Jeff Merkley

Biography

Jeff Merkley was born in Myrtle Creek, Oregon, and became the first person in his family to graduate from college. He earned a B.A. from Stanford University in 1979 and an M.P.A. from Princeton University in 1982. Before elected office, he worked as a national-security analyst at the Pentagon and Congressional Budget Office, led Portland Habitat for Humanity, and served as president of the World Affairs Council of Oregon. Merkley served in the Oregon House from 1999 to 2008, including as speaker, and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008. He is seeking a fourth term in Oregon’s 2026 Senate election.

Issue positions

Healthcare (Policy)

Merkley supports Medicare for All, while also sponsoring the Choose Medicare Act, a public-option approach that would let individuals and employers buy Medicare coverage without immediately eliminating private insurance. CBO projects a low-premium plan could induce some private insurers to leave and some employers to stop offering coverage. If Washington sets rates for health care near Medicare, clinics, doctor offices, and rural health care facilities would close. CRFB estimated that financing a roughly $30 trillion single-payer plan could require payroll taxes, income surtaxes, or mandatory premiums at levels that would hit middle-class households. In Canada, the single-payer model most often cited as a comparable system to proposed Medicare for All programs in the U.S., the Fraser Institute’s 2025 annual survey found that patients waited a median of 30 weeks from a general practitioner referral to receipt of specialist treatment. Under the current private insurance system in the United States, such procedures are available within days or weeks. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Merkley supports Medicare for All and a public option, both of which would expand Washington’s role in healthcare and could push private insurers and employer plans out of the market. Financing single payer would require major new taxes, while lower government reimbursement rates could threaten providers and produce longer waits for care."

Taxes (Policy)

Merkley voted against the Working Families Tax Cuts which provided historic tax cuts to working Americans. Instead, Merkley’s tax agenda would significantly increase federal taxation of wealthy households and large corporations. In 2026, he renewed his support for the Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act, which would impose an annual 2% tax on net worth between $50 million and $1 billion and 3% above $1 billion, backed by anti-avoidance rules and an exit tax. Supporters estimate it could raise roughly $6.2 trillion over a decade for programs including universal childcare, free community college, and Medicare expansion. Merkley has also proposed penalizing corporations with large CEO-worker pay gaps. His Fair Share for Workers Act would add a corporate surtax beginning when CEO compensation exceeds 30 times median worker pay, rising as high as 10 percentage points for companies with ratios above 1,000-to-1. He also strongly opposed the 2025 Republican reconciliation law, arguing its tax provisions disproportionately benefited wealthy Americans. The economic risks are substantial. Tax Foundation modeling of a similar wealth tax estimated a 0.37% long-run reduction in GDP and found that behavioral and economic responses would reduce revenue below static projections. It also warned that taxing domestic wealth could reduce U.S. savings and leave foreign investors owning a larger share of American capital. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Merkley promises to finance expansive federal benefits by concentrating new taxes on wealthy households and corporations. But his wealth and corporate-tax proposals risk discouraging domestic investment, producing less revenue than advertised, and shifting more American assets toward foreign ownership while creating significant valuation and enforcement challenges."

Environment & Energy (Policy)

Merkley has been one of the Senate’s most aggressive advocates for federal climate intervention and using taxpayer dollars for climate projects. He was a lead Senate cosponsor of the Green New Deal and has long supported moving the United States toward 100% clean and renewable energy. His earlier 100 by ’50 Act called for phasing out fossil-fuel electricity by 2050, imposing a national zero-emission vehicle standard, and making major federal investments in renewable generation, storage, grid infrastructure, vehicles, and heating systems. Merkley has continued pushing that agenda in 2026. He introduced legislation to override state and local restrictions on renewable-energy projects, backed measures restoring federal support for wind and solar development, and has supported ending U.S. financing for new fossil-fuel projects abroad. He also favors stronger restrictions on plastics and fossil-fuel extraction while expanding taxpayer-supported grid modernization and wildfire programs. The cost of this subsidy-driven transition could be enormous. Cato estimates Inflation Reduction Act energy subsidies could cost between $936 billion and $1.97 trillion over 2025–2034 and as much as $4.67 trillion by 2050—far above initial congressional estimates. CBO’s January 2025 baseline separately placed the 2026–2035 cost of major federal wind and solar credits at roughly $300 billion. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Merkley’s climate agenda would use federal subsidies, mandates, and restrictions to accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels. While some proposals address genuine wildfire and grid concerns, his broader approach risks trillions in taxpayer costs, higher-cost investment decisions, reduced state and local control, and greater dependence on Washington to determine how Americans produce and consume energy."

Immigration (Policy)

Merkley supports amnesty for those in the United States illegally and wants to reform the current immigration system. However, Merkley’s campaign website does not fully outline his stance on immigration. But his legislative history shows he opposes President Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown and has said ICE and Border Patrol officers “must face consequences.” He has opposed legislation providing more funding for these agencies. His recent ICE and CBP Constitutional Accountability Act would make the federal government civilly liable for certain constitutional violations by immigration officers. Abolishing ICE without a detailed transfer of authorities, personnel, databases, detention capacity, and congressional oversight invites a costly reorganization and potential enforcement gaps and would continue to allow illegal immigrants to benefit from American taxpayer dollars. Under Biden, nearly 400,000 illegal immigrants attempted to cross the border in a single month. CBO estimates the immigration surge under Biden’s watch imposed a direct $9.2 billion net cost on state and local governments in 2023, chiefly for schools, shelter, and border security. Merkley voted against the Laken Riley Act in 2025, which requires detention of certain unauthorized immigrants accused of theft-related and violent offenses, after the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley became a national immigration issue. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Merkley’s legislative history shows he is in favor of amnesty for illegal aliens and wants to reform the system, making illegal immigration easier. He opposes ICE operations, but his immigration policy is not outlined on his current campaign website."

Public Safety (Policy)

Merkley is a soft-on-crime candidate. His public-safety agenda emphasizes federal restrictions on police practices and firearms rather than tougher sentencing or expanded criminal penalties. He supported the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would strengthen federal pattern-or-practice investigations, expand civil-rights enforcement, restrict certain police tactics, and make it easier to hold officers legally accountable. Merkley has also favored shifting some emergency responses away from armed police and toward mental-health professionals when officers are not needed. Layering additional federal rules and liability onto local departments can make recruiting and retaining officers more difficult, encourage defensive policing, and substitute Washington mandates for decisions traditionally made by local communities. Merkley is also a strong supporter of stricter gun control. He co-sponsored the Background Check Expansion Act, which would extend federal background checks to most private firearm sales and transfers. He has also publicly supported red-flag laws, restrictions on large-capacity magazines, and banning so-called assault rifles. In 2025, he additionally backed legislation repealing federal liability protections for gun manufacturers and sellers, exposing the industry to more lawsuits. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Merkley favors expanding federal oversight of police while imposing broader restrictions on gun ownership and the firearms industry. His approach prioritizes regulation, liability, and alternative responses over a more traditional tough-on-crime agenda focused on repeat offenders, sentencing, and police capacity."

Economy & Labor (Policy)

Merkley’s labor agenda would substantially expand federal power over wages, unions, worker classification, and housing markets. He supports the PRO Act, a higher federal minimum wage, eliminating subminimum wages, stronger collective-bargaining protections, and restrictions on institutional investors purchasing single-family homes. The PRO Act would override state right-to-work laws, expand union organizing powers, and broaden standards that can classify independent contractors as employees. Oregon is not a right-to-work state, so that provision would have less direct effect locally, but franchises, contractors, gig workers, and small businesses could still face higher compliance and labor costs. The law would reduce worker flexibility and force more employers into union bargaining structures they may not otherwise choose. Merkley also supports raising the federal minimum wage, although he has not consistently specified a single current target. CBO’s analysis of a $15 federal minimum wage estimated that it could lift roughly 900,000 people out of poverty while reducing employment by about 1.4 million workers and increasing federal deficits by $54 billion over a decade. Oregon’s minimum wage already exceeds $15 in the Portland metro area, meaning the greatest disruption from a national mandate would likely fall on lower-wage states and small rural employers rather than Oregon’s highest-cost areas. On housing, Merkley has gone beyond modest limits on institutional investors. His End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act would effectively force large investors out of the single-family housing market by imposing federal tax penalties and requiring them to sell portions of their portfolios each year. While reducing institutional competition could help some buyers, forcing large-scale sales and restricting investment could also reduce rental supply, discourage capital from entering housing markets, and fail to address the more fundamental shortage of homes caused by zoning, permitting, construction costs, and land-use restrictions. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Merkley’s labor and housing agenda favors unions, federal wage mandates, and government restrictions on private investment over employer and market flexibility. Some workers and prospective homeowners could benefit, but his policies risk fewer jobs, higher business costs, reduced rental investment, and more federal control over decisions traditionally made by workers, employers, investors, and states."

Foreign Policy (Policy)

Merkley has taken an increasingly hostile posture toward Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and has supported blocking certain U.S. offensive weapons sales to the Israeli government. In 2024, he voted to halt several arms transfers, arguing that the United States was becoming complicit in civilian deaths and that Israel had obstructed humanitarian aid. He has continued to call for more humanitarian assistance to Gaza and tighter limits on U.S. military support. At the same time, Merkley continues to support U.S. assistance to Ukraine and cooperation with European allies against Russia. That creates a clear contrast in his foreign policy: he favors sustained military support when confronting Moscow but is more willing to condition or block weapons for Israel, even as Israel faces threats from Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and other regional adversaries. Merkley is also strongly opposed to unilateral U.S. military action against Iran. In 2026, he condemned strikes on Iran as unconstitutional, backed a War Powers Resolution to end the conflict, and argued that Congress must authorize any major military operation. He has acknowledged Iran’s repression and support for violent proxies, but maintains that those threats do not justify unilateral American action or regime change. His willingness to limit military aid to Israel while maintaining support for Ukraine invites questions about how consistently he applies his standards for defending U.S. allies. — "𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Merkley supports long-term aid to Ukraine but favors tighter limits on Israel and U.S. military operations in the Middle East. His emphasis on humanitarian restrictions and congressional war powers may restrain open-ended conflicts, but it could also weaken deterrence and make it harder for the United States and its allies to respond quickly to serious threats."

Sources (Reference)

◆ Healthcare
• Jeff Merkley Campaign — Policy Issues
• Congress.gov — Choose Medicare Act (S. 1180)
• Congressional Budget Office — Economic Effects of Five Illustrative Single-Payer Health-Care Systems
• Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget — Choices for Financing Medicare for All
• Fraser Institute — Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada, 2025

◆ Taxes
• Sen. Jeff Merkley — Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act
• Sen. Jeff Merkley — Fair Share for Workers Act
• Tax Foundation — Economic Effects of a Federal Wealth Tax

◆ Environment & Energy
• Congress.gov — Green New Deal Resolution (S. Res. 59)
• Cato Institute — Budgetary Cost of Inflation Reduction Act Energy Subsidies
• Congressional Budget Office — January 2025 Budget and Economic Outlook

◆ Immigration
• Sen. Jeff Merkley — ICE and CBP Constitutional Accountability Act
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection — U.S. Border Patrol Records Zero Releases for Eighth Consecutive Month
• Congressional Budget Office — Effects of the Immigration Surge on the Federal Budget and the Economy
• U.S. Senate — Laken Riley Act Roll Call Vote

◆ Public Safety
• Congress.gov — George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021
• Congress.gov — Background Check Expansion Act Cosponsors

◆ Economy & Labor
• Heritage Foundation — Analysis of the PRO Act
• Congressional Budget Office — Budgetary Effects of the Raise the Wage Act of 2021

◆ Foreign Policy
• Sen. Jeff Merkley — Statement on Arms Sales to Israel
• Sen. Jeff Merkley — Statement on Gaza and Humanitarian Aid
• Sen. Jeff Merkley — We Must Not Abandon Ukraine
• Sen. Jeff Merkley — Statement on the Iran War Powers Vote