Barney Lerten
WASHINGTON (KTVZ) – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced Monday that essential investments for Oregon families and rural and underserved communities passed the Senate, including five community-initiated projects for communities across the state championed by the senators.
These investments were included in the first package of Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) funding bills that cleared the chamber with bipartisan support.
“As Congress holds the power of the purse, this government funding process is a check on the Trump Administration’s efforts to drastically cut the federal investments needed for agencies to continue providing essential services for Oregonians and Americans,” the senators said in a news release, which continues below:
“Oregonians turned out in record numbers during my town halls to deliver a clear message—we need to do everything we can to fight against harmful federal funding cuts and to instead double down on investing in the foundations working families need to thrive: housing, health care, education, and good-paying jobs,” Merkley said. “These government funding bills go a long way toward delivering on essential programs and services for families, while providing strong support for critical community-initiated projects that will benefit Oregonians in every corner of the state for years to come.”
“At my latest open-to-all town halls in Eastern Oregon and all this year’s town halls statewide, I’ve heard consistently about the importance of federal investments that keep generating job opportunities; protecting life, property and our natural resources; and supporting quality of life,” Wyden said. “That’s exactly what these investments provide. And I’ll keep teaming up with Oregonians and my congressional colleagues to carry their community priorities back to Washington, DC and return with investment successes like these.”
Merkley is the only Oregon member of Congress from either chamber since Senator Mark Hatfield to serve on the powerful Appropriations Committee that writes these government funding bills. 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 and Wyden secured four Oregon community-initiated projects in the FY26 Senate Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill that passed as part of the minibus package. The projects are as follows:
$2 million for the Farmers Irrigation District to 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. Funding will be used toward converting 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.
$2 million for the Idanha-Detroit Rural Fire Protection Fire District to help construct a new fire station. This will include additional sleeping quarters, training areas, adequate storage for EMS and firefighting supplies, and lead to an overall increase in the effectiveness and responsiveness of first responders.
$648,000 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 Senate Agriculture bill.
Additionally, Merkley and Wyden secured one Oregon community-initiated project in the FY26 Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) funding bill that passed as part of the minibus package. The project is as follows:
$12 million for the Oregon Army National Guard to construct an Army 10-lane Multi-Purpose Machine Gun Range (MPMG) at the Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility (NWSTF) in Boardman. The MPMG is mission-critical for the Oregon Military Department’s Rees Training Center in Hermiston. Currently, Oregon soldiers must travel outside the state for this training, consuming valuable training time and funds while reducing soldiers available for key state contingency operations. The MPMG will provide economic benefits in rural Oregon through the initial military construction work as well as subsequent future use.
Click HERE for the quote from the community-initiated project recipient included in the Senate MilCon-VA bill.
Now that these government funding bills have cleared the Senate, they will next head to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration. They are the first of 12 annual funding bills that must pass both chambers of Congress before they can be signed into law. Fiscal Year 2026 starts on October 1, 2025, and ends September 30, 2026.
Merkley and Wyden urge the House to take up the legislation without delay when they are back in session in September to keep vital government systems and programs running and invest in these targeted projects needed in communities across Oregon.
Oregon press and constituents can track the latest updates in the government funding process on Merkley’s Appropriations webpage.
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CSPD photo of Chance Garcia
