Washington, DC – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley joined a bipartisan majority of his colleagues in supporting the confirmation of Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary.  Merkley issued the following statement on the vote:

“It is abundantly clear that our economy is in serious trouble and things will likely get worse before they get better.  We need an experienced team in place at the Treasury Department to help address the challenges we face and implement solutions to arrest our economic freefall.

 

“I support Mr. Geithner’s confirmation with reservation.  I was very troubled about the issues raised regarding his taxes and his role in spending the first $350 billion of the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

 

“However, I respect President Obama’s belief that Mr. Geithner is an important member of his economic team and I appreciate that in this time of crisis, he needs his full team in place as soon as possible.  Despite my reservations about Mr. Geithner, I do support President Obama’s vigorous efforts to restore our economy and I share his desire to do everything we can to create jobs, keep families in their homes and restore confidence in our markets.”