Jeff Merkley

What is the purpose of this effort to undermine election systems when they are actually working well?

Yes, it`s very troubling for our democracy. You think about that ancient saying about the senate`s the world`s greatest deliberative body, yet we have evolved through a change of culture where the minority set on obstruction has veto power…

We cannot do it alone. We know China contributes 30 percent of greenhouse emissions and many other countries make big contributions as well.

China is one of the worst abusers of religious freedom in the world.

I have seen firsthand China's blatant disregard for the Uighur community, their oppression, the genocide that is occurring there.

American values of democracy, respect for human rights, and private enterprise remain the only viable path for sustainable, inclusive development and poverty reduction.

But it is an issue of which the planet cannot succeed without U.S. leadership, and so I am hoping that every time decisions come up one will remember we are in a code red situation and need to pivot quickly.

As President Biden has indicated, this is a key issue for this administration. It is the biggest existential threat of our time.

I believe that we need to be using the Asian Development Bank as a tool to help countries move to a clean growth path.

It is very important to the checks and balances of our government to be able to get information and insight from our key representatives in the executive branch.

Senator Merkley. Hearing none, those are entered into the record.

I think that in this time of national reckoning with the challenge of Black Lives Matter...

You do not want a politician to make a unilateral decision while those investigations are going on.

I do know that President Biden has allowed Hong Kong residents to stay in the United States on a lengthier basis than they normally would because of the fear of persecution should they go back, given what has happened in Hong Kong.

My preference would certainly have been for the Olympic Committee to say China had failed to follow its 2015 promises on human rights and that the Olympics were to be moved.

If confirmed, I will continue to support policies that show our unwavering support for the Uyghur community, as well as for people in Hong Kong, including humanitarian pathways to the United States.

We received on the committee a letter from a dozen aldermen... asking we take a close look at the question of systemic racism.

I would really love to see champions in our diplomatic team push for an official determination of genocide in Myanmar because the actions against the Rohingya fully justify it, just horrific activities.

There are things that can be done to keep China from using the Olympics to gloss over its horrific human rights activities.

The problem with plastics has exploded. The plastics in the seas will soon be equal to the weight of all the fish.

Extended producer responsibility, I appreciate your focusing on it and highlighting it, because there are many different forms it can come in, but I think that is essential.

I was just looking at a chart put together by Eunomia to compare all 50 States and their recycling rates.

We hope that stand alone EPR legislation will ultimately pass.

Well, the thing that those States that are over 50 percent and up have in common is a deposit system.

The truth is, it is burned, buried, or borne out to sea, all three of which create significant environmental challenges.