Ranking Member's News
Wyden Calls for Improvements to Nursing Home Rating System
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today called on the federal government to improve the quality measures for adequate staffing that American seniors and their families use when selecting a nursing home. "Seniors and their families deserve to know what they're getting when they select a long-term care provider, but it's clear that too many are ill-served by the information that's currently available," Wyden said. "It's unacceptable when care providers … Continue Reading
08.09.18
Wyden Issues Report on Wall Street Windfalls from Trump’s Tax Scam
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released a Senate Finance Committee report highlighting how US banks received billions of dollars in tax windfalls as their profits reached historic highs. According to data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), banks recorded $56 billion in profits in the first three months of 2018. FDIC estimates that banks would have continued to break profit records even without the corporate tax breaks from… Continue Reading
08.08.18
Wyden: Collins Indictment Highlights Corruption in Trump's Washington
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said today that the insider trading charges brought against Rep. Chris Collins should come as no surprise after the role he played peddling shares of Innate Immunotherapeutics, Ltd., to family, friends and political allies, which was uncovered during the nomination of disgraced former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price. "The Collins indictment represents everything Trump and his Republican allies in Cong… Continue Reading
08.02.18
Wyden Questions Top Sanctions Enforcer on Ties Between US, Russian Arms Manufacturers and Russian Oligarchs
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., this week asked the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Acting Director Andrea Gacki whether OFAC is looking into possible relationships between US arms manufacturers and Russian arms manufactures with ties to sanctioned Russian nationals and oligarchs, including Alexander Torshin. Torshin, who reportedly has extensive ties to the National Rifle Association (NRA), was sanctioned by the United States in April due to… Continue Reading
08.01.18
Wyden Statement on Capital Gains Taxation & Treasury, IRS Nominees
The Finance Committee meets this morning to vote on the nominations of Justin Muzinich to be deputy secretary of the Treasury and Michael Desmond to be chief counsel at IRS. And colleagues, particularly on the Muzinich nomination, the debate changed completely with the breaking news from Treasury on Monday night. According to Treasury sources, the Trump administration is considering flouting the law to cut taxes on capital gains -- permanently. It's a $100 billion handout to the super-wealthy. … Continue Reading
08.01.18
Wyden Statement on Junk Plans Final Rule
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued a statement after the Trump Administration issued its final Short-Term Limited Duration Plan rule, which would give insurance companies greater authority to sell junk plans that do not comply with current law consumer protections, such as pre-existing condition protections: "By giving the green light to junk plans, Trump and his administration are once again siding with fraudsters, unscrupulous brokers and insurance compani… Continue Reading
07.31.18
Wyden Statement on GAO Report, Estimate that 30 Million Taxpayers will be Underwithheld Next Year
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement in response to the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) independent review showing Treasury's projection that 21 percent of taxpayers will owe more in taxes in 2019 due to underwithholding: "This nonpartisan report is an alarm bell for the nearly 30 million households that are expected to owe more money come tax time this spring," Wyden said. "Withholding tables directly affect the size of payche… Continue Reading
07.26.18
Wyden Statement on Treasury and IRS Nominees, Administration Stonewalling, and Dark Money
The Finance Committee meets this morning to consider the nominations of Justin Muzinich to be deputy secretary of the Treasury and Michael Desmond to be chief counsel at IRS. I'll begin my remarks with this: This committee is facing levels of stonewalling from the administration on letters and policy issues that I never expected I'd see. We'd get similar answers from the Treasury if we posed our questions to the statue of Alexander Hamilton outside department headquarters. And it goes back to S… Continue Reading
07.25.18
Democrats Call on Republicans to Drop Harmful Plan Discriminating Against Potential Foster or Adoptive Parents and Youth in Foster Care
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, today led 39 Senate Democrats in an effort to stop congressional Republicans from promoting discrimination against LGBTQ Americans seeking to be foster or adoptive parents. In a letter to Senate appropriators, the senators slammed a House Republican proposal passed earlier this month that would shield taxpayer funded adoption and child welfare agencies that refuse to provide services to children and pare… Continue Reading
07.24.18
Wyden Statement on House Republican Tax Framework
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement regarding the release of the Ways and Means Committee's tax framework: "The House Republican framework doubles down on massive breaks for the rich and sweeteners for high fliers while trying to cover up the broken middle-class promises from their first tax law." Wyden said. "Wages are falling as the cost of living climbs higher and higher. Instead of working across the aisle on ways to boost paycheck… Continue Reading
07.23.18
Finance Committee Democrats Seek Financial Information on NRA-Linked Maria Butina
Washington, D.C. - Following the arrest of NRA-linked Russian national Maria Butina, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore, along with Senate Finance Committee members Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., requested financial information from the Treasury Department as it relates to the NRA, Alexander Torshin and Butina. Butina was charged last week with infiltrating domestic political organizations to undermine and influence U.S. elections. She served as Torsh… Continue Reading
07.19.18
Wyden Statement on IRS Commissioner Nomination and the Trump Administration's Pro-Dark Money Policy
The Trump administration has taken a qualified nominee and dumped him right in the middle of a dark-money political firestorm of their own creation. And a radical change in tax law regarding transparency and disclosure has dragged the IRS and Treasury into a swirling set of questions about the president's foreign financial ties and motivations. As a result, this nomination is no longer an isolated debate that can begin without context. On Monday morning, news broke that a Russian national with … Continue Reading
07.18.18
Wyden Report Details Truth Behind Republican, Trump Claims that Tax Scam Helps Workers, Increases Investment in U.S.
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released a Senate Finance Committee report that explores how Trump's tax scam rewards multinational corporations, not workers, which will lead to fewer jobs here at home. The report debunks false claims made by Republicans and Trump, and lists tactics multinational corporations will use to artificially lower their tax bills and shift profits overseas. "Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans continue to pedd… Continue Reading
07.17.18
Wyden Statement on Treasury Department Announcement to Protect Dark Money Donors
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement regarding the Treasury Department's announcement late Monday to allow nonprofits to keep the identities of their donors from U.S. tax authorities: "Trump's Treasury Department made it easier for anonymous foreign donors to funnel dark money into nonprofits the same day a Russian national linked to the NRA was arrested for attempting to influence our elections," Wyden said. "It's the latest attempt by… Continue Reading
07.17.18
Wyden Statement on Treasury Department Announcement to Protect Dark Money Donors
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement regarding the Treasury Department's announcement late Monday to allow nonprofits to keep the identities of their donors from U.S. tax authorities: "Trump's Treasury Department made it easier for anonymous foreign donors to funnel dark money into nonprofits the same day a Russian national linked to the NRA was arrested for attempting to influence our elections," Wyden said. "It's the latest attempt by… Continue Reading
