Ron Wyden
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Ronald Lee Wyden (; born May 3, 1949) is an American politician and retired educator serving as the
senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...
United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
from
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, a seat he has held since
1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
. A member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
, he served in the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
from 1981 until 1996. He is the dean of Oregon's congressional delegation and chairs the Senate Finance Committee.


Early life, education, and early career

Ronald Wyden was born in
Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...
, the son of Edith (née Rosenow) and Peter H. Wyden (originally Weidenreich, 1923–1998), both of whom were
Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
ish and had fled
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. He grew up in
Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish language, Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree kno ...
, where he played basketball for
Palo Alto High School Palo Alto Senior High School, commonly referred to locally as "Paly", is a comprehensive public high school in Palo Alto, California. Operated by the Palo Alto Unified School District, the school is one of two schools in the district, the other b ...
. He attended the
University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduate ...
, on a basketball scholarship, and later transferred to
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
, where he majored in
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
and received his
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in 1971. He received a
Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
degree from the
University of Oregon School of Law The University of Oregon School of Law is a public law school in the U.S. state of Oregon. Housed in the Knight Law Center, it is Oregon's only state funded law school. The school, founded in 1884, is located on the University of Oregon campus in ...
in 1974, but has never been a member of the Oregon State Bar. While teaching
gerontology Gerontology ( ) is the study of the social, cultural, psychological, cognitive, and biological aspects of aging. The word was coined by Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov in 1903, from the Greek , ''geron'', "old man" and , ''-logia'', "study of". The fie ...
at several Oregon universities, Wyden founded the Oregon chapter of the
Gray Panthers The Gray Panthers are a series of multi-generational local advocacy networks in the United States which confront ageism and many other social justice issues. The organization was formed by Maggie Kuhn in response to her forced retirement from the ...
, which he led from 1974 to 1980. He was also the director of the Oregon Legal Services Center for Elderly, a
nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
law service. From 1977 to 1979 he served on the Oregon State Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators.


U.S. House of Representatives

Wyden ran for the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
in 1980. In the Democratic primary, Wyden, who was just 31 at the time, upset incumbent Representative Bob Duncan in , which includes most of Portland. Later that fall, Wyden defeated his Republican opponent, Darrell Conger, with 71% of the vote. The 3rd has long been the most Democratic district in Oregon, and Wyden was reelected seven times, never with less than 70% of the vote. In the House, Wyden played an influential role in the passage of
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act Section 230 is a section of Title 47 of the United States Code that was enacted as part of the United States Communications Decency Act and generally provides immunity for website platforms with respect to third-party content. At its core, Secti ...
of 1996.


U.S. Senate


Elections


1996 Special

In January 1996, in a
special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...
to fill the Senate seat vacated by
Bob Packwood Robert William Packwood (born September 11, 1932) is an American retired lawyer and politician from Oregon and a member of the Republican Party. He resigned from the United States Senate, under threat of expulsion, in 1995 after allegations of s ...
, Wyden defeated
Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...
President
Gordon Smith Gordon Smith may refer to: In politics *Gordon H. Smith (born 1952), former U.S. Senator from Oregon, and current Area Authority for the LDS Church * Gordon Elsworth Smith (1918–2005), Canadian politician * Gordon Smith (academic) (1927–2009), ...
by just over 18,000 votes, mainly due to swamping Smith by over 89,000 votes in
Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thou ...
. Smith won the November 1996 Senate election to succeed the retiring
Mark Hatfield Mark Odom Hatfield (July 12, 1922 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served for 30 years as a United States senator from Oregon, and also as chairman of the Senate Appropr ...
, and Smith and Wyden served together until Smith's defeat in 2008 by Democrat
Jeff Merkley Jeffrey Alan Merkley (born October 24, 1956) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Oregon since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Merkley served as the 64th speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives ...
. Wyden holds the Senate seat that was once held by
Wayne Morse Wayne Lyman Morse (October 20, 1900 – July 22, 1974) was an American attorney and United States Senator from Oregon. Morse is well known for opposing his party's leadership and for his opposition to the Vietnam War on constitutional grounds. ...
, a man whom Wyden worked for in the summer of 1968 as Morse's driver, and whom Wyden calls his mentor.Meet Ron Wyden
from his official U.S. Senate website.


1998

Wyden was elected to a full term in
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
with 61% of the vote.


2004

Wyden was reelected in
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
with 64% of the vote to
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
nominee Al King's 31%.


2010

In 2010, Wyden was reelected with 57% of the vote to
Jim Huffman James L. Huffman (born March 25, 1945) is a former professor of law and the former dean of Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. He was the Republican nominee in the 2010 U.S. Senate election in Oregon, losing to incumbent Democrat Ron ...
's 39%.


2016

In 2016, Wyden was reelected with 57% of the vote to Republican nominee
Mark Callahan Mark Allen Callahan (born May 11, 1977) is an American politician and perennial candidate. He was the Republican nominee in the 2016 United States Senate election in Oregon. He is an information technology consultant based out of Portland, Oregon. ...
's 33%.


2022

In 2022, Wyden was reelected with 56% of the vote to Republican nominee
Jo Rae Perkins Jo Rae Perkins (born May 9, 1956) is an American perennial candidate who was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for both the 2020 U.S. Senate election and 2022 U.S. Senate election in Oregon. Perkins lives in Albany, Oregon, and has received n ...
's 41%.


Tenure

In June 1996, Wyden offered an amendment to the mission of the
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
that was endorsed by Transportation Secretary Federico F. Pena. In September, Wyden joined Wendell H. Ford in requesting that the FAA publicize information on the federal government's reason for not making safety data on the airlines more readily available to travelers. In late 1999, Wyden threatened a
filibuster A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking out ...
amid Senate debate over banning
physician-assisted suicide Assisted suicide is suicide undertaken with the aid of another person. The term usually refers to physician-assisted suicide (PAS), which is suicide that is assisted by a physician or other healthcare provider. Once it is determined that the p ...
. In May 2000, Wyden and Republican Representative
Bill Thomas William Marshall Thomas (born December 6, 1941) is an American politician. He was a California Republican Party, Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 2007, finishing his tenure representing California's 22 ...
announced they would collaborate on an attempt to add prescription drug benefits to Medicare that year. In January 2001, Wyden and
Chuck Schumer Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, and ...
were the only two senators on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to vote against the confirmation of
Gale Norton Gale Ann Norton (born March 11, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 48th United States Secretary of the Interior under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2006. A member of the Republican Party, she previously serve ...
as
United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natural ...
. Wyden admitted reluctance in his opposition and said he hoped that Norton would change his view of her. In February 2001, after the
U.S. Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...
's Inspector General's Office released a report on airliners providing "untimely, incomplete, or unreliable reports" on flight delays and cancellations, Wyden said the matter amounted to a "failure to communicate honestly about delays and cancellations" as well as the bumping of passengers from flights and that Congress was capable of taking action to give passengers "timely, accurate information and reasonable service." In March, Wyden stated his support for ending a federal rule requiring commercial pilots to cease flying after age 60. In April 2001, Wyden joined
Gordon H. Smith Gordon Harold Smith (born May 25, 1952) is an American politician, businessman, and academic administrator who served as a United States Senator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served two terms in the Senate from 1997 to 2009. On Septe ...
in introducing a proposal for a change in a budget resolution, saying Congress not responding at a time of layoffs was "nothing short of government malpractice." The change was adopted without dissent. In May 2001, Wyden released a letter by Inspector General Kenneth M. Mead in which he stated that airlines had admitted to him that they deliberately delayed some evening flights to accommodate late-arriving passengers who would otherwise have had to wait until the next morning without notifying passengers of the change in schedule. During an address to the International Aviation Club days later, Wyden warned that airlines that persisted in fighting modest steps like informing the public of perpetually late flights would encounter more burdensome requirements later. In January 2002, Wyden charged
Enron Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. It was founded by Kenneth Lay in 1985 as a merger between Lay's Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth, both relatively small regional companies. ...
with resorting "to a variety of legal, regulatory and accounting contortions to keep investors and the public in the dark" and called for Congress to begin an investigation into the matter. In February, he said that thousands of Oregonians had been harmed by Enron's collapse and advocated that the Senate Commerce Committee continue inquiring about Enron until they had all the facts. In March 2002, amid the Senate's inability to reach an agreement on legislation intended to overhaul American election procedures, Wyden said the bill was "not a corpse" and must not disrupt Oregon's and Washington's vote-by-mail systems. In November 2003, Wyden announced his support for the Bush administration-backed Medicare bill, touted as "the biggest expansion of Medicare since its creation in 1965." In April 2004, Wyden was among a group of senators who took to the Senate floor to endorse a permanent ban on taxes on Internet access. Wyden said the subject was "about as interesting as prolonged root-canal work" but that it was "fair to say that the decisions the Senate makes with respect to this subject will say a whole lot about the future of the Internet." In August 2004, amid Democratic opposition to the nomination of
Porter Goss Porter Johnston Goss (; born November 26, 1938) is an American politician and government official who served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1989 until 2004, when he became the last Director of Central Intelligen ...
for
Director of Central Intelligence The director of central intelligence (DCI) was the head of the American Central Intelligence Agency from 1946 to 2005, acting as the principal intelligence advisor to the president of the United States and the United States National Security C ...
, Wyden said that Democrats were aware "of what happened in the last election cycle on homeland security" and that he hoped "that Democrats aren't accused by anybody of being obstructionist just by asking tough questions." In December 2004, Wyden was one of four Democratic senators to refuse to sign "conference sheets" used by the House-Senate conference committee that was working on the 2005 intelligence authorization bill, the four objecting to a classified item in the bill that they believed the funding of which "should be expended on other intelligence programs that will make a surer and greater contribution to national security." On March 2, 2006, Wyden unveiled the Internet Nondiscrimination Act of 2006, legislation intended to prohibit network operators from charging companies "for faster delivery of their content to consumers over the internet or favoring certain content over others." He said a two-tier system "could have a chilling effect on small mom and pop businesses that can't afford the priority lane, leaving these smaller businesses no hope of competing against the Wal-Marts of the world" and that neutrality in technology allowed "small businesses to thrive on the Internet". In July 2009, President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
praised Wyden as a "real thought leader" and an ally on
health care reform Health care reform is for the most part governmental policy that affects health care delivery in a given place. Health care reform typically attempts to: * Broaden the population that receives health care coverage through either public sector insur ...
, but announced he would not support Wyden's health care plan because parts of it were too radical for the United States. Wyden characterizes himself as an "independent voice for Oregonians and the nation" and emphasizes his positions on health care reform,
national security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...
,
consumer protection Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...
, and
government transparency Open government is the governing doctrine which sustain that citizens have the right to access the documents and proceedings of the government to allow for effective public oversight. In its broadest construction, it opposes reason of state and ...
. '' On the Issues'' characterizes him as a "Hard-Core Liberal." On March 6, 2013, Wyden crossed party lines to join Republican Senator
Rand Paul Randal Howard Paul (born January 7, 1963) is an American physician and politician serving as the junior U.S. senator from Kentucky since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he is a son of former three-time presidential candidate and 12 ...
, who was engaged in a talking
filibuster A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking out ...
to block voting on the nomination of
John O. Brennan John Owen Brennan (born September 22, 1955) is a former American intelligence officer who served as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from March 2013 to January 2017. He served as chief counterterrorism advisor to U.S. Presi ...
as the Director of the
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
. Wyden questioned the use of drones, saying, "what it comes down to is every American has the right to know when their government believes that it is allowed to kill them." ''
Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...
'' reported that Wyden's ascent to chair of the Senate Finance Committee would vault him into the ranks of the chamber's most influential. He has been praised for his ability to defuse partisan tensions and encourage bipartisan cooperation. In August 2016, in response Republican presidential nominee
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
's refusal to disclose his tax returns, Wyden and
Chris Murphy Christopher Scott Murphy (born August 3, 1973) is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Connecticut since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States Hou ...
announced that they would press for consideration of Wyden's bill that if enacted would require major-party presidential nominees to disclose at least three years of tax returns and thereby authorize the Treasury Department to release Trump's returns over Trump's objections. Wyden asserted that Americans expect candidates to release their tax returns and Trump's break from tradition was "an exceptional moment where a long-standing precedent has been broken, and it presents enormous peril to the public to have this information as private." In May 2017, after Trump announced the firing of FBI Director
James Comey James Brien Comey Jr. (; born December 14, 1960) is an American lawyer who was the seventh director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2013 until his dismissal in May 2017. Comey was a registered Republican for most of his adul ...
, Wyden restated his past criticisms and said the decision to fire him amid investigation of Trump and his associate into possible Russian ties was "outrageous". Wyden advocated that Comey be called to testify in an open hearing about the investigation of Russia and Trump associates at the time his tenure was terminated. In August 2017, Wyden was one of four senators to unveil the Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2017, legislation intended to establish "thorough, yet flexible, guidelines for Federal Government procurements of connected devices." In December 2017, Wyden called for Trump to resign over allegations of sexual misconduct and said Congress should investigate the matter in the event Trump decided to remain in office. In May 2018, Wyden was one of six Democratic senators to sign a letter asking that all members of Senate be authorized to read a report from the Department of Justice underpinning the decision to not seek charges in the CIA's destruction of videotapes. In July 2018, after Trump nominated
Brett Kavanaugh Brett Michael Kavanaugh ( ; born February 12, 1965) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 9, 2018, and has served since Oc ...
to the Supreme Court, Wyden said Trump had begun "a forced march back to the days when women's health care choices were made by government" and "a direct attempt to overturn ''
Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and st ...
''." On August 1, 2018, Wyden announced his intent to put a formal hold on Treasury deputy secretary nominee
Justin Muzinich Justin George Muzinich (born November 5, 1977) is an American businessman and former Donald Trump administration official who served as the United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, from December 2018 to January 2021. Muzinich previously s ...
after his confirmation by the Senate Finance Committee. He also confirmed his support for IRS general counsel nominee Michael Desmond and criticized Treasury consideration of indexing
capital gains tax A capital gains tax (CGT) is the tax on profits realized on the sale of a non-inventory asset. The most common capital gains are realized from the sale of stocks, Bond (finance), bonds, precious metals, real estate, and property. Not all count ...
es to
inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reductio ...
as contributing extra tax savings to the wealthy along with possibly being illegal. In August 2018, after the White House barred
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
reporter
Kaitlan Collins Kaitlan Collins (born April 7, 1992) is an American journalist who served as chief White House correspondent for CNN until 2022. She currently hosts ''CNN This Morning'' alongside Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow. Previously, she was the White Hous ...
from covering an open press event after she repeatedly asked Trump about his relationship with his former attorney Michael Cohen, Wyden cosponsored a resolution urging Trump to respect the press. Committee assignments * Committee on the Budget * Committee on Finance (Chair) ** Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure ** Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight ** Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness *
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to energy and mineral resources, including nuclear development; irrigation and recla ...
* Select Committee on Intelligence *
Joint Committee On Taxation The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) is a Committee of the U.S. Congress established under the Internal Revenue Code at . Structure The Joint Committee is composed of ten Members: five from the Senate Finance Committee and five from the House W ...
(Chair) Caucus memberships *Congressional Coalition on Adoption *Congressional Fire Services Caucus *Congressional Internet Caucus * International Conservation Caucus *Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus *Senate Diabetes Caucus * Senate Economic Mobility Caucus * Senate Oceans Caucus


Political positions


Civil liberties


Abortion

Wyden supports legal abortion. Almost every year, he has maintained a 100% rating or close to it with pro-choice groups:
NARAL Pro-Choice America NARAL Pro-Choice America, commonly known as simply NARAL ( ), is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization in the United States that engages in lobbying, political action, and advocacy efforts to oppose restrictions on abortion, to expand access to ...
,
Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...
, and National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, and a 0% rating or close to it from the
National Right to Life Committee The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) is the oldest and largest national anti-abortion organization in the United States with affiliates in all 50 states and more than 3,000 local chapters nationwide. Since the 1980s, NRLC has influen ...
.


Assisted suicide

Wyden personally opposes
assisted suicide Assisted suicide is suicide undertaken with the aid of another person. The term usually refers to physician-assisted suicide (PAS), which is suicide that is assisted by a physician or other healthcare provider. Once it is determined that the p ...
and said he voted against the
Oregon Death with Dignity Act Measure 16 of 1994 established the U.S. state of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act (ORS 127.800–995), which legalizes medical aid in dying (commonly referred to as physician-assisted suicide) with certain restrictions. Passage of this initiativ ...
, first enacted in Oregon in 1997, each time it appeared on the ballot by voter referendum. Nevertheless, he successfully blocked congressional attempts to pass federal legislation to override Oregon's law. In 2000, Wyden blocked attempts in Congress to overturn the Oregon assisted-suicide law by threatening a
filibuster A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking out ...
. In 2001, he wrote to President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
urging him to not alter the law through federal executive action. In 2005, he and four other Democratic members of Oregon's congressional delegation filed an
amicus brief An ''amicus curiae'' (; ) is an individual or organization who is not a party to a legal case, but who is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. The decision on ...
in the
Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
case of ''
Gonzales v. Oregon ''Gonzales v. Oregon'', 546 U.S. 243 (2006), was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court which ruled that the United States Attorney General cannot enforce the federal Controlled Substances Act against physicians who prescribed drugs, in com ...
'' in support of the State of Oregon, and praised the eventual decision to uphold the law. In 2006, Wyden informed Senate leadership that he would block legislation overturning the Death with Dignity Act. In 2009 he said that he would continue to "fight tooth and nail" to block new federal attempts to block the law.


Guns

Wyden has been an advocate of gun control. He voted against limiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers and in favor of increasing background checks. Wyden also voted to renew the
Federal Assault Weapons Ban The Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act, popularly known as the Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB), was a subsection of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a United States federal law which include ...
. In October 2015, Wyden was one of the Senate Democrats to unveil a new
gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with on ...
campaign in the aftermath of the
Umpqua Community College shooting The Umpqua Community College shooting occurred on October 1, 2015, at the Umpqua Community College, UCC campus near Roseburg, Oregon, United States. Chris Harper-Mercer, a 26-year-old student who was enrolled at the school, fatally shot an assi ...
. Wyden said the three areas the senators were focusing on, that of increasing background check requirements, closing "loopholes" on background checks when guns are purchased at gun shows or online, and closing the "pipeline of illegal guns" by rendering
gun trafficking Arms trafficking or gunrunning is the illicit trade of contraband small arms and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations. The illegal trade of small arm ...
as a federal crime, were "common sense" and should have bipartisan support. In January 2016, Wyden was one of 18 senators to call on the appropriations committee leadership to hold a hearing on funding for gun violence research at the CDC and spoke with other Democratic senators and researchers supporting federal funding for investigation into gun violence prevention. At a March 2018 town hall, Wyden answered "Yes" when asked if he intended to pass bans on
bump stock Bump stocks or bump fire stocks are gun stocks that can be used to assist in bump firing. Bump firing is the act of using the recoil of a semi-automatic firearm to fire ammunition cartridges in rapid succession. The legality of bump stocks in ...
s and assault rifles. He expressed optimism about the chances of passing national gun legislation, noting that legislation passed in Florida in the wake of the
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting On February 14, 2018, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the Miami suburban town of Parkland, Florida, murdering 17 people and injuring 17 others. Cruz, a former student at t ...
was strong enough to warrant lawsuit by the NRA. In July, Wyden confirmed he had joined other senators in introducing legislation intended to ensure gun dealers were not engaging in illegal sales and bestowing the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as the ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and preven ...
with clear enforcement mechanisms. He said gun violence "demands real action by Congress" and the legislation "takes a long-overdue critical step in the right direction, holding gun dealers accountable for illegal sales, reducing the number of guns that fall into the wrong hands."


LGBT rights

In late 1995, Wyden became the first U.S. Senate candidate (and then senator) to publicly support
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
. He was one of just 14 senators to vote against the
Defense of Marriage Act The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was a United States federal law passed by the 104th United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. It banned federal recognition of same-sex marriage by limiting the definition of marr ...
in 1996. He has voted against the proposed
Federal Marriage Amendment The Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA), also referred to by proponents as the Marriage Protection Amendment, was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would legally define marriage as a union of one man and one woman. The FMA ...
, which would have proposed an amendment to the Constitution to bar recognition of same-sex marriages. Despite undergoing tests in advance of
prostate The prostate is both an Male accessory gland, accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found only in some mammals. It differs between species anatomically, ...
surgery scheduled two days later, Wyden appeared in the Senate chamber in December 2010 to vote for the
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 The Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 (, ) is a landmark United States federal statute enacted in December 2010 that established a process for ending the "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy (), thus allowing gay, lesbian, and bisexu ...
. In May 2017, Wyden was one of 46 senators to introduce the Equality Act of 2017, described by Representative
David Cicilline David Nicola Cicilline (; born July 15, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 36th mayor of Providence from 2003 to 2011, the first openly ...
as ensuring "that every LGBT person can live their lives free from the fear of discrimination. Above all, it’s about honoring the values that have guided our nation since its founding. It’s critical that Congress pass the Equality Act into law." In October 2018, Wyden was one of 20 senators to sign a letter to Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo Michael Richard Pompeo (; born December 30, 1963) is an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served under President Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2017 to 2018 and as the 70th United State ...
urging him to reverse the rollback of a policy that granted visas to same-sex partners of
LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...
diplomats who had unions not recognized by their home countries, writing that too many places around the world have seen LGBTQ individuals "subjected to discrimination and unspeakable violence, and receive little or no protection from the law or local authorities" and that the US refusing to let LGBTQ diplomats bring their partners to the US would be equivalent of America upholding "the discriminatory policies of many countries around the world."


National language

In June 2007, Wyden was among the minority of Democrats to vote in favor of declaring
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
the official language of the United States.


Net neutrality

In September 2017, Wyden was one of nine senators to sign a letter to
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
Chairman
Ajit Pai Ajit Varadaraj Pai (; born January 10, 1973) is an American lawyer who served as chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2017 to 2021. He has been a partner at the private-equity firm Searchlight Capital since April 20 ...
that charged the FCC with failing "to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to comment on the tens of thousands of filed complaints that directly shed light on proposed changes to existing net neutrality protections." In March 2018, Wyden was one of 10 senators to sign a letter spearheaded by
Jeff Merkley Jeffrey Alan Merkley (born October 24, 1956) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Oregon since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Merkley served as the 64th speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives ...
lambasting a proposal by Pai that would curb the scope of benefits from the Lifeline program during a period where roughly 6.5 million people in poor communities relied on Lifeline to receive access to high-speed Internet, writing that it was Pai's "obligation to the American public, as the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, to improve the Lifeline program and ensure that more Americans can afford access, and have means of access, to broadband and phone service." The senators also advocated for insuring "Lifeline reaches more Americans in need of access to communication services."


Patriot Act

Wyden joined the Senate Intelligence Committee in January 2001, and voted for the
Patriot Act The USA PATRIOT Act (commonly known as the Patriot Act) was a landmark Act of the United States Congress, signed into law by President George W. Bush. The formal name of the statute is the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropr ...
following 9/11. In 2006, he was one of 10 senators to vote against reauthorizing the Patriot Act. In 2011, with the expiration of the Patriot Act approaching and efforts to reauthorize it intensifying, Wyden and Merkley sharply criticized the rush to pass the bill. Wyden said on the Senate floor, "The Patriot Act was passed a decade ago during a period of understandable fear. Now is the time to revisit this, revisit it and ensure that a better job is done of striking that balance between fighting terror and protecting individual liberty." Wyden and Merkley expressed particular concern about a provision of current law allowing law enforcement authorities to collect "a vast array of business records, emails, phone numbers, ndeven DNA from anyone deemed 'relevant' to an investigation." Wyden offered an amendment to reform the "business-records provision" of the Patriot Act, which he views as being used in an abusive and secret way. In a Senate speech two days later, Wyden sharply criticized the use of Patriot Act, saying: "The fact is that anyone can read the plain text of the Patriot Act, and yet many members of Congress have no idea how the law is being secretly interpreted by the executive branch, because that interpretation is classified. It's almost as if there were two Patriot Acts, and many members of Congress have not read the one that matters. Our constituents, of course, are totally in the dark. Members of the public have no access to the secret legal interpretations, so they have no idea what their government believes the law actually means. In an interview for the January 2013 documentary '' Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield'', Wyden was asked about legal reviews and the scope of potential assassinations (or "targeted killings") of American citizens by their government, and responded, "the American people would be extraordinarily surprised if they could see the difference between what they believe a law says and how it has actually been interpreted in secret", but that he "is not permitted" to disclose the difference publicly. Per a 2013 ''Washington Post'' article, Wyden's concerns "stemmed from top-secret information he had learned as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee", a position he'd held for a dozen years by 2013, but he was "bound by secrecy rules." On March 12, 2013, during a
United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence The United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (sometimes referred to as the Intelligence Committee or SSCI) is dedicated to overseeing the United States Intelligence Community—the agencies and bureaus of the federal government of ...
hearing, Wyden quoted NSA director
Keith B. Alexander Keith Brian Alexander (born December 2, 1951) is a retired four-star general of the United States Army, who served as director of the National Security Agency, chief of the Central Security Service, and commander of the United States Cyber Comma ...
's keynote speech at the 2012
DEF CON DEF CON (also written as DEFCON, Defcon or DC) is a hacker convention held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first DEF CON took place in June 1993 and today many attendees at DEF CON include computer security professionals, journalists, lawyer ...
. Alexander had said that "Our job is foreign intelligence" and that "those who would want to weave the story that we have millions or hundreds of millions of dossiers on people, is absolutely false.... From my perspective, this is absolute nonsense." Wyden then asked
James Clapper James Robert Clapper Jr. (born March 14, 1941) is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Air Force and former Director of National Intelligence. Clapper has held several key positions within the United States Intelligence Community. H ...
, "Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?" He responded, "No, sir." Wyden asked, "It does not?" and Clapper said, "Not wittingly. There are cases where they could inadvertently, perhaps, collect, but not wittingly."Greenberg, Andy.
Watch Top U.S. Intelligence Officials Repeatedly Deny NSA Spying On Americans Over The Last Year (Videos)
" ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
''. June 6, 2013. Retrieved on June 11, 2013. "Eight months later, Senator Ron Wyden quoted ..
When
Edward Snowden Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983) is an American and naturalized Russian former computer intelligence consultant who leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013, when he was an employee and su ...
was asked during a 2014 television interview what the decisive moment was or what caused him to whistle-blow, he replied: "Sort of the breaking point was seeing the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, directly lie under oath to Congress. ... Seeing that really meant for me there was no going back." Following news of Snowden's leaks in early June 2013, Wyden noted on June 11 that Clapper's office had been provided with the question a day in advance of the hearing and was given the opportunity following Clapper's testimony to amend his response. In February 2019, Wyden was one of 38 senators to sign a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman
Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee ...
calling on him to "hold a hearing" on universal background checks and noting Graham's statement that he "intended to have the Committee work on ‘red flag’ legislation and potentially also background checks, both actions" the senators supported.


Defense and foreign policy

On November 10, 2005, Wyden was one of five Senate Democrats who joined 44 Republicans in voting for Amendment no. 2516, brought to the floor by Republican senator
Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee ...
, which ruled that
enemy combatant Enemy combatant is a person who, either lawfully or unlawfully, engages in hostilities for the other side in an armed conflict. Usually enemy combatants are members of the armed forces of the state with which another state is at war. In the case ...
s did not have the right to
Habeas Corpus ''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a recourse in law through which a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment to a court and request that the court order the custodian of the person, usually a prison official, t ...
.


Cybersecurity

In September 2018, Wyden was one of five senators to sign a letter to
United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...
Mike Pompeo Michael Richard Pompeo (; born December 30, 1963) is an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served under President Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2017 to 2018 and as the 70th United State ...
urging him to employ more multifactor authentication measures in order to secure the State Department's information systems and seeking answers on how the department would boost its security after the
Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...
designated the department's cyber-readiness as "high risk" as well as what the department would do to address the lack of multifactor authentication required by law and for statistics detailing the department's cyber incidents over the preceding three years. In December 2020, in light of the
2020 United States federal government data breach In 2020, a major cyberattack suspected to have been committed by a group backed by the Russian government penetrated thousands of organizations globally including multiple parts of the United States federal government, leading to a series of ...
, Wyden renewed calls for the introduction of mandatory security reviews for software used by federal agencies.


Iran

In 2007 Wyden and Representative
Gabby Giffords Gabrielle Dee Giffords (born June 8, 1970) is an American retired politician and gun control advocate who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing from January 2007 until January 2012, when she resigned ...
sponsored the Stop Arming Iran Act, which would have barred the Defense Department from selling surplus
F-14 The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the ...
parts and prohibited buyers who had already acquired surplus Tomcat parts from exporting them in order to prevent
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
from acquiring the parts. In July 2017, Wyden voted for the
Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) is a United States federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The bill was passed by the Senate on July 27, 2017, 98–2, after it passed the House 419 ...
that placed
sanctions on Iran There have been a number of sanctions against Iran imposed by a number of countries, especially the United States, and international entities. Iran was the most sanctioned country in the world until it was surpassed by Russia following its inva ...
,
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
and
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
.


Iraq

Wyden was one of 23 senators to vote against the authorization of military force in Iraq in 2002. In 2003, he voted to bar excessive overseas deployments of members of the
National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...
and Reserves. In 2006, Wyden was one of 13 senators to vote to require the redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq by July 2007, and one of 39 senators to vote to call on President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
to begin withdrawing forces from Iraq and establish a timeline for withdrawal. Wyden also voted many other times for withdrawal of combat forces from Iraq, against funding for the war without binding timelines, and against the establishment of permanent military bases in Iraq. He also opposed President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
's plan for a "troop surge" in Afghanistan in 2009.


Israel

In September 2016, in advance of a UN Security Council resolution 2334 condemning
Israeli settlement Israeli settlements, or Israeli colonies, are civilian communities inhabited by Israeli citizens, overwhelmingly of Jewish ethnicity, built on lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. The international community considers Israeli se ...
s in the occupied
Palestinian territories The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The I ...
, Wyden signed an AIPAC-sponsored letter urging Obama to veto "one-sided" resolutions against Israel. In May 2017, Wyden co-sponsored the
Israel Anti-Boycott Act The Israel Anti-Boycott Act (IABA) (; ) was a proposed anti-BDS law and amendment to the Export Administration Act of 1979 designed to allow U.S. states to enact laws requiring contractors to sign pledges promising not to boycott any goods from I ...
, Senate Bill 720, which made it a federal crime, punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, for Americans to encourage or participate in boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories if protesting actions by the Israeli government. The bill would make it legal for U.S. states to refuse to do business with contractors that engage in boycotts against Israel.


Libya

In 2011, Wyden supported the
no-fly zone A no-fly zone, also known as a no-flight zone (NFZ), or air exclusion zone (AEZ), is a territory or area established by a military power over which certain aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in an enemy power's te ...
and
military intervention in Libya On 19 March 2011, a multi-state NATO-led coalition began a military intervention in Libya, to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, in response to events during the First Libyan Civil War. With ten votes in favour and five ...
in order to protect civilians, saying, "The violence of Colonel uammarGaddafi against his own people is a humanitarian crisis. I support the international effort to protect the civilians of Libya." Wyden also stressed that his support was not unlimited and that he expected that the military action would be completed quickly. Along with Obama and Senator Merkley, Wyden agreed that U.S. forces should not be on the ground in Libya.


Myanmar

Wyden condemned the
genocide Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Latin ...
of the Rohingya Muslim minority in
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
and called for a stronger response to the crisis.


Russia

In December 2010, Wyden voted for the ratification of
New START New START (Russian abbrev.: СНВ-III, ''SNV-III'' from ''сокращение стратегических наступательных вооружений'' "reduction of strategic offensive arms") is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between ...
, a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the U.S. and the
Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
obliging both countries to have no more than 1,550 strategic warheads and 700 launchers deployed during the next seven years along with providing a continuation of on-site inspections that halted when
START I START I (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) was a bilateral treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union on the reduction and the limitation of strategic offensive arms. The treaty was signed on 31 July 1991 and entered into force on 5 De ...
expired the previous year. It was the first arms treaty with Russia in eight years. In December 2018, after
United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...
Mike Pompeo Michael Richard Pompeo (; born December 30, 1963) is an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served under President Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2017 to 2018 and as the 70th United State ...
announced the
Trump administration Donald Trump's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican Party ...
was suspending its obligations in the
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty, formally the Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles; / ДРСМ ...
in 60 days in the event that Russia continued to violate the treaty, Wyden was one of 26 senators to sign a letter expressing concern that the administration was "abandoning generations of bipartisan U.S. leadership around the paired goals of reducing the global role and number of nuclear weapons and ensuring strategic stability with America's nuclear-armed adversaries" and calling on Trump to continue arms negotiations.


Saudi Arabia

In March 2018, Wyden voted against tabling a resolution spearheaded by
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
,
Chris Murphy Christopher Scott Murphy (born August 3, 1973) is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Connecticut since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States Hou ...
, and
Mike Lee Michael Shumway Lee (born June 4, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Utah, a seat he has held since 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. Lee began his career as a clerk for the U ...
that would have required Trump to withdraw American troops either in or influencing
Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
within the next 30 days unless they were combating
Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
.


Syria

Wyden's office has questioned the CIA-led
Timber Sycamore Timber Sycamore was a classified weapons supply and training program run by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and supported by some Arab intelligence services, including Saudi intelligence. Launched in 2012 or 2013, it supplied ...
covert operation to train and arm
Syrian rebels A number of states and armed groups have involved themselves in the ongoing Syrian Civil War as belligerents. Syrian Arab Republic and allies A number of sources have emphasized that as of at least late-2015/early-2016 the Syrian Arab Republic ...
, releasing a statement that "the US is trying to build up the battlefield capabilities of the anti-Assad opposition, but they haven't provided the public with details about how this is being done, which US agencies are involved, or which foreign partners those agencies are working with."


Disaster relief

In March 2019, Wyden was one of 11 senators to sign a letter to congressional leaders urging them to "bring legislation providing disaster supplemental appropriations to your respective floors for consideration immediately" after noting that the previous year had seen 124 federal disaster declarations approved for states, territories, and tribal nations.


Drug policy

In December 2018, Wyden was one of 21 senators to sign a letter to FDA Commissioner
Scott Gottlieb Scott Gottlieb (born June 11, 1972) is an American physician and investor who served as the 23rd commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from May 2017 until April 2019. He is presently a senior fellow at the conservative think tan ...
stating their approval of the agency's actions to hinder youth access to
e-cigarette An electronic cigarette is an electronic device that simulates tobacco smoking. It consists of an atomizer, a power source such as a battery, and a container such as a cartridge or tank. Instead of smoke, the user inhales vapor. As such ...
s and urging the FDA "to take additional, stronger steps to prevent and reduce e-cigarette use among youth". Wyden has supported efforts to legalize cannabis at the federal level, cosponsoring the Marijuana Justice Act in 2017 and the
Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, also known as the MORE Act, is a proposed piece of U.S. federal legislation that would deschedule cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and enact various criminal and social jus ...
in 2019. He also introduced Senate Bill
420 420 may refer to: * 420 (number) * 420 (cannabis culture), informal reference to cannabis use and celebrations on April 20 **California Senate Bill 420 or the Medical Marijuana Program Act *AD 420, a year in the 5th century of the Julian calendar * ...
in 2019 to remove cannabis from the
Controlled Substances Act The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is the statute establishing federal government of the United States, federal drug policy of the United States, U.S. drug policy under which the manufacture, importation, possession, use, and distribution of ...
and tax it similarly to alcohol.


Education

In June 2017, Wyden,
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as a ...
,
Mike Lee Michael Shumway Lee (born June 4, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Utah, a seat he has held since 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. Lee began his career as a clerk for the U ...
, and
Tim Scott Timothy Eugene Scott (born September 19, 1965) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from South Carolina since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Scott was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Go ...
introduced legislation allowing graduate students to allocate money from stipends and fellowships into tax-deferred
individual retirement account An individual retirement account (IRA) in the United States is a form of pension provided by many financial institutions that provides tax advantages for retirement savings. It is a trust that holds investment assets purchased with a taxpayer's ear ...
s (IRAs).


Health care

In 2009, Wyden sponsored the
Healthy Americans Act The Healthy Americans Act (HAA), also known as the Wyden-Bennett Act, is a Senate bill that had proposed to improve health care in the United States, with changes that included the establishment of universal health care. It would transition a ...
, an act that would institute a national system of market-based private insurance.
Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
interests attacked him for advocating replacement of the employer tax exclusion with a tax deduction that would apply to all Americans. Wyden supported increasing Medicare funding, enrolling more of the uninsured in federal programs (although his
Healthy Americans Act The Healthy Americans Act (HAA), also known as the Wyden-Bennett Act, is a Senate bill that had proposed to improve health care in the United States, with changes that included the establishment of universal health care. It would transition a ...
would eliminate many of these programs including Medicaid and SCHIP and replace them with private insurance), importing lower priced prescriptions from Canada, and negotiating bulk drug purchases for Medicare in order to lower costs. In 2003, Wyden joined Senators
Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee ...
and
Trent Lott Chester Trent Lott Sr. (born October 9, 1941) is an American lawyer, author, and politician. A former United States Senator from Mississippi, Lott served in numerous leadership positions in both the United States House of Representatives and the ...
to help pass the Bush administration's
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, also called the Medicare Modernization Act or MMA, is a federal law of the United States, enacted in 2003. It produced the largest overhaul of Medicare in the public health progr ...
. The Bush administration is alleged to have forced officials to hide its true cost, which was triple its original claim. The bill has been criticized as favoring pharmaceutical companies, as it prohibits the federal government from negotiating prescription drug rates. Not long after
Tom Daschle Thomas Andrew Daschle ( ; born December 9, 1947) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States senator from South Dakota from 1987 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he became U.S. Senate Minority Leader in 1995 an ...
's withdrawal as Obama's nominee for
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...
due to a scandal over his failure to pay taxes, ''
The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...
'' reported that Wyden was being touted by many health care experts as a likely candidate for secretary-designate. Although Obama chose
Kansas Governor The governor of Kansas is the head of state of KansasKS Const. art. I, § 3. and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Kan ...
Kathleen Sebelius Kathleen Sebelius (; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American businesswoman and politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of Health and Human Services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebeli ...
instead, Wyden took advantage of the interim to reintroduce his Healthy Americans Act, with additional co-sponsorship from fellow Oregonian Democratic senator
Jeff Merkley Jeffrey Alan Merkley (born October 24, 1956) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Oregon since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Merkley served as the 64th speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives ...
and Republican senators
Lamar Alexander Andrew Lamar Alexander Jr. (born July 3, 1940) is a retired American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 2003 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he also was the 45th governor of Tennessee fro ...
and Bob Bennett. In late 2011 and early 2012, Wyden attracted attention for working with GOP House Budget Committee Chair
Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member o ...
to develop a Medicare reform plan that would result in semi-privatization of the system, provoking a negative response from his Democratic allies, including Obama. The proposal would have kept traditional Medicare as an option, but would also have introduced private health insurance companies into an exchange in which they would offer competing plans to be paid for with government vouchers. In March 2018, Wyden and Representative
Frank Pallone Frank Joseph Pallone Jr. (; born October 30, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving since 1988. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 3rd district from 1988 to 1 ...
sent a letter to Comptroller General of the United States
Gene Dodaro Eugene Louis Dodaro (born May 7, 1951) is the Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). From October 1, 2000, until March 12, 2008, he was the chief operating officer (COO) of the GAO an ...
calling for an investigation of eligibility requirements of Medicaid programs, writing, "If CMS continues to approve work requirements and other restrictions on Medicaid, the consequences could be severe for federal spending and the sustainability of the Medicaid program" and that the public "should have complete information about the consequences of proposed Section 1115 waivers to ensure limited taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently, appropriately, and towards the goal of promoting, not obstructing, access to health care." In December 2018, Wyden was one of 42 senators to sign a letter to Trump administration officials
Alex Azar Alex Michael Azar II (; born June 17, 1967) is an American attorney, businessman, lobbyist, and former pharmaceutical executive who served as the United States secretary of health and human services from 2018 to 2021. Azar was nominated to his p ...
,
Seema Verma Seema Verma (born September 26, 1970) is an American health policy consultant and former administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the Donald Trump administration. During her tenure, she was involved in efforts to repeal ...
, and Steve Mnuchin arguing that the administration was improperly using Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act to authorize states to "increase health care costs for millions of consumers while weakening protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions." The senators requested the administration withdraw the policy and "re-engage with stakeholders, states, and Congress." In January 2019, during the 2018–19 United States federal government shutdown, Wyden was one of 34 senators to sign a letter to
Commissioner of Food and Drugs The United States Commissioner of Food and Drugs is the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The commissioner is appointed by the president of the United States an ...
Scott Gottlieb Scott Gottlieb (born June 11, 1972) is an American physician and investor who served as the 23rd commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from May 2017 until April 2019. He is presently a senior fellow at the conservative think tan ...
recognizing the FDA's efforts to address the shutdown's effect on public health and employees while remaining alarmed "that the continued shutdown will result in increasingly harmful effects on the agency’s employees and the safety and security of the nation’s food and medical products."


Immigration

In November 2018, Wyden was one of 11 senators to sign a letter to then-
United States Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The s ...
James Mattis James Norman Mattis (born September 8, 1950) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 26th US secretary of defense from 2017 to 2019. During his 44 years in the Marine Corps, he commanded forces in the Persian ...
about "the overt politicization of the military" with the
Trump administration Donald Trump's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican Party ...
's deployment of 5,800 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and requesting a briefing and written justification from the U.S. Northern Command for troop deployment while urging Mattis to "curb the unprecedented escalation of DOD involvement in immigration enforcement." In January 2019, Wyden was one of 20 senators to sponsor the Dreamer Confidentiality Act, a bill that would ban the
Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...
(DHS) from passing information collected on
DACA Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, colloquially referred to as DACA, is a United States immigration policy that allows some individuals with unlawful presence in the United States after being brought to the country as children to receive a ...
recipients to
Immigration and Customs Enforcement The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration tha ...
(ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the
Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...
, or any other law enforcement agency with exceptions in the case of fraudulent claims, national security issues, or non-immigration related felonies being investigated. In the past, Wyden voted to continue federal funds for declared "
sanctuary cities Sanctuary city (; ) refers to municipal jurisdictions, typically in North America, that limit their cooperation with the national government's effort to enforce immigration law. Leaders of sanctuary cities say they want to reduce fear of deport ...
" and to declare English as the official language of the U.S. government.


Science and environment

Wyden voted for the
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act was the name of two similar bills that both passed through the United States House of Representatives and Senate, but were both vetoed by President George W. Bush and were not enacted into law. Stem Cell Resea ...
of 2005, which would change federal law to allow federal money to fund embryonic stem-cell research, ending a federal ban. He urged President Bush to sign it, saying, "I see no reason why embryonic stem-cell research should be treated any differently than other research" in terms of federal grant funding. Bush vetoed the act twice. In 2007, Wyden and Senator
Gordon Smith Gordon Smith may refer to: In politics *Gordon H. Smith (born 1952), former U.S. Senator from Oregon, and current Area Authority for the LDS Church * Gordon Elsworth Smith (1918–2005), Canadian politician * Gordon Smith (academic) (1927–2009), ...
again supported the bill. Wyden is a supporter of environmental protection measures, and was among the minority of senators to vote against confirming the appointment of
Gale Norton Gale Ann Norton (born March 11, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 48th United States Secretary of the Interior under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2006. A member of the Republican Party, she previously serve ...
as
Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to: * Secretary of the Interior (Mexico) * Interior Secretary of Pakistan * Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines) * United States Secretary of the Interior See also

*Interior ministry ...
. In May 2007, he also opposed the appointment of Lyle Laverty as assistant interior secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, this time on ethical grounds.


Climate change

On April 6, 2011, Wyden voted against limiting the EPA's ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. On March 22, 2013, he voted against
concurrent resolution A concurrent resolution is a resolution (a legislative measure) adopted by both houses of a bicameral legislature that lacks the force of law (is non-binding) and does not require the approval of the chief executive (president). Concurrent resoluti ...
creating a point of order that would make it harder for Congress to put a price on carbon. In November 2015, he voted in support of the Obama administration's
Clean Power Plan The Clean Power Plan was an Obama administration policy aimed at combating anthropogenic climate change (global warming) that was first proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 2014. The final version of the plan was unveil ...
. In May 2014, in response to the
National Climate Assessment The National Climate Assessment (NCA) is a United States government interagency ongoing effort on climate change science conducted under the auspices of the Global Change Research Act of 1990. The NCA is a major product of the U.S. Global Change Re ...
, Wyden said that the "report adds to the ever-growing body of scientific evidence and on-the-ground proof that the effects of climate change are already being felt in every region of the United States". In June 2014, he said that "climate change is the most important environmental challenge of our time". In October 2017, Wyden was one of 19 senators to sign a letter to
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is the head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and is thus responsible for enforcing the nation's Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, as well as numerous other enviro ...
Scott Pruitt Edward Scott Pruitt (born May 9, 1968) is an American lawyer, lobbyist and Republican politician from the state of Oklahoma. He served as the fourteenth Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from February 17, 2017, to July ...
questioning Pruitt's decision to repeal the
Clean Power Plan The Clean Power Plan was an Obama administration policy aimed at combating anthropogenic climate change (global warming) that was first proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 2014. The final version of the plan was unveil ...
, asserting that the repeal's proposal used "mathematical sleights of hand to over-state the costs of industry compliance with the 2015 Rule and understate the benefits that will be lost if the 2017 repeal is finalized" and that denying science and fabricating math would fail to "satisfy the requirements of the law, nor will it slow the increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, the inexorable rise in sea levels, or the other dire effects of global warming that our planet is already experiencing." In November 2018, Wyden was one of 25 Democratic senators to cosponsor a resolution specifying key findings of the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change report and National Climate Assessment. The resolution affirmed the senators' acceptance of the findings and their support for bold action toward addressing climate change.


Tax policy

Wyden is critical of the
estate tax An inheritance tax is a tax paid by a person who inherits money or property of a person who has died, whereas an estate tax is a levy on the estate (money and property) of a person who has died. International tax law distinguishes between an es ...
, which he feels is inefficient, and has voted repeatedly to abolish it. He co-authored the
Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act The Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act, , is the current U.S. federal law that bans Internet taxes in the United States. Signed into law on December 3, 2004, by George W. Bush, it extended until 2007 the then-current moratorium on new and discri ...
, which bans
Internet taxes Internet tax is a tax on Internet-based services. A number of jurisdictions have introduced an Internet tax and others are considering doing so mainly as a result of successful tax avoidance by multinational corporations that operate within the digi ...
in the United States. He has also voted with Republicans to lower the
capital gains tax A capital gains tax (CGT) is the tax on profits realized on the sale of a non-inventory asset. The most common capital gains are realized from the sale of stocks, Bond (finance), bonds, precious metals, real estate, and property. Not all count ...
, to encourage the study of the
flat tax A flat tax (short for flat-rate tax) is a tax with a single rate on the taxable amount, after accounting for any deductions or exemptions from the tax base. It is not necessarily a fully proportional tax. Implementations are often progressiv ...
, and to require a 3/5 majority to raise taxes. Wyden voted against the
Bush tax cuts The phrase Bush tax cuts refers to changes to the United States tax code passed originally during the presidency of George W. Bush and extended during the presidency of Barack Obama, through: * Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act o ...
passed in 2001 and 2003. He has also voted against the
balanced budget amendment A balanced budget amendment is a constitutional rule requiring that a state cannot spend more than its income. It requires a balance between the projected receipts and expenditures of the government. Balanced-budget provisions have been added t ...
. Wyden supports lower corporate taxes and was generally supportive of the draft proposal for deficit reduction released by the chairs of the
National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (often called Simpson–Bowles or Bowles–Simpson from the names of co-chairs Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles; or NCFRR) was a bipartisan Presidential Commission on deficit reduction, ...
in November 2010. Len Burman of the
Tax Policy Center The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, typically shortened to the Tax Policy Center (TPC), is a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington D.C. A joint venture of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, it aims to provide independent a ...
has praised Wyden as a legislator who "has worked tirelessly to try to advance the cause of tax reform,
espite having Espite is a civil parish in the municipality of Ourém Ourém (), formerly known as Vila Nova de Ourém, is a municipality in the district of Santarém in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 45,932, in an area of 416.68 km2. The municipali ...
few allies in this quest." In May 2016, Wyden introduced the Presidential Tax Transparency Act, legislation requiring sitting presidents and presidential nominees to release their tax returns publicly. Wyden reintroduced the legislation in January 2019, saying in a statement, "Trump blew off a 40-year, bipartisan, pro-transparency tradition by refusing to release his tax returns—a tradition that dates all the way back to Watergate. It’s not just a matter of the president destroying a good-government campaign tradition." He called the legislation "the one-two punch needed to keep the Trump administration from stonewalling congressional oversight efforts, and ensure public transparency if Trump's tax returns get tied up in court." In January 2019, during the 2018–19 United States federal government shutdown, Wyden sent a letter to
United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...
Steven Mnuchin Steven Terner Mnuchin ( ; born December 21, 1962) is an American investment banker and film producer who served as the 77th United States secretary of the treasury as part of the Cabinet of Donald Trump from 2017 to 2021. Serving for a full pres ...
and
Commissioner of Internal Revenue The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is the head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), an agency within the United States Department of the Treasury. The office of Commissioner was created by Congress as part of the Revenue Act of 1862. Section ...
Charles P. Rettig Charles Paul Rettig (born November 18, 1956) is an American attorney who served as the United States Commissioner of Internal Revenue, the head of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS). On September 12, 2018, the United States Senate confirmed ...
questioning the possible "increased risk of taxpayer ID theft" in the event the lRS attempted to "maintain normal operations" during the shutdown and related concerns of his constituents "that there may be no resolution in sight". In February 2019, Wyden,
Roy Blunt Roy Dean Blunt (born January 10, 1950) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator for Missouri, a seat he was first elected to in 2010. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 33rd Missouri Sec ...
, and
Tammy Baldwin Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin (born February 11, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Wisconsin since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms in the Wisconsin Stat ...
led nine other senators in sponsoring the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act, legislation imposing a reduction in
excise tax file:Lincoln Beer Stamp 1871.JPG, upright=1.2, 1871 U.S. Revenue stamp for 1/6 barrel of beer. Brewers would receive the stamp sheets, cut them into individual stamps, cancel them, and paste them over the Bunghole, bung of the beer barrel so when ...
es, compliance burdens, and regulations for brewers, cider makers, vintners, and distillers as part of an attempt to ensure the continued growth of the craft beverage industry.


Technology

On November 19, 2010, Wyden announced he would take the steps necessary to put a hold on The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) so it would not be enacted that year. If it were enacted, it would allow the
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
the authority to order internet providers in the U.S. to block access to websites deemed to infringe copyright. This effectively required the law to be resubmitted the next year rather than be rushed through the system at the end of the congress. Wyden said:
It seems to me that online copyright infringement is a legitimate problem, but it seems to me that COICA as written is the wrong medicine. Deploying this statute to combat online copyright infringement seems almost like using a bunker-busting cluster bomb when what you really need is a precision-guided missile. The collateral damage of this statute could be American innovation, American jobs, and a secure Internet.
In June 2011, Wyden announced his Geolocation Privacy and Surveillance Act in partnership with Representative
Jason Chaffetz Jason E. Chaffetz (; born March 26, 1967) is an American retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 until his resignation in 2017. He chaired the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2015 until 2017. Ch ...
. The bill would establish a legal framework for the sharing and access of private tracking data by corporations, individuals, and federal agencies. Wyden was the first politician in Congress to stand against the controversial
Stop Online Piracy Act The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was a controversial proposed United States congressional bill to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to combat online copyright infringement and online trafficking in counterfeit goods. Introduced on Oc ...
(SOPA) (in the House) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) (in the Senate) on the grounds that it would "step towards an Internet in which those with money and lawyers and access to power have a greater voice than those who don't." Wyden delayed PIPA in the Senate by placing a
hold Hold may refer to: Physical spaces * Hold (ship), interior cargo space * Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane * Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place Arts, entertainment, and media * Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Fermat ...
on the legislation in 2010, which prevented it from being considered by the full Senate even after it was unanimously voted out of the
Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations, a ...
. Wyden's hold was credited with " ving time for the Internet to rally against" SOPA and PIPA. With Representative
Darrell Issa Darrell Edward Issa ( ; born November 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for California's 50th congressional district since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served i ...
in the House, Wyden also introduced the
Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act The Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN Act) is a bill introduced in the United States Congress proposed as an alternative to the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act, by Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, a Democrat, ...
as an alternative to SOPA and PIPA.
Ezra Klein Ezra Klein (born May 10, 1984) is an American journalist, political analyst, ''New York Times'' columnist, and the host of ''The Ezra Klein Show'' podcast. He is a co-founder of '' Vox'' and formerly served as the website's editor-at-large. He ha ...
wrote: "Perhaps no single member of Congress deserves as much credit for slowing the advance" of the bills than Wyden, who for much of 2010 "fought a one-man battle to keep the Senate version of the legislation from moving through on a unanimous vote." Wyden was called the "primary driver of opposition to the bill within the Senate." When Senate leadership announced it was indefinitely postponing the bill following "massive protests" in January 2012, Wyden called it a "grassroots victory for the history books." For his role in fighting against SOPA and PIPA, ''
The Daily Dot ''The Daily Dot'' is a digital media company covering the culture of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Founded by Nicholas White in 2011, ''The Daily Dot'' is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The site, conceived as the Internet's "hometown ...
'' named Wyden one of the top ten most influential activists of 2012.


Algorithmic Accountability Act

On April 10, 2019, Wyden, Senator
Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Booker is the first African-American U.S. sena ...
, and Representative
Yvette Clarke Yvette Diane Clarke (born November 21, 1964) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 9th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she first entered Congress in 2007, representing New ...
introduced the Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2019, legislation granting additional powers to the
U.S. Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction o ...
(FTC) in addition to forcing companies to study whether race, gender or other biases influence their technology. Wyden said in a statement that computers were "increasingly involved in the most important decisions affecting Americans’ lives" and that too frequently "algorithms depend on biased assumptions or data that can actually reinforce discrimination against women and people of color."


Mind Your Own Business Act

In October 2019, Wyden proposed The Mind Your Own Business Act to allow the FTC to issue penalties for first-time privacy violators of up to 4% of annual revenue, like the European regulation
GDPR The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European Union regulation on data protection and privacy in the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA). The GDPR is an important component of EU privacy law and of human rights law, in partic ...
.


Trade and business


Bailouts

During the global
financial crisis of 2007-2010 Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of finan ...
, Wyden voted against the
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, often called the "bank bailout of 2008", was proposed by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, passed by the 110th United States Congress, and signed into law by President George W. Bush. It became ...
backed by the
George W. Bush administration George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following a narrow victory over Democratic ...
. He did not vote on the automobile industry bailout, but said he would have voted for
cloture Cloture (, also ), closure or, informally, a guillotine, is a motion or process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end. The cloture procedure originated in the French National Assembly, from which the name is taken. ...
if he had been present. Wyden added, "While I continue to have concerns about ensuring that taxpayers are protected if this loan is to occur, I believe that if the President can unwisely provide $750 billion of taxpayer money for the investment banks who took horribly unacceptable risks and helped trigger an economic collapse, we certainly have a duty to attempt to preserve a cornerstone domestic industry and the jobs of hundreds of thousands of working people whose personal actions are in no way responsible for the current economic crisis." In early January 2009, Wyden was among several moderate Democratic senators who criticized President-elect
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
's stimulus plan, calling for a greater emphasis on "tangible infrastructure investments" and warning that an effort had to be made to differentiate it from the Bush bailouts Wyden had opposed. Wyden ultimately voted for the bill and mostly voted with his party on various amendments to the bill.


Bankruptcy

Wyden voted against the
Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 The U.S. Class Action Fairness Act of 2005, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1332(d), 1453, 1711–15, expanded federal subject-matter jurisdiction over many large class action lawsuits and mass actions in the United States. The bill was the first major piece of l ...
, a Republican effort to restrict the number of class actions suits against businesses, and the
Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA) () is a legislative act that made several significant changes to the United States Bankruptcy Code. Referred to colloquially as the "New Bankruptcy Law", the Act of Co ...
, a bipartisan change in bankruptcy law designed to make it more difficult to file for bankruptcy and to make those in bankruptcy pay more of their debts. He voted for the previous Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2001 (S-420, substituted by amendment into H.R. 433), which contained many of the same provisions.


China

American video game company
Activision Blizzard Activision Blizzard, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Santa Monica, California. It was founded in July 2008 through the merger of Activision, Inc. (the publicly traded parent company of Activision Publishing) and Vivendi ...
punished a
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
-based professional gamer for supporting the pro-democracy 2019–20 Hong Kong protests. Many felt that Blizzard was cautious about potential repercussions from
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
's government, which had censored any support for the Hong Kong protests. Wyden accused Blizzard of
censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
and tweeted: "Blizzard shows it is willing to humiliate itself to please the Chinese Communist Party. No American company should censor calls for freedom to make a quick buck."


Cuba

Wyden supports lifting the
United States embargo against Cuba The United States embargo against Cuba prevents American businesses, and businesses organized under U.S. law or majority-owned by American citizens, from conducting trade with Cuban interests. It is the most enduring trade embargo in modern hist ...
as a more viable way to reach the Cuban people. He and Senator
Byron Dorgan Byron Leslie Dorgan (born May 14, 1942) is an American author, businessman and former politician who served as a United States Representative (1981–1992) and United States Senator (1992–2011) from North Dakota. He is member of the Democratic ...
offered an unsuccessful amendment to end funding for
TV Martí Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
, an anti-Castro broadcasting project of the U.S. government aimed at Cuba. Dorgan and Wyden argued that the U.S. should "pull the plug on U.S. government television broadcasts to Cuba, broadcasts even the American government acknowledges Fidel Castro routinely
jams Jams or JAMS may refer to: *Plural form of jam, a type of fruit preserve *Jams (clothing line) *JAMS (organization), United States organization that provides alternative dispute resolution services *The JAMs, former name of The KLF, a British band ...
and the Cuban people can't see", calling it a "complete and total waste of taxpayers' dollars" and noting that the transmissions would cost $21.1 million in the next year, but would "reach virtually no one in Cuba." The amendment was not adopted.


Free trade

Wyden supports
free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econo ...
. In the House, he voted for the
North American Free Trade Agreement The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA ; es, Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte, TLCAN; french: Accord de libre-échange nord-américain, ALÉNA) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that crea ...
, and he has supported many trade deals in the Senate, one of very few Democrats to vote for the Central America Free Trade Agreement. He has voted against free trade agreements with
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
,
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, and
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
. Wyden supported the reimposition of tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber in 2017, saying, "Canadian policies ... distort trade and hold American lumber businesses back from fully realizing their potential."


Personal life

Wyden's home is in
Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
, and he has an apartment in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
He has two grown children, Adam and Lilly, by his first wife, Laurie (née Oseran); they divorced in 1999 after 20 years of marriage. His son Adam owns the
hedge fund A hedge fund is a pooled investment fund that trades in relatively liquid assets and is able to make extensive use of more complex trading, portfolio-construction, and risk management techniques in an attempt to improve performance, such as sho ...
ADW Capital Partners LP. Wyden married his current wife, Nancy Wyden (née Bass), daughter of an owner of New York's Strand Bookstore, in September 2005. They have three children: twins born in 2007, and a daughter born in 2012. In 2016, they sold their 5,300-square-foot townhouse in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
for $7.5 million. During Wyden's 2010 Senate campaign, opponents questioned how much time Wyden spent in Oregon given his wife's New York residency. In December 2010, Wyden underwent surgery for very early-stage
prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...
, detected during a routine screening. He recovered quickly and returned to Congress in January 2011.


Electoral history


House elections

, - , colspan=10 , , - !Year !Winning candidate !Party !Pct !Opponent !Party !Pct !3rd Party !Pct , - ,
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...
, , Ron Wyden , , Democratic , , 71% , , Darrell R. Conger , ,
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, , 29% ,
Write-in A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...
, <1% , - ,
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
, , Ron Wyden , , Democratic , , 78% , , Thomas H. Phelan , , Republican , , 22% ,
Write-in A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...
, <1% , - ,
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, , Ron Wyden , , Democratic , , 72% , , Drew Davis , , Republican , , 28% ,
Write-in A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...
, <1% , - ,
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...
, , Ron Wyden , , Democratic , , 85% , , Thomas H. Phelan , , Republican , , 15% ,
Write-in A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...
, <1% , - ,
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
, , Ron Wyden , , Democratic , , 100% , Unopposed , , ,
Write-in A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...
, <1% , - ,
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
, , Ron Wyden , , Democratic , , 80% , , Phil Mooney , , Republican , , 20% ,
Write-in A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...
, <1% , - ,
1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
, , Ron Wyden , , Democratic , , 77% , , Al Ritter , , Republican , , 18% , Others , 4% , - ,
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
, , Ron Wyden , , Democratic , , 73% , , Everett Hall , , Republican , , 19% , Others , 8%


Senate elections

, - , colspan=10 , , - !Year !Winning candidate !Party !Pct !Opponent !Party !Pct !3rd Party !Pct , - ,
1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
, , Ron Wyden , , Democratic , , 48% , ,
Gordon Smith Gordon Smith may refer to: In politics *Gordon H. Smith (born 1952), former U.S. Senator from Oregon, and current Area Authority for the LDS Church * Gordon Elsworth Smith (1918–2005), Canadian politician * Gordon Smith (academic) (1927–2009), ...
, , Republican , , 46% , Others , 6% , - ,
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
, , Ron Wyden , , Democratic , , 61% , , John Lim , , Republican , , 34% , Others , 5% , - ,
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
, , Ron Wyden , , Democratic , , 63% , , Al King , , Republican , , 32% , Others , 5% , - ,
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, , Ron Wyden , , Democratic , , 57% , ,
Jim Huffman James L. Huffman (born March 25, 1945) is a former professor of law and the former dean of Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. He was the Republican nominee in the 2010 U.S. Senate election in Oregon, losing to incumbent Democrat Ron ...
, , Republican , , 39% , Others , 3% , - ,
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, , Ron Wyden , , Democratic , , 57% , ,
Mark Callahan Mark Allen Callahan (born May 11, 1977) is an American politician and perennial candidate. He was the Republican nominee in the 2016 United States Senate election in Oregon. He is an information technology consultant based out of Portland, Oregon. ...
, , Republican , , 33% , Others , 10% , - ,
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
, , Ron Wyden , , Democratic , , 55% , ,
Jo Rae Perkins Jo Rae Perkins (born May 9, 1956) is an American perennial candidate who was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for both the 2020 U.S. Senate election and 2022 U.S. Senate election in Oregon. Perkins lives in Albany, Oregon, and has received n ...
, , Republican , , 40% , Others , 10%


Publications

Wyden has written the following articles: * Wyden, Ron
"Public Regulation of Private Supplements to Medicare and Medicaid in Oregon."
''Conn. L. Rev.'' 9 (1976): 450. * Rosenstein, David I., et al
"Professional Encroachment: A Comparison of the Emergence of Denturists in Canada and Oregon."
''American Journal of Public Health'' 70.6 (1980): 614 –618. * Wyden, Ron. “Inside Congress: A Gray Panther's View.” ''Generations: Journal of the American Society on Aging'', vol. 9, no. 1, 1984, pp. 31–32. ''JSTOR'', http://www.jstor.org/stable/44872917. * Wyden, Ron
"Mental Illness Awareness Week."
''Psychiatric Services'' 38.10 (1987): 1037. * Wyden, Ron, and
Peter DeFazio Peter Anthony DeFazio (; born May 27, 1947) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving since 1987. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes Eugene, Springfield, Corvallis, Roseburg, Coos Bay ...

"The Challenge of the Twenty-First Century."
''Educational Gerontology: An International Quarterly'' 14.6 (1988): 577 –579. * Wyden, Ron
"Using Trade Agreements to Protect the Environment."
''J. Envtl. L. & Litig.'' 7 (1992): 1. * Wyden, Ron
"Transparency: A Prescription Against Malpractice."
''Public Health Reports'' 110.4 (1995): 380. * Wyden, Ron, and Joshua Sheinkman
"A Road Map for Environmental Law in the Twenty-First Century: Follow the Oregon Trail."
''Envtl. L.'' 30 (2000): 35–39. * Wyden, Ron
"Steps to improve quality of life for people who are dying."
''Psychology, Public Policy, and Law'' 6.2 (2000): 575. * Wyden, Ron, et al
"Law and Policy Efforts to Balance Security, Privacy and Civil Liberties in Post-9/11 America."
''Stan. L. & Pol'y Rev.'' 17 (2006): 331. * Wyden, Ron, and Bob Bennett
"Finally, Fixing Health Care: What’s Different Now?."
''Health Affairs'' 27.3 (2008): 689 –692. * Emanuel, Ezekiel, and Ron Wyden
"A New Federal-State Partnership in Health Care: Real Power for States."
''JAMA'' 300.16 (2008): 1931 –1934. * Wyden, Ron
"Health Care Reform is Coming."
''Psychological Services'' 6.4 (2009): 304 –307. * Adashi, Eli Y., and Ron Wyden
"Public Reporting of Clinical Outcomes of Assisted Reproductive Technology Programs: Implications for Other Medical and Surgical Procedures."
''JAMA'' 306.10 (2011): 1135 –1136. * Wyden, Ron, and
Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member o ...

"Guaranteed Choices to Strengthen Medicare and Health Security for All: Bipartisan Options for the Future."
''Washington, DC: US Congress. Online at www.budget.house.gov/bipartisanhealthoptions''. 2011. * Wyden, Ron, et al. “Too Many Secrets: What Washington Should Stop Hiding.” ''Foreign Affairs'', vol. 94, no. 3, 2015, pp. 114–19. ''JSTOR'', http://www.jstor.org/stable/24483670. * Casey, Robert P., Gary C. Peters, and Ron Wyden
"COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: How the Trump Administration Failed Residents and Workers."
(2020). * Wyden, Ron. "Foreword," in Coodley, Gregg, and David Sarasohn, ''The Green Years, 1964 –1976: When Democrats and Republicans United to Repair the Earth''. University Press of Kansas, 2021. ''JSTOR'', https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2269j0x.


See also

*
List of Jewish members of the United States Congress This is a list of Jewish members of the United States Congress. , there are 10 Jewish senators and 27 Jewish members of the House of Representatives serving in the United States Congress. Senate Elected to the Senate, but not seated House ...
*
Election security Election cybersecurity or election security refers to the protection of elections and voting infrastructure from cyberattack or cyber threat – including the tampering with or infiltration of voting machines and equipment, election office netwo ...
* List of United States senators from Oregon


References


Further reading


World Internet News: "Big Oil Looking for a Government Handout"Sen. Ron Wyden on Soaring Oil Prices and Company Profits and the Senate Investigation into Prewar Intelligence


External links


Senator Ron Wyden
official U.S. Senate website
Ron Wyden for Senate
campaign website * * , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wyden, Ron 1949 births 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians American people of German-Jewish descent Articles containing video clips Democratic Party United States senators from Oregon Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives Jewish United States senators Jews and Judaism in Portland, Oregon Living people Palo Alto High School alumni Politicians from Wichita, Kansas Politicians from Portland, Oregon Stanford University alumni UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball players University of Oregon School of Law alumni American men's basketball players Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon 21st-century American Jews