Wyden, Ron, 1949-

<p>Oregonians know Ron as a senator who listens and innovates. For example, Ron has secured landmark health care and economic wins for our workers and retirees. Always citing the need to "throw open the doors of government for Oregonians," he holds an open-to-all town hall meeting in each of Oregon's 36 counties each year. Thus far he has held more than 970 meetings, as well as several virtual town hall meetings sponsored by the nonpartisan Town Hall Project. Wyden's dedication to hearing all sides of an issue and looking for common sense, nonpartisan solutions has won him trust on both sides of the aisle and put him at the heart of so many of the Senate's most important debates. In 2011, the Almanac of American Politics described Wyden as having "displayed a genius for coming up with sensible-sounding ideas no one else had thought of and making the counter-intuitive political alliances that prove helpful in passing bills." The Washington Post's Ezra Klein wrote: "The country has problems. And Ron Wyden has comprehensive, bipartisan proposals for fixing them."</p>

<p>In advocating for the needs of working families, Ron wants a tax code that gives small businesses and families an opportunity to get ahead, not one that rigs the rules for multinational corporations or the mega-rich. He led a pioneering expansion of unemployment benefits to help workers shoulder the economic burden of the COVID-19 health crisis, which economists say added more than $200 billion to the economy at a time when it was desperately needed. He updated the "Medicare Guarantee" with improved services for seniors with chronic illnesses, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, he secured Medicare coverage for telemedicine so homebound seniors could safely access medical care. Ron advanced the Family First Act to improve care for vulnerable families and kids, and was the first to promote internet policies that ensure free opportunities for Americans to learn and find good-paying jobs. Ron was also the first to introduce federal legislation to give all Americans the opportunity to vote by mail.</p>

<p>Moreover, when principles are at stake, however, Ron Wyden never shies away from standing alone, even when it means taking on powerful interest groups or his own party. His lone stand against the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) and its predecessor, the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeit Act (COICA), put a spotlight on the problematic legislation being fast tracked through Congress and served as a rallying point for the historic Internet protests that ultimately toppled the bills. He stood alone on the floor of the Senate to block right wing efforts to overturn Oregon's Death with Dignity law; a law that Oregon voters have passed twice. He went head-to-head with the E.P.A. to reduce cancer-causing benzene in gasoline sold in Oregon, and key elements of Wyden's Kinship Care Act were included as part of major reforms improving the nation's foster care system. Wyden's provisions recognized and strengthened support for kinship care, the full-time care and protection of children by relatives.</p>

<p>Ronald Lee Wyden (/ˈwaɪdən/; born May 3, 1949) is an American politician and retired educator serving as the senior United States Senator for Oregon, a seat he has held since 1996. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until 1996. He is the dean of Oregon's congressional delegation.</p>

<p>Wyden chairs the Senate Finance Committee.</p>

<p>Ronald Wyden was born in Wichita, Kansas, the son of Edith (née Rosenow) and Peter H. Wyden (originally Weidenreich, 1923–1998), both of whom were Jewish and had fled Nazi Germany. He grew up in Palo Alto, California, where he played basketball for Palo Alto High School. He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, on a basketball scholarship, and later transferred to Stanford University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in 1971. He received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1974.</p>

WYDEN, Ronald Lee, a Senator and a Representative from Oregon; born in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kans., May 3, 1949; attended the public schools of Palo Alto, Calif.; A.B., Stanford University 1971; J.D., University of Oregon Law School in Eugene 1974; director, Oregon Legal Services for the Elderly 1977-1979; public member, Oregon State Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators 1977-1979; elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-seventh and to the seven succeeding Congresses, and served from January 3, 1981, to February 5, 1996, when he resigned, having been elected to the Senate; elected to the Senate in a special election on January 30, 1996, to fill the unexpired portion of the term ending January 3, 1999, left vacant by the resignation of Robert W. Packwood, and began service on February 5, 1996; reelected in 1998, 2004, 2010, and again in 2016 for the term ending January 3, 2023; chair, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (One Hundred Thirteenth Congress [January 3, 2013-February 12, 2014]), Committee on Finance (One Hundred Thirteenth Congress [February 12, 2014-January 3, 2015], One Hundred Seventeenth Congress).