Sen. Merkley Joins Pro-Iran Deal Camp

Oregon's Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley on Sunday announced his support for the Iran nuclear deal. --This puts the number of supporters of the deal at 31, just three short of the 34 needed to make sure that if Congress passes a resolution of disapproval against the deal and President Barack Obama vetoes it, the veto cannot be overridden by Congress. --Merkley acknowledged that the deal has "significant shortcomings.”

Read more at Arutz Sheva
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Jeff Merkley introduces sweeping LGBT rights bill that makes big changes to Civil Rights Act

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, who led the fight in the last Senate for a ban on job discrimination against gays, has said for months that he's shifting to a more expansive approach. --On Thursday, Merkley and his allies introduced their new bill, and it is indeed far more sweeping than anything the Oregon Democrat has proposed on gay rights in the past.

Read more at the Oregonian
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

US Senators Want a Stop to Arctic Drilling

Eighteen U. S. senators have urged the Obama’s administration to halt Shell’s Arctic drilling plans saying that it is an unacceptable and irresponsible decision, says a report in Reuters. --Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, joined by seventeen other Senators, has urged the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) to halt all offshore oil and gas drilling permits in the Arctic region.

Read more at MarineLink.com
(Hat tip: KimR) Read More......

Oregon to abandon 'Cover Oregon' exchange

According to health watch writer Elise Viebeck at The Hill, Oregon is set to become the first state to drop its ObamaCare exchange and transition into the system managed by the federal government. ✧ The decision follows months of severe technical issues that have made Oregon's marketplace one of the worst in the country. ✧ "Cover Oregon" is the only ObamaCare enrollment system that won't let registrants buy coverage and qualify for tax credits in one sitting. It remains mired in glitches almost seven months after a rocky launch.

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Oregon Senate Poll: Merkley Under 50 Percent

Is Oregon the sleeper race in 2014? - Democratic senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon is polling ahead of his potential Republican opponents, but his position is weak heading into his reelection campaign, according to a new survey by a GOP polling firm. Harper Polling found Merkley is ahead of two possible Republican opponents but is still polling less than 50 percent against them. Forty-seven percent say they would vote for Merkley over GOP state representative Jason Conger, who polled 40 percent, while 12 percent say they are not sure. Meanwhile, Republican Monica Wehby, a Portland-area pediatric neurosurgeon, trails Merkley by 12 points, 46 percent to 34 percent, with 20 percent saying they are unsure. The poll was taken among likely voters in Oregon.

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Don't let government take over all U.S. water!

Senate Bill 787 will change federal jurisdiction over "navigable" water, to give the federal government control over all water everwhere, in municiple reservoirs, and on private lands, and in private wells. This bill ignores state water law authority and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Learn more at http://sovereignty.net.

Write or call your senators today!

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D) - DC (202) 224-3753, Salem (503) 362-8102
Sen. Ron Wyden (D) - DC (202) 224-5244, Salem (503) 589-4555

(Hat tip: Jerry Jackson - "S-787 - Clean Water Restoration Act - will give the federal government jurisdiction over all water, everywhere, as well as jurisdiction over all activity that affects water wherever it may be. This would give to the federal government effective control over every square inch of land in the United States. It too, must be stopped.") Read More......

Sen. Jim DeMint takes on Sen. Jeff Merkley over HC bill provision

CNSNews.com, 1/5/2010 - Senate Health-Care Bill Provision Would Make it Impossible for Future Congresses to Repeal Parts of Bill: A provision deep within the Senate’s 2,000-page health-care overhaul bill would make it impossible, once approved, for the legislation to be repealed or changed by future Congresses -- a provision that a Senate Republican and a conservative analyst say is unconstitutional.

On page 1,020, the bill states: “It shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, resolution, amendment or conference report that would repeal or otherwise change this subsection.”

The provision appears in Section 3403 of the Senate bill, which creates an Independent Medicare Advisory Board (IMAB). The objective of the board would be to “reduce the per capita rate of growth in Medicare spending,” which has ballooned in recent decades. The IMAB would recommend changes to the Medicare program to limit its spending growth -- recommendations that would automatically go into effect unless Congress votes to block them. Read more for the DeMint (R-SC)-Merkley (D-OR) exchange...

Notes: 1) IMAB is what Sarah Palin referred to as "Death Panels." Kudos to Sen. DeMint. 2) Sen. Merkley will hold a town hall meeting on Jan. 15. Please see Events Calendar --bc Read More......