I’m honored to introduce you to my Senator, Jeff Merkley of Oregon. He is Oregon’s “roots and boots” Senator—called that because of his deep Oregon roots and his boots on the ground, traveling to meet with Oregonians in every corner of the state. Merkley represented Oregon’s 47th district in the state House from 1999 to 2009, served as Speaker in his final two years. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008, defeating a Republican, and won reelection in 2014 and 2020. He has announced he is running for reelection in 2026. You can find him on Instagram here.
Senator Merkley is on the frontlines fighting the Trump administration and we need his voice more than ever.
Who you are and what do you do?
I’m Senator Jeff Merkley, and I’m an advocate for policies that benefit the People, not the Powerful.
What is one childhood memory that shaped you?
My father took me to school and said: “If you walk through those doors and work hard, you can do just about anything because we’re fortunate to live in America.” Those words have stuck with me throughout my entire life—and I’ll never stop working to make sure those doors of opportunity are open to all!
Name a book you think everyone should read and why.
“How Democracies Die” By Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky.
All over the world, democratic republics with strong constitutions have become authoritarian states due to a rubber-stamp Congress and courts that expand executive powers. It is happening here now, and we have to understand it to fight to save our republic.
How do you find hope when things feel overwhelming?
I look to history and see that nations have gone through dark and dangerous times and found a path to recover. I look to young folks who have the energy and determination to right wrongs. And I see the power of well-organized resistance. To be angry and alone is to be depressed. To be angry and organized with others is to energized and effective.
What’s a TV series or movie you’d love to watch again for the first time?
Yellowstone or Better Call Saul.
If you could do anything else for work what would it be?
Working for MercyCorps on basic food, housing, and health programs in very poor countries.
Tell us a place you’d love to visit?
The Valley of the Giants—a section of Douglas firs and Western hemlocks in the Oregon Coast Range, many around 200 feet tall, and 400+ years old. Unfortunately, access is now closed due to a road washing out.
Who do you despise?
I detest those who work to make the wealthy even richer at the expense of basic programs that provide the foundation for families to succeed. Instead of the Trump plan of “families lose, billionaires win,” I fight for a better vision: “families thrive and billionaires pay their fair share.”
Your favorite way to spend a day?
Hiking in Oregon’s forests with my wife, Mary, or building a DIY project in my garage.
What is a skill you’d love to master if you had all the time in the world to devote yourself to learning it?
Cross country paragliding. We are the first generation of humans to have the technology to fly on rising wind.
What is your hot take? / a hill you’d die on?
The Senate is paralyzed by process, particularly the “cloture” motion to end debate. Each motion can consume the Senate for a week, since it requires two days plus 30 extra hours of debate. Spending a week to debate whether to debate? Insane. Between cloture motions and time to consider nominations, the Senate debates very few policy bills and ends up with massive bills written behind closed doors. This is great for the powerful and terrible for the people. We have to fix it.
What’s your broken clock moment (a broken clock is right twice a day, so when did you and someone on the other side align on something)
I agreed with Elon Musk when he slammed Trump’s budget for exploding the deficit, and with HHS Secretary Kennedy when he supported pricing prescription drugs in America at the lowest price at which they sell in other developed nations.
When was the first time you remember experiencing the patriarchy or white supremacy? (you may choose which to answer)
I experienced white privilege when I lectured a police officer for his misbehavior. Instead of throwing me to the ground, he tore up the ticket.
What's 1 amazing fact you know?
NASA found the building blocks of life—the A, T, C, and G nucleotide bases that make up the rungs of DNA in rock collected from the Asteroid Bennu.
Tell me an organization or charity you want us to know about?
Habitat for Humanity! When community members build a home in partnership with a family in need, they create something amazing: connections across socioeconomic divisions and a decent home that provides stability and equity for the family. This has an enormous positive impact on the children.
Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner?
Nothing is as good for lunch as a PB-HR—a peanut butter sandwich with honey and raisins inside!
If you could pass 1 bill that would automatically (and magically) be signed by the President into law, what would it be?
It’s impossible to just pick one.
Here are my top five:
· My End Price Gouging for Medications Act, because we should get the best prices on prescription drugs, not the worst;
· My End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act to kick hedge funds OUT of our housing market;
· The For the People Act, which protects the integrity of our national elections;
· The Choose Medicare Act to let everyone opt into universal health care—one decision and you’re covered for your lifetime; and
· The Equality Act, which ends discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals in employment, housing, public accommodations, financial institutions, and jury duty. Everyone should have full opportunity to thrive.
Do you have any fears? if so tell us 1 of them.
Our republic is rapidly sliding into a strongman state. We have an authoritarian president who is breaking the law, violating due process, seizing powers from Congress, stiff-arming the Courts, and attacking universities, law firms, and the free press.
To save government by and for the people, we must save the checks and balances of our Constitution.Tell us your karaoke song?
This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie
Finish this sentence “Tomorrow, I will _______”
...keep taking on the powerful to deliver for the people!
Thank you Senator Merkley!
This was wonderful. Thank you for doing it and sharing your senator with us!
Excellent. Very thorough.