Senator Elizabeth Warren (D. MA) gave one hell of an introduction at Netroots Nation 2013:
Last night, at the Netroots Nation conference, Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced Senator Merkley.
Here's just a little of what she had to say:
If you're looking for one of the strongest progressive leaders in the Senate, it's Jeff Merkley.
Jeff might not run to the spotlight, but don't think our opponents haven't noticed what he's doing. Taking on the big banks and the corporate SuperPACs has made Jeff a big target. Karl Rove has already said that Oregon might be next.
You know, in every fight, we've been there together -- you and I -- and now I'm counting on you to be there in the fight for Jeff Merkley.
https://secure.actblue.com/...
Next week, Senator Merkley faces a major fundraising deadline. As Senator Warren said, Karl Rove thinks "Oregon might be next" -- and he'll surely be taking a look at Jeff's second-quarter fundraising report.
If Rove and his pals see weakness, they'll come gunning for Jeff. If they see strength, they may turn elsewhere.
There are two things that matter: How much money Jeff raises, and - more importantly - how many donors Jeff has.
So, take Elizabeth Warren's advice, and please chip in for Senator Merkley before the deadline. Donate $10. More if you can.
https://secure.actblue.com/...
Thank you so much.
Tim
Tim Leahy
Jeff Merkley for Senate
You can click here to donate:
https://secure.actblue.com/...
Merkley's been pretty busy lately. He's recently played a role in the immigration reform bill:
http://www.oregonlive.com/...
On a voice vote, the Senate adopted an amendment by Sen. Jeff Merkley to the bill overhauling the nation's immigration laws.
The Oregon Democrat's amendment was aimed at preventing a repeat of what happened in 2010 when four firms used at least $7 million in federal stimulus money to hire 254 foreign workers through the H-2B visa program for forest thinning and restoration work.
A federal investigation found that the firms advertised in small out-of-state newspapers and took other measures that discouraged local workers from gaining the jobs.
Under the Merkley amendment, firms would have to take several steps to hire local workers for forestry jobs before turning to foreign workers through the H-2B program.
Merkley told fellow senators that the contracts "went to employees coming from Mexico," which he called the "type of bypass that completely disturbed the fabric of our immigration system." - The Oregonian, 6/19/13
Merkley and his colleague, Senator Rony Wyden (D. OR), also passed the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Act:
http://www.oregonlive.com/...
“The proposed Devil’s Staircase Wilderness area is undoubtedly one of Oregon’s treasures and the kind of special place truly deserving of permanent protection,” Sen. Ron Wyden said in a statement. “My forestry philosophy has always been to get the cut up where it makes sense, but to lock in protections for the most sensitive areas. This bill can foster recreation jobs not far from the Oregon Coast as part of a common-sense effort to improve federal management of Oregon’s forests.”
The bill, also supported by Sen. Jeff Merkley, passed unanimously as part of a group of 14 public lands bills from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which Wyden chairs. The group included three wilderness bills — more than passed the Senate in the entirety of the previous Congress, Wyden’s statement said.
The Devil’s Staircase legislation designates about 30,500 acres of land in the Siuslaw National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management’s Coos District as wilderness and protects about 14 miles of the Wasson and Franklin Creeks. Wyden called the proposed Devil’s Staircase Wilderness “the finest old-growth forest remaining in Oregon’s Coast Range, boasting huge Douglas-fir, cedar and hemlock trees.” - The World, 6/20/13
And of course, he's been busy with this:
http://www.bloomberg.com/...
President Barack Obama and intelligence officials have said the surveillance programs helped disrupt more than 50 terrorism threats in the U.S. and overseas. Obama said during a news conference June 19 in Germany that he wants to “find ways to declassify further some of these programs without completely compromising their effectiveness, sharing that information with the public.”
Lawmakers in the House and Senate have introduced bills to require the declassification of the court’s opinions that authorized the data collection.
Senator Jeff Merkley, and Oregon Democrat and co-sponsor of Senate legislation to declassify “significant” Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court opinions, said in a June 19 letter to Obama that the NSA’s efforts “raised profound questions about the reach of the surveillance programs into the lives of every American.”
Holder said declassifying full opinions is delicate because many include details that “tend to reveal sources and methods.” Still, it will be “one of the parts” the administration looks at in an effort he said should be “as complete as it possibly can be.” - Bloomberg, 6/21/13
And now I leave you with Merkley's speech at Netroots Nation: