Share on WeChat
https://www.powervoter.us:443/ron_wyden
Copy the link and open WeChat to share.
 Share on WeChat
Copy the link and open WeChat to share.
 Share on WeChat
Scan QRCode using WeChat,and then click the icon at the top-right corner of your screen.
 Share on WeChat
Scan QRCode using WeChat,and then click the icon at the top-right corner of your screen.
Quick Facts
Personal Details

Education

  • JD, University of Oregon School of Law, 1974
  • BA, Political Science, Stanford University, 1971
  • Attended, University of California at Santa Barbara, 1967-1969

Professional Experience

  • JD, University of Oregon School of Law, 1974
  • BA, Political Science, Stanford University, 1971
  • Attended, University of California at Santa Barbara, 1967-1969
  • Co-Director/Co-Founder, Oregon Gray Panthers, 1974-1980
  • Director, Oregon Legal Services for the Elderly, 1977-1979

Political Experience

  • JD, University of Oregon School of Law, 1974
  • BA, Political Science, Stanford University, 1971
  • Attended, University of California at Santa Barbara, 1967-1969
  • Co-Director/Co-Founder, Oregon Gray Panthers, 1974-1980
  • Director, Oregon Legal Services for the Elderly, 1977-1979
  • Senator, United States Senate, 1997-present
  • Representative, United States House of Representatives, District 1, 1981-1996

Former Committees/Caucuses

Member, Bike Caucus

Member, Congressional Coalition on Adoption

Member, Congressional Fire Services Caucus

Member, Congressional Internet Caucus

Member, Congressional Wine Caucus

Former Chair, Energy and Natural Resources Committee, United States Senate

Former Chair, Finance Committee, United States Senate

Former Member, Health Care Subcommittee, United States Senate

Member, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus

Member, Senate Centrist Coalition

Former Ranking Member, Subcommittee on International trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness, United States Senate

Former Member, Subcommittee on National Parks, United States Senate

Former Member, Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight, United States Senate

Current Legislative Committees

Member, Budget

Member, Energy and Natural Resources

Ranking Member, Finance

Member, Joint Committee on Taxation

Member, Select Committee on Intelligence

Member, Subcommittee on Energy

Member, Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure

Member, Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth

Member, Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness

Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining

Member, Subcommittee on Water and Power

Religious, Civic, and other Memberships

  • JD, University of Oregon School of Law, 1974
  • BA, Political Science, Stanford University, 1971
  • Attended, University of California at Santa Barbara, 1967-1969
  • Co-Director/Co-Founder, Oregon Gray Panthers, 1974-1980
  • Director, Oregon Legal Services for the Elderly, 1977-1979
  • Senator, United States Senate, 1997-present
  • Representative, United States House of Representatives, District 1, 1981-1996
  • Member, Advisory Board, American Red Cross, Oregon Trail Chapter
  • Member, Advisory Board, Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics
  • Co-Founder, Grey Panthers, Oregon Chapter
  • Chair, Oregon Business Plan Leadership Committee
  • Member, Oregon Women's Political Caucus
  • Member, Oregon State Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators, 1977-1979

Other Info

Astrological Sign:

Taurus

— Awards:

  • Progressive, Committed and Compassionate Legislator Award, American Society of Intereventional Pain Physicians, 2001

Community Health Superheroes, National Association of Community Health Centers, 2001

Policy Positions

2020

Abortion

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

Budget

In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes

Crime

1. Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders?
- Unknown Position

Economy

1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

2. Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

Education

1. Do you generally support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- Yes

Energy

1. Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline?
- No

2. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes

Environment

Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

Guns

Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes

Health Care

Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No

Immigration

1. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No

Marriage

Do you support same-sex marriage?
- Yes

National Security

Do you support increased American intervention in Iraq and Syria beyond air support?
- Unknown Position

Social Security

Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts?
- No

Oregon Congressional Election 2010 Political Courage Test

Abortion

1. Do you consider yourself pro-choice or pro-life?
- Pro-choice

2. Should abortion be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy?
- No

3. Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape?
- Yes

4. Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered?
- Yes

5. Should federal subsidies be prohibited from being used for abortion procedures?
- Yes

6. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Budget, Spending, and Tax

SpendingIndicate what federal funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category- you can use a number more than once.2) TaxesIndicate what federal tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category- you can use a number more than once.

1. Agriculture
- Slightly Decrease

2. Arts
- Maintain Status

3. Defense
- Slightly Decrease

4. Intelligence operations
- Maintain Status

5. Military hardware
- Greatly Decrease

6. National missile defense
- Greatly Decrease

7. Salary and benefits for active duty personnel
- Slightly Increase

8. Programs to improve troop retention rates
- Slightly Increase

9. Research and development of new weapons
- Slightly Decrease

SpendingIndicate what federal funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category- you can use a number more than once.2) TaxesIndicate what federal tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category- you can use a number more than once.

1. Education
- Slightly Increase

2. Environment
- Maintain Status

3. Homeland security
- Slightly Increase

4. International aid
- Maintain Status

5. Medical research
- Slightly Increase

6. Scientific research
- Slightly Increase

7. Space exploration
- Slightly Decrease

8. United Nations
- Maintain Status

9. Welfare
- Maintain Status

10. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

11. Alcohol taxes
- Slightly Decrease

12. Capital gains taxes
- Slightly Increase

13. Cigarette taxes
- Slightly Increase

14. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Decrease

15. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status

16. Income taxes (low-income families)
- Slightly Decrease

17. Income taxes (middle-income families)
- Slightly Decrease

18. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Slightly Increase

19. Do you support the elimination of the federal estate tax?
- No

20. Do you support requiring the federal budget to be balanced each year?
- No

21. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

SpendingIndicate what federal funding levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category- you can use a number more than once.2) TaxesIndicate what federal tax levels (#1-6) you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category- you can use a number more than once.

1. WASTE, FRAUD, ABUSE
- Ron Wyden. Wyden Fights for Oregon in Economic Recovery Package. 10 February 2009. "Calling the legislation 'a step in the right direction,' U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today cast his vote in favor of the 'American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.' The bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 61 to 37 will create and save thousands of good-paying Oregon jobs, upgrade the state's roads and bridges, expand access to broadband technology, especially into rural communities, and provide essential relief to families facing rising health care costs and the specter of unemployment. 'This bill will give the economy a desperately-needed jump-start so we can finally help Americans begin to re-claim their financial security,' said Wyden. 'I will be spending the next days working with my colleagues in both the House and Senate to restore the much needed funding for our states and schools, but the important message for today is that Congress is taking decisive action to get the economy back on track.'" (votesmart.org) Ron Wyden. HR 1. 111th Congress. Making supplemental appropriations for job preservation and creation, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency and science, assistance to the unemployed, and State and local fiscal stabilization, for fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes. Project Vote Smart Summary: Ron Wyden voted YES on 13 February 2009. (votesmart.org) Ron Wyden. Issue Position: Standing Up For All of Oregon. "...When Wall Street came looking for a hand out after greedily gambling away billions, I fought every Wall Street bailout - regardless of which party advocated it." (www.sos.state.or.us) Club for Growth. 2008. Project Vote Smart: Interest Group Ratings. "Ron Wyden supported the interests of the Club for Growth 14 percent in 2008." (votesmart.org) Ron Wyden. 2010. The League of Women Voters of Oregon: 2010 Oregon Primary Election Candidate Survey. Responded: "I also voted against the $700 billion Wall Street bailout. But we need to do more to reduce our national deficit. We should restore the "pay as you go" principle where any new federal spending must be paid for in the budget," to the question: "What can be done in the next few years to reduce our national budget deficit?" (www.lwvor.org) Ron Wyden. 2010. The Oregonian (Portland, OR): 2010 Oregon Primary Election Candidate Survey. Responded: "We need to get people back to work. Families are suffering and we must reinvigorate that entrepreneurial spirit that drives our country. To do that, we need to get back to an economy where we reward those who play fair and there is real opportunity for the middle class. It means ending the wasteful government bailouts of Wall Street (which I consistently opposed), enacting financial reforms of Wall Street and the big banks and ensuring Oregon businesses have the credit they need to expand. It means creating construction jobs with smart investments in needed improvements in our infrastructure and better mortgage policies to restore confidence in our housing market. And it means reforming taxes to provide middle-class families a badly needed tax cut and end the tax shelters that encourage large corporations to ship jobs overseas. I am fighting for all of these priorities, to get our economy back on track and create jobs for Oregon's working families," to the question: "What specific actions should Congress take to spur economic recovery?" (thevoterguide.oregonlive.com) Ron Wyden. Wyden Statement on Financial Bailout Package. 1 October 2008. "If even one of these issues had been addressed in this package, I might have been inclined to vote for it, despite its imperfections. I continue to think that Congress should act and help restore confidence - domestically and abroad - in U.S. markets. For that reason, I am voting against this bill tonight with great reluctance, and hope that the Senate is given a second opportunity, as the House will receive, to put forward a more thoughtful response that will deserve and garner the trust of the American public. This vote is made slightly more difficult by the late inclusion of my legislation to reauthorize county payments for four years. This was legislation that I authored over a year ago with the Majority Leader, as well as Chairman Baucus and Chairman Bingaman. Passing the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act is vital to the economic survival of Oregon's rural counties, and I asked Senator Reid to include it in this bill, because I promised my constituents that I would attempt to attach it to every conceivable piece of legislation until the President signs it into law. But I also told Senator Reid that including funding for county payments in this package would not guarantee my vote on the bailout. The nation's future is simply too important for us to trade on even the most important constituent concerns." (votesmart.org)

Business and Employment

1. Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
- No Answer

2. Do you support increasing the federal minimum wage?
- No Answer

3. Do you support the ability of workers to unionize?
- No Answer

4. Do you support federal funding for job-training programs that retrain displaced workers?
- No Answer

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Campaign Finance and Government Reform

1. Do you support increasing the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns?
- No Answer

2. Should Congress regulate indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- No Answer

3. Do you support removing all contribution limits on federal campaigns?
- No Answer

4. Should candidates for federal office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?
- No Answer

5. Do you support giving the President the power of the line item veto for items concerning appropriations?
- No Answer

6. Do you support limiting the President's ability to define how legislation is applied through the use of signing statements?
- No Answer

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Crime

1. Do you support programs that provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related training and job-placement assistance when released?
- No Answer

2. Do you support programs that provide prison inmates with substance abuse treatment?
- No Answer

3. Do you support reduced prison sentences for non-violent offenders?
- No Answer

4. Do you support mandatory prison sentences for selling illegal drugs?
- No Answer

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

1. Do you support federal funding for universal pre-K programs?
- No Answer

2. Do you support federal funding for charter schools?
- No Answer

3. Do you support federal funding for K-12 school vouchers?
- No Answer

4. Do you support the federal government providing college students with financial aid?
- No Answer

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Environment and Energy

1. Do you support international emissions targets aimed at reducing the effects of climate change?
- No Answer

2. Do you support allowing energy producers to trade carbon credits under a "cap and trade" system?
- No Answer

3. Do you support strengthening fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles?
- No Answer

4. Do you support domestic oil exploration in federally-protected areas?
- No Answer

5. Do you support federal funding for the development of alternative energy?
- No Answer

6. Do you support the development of nuclear reactors?
- No Answer

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Gun

1. Do you believe that the Second Amendment guarantees the right of individual citizens to own guns?
- Yes

2. Do you support allowing individuals to carry concealed guns?
- Yes

3. Do you support a ban on assault rifles?
- Yes

4. I SUPPORT THE LEAST INTRUSIVE REGULATIONS ON THE PURCHASE AND POSSESSION OF GUNS PRACTICABLE TO ENSURE PUBLIC SAFETY AND PRESERVE THE SECOND AMENDMENT.
- Ron Wyden. S Amdt 362 to S 254. 106th Congress. To regulate the sale of firearms at guns shows. Project Vote Smart Summary: Ron Wyden voted YES on 20 May 1999. (votesmart.org) Ron Wyden. 2004. Project Vote Smart: Oregon Congressional National Political Awareness Test. Checked SUPPORT for: "a) Renew the ban on the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting;" "b) Maintain and strengthen the current level of enforcement of existing federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns;" "f) Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns;" "g) Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows." Gun Owners of America. 2010. Project Vote Smart: Interest Group Ratings. "In 2010 Gun Owners of America gave Ron Wyden a grade of F." (votesmart.org) Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. 2003. Project Vote Smart: Interest Group Ratings. "Ron Wyden supported the interests of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 100 percent from 1988 to 2003." (votesmart.org) Ron Wyden. HR 1025. 103rd Congress. To provide for a waiting period before the purchase of a handgun, and for the establishment of a national instant criminal background check system to be contacted by firearms dealers before the transfer of any firearm. Project Vote Smart Summary: Ron Wyden voted YES on 10 November 1993. (votesmart.org) Ron Wyden. HR 4296. 103rd Congress. To make unlawful the transfer or possession of assault weapons. Project Vote Smart Summary: Ron Wyden voted YES on 5 May 1994. (votesmart.org) Ron Wyden. S Amdt 1067 to S Amdt 1058 to HR 627. 111th Congress. To protect innocent Americans from violent crime in national parks and refuges. Project Vote Smart Summary: Ron Wyden voted YES on 12 May 2009. (votesmart.org)

Health

1. Do you support a publicly-administered health insurance option?
- Yes

2. Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
- Yes

3. Should the federal government expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts?
- No

4. Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
- No Answer

5. Do you support relaxing regulations on the importation of prescription drugs?
- Yes

6. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Immigration

1. Do you support a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants?
- Yes

2. Do you support decreasing the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country?
- No

3. Do you support establishing English as the official national language?
- No Answer

4. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- No Answer

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

International Policy

1. Do you support increasing military assistance for Afghanistan?
- No Answer

2. Do you support increasing economic development assistance for Afghanistan?
- No Answer

3. Should the United States continue to strike suspected terrorist targets in Pakistan?
- No Answer

4. Do you support granting aid to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States?
- No Answer

5. Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state?
- Yes

6. Do you support increasing sanctions on Iran if it continues to defy United Nations mandates?
- Yes

7. Do you support the withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq?
- Yes

8. Do you support the United States' involvement in free trade agreements?
- Yes

9. SEVERAL QUESTIONS IN THIS SECTION ARE FAR TOO COMPLEX TO DISTILL A YES/NO ANSWER.
- Ron Wyden. Wyden Statement on President's Afghanistan Speech. 2 December 2009. "I am skeptical that committing tens of thousands of additional men and women -- and billions of additional tax dollars -- to Afghanistan will help meet the President's stated goals. To the contrary, I remain concerned that this proposed surge will take away desperately-needed resources to restore our economy and put people back to work. I agree that America must continue its efforts to eliminate and disrupt safe havens for terrorism, and it is essential as we do so to determine if there are better, less-costly ways to go about that mission. The question is whether an 18-month troop surge in Afghanistan will have an enduring impact on the ability of terrorists and other bad actors to operate in that region. I will reserve final judgment on the troop surge until after the Senate Intelligence Committee receives its classified briefing from the Obama Administration. As of tonight, my strong preference is to keep those troops and billions of dollars right here at home to help re-build America." (votesmart.org) Peace Action West. 2009. Project Vote Smart: Interest Group Ratings. "Ron Wyden supported the interests of Peace Action West 70 percent in 2009." (votesmart.org)

Social

1. Should marriage only be between one man and one woman?
- No

2. Do you support allowing openly-gay men and women to serve in the United States military?
- Yes

3. Do you support federal funding for embryonic stem cell research?
- Yes

4. Should the federal government end affirmative action programs?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Congress Bills
Speeches
Articles

NBC News - Trump sent federal agents to Portland to help with his political agenda -- not the protests

Jul. 20, 2020

By Rep. Ron Wyden For weeks now, Donald Trump has seemingly sought to incite violence on the streets of Portland. Not content with simply dropping squads of federal agents into my hometown to clash with peaceful protesters, as he first did in early July after signing an executive order to supposedly protect monuments from protestors, Trump and his acting secretary of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, have now unleashed these agents like an occupying army -- complete with fatigues, military-style equipment and tactics that are utterly unacceptable in an American city. These invaders are mounting this assault against my city on the flimsiest of justifications: While Acting Secretary Wolf rants about law and order, most of the incidents of "violent anarchists" he cites are actually graffiti, or low-level vandalism. I condemn violence by anyone and, like many cities, we have real problems we need to fix. That is why I spent much of the last week in Oregon, working to reduce tensions on the streets by coming up with peaceful solutions to address the concerns highlighted by protestors. Oregon communities are taking the lead in using unarmed responses to mental health crises, offering more professional, compassionate mental health care to citizens that is less expensive than relying on traditional law enforcement tactics. But the federal agents who have been parachuted into Portland are creating more problems, not solving any of them. On July 11, a federal agent shot a peaceful protester in the head with a crowd-control munition, sending the man to the hospital with a fractured skull. On July 15, videos captured men in fatigues jumping out of unmarked vans and grabbing people off of the street without explanation. And federal agents from Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Marshals Service have since ramped up aggressive tactics against demonstrators in downtown Portland. Right-wing media and members of Donald Trump's administration have long tried to market a funhouse mirror version of the city I love. In their telling, Portland is a lawless wasteland, where roving bands of anarchists are re-enacting "Mad Max" every night after dark. Until the federal agents began engaging in violent tactics to end protests, nothing was further from the truth. Portland is struggling with the economic disaster of COVID-19, but Portlanders love our city for its vibrant creativity -- and, by the way, crime in Portland has actually been lower than average in recent weeks. It seems that, because liberal Portland in Blue Oregon is not the violent wasteland that the far-right echo chamber imagines, Trump and his flunkies are determined to bring violence to us. It is not surprising that among agencies tasked with occupying Portland against the wishes of our citizens and elected officials are tactical units from Customs and Border Protection -- the same agency that is still detaining innocent children at the border as a cruel political ploy. Under Donald Trump, DHS and its leaders spent four years refining their violent tactics against immigrants in cities across the country, snatching people off the street and arresting them in federal courthouses without explanation. DHS agents even once held an American citizen -- and a veteran, no less -- for a month, despite the fact he had proof of citizenship. Is it any wonder that this is the agency now being used in Portland to create more twisted political stagecraft at Trump's behest? Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is right to challenge the legality of what Trump is doing in Portland: The Trump administration's claim that DHS police are needed to enforce the president's executive order to protect statues is laughable. Terrorizing peaceful protesters and arresting people for graffiti and other nonviolent offenses has nothing to do with securing federal property. My colleagues and I in the Oregon delegation have demanded these occupying troops leave Portland, demanded answers from the administration and called for an independent investigation into the federal forces in Portland. And this week, my fellow Oregon Senator, Jeff Merkley, and I will introduce a measure to require Trump to remove these unwanted forces from our city. But from a broader perspective, the high-profile law enforcement killings of Black Americans have sparked a long-overdue conversation about reforming policing and improving public safety in recent months -- and what's happening in Portland shows that limiting the authority of federal agents at DHS is sorely needed as well. I'd remind anyone participating in this shameful occupation of an American city that they cannot hide behind Donald Trump forever. The willingness of officials to participate in such a flagrant abuse of power exposes a rot that goes deep into the agency, and that rot must be removed. To start, any official who signed off on this unconstitutional operation will be identified and held legally responsible. The militarization of DHS must be ended. And the absurd expansion of authority must be reversed. Our border and customs agencies must and will be restricted to securing the border and stopping smuggling, while more appropriate agencies handle refugees, asylum seekers and others seeking help. This is about more than just Portland. Americans have already seen how Trump callously used force against peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park just so he could hold a photo op. Clearly, there must be fundamental reform of how these forces can be deployed, and a commitment to holding people accountable for participating in illegal attacks against Americans' constitutional rights.

Funding
14,051,351 14,103,717 3,345,925 0

Financial Summary February 20, 2023 02:50 ET

Period Receipts Disbursements CashOnHand DebtsLoans
14,051,351 14,103,717 3,345,925 0
14,051,351 14,103,717 3,345,925 0
Source:Federal Election Commission
Total Raised
Total receipts$10,512,321.06
Total contributions$9,733,970.0592.6%
Total individual contributions$7,051,802.01
Itemized individual contributions$6,390,622.53
Unitemized individual contributions$661,179.48
Party committee contributions$0.00
Other committee contributions$2,682,168.04
Candidate contributions$0.00
Transfers from other authorized committees$730,954.486.95%
Total loans received$0.000%
Loans made by candidate$0.00
Other loans$0.00
Offsets to operating expenditures$228.000%
Other receipts$47,168.530.45%
Total Spent
Total disbursements$9,392,743.56
Operating expenditures$8,688,237.8992.5%
Transfers to other authorized committees$0.000%
Total contribution refunds$87,005.670.93%
Individual refunds$82,405.67
Political party refunds$0.00
Other committee refunds$4,600.00
Total loan repayments$0.000%
Candidate loan repayments$0.00
Other loan repayments$0.00
Other disbursements$617,500.006.57%
Cash Summary
Ending cash on hand$3,345,924.99
Debts/loans owed to committee$0.00
Debts/loans owed by committee$0.00