"As Ranking Member of the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee and of the Senate Budget Committee, I will push my colleagues to reject this budget, work together in a bipartisan manner, and enact legislation that protects our public lands, waters, and outdoor-driven economy and responds to the needs of Tribes and local communities across the country," said Ranking Member Jeff Merkley.
Work in a bipartisan manner to enact legislation that protects public lands, waters, and the outdoor-driven economy and responds to the needs of Tribes and local communities.
Occurrences
Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—...partnered with U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) to reintroduce the Healthy Watersheds, Healthy Communities Act. This bipartisan bill would increase the resiliency of American agriculture and communities by cutting red tape and investing in watershed projects to address extreme drought conditions.
As Ranking Member of the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee and of the Senate Budget Committee, I will push my colleagues to reject this budget, work together in a bipartisan manner, and enact legislation that protects our public lands, waters, and outdoor-driven economy and responds to the needs of Tribes and local communities across the country,” said Ranking Member Jeff Merkley.
Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—the former Ranking Member on the Appropriations subcommittee that writes our nation’s agriculture funding bill—partnered with U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) to reintroduce the Healthy Watersheds, Healthy Communities Act. This bipartisan bill would increase the resiliency of American agriculture and communities.
Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry, Natural Resources, and Biotechnology, and U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) reintroduced the Healthy Watersheds, Healthy Communities Act to help American agriculture and communities become more resilient to drought and flooding by improving the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations program (also known as “PL-566”).
Evidence
Washington, D.C. — Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—the former Ranking Member on the Appropriations subcommittee that writes our nation’s agriculture funding bill—partnered with U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) to reintroduce the Healthy Watersheds, Healthy Communities Act. This bipartisan bill would increase the resiliency of American agriculture and communities.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Interior-Environment Subcommittee on the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after the release of President Trump’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2027: “This budget request from President Trump and his Administration once again fails to meet the needs of our public lands, Tribes, and human health.”
Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry, Natural Resources, and Biotechnology, and U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) reintroduced the Healthy Watersheds, Healthy Communities Act to help American agriculture and communities become more resilient to drought and flooding by improving the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations program (also known as “PL-566”).
Washington, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Appropriations today approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, providing support for tribal programs, National Parks, public lands, and federal efforts to suppress wildfires.
Washington, D.C. – The Fiscal Year 2024 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act provides $42.695 billion in total funding. This bill maintains strong funding for critical programs that we have built up investments for over the past two years, including $100 million for environmental justice, $2.76 billion for aging water infrastructure, and $5.6 billion for wildfire suppression and preparedness.
Washington, D.C. – The Fiscal Year 2025 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act provides $44.6 billion in total funding. This year’s Interior bill delivers for our public lands and our Tribes and will benefit both Oregonians and people across the United States for years to come.
On March 18, 2026, Senator Jeff Merkley, along with Senator Tim Sheehy, introduced the bipartisan FLAP Reauthorization Act to reauthorize the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP). This program provides transportation options to public lands, ensuring communities maintain safe and reliable access to America's natural treasures.
On January 15, 2026, Congress approved the FY 2026 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, providing $38.6 billion in discretionary spending to support tribal programs, National Parks, public lands, and federal wildfire suppression efforts. The bill passed the Senate by a bipartisan vote of 82-15 and the House by 397-28.
On March 26, 2026, Senators Michael Bennet, Deb Fischer, and Jeff Merkley reintroduced the Healthy Watersheds, Healthy Communities Act. This bipartisan bill aims to enhance the resilience of agriculture and communities to drought and flooding by improving the NRCS Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations program.
Assessments
Senator Merkley worked across party lines by co-introducing multiple bipartisan bills addressing public lands, waters, and community needs. Notably, the FY 2026 and previous years' bipartisan Interior and Environment Appropriations Acts were enacted, providing substantial support for tribal programs, public lands, and environment-related projects. The legislation had significant appropriations for water infrastructure, environmental justice, and wildfire suppression, and the bipartisan legislative process included responses to concerns of Tribes and local communities. Additional evidence shows Senator Merkley partnered with senators from both parties on targeted legislative efforts related to watershed resilience and public lands access. These actions demonstrate active, bipartisan legislative work and meaningful fulfillment of the campaign promise within the same term.
The evidence demonstrates that Senator Merkley made significant bipartisan legislative and appropriations efforts to protect public lands, waters, and support Tribes and local communities. He co-introduced bipartisan bills such as the Healthy Watersheds, Healthy Communities Act and played a leading role in advancing and approving substantial appropriations for public lands and tribal programs in multiple fiscal years. However, there is no clear evidence that these legislative efforts resulted in the passage and full enactment of specific comprehensive bipartisan legislation directly matching the total promise, nor that all promised aspects (including 'enactment' and full bipartisan legislative outcomes) were fully delivered.
Multiple pieces of evidence show that Senator Jeff Merkley worked in a bipartisan manner to introduce, reintroduce, or help pass significant legislation and appropriations acts supporting public lands, waters, tribal communities, and related economies. He co-led bills such as the Healthy Watersheds, Healthy Communities Act, collaborated with both Democrats and Republicans, and supported substantial appropriations for public lands and tribal programs over several fiscal years. However, the evidence does not indicate comprehensive new legislative enactment transforming the whole policy area, nor does it conclusively show all campaign-promise dimensions were fully delivered. The promise was addressed through sustained bipartisan action and meaningful appropriations, constituting partial fulfillment with significant effort.