This story was originally published on LincolnChronicle.org and is used with permission.
It wasn’t quite a campaign rally, but Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. got a standing ovation before he uttered a word Saturday and left a one-hour town hall to applause after repeatedly urging an audience of 350 to resist actions of the Trump administration.
Merkley, 69, plans to run for a fourth term this year, having become one of the Senate’s biggest critics of President Donald Trump and terming the administration “dark and dangerous.”
It was the first of three town halls Merkley held on the coast Saturday, following three on Friday and wrapping up with three more Sunday in Springfield, Philomath and Albany. Before his 10 a.m. Newport session, the senator spent 30 minutes in a private meeting talking with local government leaders from around Lincoln County.
All of the audience’s questions – most were prefaced by long personal statements – had to do with concerns with Trump’s actions ranging from a potential immigration detention facility in Newport to federal spending cuts, to Medicare changes, to the likelihood of Trump’s impeachment.
But underlying all of Merkley’s responses were reminders that neither the Senate nor the House are controlled by the senator’s party and until that is changed only federal judges stand in the way of many of the president’s actions.
Until Democrats win control of either the House or Senate – the first opportunity is in November – expect Congress to do little to slow changes under the Trump administration, Merkley said.
The GOP-controlled Congress “has been a rubber stamp” for what Trump has been doing, then giving that branch of government “an F-minus in oversight and congressional responsibilities.”
“I love America,” Merkley said. “We’re going to fix America. We’re going to reject this authoritarian government … The challenge we have is the executive branch does not feel compelled to follow the law or the Constitution.”
Audience members were given numbered tickets as they entered the Newport High gymnasium and then numbers randomly selected for people to ask questions. Here is a sampling.
Question: As the Trump administration withholds funds from states, where is that money going?
Merkley: The money is going to a larger defense budget, to Homeland Security and its Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and Trump’s so-called Big Beautiful Bill that gives “tax breaks to the richest of Americans.” The senator did concede that Congress has been able to get some federal money restored to programs such as Head Start.
Q: Can like-minded Western states combine to fight Trump administration actions they disagree with?
Merkley: There is already some of this happening with Oregon, Washington and California working together to make their own health recommendations and attorneys generals from Democrat-run states, including Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, are suing in federal court to stop some actions.
Q: Can states recover previously issued renewable energy grants?
Merkley: While some federal judges have stopped cuts to energy programs, the GOP-controlled Congress has not showed an inclination to restore them.
Q: Do you have concerns over the federal deficit?
Merkley: Answered this question by focusing on cuts to health care programs, especially Congress not renewing the Affordable Care Act in December. “Why was this done? For tax breaks for the richest Americans,” he said. Merkley warned the audience to be prepared for “massive” impacts to Medicaid programs – federal- and state-funded programs for the poorest — in 2027.
Q: Where does the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency get its funds and is there a way to stop it?
Merkley: “I’d like to give you some good news on ICE … but we just don’t have that right now.” There is some growing resistance to ICE in Congress, based on recent incidents, but funding for the agency is wrapped into the budget for the Department of Homeland Security. “There is a flicker of hope to get the DHS budget separated out of other funding bills,” he said.
Q: Is there a chance of the House impeaching Trump or his cabinet invoking the 25th Amendment?
Merkley: The House is not going to do that and Trump’s cabinet will not either. “They were appointed because they’re loyalists.”
Q: A middle-aged woman said she voted for the first time in 2020 and that she’s currently “terrified.” “What can we do?”
Merkley: The senator returned to a theme throughout his appearance – this year’s midterm election in key states are critical for Democrats or opponents of the Trump administration to take control of Congress. “We can’t save our community or country without being engaged and voting,” he said, but cautioning to allowing any frustration to lead to depression. “We need to be energized and effective to save our country.”
Merkley was wrapping up the session when a man jumped up to loudly shout that no one had asked about the Jeffery Epstein files and the senator’s view of those.
Merkley: The Department of Justice is ignoring near-unanimous legislation from Congress that called for release of all its files related to Jeffrey Epstein. “It’s another defiance of the law by an authoritarian president. Powerful men should never be allowed to groom and rape young women … every person found accountable for abuse, let’s lock them up.”
Quinton Smith is the editor of Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at YachatsNews@gmail.com