US Senator Jeff Merkley has announced that he secured critical investments in Oregon transportation, affordable housing, economic development and public safety in the second set of Fiscal Year 2025 government spending bills to pass the committee -- a key first step on the road to becoming law.
Merkley helped to make sure the investments -- including nearly $43 million for 27 critical community-initiated projects across the state -- were incorporated into the spending package.
Locally, Merkley -- along with Senator Ron Wyden -- secured $2 million for the Rogue Valley Transit District to replace six gasoline-powered paratransit vehicles, $2 million for Umpqua Community College's efforts to boost affordable housing for students, and $2.25 million to Jackson County for its Sheriff's Office Communications Equipment Upgrade.
Merkley is the only Oregon member of Congress from either chamber since Senator Mark Hatfield to serve on the Appropriations Committee, which is one of the most powerful on Capitol Hill. He joined the committee in 2013 so that Oregon would have a strong voice in decisions about investments the nation should be making.
