Merkley to Seek Senate Environment Committee Chair as Democrats Gain 55 Seats

Democrats' expanded Senate majority, projected at a minimum of 55 seats in the 120th Congress, creates a committee leadership reshuffle that will determine the legislative agenda on climate,...

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) announced he will seek the chairmanship of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) in the next Congress, according to a statement reported by The Hill on November 12, 2026. Democrats are projected to hold at least 55 Senate seats when the 120th Congress convenes, a gain that reshuffles committee leadership across the chamber.

Merkley currently serves as the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee. Under standard Senate Democratic caucus rules, ranking members of committees are first in line to chair those same committees when their party takes the majority. By announcing a move to EPW instead, Merkley is explicitly stepping aside from the Budget Committee chairmanship, a seat that would otherwise fall to him by seniority protocol.

"I am excited to announce the plan to seek the chairmanship of EPW in the next Congress," Merkley said in a statement quoted by The Hill. The full statement was not released publicly as of the publication of this article. The Congressional Times has not independently obtained the complete text.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee holds jurisdiction over the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, surface transportation authorization, and the Environmental Protection Agency's budget and oversight. The committee last advanced major legislation during the infrastructure and climate negotiations of the early 2020s, including provisions that became part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58, signed November 2021).

Merkley, first elected to the Senate in 2008 and reelected in 2014, 2020, and 2026, has a League of Conservation Voters lifetime score of 97 percent as of the most recent published scorecard, according to LCV records. He has co-sponsored or sponsored multiple bills targeting carbon emissions, federal land protection, and clean energy investment, including the Green New Deal resolution (S.Res. 59, 116th Congress) as a co-sponsor.

The EPW Committee chairmanship last changed hands in January 2023, when Republicans took the Senate majority and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) assumed the chair. Prior to that, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) held the gavel from 2021 to 2023. Carper retired at the end of the 118th Congress.

If Democrats confirm Merkley as EPW chair through caucus vote, the Budget Committee chairmanship would go to the next Democrat in line by seniority on that panel. As of publication, the identity of that member and whether any contest for the Budget Committee chair is expected are not publicly known. The Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, which makes formal committee assignment recommendations, would need to ratify the arrangement. No vote schedule has been announced.

The expanded 55-seat majority gives Democrats more margin to staff subcommittees and move legislation with fewer Republican votes needed for procedural purposes, though a 60-vote threshold still applies to end debate on most legislation under Senate Rule XXII. Whether the incoming Democratic majority intends to pursue filibuster reform is not addressed in available public statements as of this date.

On the Republican side, EPW's ranking member in the outgoing Congress was Sen. Capito. Who will serve as ranking member in the 120th Congress has not been publicly announced by Senate Republican leadership. The Republican Conference's committee assignment process typically concludes after the new Congress is sworn in.

What remains unknown: the full text of Merkley's announcement, whether any other Democratic senator is contesting the EPW chairmanship, and what legislative priorities Merkley intends to advance if he secures the gavel. Those details would appear in Senate Democratic caucus records and any subsequent press releases from Merkley's office, which are public documents available through senate.gov.