News U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) is one step closer to seeing his Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act of 2010 enacted into law. The measure—introduced by Merkley, along with Sens. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Richard Burr (R-NC)—passed the Senate unanimously Friday and is now headed to President Obama for his consideration. Their bill bans the creation and distribution of animal torture ...   More

News When U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) visited WW last August for an interview, the freshman's lawmaker said one of his biggest frustrations so far was with how easy it's become for a filibuster to gum up the Senate. The Oregon Democrat told us then, "I don't think our nation is well served by that or that it produces better legislation. There are a group of us in the freshman class working on ...   More

News We've written a bit about efforts by U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) to reform the filibuster so the Senate doesn't get bogged down so easily. The Oregon Democrat today launched an online petition effort at BlueOregon to drum up support for a reform he and Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) are proposing for the filibuster. Merkley notes that one of their proposals is a requirement that senators who are ...   More

News We've written this week about Democratic opposition to President Obama's tax deal with Republicans. And we've written about efforts by U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) to reform the filibuster—including a proposed requirement that senators seeking to delay legislation by filibustering be required to stay on the Senate floor. Today, the news threads meet in the presence of Sen. Bernie ...   More

News All four House Democrats from Oregon have already voiced opposition to President Obama's tax deal with Republicans. Now U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) has joined their chorus with his own concerns. Merkley said the tax package, which the Senate is expected to approve this week, would add to the national debt and do little for middle-class families. In a statement, Merkley supported components ...   More

News Saturday won't be a leisurely day on Capitol Hill. After years of false starts and dead ends, the DREAM Act comes up for a vote again Saturday, Dec. 18 in the U.S. Senate, where advocates think the immigration bill finally stands a chance of passage. Also known as the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, the bill (first crafted in 2001) would give undocumented young people who ...   More

News The 112th Congress opens today with Republicans now controlling the House and a diminished Democratic majority running the Senate. If you're not a wonk and don't pay much attention to politics, here are at least three quick Oregon- and Washington-centric things to know: 1) Efforts by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and other Democrats to reform the filibuster so the Senate doesn't get tied up ...   More

News U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has put forth a resolution in the newly convened Congress seeking to help reform one of the most stagnant and counterproductive institutions in U.S. politics—Wyden's very own U.S. Senate. Wyden is targeting secret holds—a rule whereby a single senator, acting in secret, can hold up virtually any bill, resolution or nomination. Critics maintain that secret ...   More

News  A story in last week’s WW, “Cablegate,” mentions Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) as the only member of Oregon’s congressional delegation mentioned up to that point in the cables leaked to Wikileaks.So far Wikileaks has published only about 2,000 out of a total of 250,000 cables in its possession. But the latest batch has another Oregon connection.If ...   More