Political Quotes

Jeff Merkley

The Public Record

Jeff Alan Merkley is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Oregon since January 6, 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Merkley has focused on issues such as healthcare, climate change, and economic inequality throughout his tenure. He has been an advocate for progressive policies and has worked to address the challenges facing working families in Oregon and across the nation. Merkley is known for his commitment to transparency and accountability in government, often speaking out against perceived injustices and advocating for reforms.

Quotes by year · 200520265,504 total · peak 2023 (700)
2005: 3 quotes2009: 246 quotes2010: 232 quotes2011: 395 quotes2012: 327 quotes2013: 320 quotes2014: 305 quotes2015: 331 quotes2016: 248 quotes2017: 559 quotes2018: 362 quotes2019: 97 quotes2020: 100 quotes2021: 332 quotes2022: 367 quotes2023: 700 quotes2024: 264 quotes2025: 207 quotes2026: 109 quotes

Most widely reported

by number of sources
  1. I’m a NO on the NDAA.13 sources2026commondreams.org
  2. At a time when families are struggling to afford groceries, gas, healthcare, and childcare, Congress cannot throw hundreds of billions of dollars at Trump’s ‘Golden Fleet.’7 sources2026commondreams.org
  3. President Trump continues to sell access and influence to the highest bidders.2 sources2026murphy.senate.gov
  4. While we continue to see too many Pentagon programs burdened by cost overruns, delays, and unrealistic promises that fail to meet reality, Congress cannot afford to commit to another massive military boondoggle that will only succeed in filling the coffers of the military-industrial complex," Merkley added.2 sources2026commondreams.org
  5. Congress cannot afford to commit to another massive military boondoggle that will only succeed in filling the coffers of the military-industrial complex.2 sources2026commondreams.org
  6. Well, I so appreciate the question from my colleague from Minnesota, and the commentary I was giving is more my distillment, my impression of the information in this book rather than a straight-out quote from it. But essentially, in the past, the death of democracy came at the hands of men with guns. Now it is coming through people who get elected, and after they get elected, they work to erase the separation of powers. They try to get a legislature that will be more of a rubberstamp and say: We will do what you say. Well, suddenly the whole vision of Congress laying out the programs, an amount to be spent, and the policies is supplanted by Congress just saying: Well, what do you want us to do? OK, we will do that. Then the Supreme Court hands over more power, and we have seen that happen here in the United States as well--certainly with the Trump v. United States, where the Supreme Court found invisible ink in our Constitution. I am pretty sure neither of us can go through here and find anywhere in article I and certainly not in article II, which addresses the Executive, that there is any sign that they want the President to be considered above the law, and yet that is what the Court said. So to the broader question of how--once you are in this authoritarian takeover, what are your odds of stopping? And, in general, the authoritarian works to entrench the authoritarian rule.2 sources2025govinfo.gov
Aug 20, 2026

Medicaid enrollees have a right to expect that their private information will be safeguarded and not employed for mass deportation campaigns.

wyden.senate.gov
Aug 19, 2026

Oregon has the best wood products in the world, and federal support helps keep our state at the forefront of timber innovation while uplifting our rural communities.

wyden.senate.gov
Aug 19, 2026

It looked like bombs had gone off in these towns. Thousands of people in the fairgrounds who couldn’t return to their homes. We want expertise, and the mistreatment of the federal expertise, the civil service, is going to hurt us for…

rollcall.com
Aug 19, 2026

Pollinators need healthy habitats to survive and benefit Oregon’s farms, forests, and natural landscapes.

wyden.senate.gov
Aug 18, 2026

This type of coercive diplomacy does not serve U.S. global health interests and is extremely susceptible to risk of corruption.

wyden.senate.gov
Aug 15, 2026

Offering bets on destructive wildfires threatens to minimize communities’ suffering all so the rich and powerful can profit.

vox.com
Aug 14, 2026

This is a president trying to become a strongman authoritarian.

reason.com
Aug 14, 2026

If we don't repair the Constitution, we don't have a republic.

reason.com
Aug 7, 2026

We cannot afford to go backwards and make Americans’ health worse.

wyden.senate.gov
Aug 7, 2026

Trump’s illegal war with Iran has cost us dearly, and now he’s trying to rewrite history to better serve his agenda.

duckworth.senate.gov
Aug 6, 2026

While we continue to see too many Pentagon programs burdened by cost overruns, delays, and unrealistic promises that fail to meet reality, Congress cannot afford to commit to another massive military boondoggle that will only succeed in…

commondreams.org
Aug 6, 2026

As the United States faces yet another record-breaking fire season this year, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) cannot allow these prediction markets to offer unrestricted betting on wildfires.

theguardian.com
Aug 6, 2026

At a time when families are struggling to afford groceries, gas, healthcare, and childcare, Congress cannot throw hundreds of billions of dollars at Trump’s ‘Golden Fleet.’

commondreams.org
Aug 6, 2026

Congress cannot afford to commit to another massive military boondoggle that will only succeed in filling the coffers of the military-industrial complex.

commondreams.org
Aug 5, 2026

The Pentagon routinely fails audits without consequences, enabling fraud, waste, and abuse.

wyden.senate.gov
Aug 5, 2026

Americans who have serious health conditions—including those who are awaiting trial—need access to quality health care and can’t afford to be kicked off of those benefits.

markey.senate.gov
Aug 5, 2026

For the good of our country, the rule of law, and the American people, we demand that you change course and restore the previously awarded funding.

wyden.senate.gov
Aug 4, 2026

No one is above the law, and EFTA II ensures that even Trump and his crony, acting attorney general Todd Blanche, can’t stop the truth from coming to light.

theguardian.com
Aug 1, 2026

Now that court documents have confirmed what we knew to be true, we write to demand that you restore previously awarded funding that the Trump Administration has weaponized in an attempt to punish perceived political enemies.

wyden.senate.gov
Aug 1, 2026

This federal investment in the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Clinic will strengthen the clinic’s infrastructure—creating a safer and more energy efficient space for patients and providers in the years to come.

wyden.senate.gov
Aug 1, 2026

At a time when energy prices are skyrocketing, the Administration is hell-bent on political retribution instead of working to bring down costs for millions of Americans.

wyden.senate.gov
Aug 1, 2026

The American people deserve to have a government that works for them—not one that is willing to push energy prices even higher and put the country’s energy security at grave risk.

wyden.senate.gov
Aug 1, 2026

FEMA’s decision to deny these FMAGs is a significant departure from FEMA’s historical criteria and agency guidance.

wyden.senate.gov
Aug 1, 2026

Once an Administration begins punishing Americans for how they vote, the threat extends far beyond these projects: no state, community, business, or worker can trust that the federal government will apply the law fairly.

wyden.senate.gov

Politicians like Jeff Merkley