While teaching gerontology at several Oregon universities, Wyden founded the Oregon chapter of the Gray Panthers, which he led from 1974 to 1980. He was also the director of the Oregon Legal Services Center for Elderly, a nonprofit law service. From 1977 to 1979 he served on the Oregon State Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators.[7]
U.S. House of Representatives
Wyden in 1981
Wyden ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1980. In the Democratic primary, Wyden, who was just 31 at the time, upset incumbent Representative Bob Duncan in Oregon's 3rd congressional district, which includes most of Portland.[8] 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 January 1996, in a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Bob Packwood, Wyden defeated Oregon State Senate President Gordon Smith by just over 18,000 votes, mainly due to swamping Smith by over 89,000 votes in Multnomah County. Smith won the November 1996 Senate election to succeed the retiring Mark Hatfield, and Smith and Wyden served together until Smith's defeat in 2008 by Democrat Jeff Merkley.
Wyden holds the Senate seat that was once held by Wayne Morse, a man whom Wyden worked for in the summer of 1968 as Morse's driver,[10] and whom Wyden calls his mentor.[11]
In 2022, Wyden was reelected with 56% of the vote to Republican nominee Jo Rae Perkins's 41%.
Tenure
In June 1996, Wyden offered an amendment to the mission of the Federal Aviation Administration that was endorsed by Transportation Secretary Federico F. Pena.[13] 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.[14]
In May 2000, Wyden and Republican Representative Bill Thomas announced they would collaborate on an attempt to add prescription drug benefits to Medicare that year.[16]
In January 2001, Wyden and Chuck Schumer were the only two senators on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to vote against the confirmation of Gale Norton as United States Secretary of the Interior. Wyden admitted reluctance in his opposition and said he hoped that Norton would change his view of her.[17]
In February 2001, after the U.S. Department of Transportation's Inspector General's Office released a report on airlines 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."[18] In March, Wyden stated his support for ending a federal rule requiring commercial pilots to cease flying after age 60.[19]
In April 2001, Wyden joined Gordon H. Smith 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.[20]
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.[21]
In January 2002, Wyden charged Enron 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.[22] 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.[23]
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.[24]
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."[25]
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."[26]
In August 2004, amid Democratic opposition to the nomination of Porter Goss for Director of Central Intelligence, 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."[27]
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."[28]
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".[29]
In July 2009, President Barack Obama praised Wyden as a "real thought leader" and an ally on health care reform, but announced he would not support Wyden's health care plan because parts of it were too radical for the United States.[30]
On March 6, 2013, Wyden crossed party lines to join Republican Senator Rand Paul, who was engaged in a talking filibuster to block voting on the nomination of John O. Brennan as the Director of the CIA. 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."[32][33]
Wyden in Portland, Oregon, February 25, 2017
Politico reported that Wyden's ascent to chair of the Senate Finance Committee would vault him into the ranks of the chamber's most influential.[34] He has been praised for his ability to defuse partisan tensions and encourage bipartisan cooperation.[35]
In August 2016, in response to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's refusal to disclose his tax returns,[36][37] Wyden and Chris Murphy 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."[38]
In May 2017, after Trump announced the firing of FBI Director James Comey,[39] 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.[40]
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."[41]
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.[42]
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.[43]
In July 2018, after Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court,[44] 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."[45]
On August 1, 2018, Wyden announced his intent to put a formal hold on Treasury deputy secretary nominee Justin Muzinich 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 taxes to inflation as contributing extra tax savings to the wealthy along with possibly being illegal.[46]
In August 2018, after the White House barred CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins from covering an open press event after she repeatedly asked Trump about his relationship with his former attorney Michael Cohen,[47] Wyden cosponsored a resolution urging Trump to respect the press.[48]
Committee assignments
Wyden's committee assignments for the 118th Congress are as follows:[49]
Wyden personally opposes assisted suicide and said he voted against the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, 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.[52] In 2000, Wyden blocked attempts in Congress to overturn the Oregon assisted-suicide law by threatening a filibuster.[53][54] In 2001, he wrote to President George W. Bush urging him to not alter the law through federal executive action.[55] In 2005, he and four other Democratic members of Oregon's congressional delegation filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case of Gonzales v. Oregon in support of the State of Oregon, and praised the eventual decision to uphold the law.[56] In 2006, Wyden informed Senate leadership that he would block legislation overturning the Death with Dignity Act.[57] In 2009 he said that he would continue to "fight tooth and nail" to block new federal attempts to block the law.[54]
In October 2015, Wyden was one of the Senate Democrats to unveil a new gun control campaign in the aftermath of the Umpqua Community College shooting. 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 as a federal crime, were "common sense" and should have bipartisan support.[59]
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.[60]
At a March 2018 town hall, Wyden answered "Yes" when asked if he intended to pass bans on bump stocks 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 was strong enough to warrant lawsuit by the NRA.[61] 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 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."[62]
In February 2019, Wyden was one of 38 senators to sign a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham 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.[63]
In May 2017, Wyden was one of 46 senators to introduce the Equality Act of 2017, described by Representative David Cicilline 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."[66]
In October 2018, Wyden was one of 20 senators to sign a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging him to reverse the rollback of a policy that granted visas to same-sex partners of LGBTQIA+ diplomats who had unions not recognized by their home countries, writing that too many places around the world have seen LGBTQIA+ 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 LGBTQIA+ diplomats bring their partners to the US would be equivalent of America upholding "the discriminatory policies of many countries around the world."[67]
In September 2017, Wyden was one of nine senators to sign a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai 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."[69]
In March 2018, Wyden was one of 10 senators to sign a letter spearheaded by Jeff Merkley 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."[70]
Patriot Act
Wyden joined the Senate Intelligence Committee in January 2001, and voted for the Patriot Act following 9/11.[71] In 2006, he was one of 10 senators to vote against reauthorizing the Patriot Act.[72]
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, [and] even DNA from anyone deemed 'relevant' to an investigation."[73] 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.[74]
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.[75]
Senator Ron Wyden
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.[76]
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."[77][78]
On March 12, 2013, during a United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing, Wyden quoted NSA director Keith B. Alexander's keynote speech at the 2012 DEF CON. 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, "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."[79]
When Edward Snowden 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."[80]
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.[81]
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, which ruled that enemy combatants did not have the right to Habeas Corpus.
Cybersecurity
In September 2018, Wyden was one of five senators to sign a letter to United States Secretary of StateMike Pompeo 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 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.[82]
In 2007 Wyden and Representative Gabby Giffords sponsored the Stop Arming Iran Act, which would have barred the Defense Department from selling surplus F-14 parts and prohibited buyers who had already acquired surplus Tomcat parts from exporting them in order to prevent Iran from acquiring the parts.[84]
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 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 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's plan for a "troop surge" in Afghanistan in 2009.[86][87]
In May 2017, Wyden co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, Senate Bill 720, which made it a federal crime, punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment,[89] 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.[90]
Libya
In 2011, Wyden supported the no-fly zone and military intervention in Libya in order to protect civilians, saying, "The violence of Colonel [Muammar] Gaddafi 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.[91] Along with Obama and Senator Merkley, Wyden agreed that U.S. forces should not be on the ground in Libya.[92]
In December 2010, Wyden voted for the ratification of New START,[94] a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the U.S. and the Russian Federation 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 expired the previous year. It was the first arms treaty with Russia in eight years.[95]
In December 2018, after United States Secretary of StateMike Pompeo announced the Trump administration was suspending its obligations in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty 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.[96]
Saudi Arabia
In March 2018, Wyden voted against tabling a resolution spearheaded by Bernie Sanders, Chris Murphy, and Mike Lee that would have required Trump to withdraw American troops either in or influencing Yemen within the next 30 days unless they were combating Al-Qaeda.[97]
Syria
Wyden's office has questioned the CIA-led Timber Sycamore covert operation to train and arm Syrian rebels, 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."[98]
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.[99]
In December 2018, Wyden was one of 21 senators to sign a letter to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb stating their approval of the agency's actions to hinder youth access to e-cigarettes and urging the FDA "to take additional, stronger steps to prevent and reduce e-cigarette use among youth".[103]
In 2009, Wyden sponsored the Healthy Americans Act, an act that would institute a national system of market-based private insurance. Union interests attacked him for advocating replacement of the employer tax exclusion with a tax deduction that would apply to all Americans.[105][106]
Wyden supported increasing Medicare funding, enrolling more of the uninsured in federal programs (although his Healthy Americans Act 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.[107]
In late 2011 and early 2012, Wyden attracted attention for working with GOP House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan 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.[114] 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.[115]
In March 2018, Wyden and Representative Frank Pallone sent a letter to Comptroller General of the United States Gene Dodaro 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."[116]
In December 2018, Wyden was one of 42 senators to sign a letter to Trump administration officials Alex Azar, Seema Verma, and Steven 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."[117]
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 DrugsScott Gottlieb 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."[118]
Immigration
In November 2018, Wyden was one of 11 senators to sign a letter to then-United States Secretary of DefenseJames Mattis about "the overt politicization of the military" with the Trump administration'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."[119]
In the past, Wyden voted to continue federal funds for declared "sanctuary cities" and to declare English as the official language of the U.S. government.[121]
Science and environment
Wyden voted for the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act 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.[122] In 2007, Wyden and Senator Gordon Smith again supported the bill.[123]
Wyden is a supporter of environmental protection measures, and was among the minority of senators to vote against confirming the appointment of Gale Norton as Secretary of the Interior. 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.[124]
Climate change
On April 6, 2011, Wyden voted against limiting the EPA's ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.[125] On March 22, 2013, he voted against concurrent resolution creating a point of order that would make it harder for Congress to put a price on carbon.[126][127] In November 2015, he voted in support of the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan.[128]
In May 2014, in response to the National Climate Assessment, 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".[129] In June 2014, he said that "climate change is the most important environmental challenge of our time".[130]
In October 2017, Wyden was one of 19 senators to sign a letter to Administrator of the Environmental Protection AgencyScott Pruitt questioning Pruitt's decision to repeal the Clean Power Plan, 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."[131]
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.[132]
Len Burman of the Tax Policy Center has praised Wyden as a legislator who "has worked tirelessly to try to advance the cause of tax reform, [despite having] few allies in this quest."[134]
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."[135]
In February 2019, Wyden, Roy Blunt, and Tammy Baldwin led nine other senators in sponsoring the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act, legislation imposing a reduction in excise taxes, 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.[137]
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 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.[138]
In June 2011, Wyden announced his Geolocation Privacy and Surveillance Act in partnership with Representative Jason Chaffetz. The bill would establish a legal framework for the sharing and access of private tracking data by corporations, individuals, and federal agencies.[139]
Wyden was the first politician in Congress to stand against the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) (in the House) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) (in the Senate)[140] 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."[141] Wyden delayed PIPA in the Senate by placing a hold 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. Wyden's hold was credited with "[g]iving time for the Internet to rally against" SOPA and PIPA.[142] With Representative Darrell Issa in the House, Wyden also introduced the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act as an alternative to SOPA and PIPA.[143]
Ezra Klein 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."[144] Wyden was called the "primary driver of opposition to the bill within the Senate."[145]
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."[145] For his role in fighting against SOPA and PIPA, The Daily Dot named Wyden one of the top ten most influential activists of 2012.[146]
Algorithmic Accountability Act
On April 10, 2019, Wyden, Senator Cory Booker, and Representative Yvette Clarke introduced the Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2019, legislation granting additional powers to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (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."[147]
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.[148]
Trade and business
Bailouts
During the global financial crisis of 2007-2010, Wyden voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 backed by the George W. Bush administration.[149] He did not vote on the automobile industry bailout,[150] but said he would have voted for cloture 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."[151]
In early January 2009, Wyden was among several moderate Democratic senators who criticized President-elect Barack Obama'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.[152] Wyden ultimately voted for the bill and mostly voted with his party on various amendments to the bill.[153]
Bankruptcy
Wyden voted against the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005, a Republican effort to restrict the number of class actions suits against businesses, and the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, 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),[154] which contained many of the same provisions.
China
American video game company Activision Blizzard punished a Hong Kong-based professional gamer for supporting the pro-democracy 2019–20 Hong Kong protests.[155] Many felt that Blizzard was cautious about potential repercussions from China's government, which had censored any support for the Hong Kong protests. Wyden accused Blizzard of censorship 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."[156]
Cuba
Wyden supports lifting the United States embargo against Cuba as a more viable way to reach the Cuban people. He and Senator Byron Dorgan offered an unsuccessful amendment to end funding for TV Martí, 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 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.[157][158]
Wyden's home is in Portland, Oregon, and he has an apartment in Washington, D.C. He has two grown children, Adam and Lilly, by his first wife, Laurie (née Oseran); they divorced in 1999 after 20 years of marriage.[160] His son Adam owns the hedge fund ADW Capital Partners LP.[161]
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,[162] and a daughter born in 2012.[163] In 2016, they sold their 5,300-square-foot townhouse in Manhattan for $7.5 million.[164] During Wyden's 2010 Senate campaign, opponents questioned how much time Wyden spent in Oregon given his wife's New York residency.[165]
In December 2010, Wyden underwent surgery for very early-stage prostate cancer, detected during a routine screening. He recovered quickly and returned to Congress in January 2011.[166][167][168]
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.
^"WYDEN, Ronald Lee (1949-)". Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
Disambiguazione – Cromwell rimanda qui. Se stai cercando altri significati, vedi Cromwell (disambigua). Questa voce o sezione sugli argomenti politici britannici e militari britannici non cita le fonti necessarie o quelle presenti sono insufficienti. Puoi migliorare questa voce aggiungendo citazioni da fonti attendibili secondo le linee guida sull'uso delle fonti. Segui i suggerimenti dei progetti di riferimento 1, 2. Oliver CromwellRitratto di Oliver Cromwell eseguito da Samuel C…
Further information: List of Airbus A330 orders and deliveries Line drawings of the A330-200 and A330-300, the two most common types in service of Airbus A330 range. The Airbus A330 is a wide-body, dual-isle, twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus. Versions of the A330 have a range of 7,400 to 13,430 kilometres (4,000 to 7,250 nautical miles), and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout, or carry 70 tonnes (150,000 pounds) of cargo. The origin of the A330 dates to the 1970s a…
Diskografi Miranda CosgroveCosgrove in the Dancing Crazy Tour in 2011.Album studio1Video musik8Extended play2Singel5Album soundtrack1 Miranda Cosgrove adalah seorang artis rekaman Amerika. Diskografi nya terdiri dari satu album studio, dua album mini, dua soundtrack, lima singel, tiga singel promo, dan dua featuring singles. Album Album studio List of studio albums, with selected chart positions Judul Rincian album Chart posisi puncak Penjualan US[1] AUT[2] GER[3] KOR[…
Husin Yusuf Bupati Aceh Selatan ke-18Masa jabatan2008–2013PresidenSusilo Bambang YudhoyonoGubernurIrwandi Yusuf Informasi pribadiLahir25 Juni 1955 (umur 68)Ruak, Kluet Utara, Aceh Selatan, AcehKebangsaanIndonesiaKarier militerPihak Gerakan Aceh MerdekaPertempuran/perangPemberontakan di AcehSunting kotak info • L • B Teungku Husin Yusuf, S.Pd.I. (lahir 25 Juni 1955) adalah tokoh pejuang GAM. Dia pernah menjabat sebagai Ulee Balang GAM wilayah Lhok Tapaktuan dan Bupati Ace…
Seorang perempuan mengenakan burkak Afganistan Burkak (juga ditulis burka atau burqa) (bahasa Arab: برقعة, burqʿah) adalah sebuah pakaian yang menutupi seluruh tubuh yang dikenakan oleh sebagian perempuan Muslim di Afganistan, Pakistan, dan India utara. Kini pakaian ini jarang terlihat dikenakan di luar Afganistan. Burkak dikenakan menutupi pakaian sehari-hari (sering kali pakaian panjang atau salwar kameez) dan dilepaskan ketika si perempuan kembali ke rumahnya ke tengah keluarganya. Sebe…
Université Paris-Nanterre Universitas Paris-Nanterre (Prancis: Université Paris-Nanterrecode: fr is deprecated ) adalah universitas riset publik di Prancis. Universitas mengkhususkan diri dalam ilmu ekonomi, manusia dan sosial, hukum, sastra, psikologi dan ilmu politik.[1] Universitas adalah pewaris fakultas sastra dan ilmu manusia yang didirikan pada tahun 1964 dan fakultas hukum dan ekonomi yang didirikan pada tahun 1966 untuk mengurangi kemacetan di Sorbonne. Lulusan terkenal Cheng …
العلاقات الغابونية الميكرونيسية الغابون ولايات ميكرونيسيا المتحدة الغابون ولايات ميكرونيسيا المتحدة تعديل مصدري - تعديل العلاقات الغابونية الميكرونيسية هي العلاقات الثنائية التي تجمع بين الغابون وولايات ميكرونيسيا المتحدة.[1][2][3][4][5]…
The Sims 2: University Tipepaket ekspansi Versi pertama1 Maret 2005Versi stabil 1.1.0.286 GenrePermainan simulasi kehidupanLatar tempatThe Sims universe (en) LisensiLisensi proprietarium Karakteristik teknisPlatformmacOS dan Windows Mesinproprietary engine (en) ModePermainan video pemain tunggal Formatcakram digital Metode inputpapan tombol komputer dan tetikus Format kode Daftar 30 Informasi pengembangPengembangMaxisPenyuntingElectronic Arts DesainerCharles LondonHunter HowePenerbitEA Games (PC…
Artikel ini membahas mengenai bangunan, struktur, infrastruktur, atau kawasan terencana yang sedang dibangun atau akan segera selesai. Informasi di halaman ini bisa berubah setiap saat (tidak jarang perubahan yang besar) seiring dengan penyelesaiannya. Silver StarInformasi umumLokasiDubai, Uni Emirat ArabPerkiraan rampung2008Data teknisJumlah lantai40Desain dan konstruksiArsitekAlbert Speer & Partner GmbHPengembangDubai Properties Silver Star merupakan sebuah menara bertingkat 40 di Business…
العلاقات الإكوادورية التوفالية الإكوادور توفالو الإكوادور توفالو تعديل مصدري - تعديل العلاقات الإكوادورية التوفالية هي العلاقات الثنائية التي تجمع بين الإكوادور وتوفالو.[1][2][3][4][5] مقارنة بين البلدين هذه مقارنة عامة ومرجعية للدولتين: …
2022 NATO extraordinary summit meeting in Belgium You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (March 2022) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Conside…
Chemical compound OxmetidineClinical dataOther namesSKF 92994,SKF 92994-A2 (oxmetidine 2HCl)Identifiers IUPAC name 5-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-ylmethyl)-2-[2-[(5-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)methylsulfanyl]ethylamino]-1H-pyrimidin-6-one CAS Number72830-39-8PubChem CID51710ChemSpider46799UNIIZ504D030RFCompTox Dashboard (EPA)DTXSID30223149 ECHA InfoCard100.069.911 Chemical and physical dataFormulaC19H21N5O3SMolar mass399.47 g·mol−13D model (JSmol)Interactive image SMILES O=C/1NC(=N\C=C\1Cc2ccc3OCOc3c2…
President of Guatemala from 1885 to 1892 In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Barillas and the second or maternal family name is Bercián. General of DivisionManuel Lisandro Barillas Bercián14th President of GuatemalaIn office16 March 1886 – 15 March 1892Acting: 6 April 1885 – 15 March 1886Preceded byAlejandro M. SinibaldiSucceeded byJosé María Reina BarriosMayor of QuetzaltenangoIn office1892–1893Preceded byManuel Estrada Cabrera Personal detailsB…
Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens This article may be confusing or unclear to readers. Please help clarify the article. There might be a discussion about this on the talk page. (December 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) PFKFB2IdentifiersAliasesPFKFB2, PFK-2/FBPase-2, 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 2External IDsOMIM: 171835 MGI: 107815 HomoloGene: 88554 GeneCards: PFKFB2 Gene location (Human)Chr.Chromosome 1 (human)[1]Band1q32.1…