26 Quotes by Jeff Merkley

When you use the word 'filibuster,' most of us in America - and I count myself among them - envision it as the ability to hold the floor on rare occasions to speak at length and make your point emphatically and even delay progress by taking hours.

I grew up in Southern Oregon. My father was a sawmill worker and a logger, and his job put food on the table.

We can have the best health insurance options in the world, and people still won't get needed care if we don't increase our supply of primary care physicians and nurses.

What matters most to me is doing what I was elected to do: help make life better for Oregonians and making America work for working Americans again.

Over and over again, I hear from Oregonians that we need real health care reform that provides every American with access to quality, affordable care.

My way of viewing the talking filibuster was as a way of doing unanimous consent with your feet. You object by going down and talking.

I won't stop fighting to make life better for working Americans and give those who are just trying to find a decent job the opportunity to do so.

We have a duty to ensure that patients don't have to worry whether they'll be dropped from their coverage if they get sick. Small business owners shouldn't have to break the bank to provide coverage to their employees. And families should not be forced into bankruptcy because of a medical crisis.

Too many Americans who are uninsured or under-insured do not receive regular checkups because they can't afford coverage or their insurance doesn't cover enough of the costs. The lack of preventive care results in countless emergency room visits and health care disasters for families.