Ranking Member's News
Wyden Statement on New Tariffs on Chinese Imports
WASHINGTON-Finance Committee ranking member Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration's decision to impose new tariffs on Chinese imports: "China's unfair, disruptive trade tactics are an assault against American workers and American innovation. Workers need results. If today's action marks the beginning of a coherent strategy that produces real change in China, I welcome it. But like other Trump trade actions, I'm concerned it was more impu… Continue Reading
06.12.18
Wyden Statement at Finance Committee Markup to Consider the HEAL Act
This afternoon, the Finance Committee meets to consider legislation dealing with a host of policies with respect to substance abuse. What troubles me most in this area is the extraordinary, long-running challenge of setting the right policies when it comes to painkillers. Years ago when I was the director of the Oregon Grey Panthers, I'd get calls from the families of older people coping with pain. They'd say, "my dad is 93 years old, he's in agony, but he can't get a prescription because they … Continue Reading
06.12.18
Wyden Statement at Finance Committee Hearing on Pending Nominations
This morning the Finance Committee meets to discuss five nominations to important positions in the executive branch: Mr. Jeffrey Kessler is nominated to serve as Assistant Commerce Secretary for Enforcement & Compliance, Ms. Amy Karpel and Mr. Randy Stayin are nominated to serve on the U.S. International Trade Commission. And Ms. Elizabeth Ann Copeland and Mr. Patrick Urda are nominated to serve as judges on the U.S. Tax Court. I'll speak briefly on each, beginning with the three trade-rela… Continue Reading
06.08.18
Wyden Appoints Dr. Harlan Yu to Commission on Social Impact Partnerships
WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today proudly announced his selection of Dr. Harlan Yu to serve as a member of the Federal Commission on Social Impact Partnerships. Yu is the Executive Director of Upturn, a non-profit organization that combines technology and policy expertise to address longstanding social inequities, especially those rooted in race and poverty. Yu has significant experience working at the intersection of technology, policy and social jus… Continue Reading
06.08.18
Wyden, Murray Slam Trump Decision to Abandon Law of the Land
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray, D-Wash., today condemned the Trump Justice Department for their decision not to defend federal law in a court case filed by Texas to overturn key pieces of the Affordable Care Act. "In an unprecedented move, Trump and his Justice Department are abandoning their duty to protect the law of the land and families' health care ju… Continue Reading
06.07.18
Wyden, Murray, 38 Senators to Trump: Uphold Our American and Humanitarian Values and End Your Cruel Policy of Separating Children from Parents at the Border
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, and Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee led 38 of their Democratic Senate colleagues in demanding the Trump administration stop further traumatizing children and end Trump's inhumane policy of separating innocent boys and girls from families who cross the Southwest border seeking asylum in the United States. Citing the American Academy of Pediat… Continue Reading
06.07.18
Wyden Statement on Announcement of Trade Deal with ZTE
WASHINGTON-Finance Committee ranking member Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration's announcement that they have reached a deal to lift U.S. sanctions on the Chinese tech company ZTE: "This deal is a loser for American security and a loser for American workers. The president and congressional Republicans must reverse this decision before it is too late. The Trump administration is giving ZTE and China the green light to spy on Americans an… Continue Reading
06.05.18
Wyden Statement on Medicare’s Solvency and Trump’s Tax Law
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement in reaction to the news that a major source of funding for Medicare will be depleted three years earlier than previously expected: "This report should eliminate any doubt that Trump's tax law yanked Medicare closer to insolvency. Between reviving junk insurance plans, sending premiums into the stratosphere, and doing serious damage to Medicare's finances, the president's rap sheet on health care gets… Continue Reading
06.04.18
Wyden Vows to Block Treasury Department Nominees Until the Administration Provides Financial Documents Related to Russia
WASHINGTON-Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, today responded to Donald Trump's false charge this weekend that Democrats were obstructing Assistant Treasury Secretary nominee Isabel Patelunas without cause. In fact, Sen. Wyden is holding the nomination to compel the release of financial documents relating to Russia, which the administration refuses to provide. "Conducting oversight of the administration is every senator's constitutional duty, not a resistanc… Continue Reading
05.31.18
Wyden Statement on Announcement of new Tariffs on American Allies
WASHINGTON-Finance Committee ranking member Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement in response to the administration's announcement it will levy new tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada, Mexico and the European Union: "The U.S. does need to take tough, immediate action to fight back against China's predatory policies, and bring back American steel and aluminum jobs," Wyden said. "But these tariffs, on the very allies we need to pressure China, make no sense. To date the Adm… Continue Reading
05.24.18
Wyden Statement on Commerce Department Announcement of Investigation of Auto Imports
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today questioned the Commerce Department's announcement it would investigate whether imported automobiles threaten national security. "The Administration has yet to explain how this latest action fits into a coherent strategy to increase American auto jobs and wages for American workers, or whether it is just designed to create more chaos and confusion," Wyden said. "Given the President's recent moves to pull back on enforcement against… Continue Reading
05.24.18
Wyden Statement at Finance Committee Hearing on Rural Health Care
Every year I hold open-to-all town hall meetings in every rural Oregon county, and I meet with a lot of leaders from the rural health care community. There are a few potential health care calamities that have them afraid for what's coming down the pike. First, people in rural communities feel like there's a wrecking ball headed their way because the Trump administration and half of Congress have spent the last 15 months desperately trying to make huge cuts to Medicaid. Now there are rumblings t… Continue Reading
05.23.18
Wyden Statement on CBO Report that Trump-GOP Health Care Sabotage is Driving Rise in Premiums
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued a statement following the release of a new report issued by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirming that Trump-GOP sabotage of the health insurance market is driving the skyrocketing cost of health care premiums for American families: "The numbers on junk insurance are in, and they show the Trump administration is raising premiums and making health care unaffordable for Americans and their famili… Continue Reading
05.23.18
Wyden Introduces Bill to Provide Fairness for All Sound Recordings Including Introduction to the Public Domain
Washington, D.C. -Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today introduced the ACCESS to Recordings Act, to create uniform federal copyright rules for sound recordings published before 1972, and create equal treatment between older and newer works. Wyden's the Accessibility for Curators, Creators, Educators, Scholars, and Society (ACCESS) to Recordings Act would extend federal copyright protections, including limitations and exceptions, to sound recordings created before 1972. Currently, pre-1972 sound re… Continue Reading
05.23.18
Wyden Proposes New Policy to Bring More Americans into the Workforce, Reduce Barriers to Employment
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released draft legislation to boost job prospects for the long-term unemployed and other Americans struggling to make ends meet. This proposed policy, called the ELEVATE Act, works to close the workforce gap that is preventing many Americans from getting a job. It provides states with federal funding to design and implement subsidized jobs programs, which help workers access training and supports to achieve and … Continue Reading
