U.S. Sen. Merkley in HR, TD for Town Halls on Saturday, Jan. 25; Bring your questions

Jeff Merkley, U.S. Senator for Oregon

From the office of Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley with additions by Tom Peterson

The Dalles, Ore., Jan. 23, 2025 — Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley will hold his first town halls of 2025 with in-person community conversations in Sherman, Wasco, and Hood River counties on Saturday, January 25.

Maxine Dexter

Merkley will be joined by U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter at the Hood River County town hall.

Dexter voted against a the Laken Riley Act on Wednesday. It requires the detainment of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes, marking the first legislation that President Donald Trump can sign as Congress, with some bipartisan support.

The vote demonstrates how the political debate over immigration has shifted to the right following Trump’s election victory. Immigration policy is one of the most entrenched issues in Congress, but a faction of 46 Democrats in purple districts joined with Republicans to lift the strict proposal to passage on a 263-156 vote tally.

Oregon Democrat Rep. Janelle Bynum and Republican Rep. Cliff Bentz voted in favor of the act on Jan. 22. Democrats Dexter, Andrea Salina, Val Hoyle, and Suzanne Bonamici voted against.

Saturday’s events kick off Merkley’s 2025 town hall tour of Oregon, where he will hold a community conversation in each of the state’s 36 counties. 

“There is nothing like holding town halls directly in the communities where Oregonians live and work to get to the heart of the ideas, issues, and priorities that matter most to them. That’s why I hold a town hall for every Oregon county, every year,” Merkley said.

Merkley took over the top Democratic spot on the Senate Budget Committee this year, and he will be happy to chat about how he plans to use this position to fight for working people and for tax fairness for America’s families. He also continues to serve as the top Democrat on the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, putting him at the forefront of securing funding for wildfire prevention and recovery in Oregon and across the West.

And he wants to hear from you at the following town halls:

Wasco County Town Hall 

Time: 2 p.m. PT

Location: The Dalles High School – Auditorium

220 E. 10th Street, The Dalles, OR 97058

Hood River County Town Hall – with U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter

Time: 4:30 p.m. PT

Location: Hood River Middle School – Gym

1602 May Street, Hood River, OR 97031