merkleywydenchen.jpg

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., left, chats recently with David Chen, a Portland-based venture capitalist, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., right, in Merkley's Senate office.

(Jeff Mapes/The Oregonian)

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley has formed another left-right coalition aimed at keeping the pressure on the Obama administration to continue winding down U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan.

Merkley and fellow Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden joined with moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and two of the chamber's most conservative Republicans -- Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky -- to introduce an amendment that would

of the security pact the

.

The odd-bedfellows coalition on Afghanistan is not new with Merkley. He's worked with Lee and Paul before on efforts to

from Afghanistan.

The new amendment was

. Merkley sent this tweet out about the subject on Tuesday night:

Merkley spokesman Matt McNally said the amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which is now being debated on the Senate floor, will probably be taken up after the Thanksgiving break.

The House

, so there's a good chance the administration will have to get congressional approval for whatever deal it reaches with the Afghan government.

-- Jeff Mapes