“Even before the coronavirus hit, keeping food on the table and in kid's lunchboxes was a daily struggle for hundreds of thousands of Oregonians and millions of Americans across the country,” Jeff said in August, as he warned that more needs to be done to ensure that Oregonians continue to receive their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps.

The Oregon Department of Health and Human Services reported last month that, largely due to the expiration of the $600 weekly unemployment benefit, SNAP applications increased in Oregon by 37% within the first week of August. In response, Jeff shed light on the issue, and committed to using his position as the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, to call for any necessary supplementary funding to ensure that Oregonians receive the benefits they need. “We should be increasing SNAP benefits, not putting up obstacles for families to get food on the table during the largest financial crisis of our lifetime,” he said.

In addition, after the USDA threatened to let key waivers expire that make it possible for children to receive free school meals while their schools continue online learning, Jeff pushed back hard. Earlier this week, USDA announced that they will reverse course and keep these free meals in place through the end of 2020 -- a major victory for children and families across Oregon. Jeff is continuing to push to ensure that these critical programs continue for as long as they are needed during this pandemic.

Jeff has long been a champion for SNAP and school meals, and has kept a steady drumbeat throughout this pandemic on the need to help vulnerable families by fighting to increase SNAP benefits, urging Walmart and Amazon to waive delivery fees and minimum order requirements, and pressing the USDA to provide SNAP recipients with food delivery and curbside pickup options. He’ll keep fighting to make sure that all of Oregon’s families can keep food on the table during this unprecedented crisis.

Essential Broadband Service for ALL Oregonians

Jeff is pleased to share that 54 grants are being awarded to communities throughout Oregon to help provide improved internet access to K-12 students and unserved and underserved areas. “These grants are going to help businesses across Oregon stay connected and help us make sure that the coronavirus doesn’t rob our students of their shot at a good education. I’m going to keep doing everything I can to make sure our businesses can stay plugged into their communities and that our schools can keep serving our students during this difficult time,” Jeff said.

Now more than ever, internet access is essential for Oregonians who are seeking critical public health information, job searching, working from home, or learning remotely. Throughout the crisis, Jeff has been a consistent advocate for families across Oregon who are without reliable broadband services -- and he will continue to fight on their behalf.

Making Our Democracy Stronger

Last month, Jeff and many of his Senate colleagues introduced a commemorative Senate resolution in honor of the 55th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act, which was signed into law by President Johnson on August 6, 1965. “As John Lewis recognized, the promise of America will never be fulfilled until each and every American has guaranteed and equal access to the ballot box,” Jeff said as they announced the introduction of the resolution. “American elections should be won or lost by convincing the voters, not by denying some of them the right to cast a ballot.”

Jeff also built on his work dedicated to strengthening our democracy by teaming up with Senator Ron Wyden and Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici to demand that this year’s census -- which will influence funding for schools, hospitals, fire departments, and more -- is thorough and fair, and that hundreds of thousands of Oregonians aren’t left out. And while Oregon prepares to vote by mail, Jeff is working to make sure that our fellow Americans in other states are able to vote safely in-person if necessary -- cutting red tape to get poll workers where they are most needed and avoid long lines and dangerous crowding.

USPS Advocacy Delivers

Everyone -- from veterans and small business owners, to seniors and your neighbors -- needs reliable mail service. So when operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) started creating significant delays and reduced services, Jeff acted fast.

In August, Jeff teamed up with his colleagues in pressing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to testify before Congress about the new rules; for more information about how the rules were formulated in the first place; and for a promise that the USPS will avoid cost increases for election mail. He has also urged Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to resist pressure from President Trump to condition USPS funding on new sky-high package rate fees that could put mail services out of reach for so many Americans. In addition, last month Jeff met with members of the Portland area Postal Workers Union and inspected a USPS processing facility, and joined forces with fellow Oregon Senator Ron Wyden to raise awareness about the changes at USPS and call for action.

Amid pressure from every corner of America, the USPS announced last month that it would postpone the operational changes until after the November election-- a big win. But Jeff will continue to keep the pressure on to reverse the damaging rules that have already been put into place, and to ensure that the USPS is equipped to provide reliable, affordable services to Americans for generations to come.

Tracking Your Tax Dollars for COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments

As the coronavirus continues to roil our communities, Congress has provided nearly $8 billion for research and development of coronavirus treatments and vaccines -- in addition to the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) $700 million investment on research for existing drugs -- like Gilead’s treatment remdesivir and drug company Moderna’s vaccine candidate -- that are now being explored as possible coronavirus treatments.

None of those investments would have been possible without you and your tax dollars, and you deserve to know exactly where your support is going and when the government has ownership over any of the key patents for a drug. But currently, that information is scattered, incomplete, and difficult to find, making it harder to make sure that taxpayers are getting their money’s worth. So last month, Jeff introduced the bipartisan Taxpayer Research and Coronavirus Knowledge (TRACK) Act, which would create a public database to show where taxpayer funds dedicated to coronavirus treatment and research are going. The bill would also track information on the full terms of the agreements made between the federal government and drug companies.

“Everyone wants breakthrough COVID treatments and vaccines as soon as possible, but we don’t need to put up with sweetheart deals, cronyism, fraud, or corruption to get it,” Jeff said. “A database will provide transparency and accountability so we can all see what we get for these taxpayer investments.”

A Note from Jeff: A Temporary Change to My Newsletters

I wanted to let you know about an upcoming, temporary change to my email newsletter program. Beginning this Friday, September 4, I will have limited ability to send you e-mails during a temporary “blackout period” that will end on November 3. Senate ethics rules require this “blackout period” for 60 days ahead of elections to safeguard against any potential inappropriate use of taxpayer resources when senators are up for reelection. I think this is an important guardrail -- one that’s key to making sure that no one abuses their office to tilt the playing field in congressional elections.

Given the ongoing coronavirus crisis, and the importance of getting up-to-date information about federal resources to our constituents, a bipartisan committee of senators that oversees the Senate rules has also made a temporary change to this program so that senators can continue to share important information about new developments in the pandemic and pandemic-related federal assistance.

Please know that while you won’t be receiving general updates and monthly newsletters like this one for the next two months, this hiatus is temporary and my full e-newsletter program will return to normal operations after the election is over. In the meantime, I will continue to reach out with coronavirus related information. My office remains here to serve you, and you can find information on how to contact my office by phone and email at Merkley.senate.gov.

All my best,
Jeff

Thank you!

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