Merkley Announces Committee Action to Invest in Oregon Agriculture and Support Veterans

Funding included in fiscal year 2025 government funding bills champion programs and projects to support rural communities, family farms, and veterans' services

Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced he secured critical investments in Oregon agriculture, rural housing, food assistance, rural business priorities, and veterans' services in the first set of fiscal year 2025 (FY25) government spending bills to pass the committee-a key first step on the road to becoming law.

Merkley helped to make sure the investments-including nearly $15 million for seven critical community-initiated projects across Oregon-were incorporated into the Senate Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (Ag) bill and the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) bill. Both bills passed the committee with bipartisan support.

"As I hold a town hall in each of Oregon's 36 counties every year, I hear firsthand from folks about what matters most to them, including ensuring our world-class agriculture sector and rural and veterans' communities have the support needed to thrive," Merkley said. "The funding included in these bills for programs and critical community-initiated projects will benefit Oregonians in every corner of the state for years to come."

Merkley is the only Oregon member of Congress from either chamber since Senator Mark Hatfield to serve on the Appropriations Committee, which is one of the most powerful on Capitol Hill. He joined the committee in 2013 so that Oregon would have a strong voice in decisions about the investments our nation should be making.

Merkley, along with Senator Ron Wyden, secured the following four Oregon community-initiated projects in the Senate's draft FY25 agriculture funding bill:

• $2 million for the Farmers Irrigation Districtto convert remaining sections of open canal into buried irrigation pipelines in Hood River County. This project will contribute to improved habitats for native fish species, water conservation, and sustained agricultural production.
• $2 million to North Unit Irrigation District for the next phase of its irrigation modernization project. This effort is working to convert over 27 miles of open-ditch irrigation canals with gravity-pressured buried piping, which will significantly reduce water loss, improve water delivery reliability, and improve streamflow in the Deschutes River.
• $986,000 for the Southwestern Polk County Rural Fire Districtto modernize its outdated facilities, including completing construction of the facility by adding sleeping quarters and apparatus bays. This funding will further support its 24/7 response teams by equipping them with the resources necessary to continue providing efficient and effective services in their mission to keep our communities safe.
• $948,000 to Wheeler Soil and Water Conservation District(SWCD) for the construction of a new community center. Wheeler SWCD's current facility is insufficient to support the public's needs as the county's leading natural resource agency. This new space will be a centrally located innovation hub for multi-agency accessibility to best support Wheeler County's natural resources work while promoting intra-agency collaboration.

Click HERE for quotes from community-initiated project recipients included in the draft Senate agriculture bill.

Additionally, Merkley and Wyden secured the following three projects for Oregon in the Senate's draft MilCon-VA bill:

• $4.3 million for Kingsley Field's F-35 and F-15 aircraft shelter. This funding would be used for design work of an Aircraft Shelter with supporting taxiway and utilities that are necessary to house F-35 and F-15 aircrafts. This is critical, as it was announced last year that Kingsley Field had been selected by the United States Air Force to host the next F-35A Lightning II training squadron.
• $3 million for Kingsley Field's fuel facility project. This funding would be used for design work of a modernized aircraft refueling stand. This would replace the original fuel complex that was built in 1958 and is one of the oldest systems in the United States. New fueling infrastructure is critical to support modern aircrafts at Kingsley Field, such as the F-35A Lighting IIs coming soon.
• $1.69 million for Oregon Military Department to construct a multi-purpose machine gun range at Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility Boardman. The range would be used by the Oregon Army National Guard, bringing mandatory Crew Served Weapons qualification capabilities to Oregon. Currently, Oregon soldiers must travel outside the state for the training, consuming valuable time and reducing availability for key state contingency operations.

Click HERE for quotes from community-initiated project recipients included in the draft Senate MilCon-VA bill.

Other key funding for top programs to benefit Oregon's world-class agriculture and veterans' communities that passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee include:

Water Conservation and Habitat Restoration: The Ag bill includes $51.255 million for the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Operations Program, including $25 million set aside for multi-benefit projects, which benefit Western states. In Oregon, this funding is primarily used to replace open irrigation ditches with pipes and is crucial for irrigation districts that need to improve water efficiency and conservation or otherwise improve fish and wildlife habitat. This program is providing critical funding for the collaborative processes underway across the state working to conserve water and keep Oregon's family farms in business while improving the habitats of endangered species.

Wine Grape Smoke Exposure Research: The Ag bill maintains funding for critical research on the impacts of wildfire smoke on winegrapes. Recent wildfire seasons have blanketed much of Oregon with thick, hazardous smoke, which has significantly impacted the state's wine grape harvest.

Agricultural Research Service Buildings and Facilities Investment: The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) would receive over $47 million in funding through the Ag bill for ARS facilities. Oregon's ARS facilities are performing cutting-edge research to improve the productivity, sustainability, and health of the nation's agricultural systems. The bill also protects funding for research programs that benefit Oregon's agriculture and forest product sectors, including research for pacific shellfish, western rangeland livestock, Sudden Oak Death, hemp, hops, small fruits, resilient dryland farming, and tree fruits.

Rural Housing: The Ag bill includes $1.7 billion for rental assistance and $50 million for Rural Housing Service Vouchers, which will help address the urgent affordable housing crisis facing Oregon's rural communities. Merkley also secured $1million to fund nonprofits and public housing authorities to preserve at-risk rural affordable housing, resulting in more rural residents benefitting from stable, affordable, and decent housing.

Rural Energy Saving Program: The Ag bill includes $20 million in loan authority for fiscal year 2025 to keep the program operating at its current levels. The program-which provides funding to rural utilities and other companies to increase energy efficiency-was created by Merkley, who prioritized getting the funding needed to kickstart the program when he was the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee.

Rural Business: The Ag bill includes funding for a number of USDA's Rural Development programs, including $31.487 million for business development programs. These business development programs help businesses grow as well as provide job training for rural America.

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): The Ag bill provides $7.697 billion for WIC, which provides free food packages designed to safeguard the health of pregnant, breast-feeding, and postpartum women and infants who are at nutrition risk because of inadequate nutrition. This is a $667 million increase over FY24 and will protect essential benefits for nearly 7 million women and kids nationwide and ensure that no one will be put on a waitlist or denied assistance.

Veterans' Equal Access Amendment: Merkley secured an amendment in the MilCon-VA bill to allow Veterans Health Administration (VHA) doctors to discuss, recommend, and assist patients in qualifying for enrollment in state-legal medical cannabis programs in states where it is already legal. Merkley has championed this amendment since 2015 and remains committed to ensuring health care parity between veterans and non-veterans in states that have legalized medical cannabis.

VA Resources for State Veterans Administrations: The MilCon-VA bill includes language requiring the VA to report to Congress on the Department's outreach efforts towards LGBTQ+ veterans, as well as efforts to partner with State Veterans Administrations and VSOs on this outreach. This will help Congress track how to best support LGBTQ+ veterans who were discharged solely for their sexual orientation and gender identity.

Now the bills have cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee, they next head to the Senate floor for a vote before the legislation can be conferenced with counterpart bills in the U.S. House of Representatives. The final, merged legislation must then be passed by both chambers before it is signed into law.

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