Ranking Member's News
Wyden Floor Statement on the Nomination of Muzinich to Serve as Deputy Treasury Secretary and the Trump Tax Scam
M. President, the Senate will soon cast the first procedural vote on the nomination of Justin Muzinich to serve as the deputy secretary of the Treasury. I'm going to oppose this nomination, and I'd like to lay out exactly why, beginning with this basic rule I'm going to maintain going forward: If a nominee says the Trump tax handouts will pay for themselves, I'm going to oppose them. Why? Because sticking by that debunked claim is the economic policy version of being a flat-earther. You're eith… Continue Reading
12.06.18
Wyden Recognizes Bipartisan Health Care Accomplishments, Charts Next Steps on Chronic Care
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today spoke at the Bipartisan Policy Center to honor the leadership of retiring Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, on the passage of the CHRONIC Care Act, and to offer ideas on additional improvements that could be made to update the Medicare guarantee for seniors now and into the future. The event focused on the CHRONIC Care Act, which passed earlier this year and has entered the implementation phase. An… Continue Reading
12.04.18
Wyden. Grassley Announce Bill to Recoup Millions from Pharma Ripoff
After EpiPen Maker Overcharged Taxpayers for Hundreds of Millions of Dollars, Bipartisan Senators Release Legislation to Clamp Down on Misclassification Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and senior Finance Committee member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, today introduced a bill that would fix an issue in Medicaid that has allowed pharmaceutical manufacturers to misclassify their drugs and overcharge taxpayers by hundreds of millions of dollars. "While famili… Continue Reading
11.30.18
Wyden Statement on Signing of NAFTA Update
WASHINGTON-Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following statement on the signing today of an updated NAFTA agreement with Canada and Mexico: "While there are elements of the revised NAFTA agreement that are clear improvements over the status quo and could set welcome new standards in international trade, I remain concerned about the enforceability of the president's deal. Problems with enforcing trade agreements have done more to harm Ame… Continue Reading
11.29.18
Wyden Statement on Trump Health Care Waivers
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued a statement after the Trump administration released new information about state health care waivers that would promote junk plans and reduce access to comprehensive health insurance: "The Trump administration has created a fast lane to flood health care markets with junk plans and quarantine older Americans and those with pre-existing conditions apart from everyone else," Wyden said. "Section 1332 was created to generate ne… Continue Reading
11.27.18
Wyden Statement on HHS IG Report that Trump Administration Waived Background Checks for Staff at Tornillo Influx Facility
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued a statement following the release of a report by the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showing that the administration waived background checks for staff members at the Tornillo Influx facility: "The Trump administration will stop at nothing to drive its hateful and ineffective anti-immigrant agenda-even if that means putting innocent children in harm's way. It is absolutely a… Continue Reading
11.20.18
Wyden Decries Proposed Weakening of Nursing Homes Safety Protections by Trump Administration
Following Report on Inadequate Emergency Preparations that Endangered Frail Seniors in Nursing Homes During Natural Disasters, Ranking Finance Democrat Tells CMS to Strengthen, Not Water Down, Existing Regulations Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today expressed serious concerns over proposed rulemaking by the Trump Administration that would weaken the federal government's standards for emergency preparedness at nursing homes. The letter from Wyden c… Continue Reading
11.16.18
Democratic Health Leaders Tell Trump to End Attacks on Americans' Health Care
Washington, D.C. - Democratic leaders on health care committees in the House and Senate today called on the Trump Administration to cease their continued attacks on affordable, comprehensive health care for Americans, following a proposed change to Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act that would further open the door to junk insurance plans and undermine health care for people with pre-existing conditions. "We write to express our serious concerns that the Administration's new guidance on Se… Continue Reading
11.15.18
Wyden, Senate Democrats Introduce Bill to Help Working Families Save for Retirement
WASHINGTON -Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore. along with Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Md., Bob Casey, D-Pa., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., today introduced legislation designed to help more working families and middle-class Americans save for retirement. Wyden's bill, the Encouraging Americans to Save Act, enhances retirement savings incentives and restores a retirement savings program eliminated by the Trump administration known as myRA. "Instead of suppor… Continue Reading
11.15.18
Wyden Statement at Finance Committee Markup on Social Security and PBGC Nominations
The Finance Committee meets this morning to vote on three nominations: Andrew Saul to serve as Commissioner of the Social Security Administration; Gail Ennis to serve as the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration; and Gordon Hartogensis to serve as the Director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. First, on Mr. Saul's nomination. If confirmed, Mr. Saul will be responsible for administering benefits to over 69 million seniors, people with disabilities, and other American… Continue Reading
11.02.18
Wyden Finds Nursing Homes Unprepared for Natural Disasters
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today unveiled a report examining critical safety failures at nursing homes in Texas and Florida during and after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The report found that these incidents, which in Florida resulted in the deaths of 12 seniors, were not chance accidents but preventable tragedies that resulted from inadequate regulation and oversight, ineffective planning and communications protocols, and questionable decision-m… Continue Reading
10.25.18
Wyden Statement on Trump Administration Drug Announcements
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued a statement following remarks by the president and HHS Secretary Alex Azar about efforts to combat high drug prices: "Once again, the Trump administration has concocted a dog-and-pony show to trick the American people into thinking they are taking real action to lower drug prices - they are not," Wyden said. "Today's announcement was hardly the bold and swift action the president promised - it was an 'advanced notice of pro… Continue Reading
10.22.18
Wyden Slams Trump Perversion of 1332 Waivers
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued a statement after the Trump administration issued new guidance on Section 1332 waivers that would encourage junk health plans and threaten American families' health care. "After spending weeks pretending to support pre-existing condition protections, Trump and Republicans are showing their true colors. Today's changes will let states run by conservative ideologues unilaterally push junk plans onto unsuspe… Continue Reading
10.22.18
Wyden: Trump Tax Fraud a Blueprint for Trump's Tax Law
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released a report outlining the many ways Trump's tax law encourages the wealthy to dodge taxes at the expense of middle-class families. A recent media investigation alleges that Donald Trump and his family spent decades defrauding taxpayers. "While state authorities investigate Trump and his family's alleged crimes, it has become even more obvious than ever that Trump's tax law is a blueprint to enrich the fort… Continue Reading
10.22.18
Wyden: Knives are Out for Social Security and Medicare
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today raised alarms about comments by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell calling for harmful changes to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, and protections for pre-existing conditions. "What Republicans are doing is the most brazen attempt to dupe the public that I've ever witnessed," Wyden said. "First they passed a tax bill that gave a huge windfall to corporations and the wealthy, despite warnings from no… Continue Reading
