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67-487: On June 3, 2018, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley was denied entrance to the Casa Padre facility as part of his investigation into the living conditions of the children. After he was denied entry into the facility by the police, he stated that "Americans should be outraged by the fact that our taxpayer dollars are being used to inflict spiteful and traumatizing policies onto innocent minors." The recorded exchange between Merkley and

134-811: A Master of Public Affairs degree from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University in 1982. After completing his master's degree, Merkley was selected as a Presidential Management Fellow , working at the Office of the Secretary of Defense on the security of American military technology. After his fellowship, he worked in the Congressional Budget Office , where he analyzed nuclear weapons policies and programs. In 1991 Merkley returned to Portland, where he served as executive director of Portland Habitat for Humanity until 1994. Merkley started

201-461: A ban on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from passing information collected on DACA recipients to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Department of Justice, or any other law enforcement agency except in cases of fraudulent claims, national security issues, or non-immigration-related felonies. In April 2019, Merkley was one of 11 senators to sign

268-426: A bill cosponsor, said the legislation would "unlock each state’s Medicaid program to anyone who wants it, giving people a high-quality, low-cost public health insurance option" and that its goal was "to make sure that every single American has comprehensive health care coverage." Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International ( HFHI ), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat ,

335-491: A facility in a former Walmart in Brownsville, Texas. He was denied entrance and the police were called and arrived as he continued to try to speak with the facility administrator. He commented in the film: "I think it's unacceptable that a member of Congress is not being admitted to see what is happening to children whose families are applying for asylum. I decided to come out here, go up to the door and ask to be let in." By midday

402-540: A government-run health insurance program. Merkley also championed legislation that gives nursing mothers flexible break times and private space to pump breast milk at work. His breastfeeding amendment was included in the health care reform law and signed into law by Obama in 2010. In December 2016, Merkley was one of five senators to vote against the Obama administration-supported 21st Century Cures Act , legislation increasing funding for disease research while addressing flaws in

469-557: A house when not enough labor was available. Habitat for Humanity's A Brush With Kindness is a locally operated program serving low-income homeowners who struggle to maintain the exterior of their homes. The program is a holistic approach to providing affordable housing and assisting communities as well as families. Groups of volunteers help homeowners with exterior maintenance. This typically includes painting, minor exterior repairs, landscaping, weatherization and exterior clean-up. Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville (called HabiJax ),

536-601: A letter to Juul CEO Kevin Burns asserting that the company had "lost what little remaining credibility the company had when it claimed to care about the public health" and that they would not rest until Juul's "dangerous products are out of the hands of our nation’s children". The senators requested Juul list each of its advertising buys and detail the steps it has taken to ensure its advertisements are not seen by people under 21 and asked whether Juul had purchased any social media influencers for product promotion. In August 2013, Merkley

603-414: A moderate chance of unseating Smith, but a July 2008 Rasmussen poll showed him in the lead, albeit within the margin of error. By August, after strongly negative campaigning on both sides, Rasmussen reported that Merkley's support had deteriorated, with Smith taking a strong lead in the polls. Merkley's favorable rating was at 42%, while his unfavorable rating had risen to 45%. Polls taken shortly before

670-414: A portion of the $ 110 billion arms sale Trump announced during his visit to Saudi Arabia the previous year. In March 2018, Merkley voted against tabling a resolution spearheaded by Bernie Sanders, Chris Murphy , and Mike Lee that would have required Trump to withdraw American troops either in or influencing Yemen within the next 30 days unless they were combating Al-Qaeda . In October 2018, Merkley

737-439: A predatory mortgage practice that played a role in the housing bubble and subsequent financial collapse. He was a founding signatory of a mid-February 2010 petition to use reconciliation to pass legislation providing for a government-run health insurance program. Merkley also championed legislation to give new mothers private space and flexible break times to pump breast milk once they return to work. His breastfeeding amendment

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804-527: A senator on January 3, 2009. Upon his swearing in, Oregon was represented in the Senate by two Democrats (Merkley and Ron Wyden ) for the first time since Maurine Brown Neuberger served alongside Morse from 1960 to 1967. Merkley has a progressive record as a senator. He became the first Democratic member of the Senate to announce that he would vote against the confirmation of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke , citing Bernanke's failure to "recognize or remedy

871-602: A seven-month fundraising campaign for Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven. Once on the road, they served as roaming advertisements for Habitat and gave nightly presentations explaining Habitat's mission to their hosts, usually church congregations. They also took part in builds with local Habitat chapters along the way. At its height, HBC attracted about 90 participants a year, all aged 18 to 24 and about half coming from Yale University . Each rider traveled one of three routes: New Haven to San Francisco , New Haven to Portland , or New Haven to Seattle . By 2004 HBC had become

938-571: A state "rainy day fund" (a savings account to protect public schools against the effects of any future fluctuating economy); increased Oregon public school funding by 14 percent ($ 1 billion) and state university funding by 18 percent ($ 1.4 billion); banned junk food in schools; expanded the Oregon commercial indoor smoking ban; revised the Oregon Bottle Bill ; outlawed discrimination by sexual orientation and gender identity in housing and in

1005-669: Is a U.S. non-governmental , and tax-exempt 501(C)(3) Christian nonprofit organization which seeks to build affordable housing . The international operational headquarters are located in Americus , Georgia , United States, with the administrative headquarters located in Atlanta . As of 2023, Habitat for Humanity operates in more than 70 countries. Habitat for Humanity works to help build and improve homes for families of low-income or disadvantaged backgrounds. Homes are built using volunteer labor, including that of Habitat homeowners through

1072-542: Is built with American-made iron, steel, and manufactured materials by workers who are paid a fair wage." In June 2019, Merkley was one of eight senators to sponsor the Made in America Act, legislation that would designate federal programs that had funded infrastructure projects not currently subject to Buy America standards and mandate that materials used in these programs be domestically produced. Bill cosponsor Tammy Baldwin said

1139-518: Is one of the larger affiliate of Habitat for Humanity (HFH) in the United States. Habijax was named the eighth-largest homebuilder in the United States by Builder magazine for 2009. HabiJax in 2023 marked 35 years of service and has provided homes to over 2,300 families. The HabiJax affiliate was founded in 1988 by nine unnamed representatives from congregations in Jacksonville. Initial funding

1206-706: The Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit , saying, "Their presence only serves to legitimize the swift dismantling of Hong Kong's autonomy, free press, and the rule of law by Hong Kong authorities acting along with the Chinese Communist Party." Merkley has focused on Wall Street reform in his position on the Senate Banking Committee . He and Carl Levin led an effort to crack down on proprietary trading at depository banks and other critical financial firms. The Dodd–Frank Act included

1273-583: The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 60 days in the event that Russia continued to violate the treaty, Merkley was one of 26 senators to sign a letter expressing concern that the administration was "now abandoning generations of bipartisan U.S. leadership around the paired goals of reducing the global role and number of nuclear weapons and ensuring strategic stability with America's nuclear-armed adversaries" and calling on Trump to continue arms negotiations. In April 2019, after

1340-576: The Lower East Side , during the first-ever Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project . This 19-unit building on East 6th Street, the first Habitat building in New York City, was completed in December 1986. In 1995, four different New York City affiliates united to form one affiliate—Habitat NYC. In 2020, the affiliate expanded its work into Westchester , becoming Habitat NYC and Westchester. Karen Haycox

1407-618: The junior United States senator from Oregon since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party , he served from 1999 to 2009 as the representative for the 47th district in the Oregon House of Representatives , which covers central Multnomah County on the eastern side of Portland ; he was the speaker of the House during the last two years of his tenure. In 2008 , Merkley defeated two-term Republican incumbent U.S. Senator Gordon Smith and

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1474-625: The American mental health systems and altering drugs and medical devices' regulatory system." In December 2018, Merkley was one of 42 senators to sign a letter to Trump administration officials Alex Azar , Seema Verma , and Steve Mnuchin arguing that the administration was improperly using Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act to authorize states to "increase health care costs for millions of consumers while weakening protections for individuals with preexisting conditions." The senators requested

1541-538: The Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita . An article in the Weekly Standard , an American opinion magazine, questioned the cost-effectiveness of Habitat building projects. To estimate cost effectiveness , The Weekly Standard alleged that all costs associated with building a Habitat home must be used, including the cost of volunteer time and training. Habitat affiliates in the region have remained some of

1608-580: The Merkley–Levin amendment to implement the Volcker Rule . The rule is premised on the notion that banks should not make risky, speculative bets while enjoying government deposit insurance. It is intended to prevent high-risk trading that jeopardizes the banking system. A $ 2 billion trading loss at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in May 2012 prompted Merkley and Levin to push regulators to stiffen their draft language on

1675-553: The Saudi and Emirati governments are complying with applicable agreements and laws regulating defense articles when the [memo] explicitly states that, in certain instances, they have not done so". On February 28, 2019, Merkley introduced a resolution prohibiting American military intervention in Venezuela without Congress's approval, adding that it was "critical that the Venezuelan people are

1742-549: The Senate floor for 15 hours and 28 minutes in protest of the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. In June 2018, Merkley received national attention when he attempted to visit a facility holding the children of jailed adults who had attempted to cross the border to seek asylum . Children were separated from their parents and placed in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement . Merkley filmed his attempt to visit

1809-523: The Trump Administration's policy towards separating children from their parents. Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma tweeted, "I am asking the White House to keep families together as much as we can." This Texas -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Jeff Merkley Jeffrey Alan Merkley (born October 24, 1956) is an American politician serving as

1876-562: The Trump administration refused to distribute money to West Bank and Gaza "because of perceived intransigence on peace talks by the Palestinians and payments to the families of those who have attacked Israelis", Merkley was one of six Democratic senators to introduce a resolution restoring U.S. humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. During the 2023 Israel-Hamas war , Merkley

1943-431: The Trump administration take immediate action to reunite 539 migrant children with their families, citing each passing day of inaction as intensifying "trauma that this administration has needlessly caused for children and their families seeking humanitarian protection". In November 2018, Merkley was one of 11 senators to sign a letter to United States Secretary of Defense James Mattis about "the overt politicization of

2010-530: The Volcker Rule provisions. In January 2018, Merkley was one of ten senators to sign a letter to Trump encouraging him "to not only protect existing 'Buy America' laws, but to work with Congress to expand these protections and address coverage gaps" while the administration's infrastructure proposal was being drafted, and asserting that "no infrastructure proposal should allow circumvention of current requirements in federal law that ensure our public infrastructure

2077-713: The Walk for Humanity, initiated the Journey for Mankind, launched development of the Habitat Home Building Center, and initiated a pilot project for "YouthBuild" in which gang-affected youth built homes in their own neighborhoods. He also served as Director of Housing Development at Human Solutions, where he worked to make available affordable housing complexes and launched Oregon's first Individual Development Account (IDA) program, which helps low-income families save money to buy homes, attend college, or start businesses. Merkley

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2144-583: The War In Iraq . In December 2010, Merkley voted for the ratification of New Start , a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the U.S. and the Russian Federation obliging both countries to have no more than 1,550 strategic warheads and 700 launchers deployed during the next seven years and to continue on-site inspections that halted when START I expired the previous year. It was the first arms treaty with Russia in eight years. In February 2017, Merkley

2211-483: The administration withdraw the policy and "re-engage with stakeholders, states, and Congress." In February 2019, Merkley was one of 23 Democratic senators to introduce the State Public Option Act, a bill that would authorize states to form a Medicaid buy-in program for all residents and thereby let all residents of the state buy into a state-driven Medicaid health insurance plan if they wished. Brian Schatz ,

2278-471: The bill would strengthen Buy America requirements and that she was hopeful both Democrats and Republicans would support "this effort to make sure our government is buying American products and supporting American workers". Merkley voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act . He was a founding signatory of a mid-February 2010 petition to use reconciliation to pass legislation providing for

2345-701: The construction of a home. Some critics therefore allege that Habitat misrepresents the nature of its work by partnering with families that might be considered nearly "middle-income". To address this, many Habitat affiliates in the United States partner only with families that fall below the government-set " poverty line " for their area. The current poverty rate is measured according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines. The Habitat board investigated Millard Fuller for sexual harassment but found "insufficient proof of inappropriate conduct." Some Fuller supporters claim that

2412-477: The creation of "an independent Special Counsel to investigate collusion with the Russian government by General Flynn and other Trump campaign, transition and Administrative officials" in order to maintain "the confidence, credibility and impartiality of the Department of Justice". In December 2018, after United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the Trump administration was suspending its obligations in

2479-447: The election indicated that Merkley's standing had once again improved, with Merkley's 12-point deficit turning into a slight lead. On election night the race was too close to call, but media outlets including The Oregonian called it for Merkley on the morning of November 6, and Smith conceded later that morning. Ultimately, Merkley defeated Smith by three percentage points, 49% to 46%. While he carried only eight counties, one of them

2546-468: The employees of the facility was uploaded to YouTube and was shared 1.1 million times. Then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi condemned both the detention facility and the Trump Administration's controversial immigration policies, stating, "This is barbaric. This is not what America is. But this is the policy of the Trump administration." Then-Speaker of the House Paul Ryan stated his disapproval of

2613-619: The factors that paved the road to this dark and difficult recession". As a member of the Senate Banking Committee , Merkley became a leading force in the effort to pass the Wall Street reform bill. Along with Michigan Senator Carl Levin , he successfully added an amendment, usually called the Volcker Rule , to the Dodd–Frank Wall Street reform bill , which banned high-risk trading inside commercial banking and lending institutions. Merkley also championed an amendment that banned liar loans,

2680-551: The funds, 42 homes were built at Koinonia for families in need. In 1973, the Fullers decided to try the concept at a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) mission in Mbandaka , Democratic Republic of Congo. After three successful years, the Fullers returned to the United States and founded Habitat for Humanity in 1976. In 2022, in Tempe , Arizona , Habitat for Humanity 3D-printed walls for

2747-458: The government of Afghanistan . The Senate passed an amendment to the defense authorization bill by voice vote that required Obama to deliver to Congress a timeline for an accelerated transition of all military and security operations to the Afghan government within 90 days of the law's enactment. Co-sponsors included Republicans Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky. In April 2019, Merkley

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2814-576: The interests of working families and his electability in a general election against the incumbent, Gordon Smith . Merkley was the first federal candidate to be cross-nominated by the Independent Party of Oregon . Merkley won the Democratic nomination to challenge Smith in 2008, narrowly defeating activist Steve Novick and four others in the Democratic primary . He was initially thought to have only

2881-469: The largest homebuilders in their areas and have received numerous awards and acknowledgements for their work in building quality homes. Families are required to show an ability to pay for their home in addition to the need for housing. With these requirements, homeless and low-income families may fail to qualify for a Habitat home. Most American Habitat affiliates perform credit checks and criminal record checks on applicants before partnering with them for

2948-484: The military" with the Trump administration's deployment of 5,800 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and requesting a briefing and written justification from the U.S. Northern Command for troop deployment, urging Mattis to "curb the unprecedented escalation of DOD involvement in immigration enforcement". In January 2019, Merkley was one of 20 senators to sponsor the Dreamer Confidentiality Act, a bill imposing

3015-499: The ones to determine their own future, and that the U.S. does not repeat a failed strategy of military intervention in Latin America". He called Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro "a brutal dictator and incompetent leader" and called for him to resign while new elections are held under an interim government. On October 27, 2022, Merkley and Representative Jim McGovern urged U.S. financial executives to cancel their attendance at

3082-406: The police were called and he was asked to leave the premises. Video of the event went viral on social media, drawing greater attention to the policy in traditional media and among the public. Speaking about the policy in an interview with Time , Merkley said, "Part of this is the dehumanization of people seeking asylum in the U.S." By the end of June, Trump signed an executive order modifying

3149-450: The policy to replace family separation with family detention. Merkley continued to oppose the administration's policy, dubbing it "handcuffs for all". As of July 2018, many children who were separated under the policy still had not been reunited with their parents . In August 2018, Merkley was one of 17 senators to sign a letter spearheaded by Kamala Harris to United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen demanding that

3216-774: The practice of sweat equity , as well as paid contractors for certain construction or infrastructure activities as needed. Habitat makes no profit from the sales. The organization operates with financial support from individuals, philanthropic foundations , corporations , government entities, and mass media companies. Habitat for Humanity traces its roots to the establishment of the Humanity Fund by attorney Millard Fuller , his wife Linda, and Baptist theologian and farmer Clarence Jordan in 1968 at Koinonia Farm , an intercultural Christian intentional community farming community in Sumter County , Georgia , United States. With

3283-487: The single largest yearly fundraiser for any Habitat affiliate in the world, raising about $ 400,000 a year. However, amid growing safety concerns, Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven was forced to announce the cancellation of HBC in September 2007. Habitat for Humanity construction has led to serious injuries or death to some volunteers. Habitat has been criticized for its slow and inefficient rebuilding efforts along

3350-425: The time. In late 2010, Merkley began circulating a proposal about the need to filibuster in order to block legislation. In 2011, he introduced a bill to reform the filibuster. He was joined by Senators Tom Udall of New Mexico and Tom Harkin of Iowa. Merkley was the only member of the Senate to endorse Bernie Sanders in his 2016 bid for the Democratic nomination for president. On April 4, 2017, Merkley held

3417-575: The use of Fiscal Year 2018 national security funding. The senators argued that foreign assistance to Central American countries created less migration to the U.S. by helping to improve conditions there. Merkley supports the Reid - Feingold Amendment, a plan for removing troops from Iraq, and has his own five-point plan for stability in Iraq: In March 2008, Merkley endorsed the Responsible Plan to End

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3484-481: The video had garnered more than one million viewers. Merkley has been noted for his opposition to the Trump administration 's immigration policies . In June 2018, he attempted to enter the Casa Padre processing facility in Brownsville, Texas, where children separated from their parents were being detained as a result of the Trump administration's " zero tolerance " policy. Merkley was not permitted to enter, and eventually

3551-495: The workplace; and gave same-sex couples rights, immunities, and benefits. On August 1, 2007, Merkley announced he would run for the U.S. Senate in the 2008 election. On August 13, he was endorsed by Governor Ted Kulongoski and former governor Barbara Roberts . In December 2007 he was endorsed by the Oregon AFL–CIO , the state's largest labor federation. The union federation's leaders cited Merkley's 97% record of voting in

3618-600: Was President of the World Affairs Council of Oregon for seven years and continues to serve on the board of trustees. In 1998 Merkley was elected as a Democrat to the Oregon House of Representatives from the 16th district in east Portland (renumbered as the 47th district after the 2002 redistricting). He succeeded Frank Shields, who moved from the House to the Oregon State Senate due to term limits . In its endorsement, The Oregonian predicted that Merkley

3685-509: Was appointed CEO of Habitat NYC and Westchester in August 2015. The Habitat Bicycle Challenge (HBC), a nine-week, coast-to-coast bicycle trip undertaken to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven and to increase awareness of Habitat for Humanity in general, took place annually from 1995 to 2007. Prior to embarking in June on the 4,000-mile (6,400 km) trek, participants engaged in

3752-577: Was born in Myrtle Creek, Oregon , the son of Betty Lou (née Collins) and Darrell Philip Merkley. His paternal grandmother was born in Calliope, Queensland , Australia. He attended first grade in Roseburg, Oregon , before moving to Portland with his family. He graduated from David Douglas High School , received a bachelor of arts degree in international relations from Stanford University in 1979, and earned

3819-459: Was his home county of Multnomah County , which he won by 142,000 votes—a deficit that proved too much for Smith to overcome. Merkley thus became the first person to unseat an incumbent Oregon senator since Bob Packwood defeated Wayne Morse in 1968 . Merkley formally resigned his seat in the Oregon House in a letter to Secretary of State Bill Bradbury on January 2, 2009. He was sworn in as

3886-441: Was included in the health care reform law and signed into law by President Obama in 2010. In late February 2010, Merkley again made headlines when he unsuccessfully tried to persuade Republican colleague Jim Bunning of Kentucky to drop his objection to passing a 30-day extension of unemployment benefits for jobless Americans. Bunning replied, "Tough shit." A spokesman for Merkley said that Merkley did not hear Bunning's remark at

3953-401: Was one of 11 senators to sign a letter to United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions expressing their concern "about credible allegations that the Trump campaign, transition team, and Administration has colluded with the Russian government, including most recently the events leading to the resignation of Lieutenant General Michael Flynn as National Security Adviser". The senators requested

4020-617: Was one of 23 Democratic senators to sign a letter to the Defense Department warning that some payday lenders were "offering predatory loan products to service members at exorbitant triple digit effective interest rates and loan products that do not include the additional protections envisioned by the law" and asserting that service members, along with their families, "deserve the strongest possible protections and swift action to ensure that all forms of credit offered to members of our armed forces are safe and sound". On June 28, 2018, Merkley

4087-481: Was one of 34 senators to sign a letter to President Trump encouraging him "to listen to members of your own Administration and reverse a decision that will damage our national security and aggravate conditions inside Central America", asserting that Trump had "consistently expressed a flawed understanding of U.S. foreign assistance" since becoming president and that he was "personally undermining efforts to promote U.S. national security and economic prosperity" by preventing

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4154-485: Was one of seven senators to sign a letter to United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying that they found it "difficult to reconcile known facts with at least two" of the Trump administration's certifications that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were attempting to protect Yemeni civilians and were in compliance with US laws on arms sales, citing their lack of understanding of "a certification that

4221-574: Was one of three U.S. senators who called for a ceasefire, along with Dick Durbin and Peter Welch . In January 2024, Merkley voted for a resolution, proposed by Bernie Sanders , to apply the human rights provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act to U.S. aid to Israel's military . The proposal was defeated, 72 to 11. In June 2017, Merkley voted for a resolution by Rand Paul and Chris Murphy that would block Trump's $ 510 million sale of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia that made up

4288-408: Was reelected in 2014 and 2020 , defeating Republican nominees Monica Wehby and Jo Rae Perkins . During his tenure, Merkley has been an advocate of progressivism and was the only U.S. senator to endorse Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries . He was considered a potential candidate for president in 2020 , but chose to run for reelection to the Senate instead. Merkley

4355-611: Was secured from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund . Their first project was a house donated by the South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church that was moved, setup and rehabilitated for the first HabiJax homeowner family. Habitat for Humanity New York City and Westchester County (Habitat NYC and Westchester) was founded in 1984 as an independent affiliate, serving families across the five boroughs through home construction and preservation, beginning with their first build on

4422-565: Was the most likely of several Democrats to "accomplish something positive in the Legislature." Following the 2003 session, he was elected Democratic leader, and after the House Democrats gained a majority in the 2006 Oregon statewide elections , they unanimously elected him Speaker of the House in the 74th Oregon Legislative Assembly . During Merkley's tenure as Speaker, the Oregon House passed numerous major pieces of legislation: It created

4489-611: Was the only member of the Senate Appropriations Committee to vote against the $ 675 billion Pentagon spending bill for fiscal 2019 providing $ 607.1 billion for its base budget and $ 67.9 billion for the Overseas Contingency Operation (OCO) war fund. The bill was a $ 20.4 billion increase over the fiscal 2018 level. In November 2011, Merkley led an effort to urge President Obama to expedite transition of responsibility for military and security operations to

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