans have been confirmed to leadership positions in intelligence agencies.  George H. W. Bush was the head of the Republican National Committee and he was successful enough as Director of Central Intelligence that they literally named CIA Headquarters after him. Party affiliation is not the issue.  The problem is when partisanship distorts one’s views of intelligence matters.  Ms. Gabbard has written about a “coup” being perpetrated by the so-called “deep state” that includes, among others, the DNC, and also the FBI, the CIA, and – quote – “a whole network of rogue intelligence and law enforcement agents.”

I have spent almost a quarter century as a member of the Intelligence Committee seeking to bring to light and stop government abuses across a range of programs and activities.  These conspiracy theories do not help the bipartisan reform movement.  They only serve to encourage a president who wants to tear down the entire Intelligence Community and replace it with loyalists who will commit whatever illegal and abusive acts he asks of them.

So what happens next?  If Ms. Gabbard is confirmed, my first order of business will be to hold her to the commitments she made during her confirmation process.

With regard to surveillance policy, she expressed her support for a warrant requirement for U.S. person searches of communications collected under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.  With Section 702 reauthorization up next year, DNI support for reforms such as these will be critical to protecting the privacy rights of Americans.

Ms. Gabbard also confirmed that she has significant concerns about the constitutionality of several provisions of the PATRIOT Act.

Importantly, she opposed mandated backdoors into encrypted communications, which threaten both Americans’ privacy and national security.  As she stated during her hearing, “these backdoors lead down a dangerous path that can undermine Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights and civil liberties.”  We are living in a time of increasingly devastating cyber breaches, including the Salt Typhoon compromise of our telecommunications infrastructure.  The lesson from that hack was that surveillance capabilities designed for law enforcement will be targeted by foreign intelligence services.   In other words, there is simply no way for the government to mandate access to Americans’ encrypted communications and not also expose those communications to the government of China or other adversaries.

It’s alarming that just last week the press reported that UK officials insisted that Apple provide them a back door into files backed up to Apple’s iCloud service.  This is a development that threatens American national security and Americans’ privacy.  And that’s even before U.S. government officials come around, once again, asking for the same dangerous and irresponsible accesses.  That’s why Ms. Gabbard’s statement was so important and why, if she is confirmed, Congress needs to hold her, and the rest of America’s intelligence agencies, to it.

During her confirmation process, Ms. Gabbard supported restrictions on the collection of communications records of journalists.  She endorsed the Biden Administration Justice Department’s policy prohibiting this collection except in very narrow circumstances, a policy she said was “essential to protecting press freedoms and maintaining the critical balance between national security and upholding the First Amendment.”  She also called for the codification of that policy.

I asked Ms. Gabbard about the collection of communications records of congressional members and staff, as was detailed in a Department of Justice Inspector General report released late last year.  She agreed that this spying on Congress was a “significant breach of the constitution and separation of powers,” and endorsed reforms to prevent it from happening again.

During this confirmation process, she confirmed her belief that the Government Accountability Office should audit the Intelligence Community to ensure it is not targeting Americans outside of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.   She also expressed support for the Public Interest Declassification Board, which is tasked with promoting transparency

And finally, I asked Ms. Gabbard whether intelligence agency whistleblowers must have a clear path to the Senate Intelligence Committee and don’t need permission from agencies to talk to us.  She responded that the answer was “clearly yes.”  Given Donald Trump’s ongoing attacks on public servants defending the rule of law, the protection of whistleblowers may be one of the most important principles of all.

In just three short weeks since his inauguration, here’s the checks and balances scoreboard on President Trump. He has illegally fired Inspectors General.  He has purged the three Democratic members of the independent Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, not only removing the most pro-privacy members but leaving the Board without enough members to function.  He has appointed or nominated people to carry out political retribution, including a nominee to be FBI Director who comes with his own published enemies list.  At the same time, Donald Trump has demonstrated thorough contempt for the security of Americans’ private information by granting Elon Musk’s people unsupervised access to the country’s most sensitive systems and databases.

So what will happen when he attempts to steamroll oversight and the rule of law and put the privacy and constitutional rights of all Americans at risk?  If she is confirmed, it will be up to Ms. Gabbard to stand up to him and stick to the principles and commitments she has expressed.  And it will be our responsibility to see that she does.”

Introduces new beach act: On Tuesday, Wyden introduced bipartisan legislation that would preserve coastal beaches in Oregon and nationwide by providing funding for state, local, and tribal governments to test, monitor, and identify recreational waters that are contaminated.

“The Oregon Coast offers unmatched opportunities for visitors to make fond memories and for residents of one of America’s most iconic coastlines to live and work in and next to the Pacific Ocean,” Wyden said. “But the ongoing threat of pollution piling up on our coastal beaches every year demands commonsense solutions that help protect this treasure and keep Oregonians healthy. This bill accomplishes those goals by protecting, preserving, and improving our beaches in every corner of Oregon and America for generations to come.”

Currently, there’s dedicated federal funding for monitoring and notifying beachgoers of contaminated coastal waters–but there is no money allocated towards identifying contaminated sites. Wyden’s new bill, the BEACH Act, would reauthorize this $30 million program over the next four years to allocate funding for identifying contaminated beaches and trace the source of the contamination.

Wyden’s bill would also expand testing locations to include shallow recreational waters near the beaches, where children and seniors often play and swim, who are  more at risk of experiencing health issues from contamination.

The legislation is endorsed by Environment America, Surfrider, the America Shore & Beach Preservation Association, and the Coastal States Organization.

“Kudos to Senators Tillis and Wyden for moving to renew the BEACH Act – a critical step forward in safeguarding the health of our communities. This bipartisan legislation will ensure that families know when our waters are safe for swimming and help states pinpoint pollution sources,” said Caroline Wagar, Federal Legislative Associate at Environment America.

“Everyone deserves access to clean water to swim, surf, and play in. The BEACH Act ensures that people have the information they need to protect themselves and the health of their families when recreating at the beach and in our coastal waterways. The Surfrider Foundation wholeheartedly supports the reauthorization bill sponsored by Senators Tillis and Wyden,” said Mara Dias, Senior Manager of Surfrider’s Water Quality Initiative.

“ASBPA is proud to support reauthorization of the BEACH Act. We applaud Senator Wyden and Senator Tillis for continuing to prioritize this policy which empowers US coastal communities’ with information needed to elevate water quality at the nation’s beaches and shores,” said Annie Mercer, Blue Flag Program Coordinator for the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association.

“For over two decades the BEACH Act has helped keep swimmers healthy and safe every summer. This reauthorization helps ensure beachgoers will be notified as quickly as possible if water is unsafe to swim in, and gives coastal states and communities greater flexibility to identify and address sources of contamination,” said Derek Brockbank, Executive Director of Coastal States Organization.

Text of the bill is here. A one-page summary of the bill is here.

Keep ski fees local act: On Monday, Wyden announced he is co-sponsoring bipartisan legislation that would let National Forests retain a portion of annual fees paid by ski areas operating on U.S. Forest Service lands in Oregon and nationwide.

Ski areas operating on Forest Service lands pay fees to the Forest Service averaging more than  $40 million annually in exchange for their ability to have access to some of America’s most stunning public lands.

The Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development Act (SHRED) Act would establish a framework for local National Forests to retain a portion of ski fees to offset the impacts of increased recreational use, giving them the flexibility to direct resources where they are needed the most.

“Oregon is rich in natural splendor and outdoor recreation opportunities,” Wyden said. “It’s important to nurture this wealth of public lands by ensuring recreational funds that are paid locally stay local. This will help us better address Oregon’s specific needs around wildfire mitigation, visitation impacts and housing shortages. Oregonians know what Oregon needs better than anyone and I’m gratified this bill will help ski resorts throughout the state create a richer, more sustainable recreation future for years to come.”

The SHRED Act would do the following:

• Keep Ski Fees Local: By establishing a Ski Area Fee Retention Account to retain the fees that ski areas pay to the Forest Service.
• Support Winter Recreation: In each forest, 75 percent of the retained funds are directly available to support the Forest Service Ski Area Program and permitting needs, process proposals for ski area improvement projects, provide information for visitors and prepare for wildfire.
• Address Broad Recreation Needs: In each forest, 25 percent of the retained funds are available to support a broad set of year-round local recreation management and community needs, including special use permit administration, visitor services, trailhead improvements, facility maintenance, search and rescue activities, avalanche information and education, habitat restoration at recreation sites and affordable workforce housing. This set-aside would dramatically increase some Forest Service unit’s budgets to meet the growing visitation and demand for outdoor recreation.

The legislation was led by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and John Barrasso, R-Wyo. Along with Wyden, co-sponsors of this legislation include U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Tim Sheehy, R-Mont. This legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Blake Moore, R-Utah, and Joe Neguse, D-Colo..

Full text of the legislation is here.

Wyden and Merkley together, this last week…

Pleas to unfreeze firefighter hiring: On Wednesday, Wyden and Merkley joined their Senate colleagues to urge the Trump Administration to exempt seasonal firefighters from the federal hiring freeze that’s reportedly preventing the hiring and onboarding of seasonal firefighters, a workforce that already struggles with recruitment and retention.

“We write today following reports that hiring and onboarding for federal seasonal firefighters has stopped due to the Trump Administration’s federal hiring freeze,” wrote the senators. “We are extremely concerned to hear that this is happening across the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service ahead of what’s expected to be another devastating wildfire year.”

“Although there is an urgent need to hire more federal firefighters, the Trump Administration’s hiring freeze does the opposite and is pausing hiring at a critical time for this already understaffed workforce,” they continued. “We urge you to put the safety of families and communities across the country first and allow the federal seasonal firefighter hiring process to continue without delay.”

The letter was led by U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and along with Wyden and Merkley, the letter was co-signed by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Angus King, I-Maine, Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.

Wyden and Merkley have been champions for wildland firefighters. In January, Wyden joined Senate colleagues in reintroducing legislation to expand access to federal support for the families of firefighters and other first responders who died or became permanently disabled from service-related cancers. When he was Chair of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee – which funds the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service – Merkley wrote government funding legislation that honors the courageous work of federal wildland firefighters by establishing a permanent fix to prevent a devastating pay cut and providing additional support. In 2023, Wyden and Merkley urged the Senate to prioritize permanent, comprehensive pay reform for wildland firefighters in Oregon and nationwide.

Full text of the letter is here.

A bipartisan job training bill: On Tuesday, Wyden and Merkley today joined their Senate colleagues in introducing bipartisan legislation that would make high-quality job training more accessible.

“The last thing hardworking students should have to worry about is not being able to afford a pathway to a successful career,” Wyden said. “No student should ever be denied the chance to work hard and get ahead. The JOBS Act would make the playing field fairer by giving low-income students the chance to pursue their dreams of securing a good paying job.”

“In order for every American to have a good-paying job, they need access to affordable, high-quality job training,” Merkley said. “As employers face critical shortages of skilled workers, too many people are still struggling to find opportunities that match their potential. The bipartisan JOBS Act is a win for our workforce, a win for our businesses, and a win for our economy.”

The Jumpstarting Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act would allow students to use Pell Grants, need-based federal financial aid for undergraduates from low-income households, to pay for shorter-term job training programs.

Students now can only use Pell Grants for two-year and four-year colleges and universities. Students in shorter-term high-quality job training programs are ineligible for this crucial assistance. By expanding Pell Grant eligibility, the JOBS Act would allow students to have access to job training they might not be able to afford but that they need for careers in high-demand fields.

There is also a skilled labor shortage that is expected to intensify in the coming years, in part because unemployed Americans lack access to the job training needed to fill vacant jobs. The JOBS Act would allow Pell Grants to be used for high-quality job training programs that are at least eight weeks long and lead to industry-recognized credentials or certificates.

In addition to Wyden and Merkley, the legislation is led by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, D-Va., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Roger Marshal, R-Kan. and cosponsored by Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Lisa Blunt Rochester D-Del., Cory Booker D-N.J., John Boozman, R-Ark., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W. V.a., Chris Coons, D-Del., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., John Hoeven, R-N.D., Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Angus King, I-Maine, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Jon Ossoff D-Ga., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Dan Sullivan, D-Ark., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Mark R. Warner, D-Va., and Roger Wicker, R-Miss.

The JOBS Act is endorsed by Advance CTE, the American Association of Community Colleges, the Association for Career and Technical Education , the Association of Community College Trustees, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Business Roundtable, the Center for Law and Social Policy , the Exhibitions and Conferences Alliance, Higher Learning Advocates, HP Inc., the Information Technology Industry Council, Jobs for the Future, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, NAF, the National Association of Workforce Boards, the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals, the National Skills Coalition, the Progressive Policy Institute, Rebuilding America’s Middle Class, and the Virginia Community College System.

The text of the bill is here.

Research, because knowing stuff: On Thursday, Oregon’s dynamic Senatorial duo joined an effort led by Washington State’s U.S. Senator Patty Murray in expressing serious alarm over the Trump Administration’s threats to cut the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) federal funding to research universities and institutions across America and in Oregon, including groundbreaking medical and health research being done at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), University of Oregon (UO), Oregon State University (OSU), Portland State University (PSU), and many others in the state.

As the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, NIH plays a critical role in sustaining the research infrastructure necessary for scientific breakthroughs, infectious disease prevention, and medical technology innovation. The cuts would set us back generations in finding lifesaving cures and treatments to illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, and Parkinson’s, and stopping medical trials would cost lives.

Additionally, the Trump Administration’s NIH funding cuts could cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars and threaten the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers. Nationally, NIH research supported more than 412,000 jobs and fueled nearly $93 billion in new economic activity in Fiscal Year 2023, while costing less than 1 percent of the federal budget. In Oregon, NIH invested $417 million, which directly supported more than 5,000 jobs and nearly a billion dollars in economic activity, and indirectly supported over 17,000 jobs in Oregon’s broader bioscience economy.  

The entire Democratic caucus sent the letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. urgently detailing how these steps the Trump Administration is taking would have a catastrophic impact on research institutions and our economy.

“The Trump Administration has left researchers, universities, and health systems with great uncertainty about whether they can continue to support entire research programs and patient clinical trials across the country. Institutions and grantees nationwide are dealing with an unprecedented external communications “pause” enacted by new leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the lack of transparency regarding the Administration’s illegal funding freeze, and the uncertainty of how new Executive Orders would be applied to their critical work. These actions resulted in NIH freezing grant reviews and cancelling advisory meetings, delaying critical funding that scientists need to continue advancing new cures and treatments. These disruptions do not just slow research—they cost lives,” the Senators wrote.

Last week, the NIH announced it would set the maximum reimbursement rate for indirect costs to 15 percent—creating a serious funding shortfall for research institutions of all types across the country. This move won’t produce cost savings—it will just shift costs to states that can’t afford to pay the difference. Importantly, this action by the Trump administration is illegal—Congress’ bipartisan Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill prohibits modifications to NIH’s indirect costs.

“This change to NIH’s indirect cost rate represents an indiscriminate funding cut that will be nothing short of catastrophic for the lifesaving research that patients and families are counting on. The Administration’s new policy means that research will come to a halt, sick kids may not get the treatment they need, and clinical trials may shut down abruptly,” the Senators continued.

On Monday, a federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the NIH rate cut and set a hearing for February 21^st, but the Senators are pressing the administration to abandon the proposed cuts full stop.

“Our standing as a world leader in funding and producing new medical and scientific innovations has been put at risk by these recent actions from the Trump Administration. We urge you to stop playing political games with the lifesaving work of the NIH and to allow NIH research to continue uninterrupted,” the Senators concluded.

Merkley and Wyden signed the letter led by Murray alongside the entire Senate Democratic caucus: Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

The letter is available HERE.