Ron Wyden

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Ron Wyden
Senior Senator from Oregon
Incumbent
Assumed office  February 6, 1996 Serving with Gordon Smith
Preceded by	Bob Packwood
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's 3rd district
In office January 3, 1981 – February 5, 1996
Preceded by	Robert B. Duncan
Succeeded by	Earl Blumenauer
Born	May 3, 1949 (1949-05-03) (age 59) Wichita, Kansas
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	(1) Laurie Oseran (divorced) (2) Nancy Wyden
Alma mater	Stanford University
Religion	Judaism

Ronald Lee Wyden (born May 3, 1949) is an American politician. He is currently the U.S. state of Oregon's senior United States Senator. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

After initially attending college on a basketball scholarship, Wyden earned a bachelor's degree and a law degree. He later taught gerontology at several Oregon universities. He won a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 1980, and then in the U.S. Senate in 1996.

Early career and personal life

Wyden was born in Wichita, Kansas to Edith Rosenow and Peter H. Wyden, both of whom were Jewish and had fled Nazi Germany a few years earlier.^[1] Wyden attended the University of California, Santa Barbara on a basketball scholarship before receiving his B.A. with distinction from Stanford University. He received a J.D. degree from the University of Oregon School of Law and taught gerontology at several Oregon universities. During this time he was the founder of the Oregon chapter of the Gray Panthers.

Senator Wyden's home is in Portland, and he has an apartment in Washington, DC. He has two grown children, Adam (24) and Lilly (18), by his first wife, Laurie. Wyden married his current wife, Nancy Wyden (née Bass), the owner of New York's Strand Bookstore, on September 24, 2005, in a ceremony performed by Rabbi Ariel Stone of Portland. On October 26, 2007, Nancy gave birth to twins, Ava Rose Wyden and William Peter Wyden.^[2]

Congressional career

In the 1980 Democratic primary, Wyden, who was just 30 years old at the time, upset incumbent Representative Bob Duncan in Oregon's 3rd congressional district. Later that fall, Wyden easily defeated his Republican opponent, Darrell Conger. Wyden was re-elected to the House in each of the following seven elections.

In January 1996, Wyden narrowly defeated state senate president Gordon Smith in a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Bob Packwood. (Smith was elected later that year to Oregon's other Senate seat.) Wyden now holds the Senate seat once held by his mentor, the late Wayne Morse—the last Democratic Senator from Oregon before Wyden's election. Wyden was elected to a full term in 1998, and in 2004, was re-elected to another full term, receiving 64% of the vote compared to 31% for his main opponent, Republican Al King.

In the Senate, Wyden serves on the following Committees: Finance; Intelligence; Energy and Natural Resources; Budget and the Special Committee on Aging.

He chairs the Energy Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests.

As of August 2007, Wyden has an approval rating of 58%, with 33% disapproving.^[3]

Voting record

Ron Wyden and wife Nancy in New York City

Wyden's voting record is largely consistent with his image as a fiscally moderate, socially liberal, pro-trade Democrat.^[4]

War, peace, and foreign policy

• Wyden voted against authorization of military force in Iraq, but voted for use of military force in Kosovo.^[5]

Social issues

• Wyden has opposed most limits on abortion.^[6]
• Wyden has voted against limiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers.^{[citation needed]}
• Wyden has consistently opposed a constitutional amendment to ban flag desecration.^{[citation needed]}
• Wyden has publicly announced support for same-sex marriage and was one of only 14 Senators to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act. ^[7]
• Wyden has stated personal opposition to physician assisted suicide,^[8] but has also stated a commitment to defending the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, which was twice passed by voter referendum. Wyden successfully blocked Senate attempts to pass legislation interfering with the Act by threatening a filibuster.^[9]
• Wyden has consistently voted against limitations on the use of the death penalty.^[10]
• Wyden has voted against restrictions on travel and trade with Cuba and also to end anti-Castro broadcasting to the country.^{[citation needed]}
• Wyden has sponsored the Healthy Americans Act that would institute a national system of universal health care through market based private insurance.^{[citation needed]}
• In June 2007 he was among the minority of Democrats to vote in favor of declaring English the official language of the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Trade and business

• Wyden mostly supports free trade. While still in the House, he voted for NAFTA and has subsequently supported many trade deals in the Senate being one of the very few Democrats to vote in favor of CAFTA. He has however voted against free trade agreements with Chile, Singapore, and Oman. He was also one of the few Democrats to vote in favor of the Bush-Administration-proposed prescription drug plan passed in 2003. In 1996, he voted against the majority of his party to phase out many farm subsidy programs and also to implement welfare reform policies.

Civil liberty and law

Ron Wyden

• On November 10, 2005, Wyden was one of five Senate Democrats who joined 44 Republicans in voting "yes" on 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.

• On March 2, 2006, he was one of only 10 senators to vote against renewing the USA PATRIOT Act^[11], citing concerns about privacy protections.^[12]

• 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 if more difficult to file for bankruptcy and to make those in bankruptcy pay more of their debts.

• Wyden wrote the Stop Arming Iran Act to ban the Defense Department from selling surplus F-14 parts and prohibit buyers who have already acquired surplus Tomcat part from exporting them. Iran is the only nation other than the U.S. to fly the F-14.^[13]

Tax policy

• Wyden is critical of the estate tax, which he feels is inefficient, and has voted repeatedly to abolish it. He has also voted with Republicans to lower the capital gains tax, to encourage the study of the flat tax, and to require a 3/5 majority to raise taxes. However, Wyden voted against the Bush tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003. He has also voted against the balanced-budget amendment.

Environment

• Wyden is a strong 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, Wyden also opposed the appointment of Lyle Laverty as assistant interior secretary for fish, wildlife and parks (this time on ethical grounds.)^[14]

Committee assignments

Wyden serves on the following committees and subcommittees:^{[citation needed]}

• Committee on Finance
  • Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Health Care
  • Subcommittee on Taxation, IRS Oversight, and Long-Term Growth
• Energy and Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Energy
  • Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Water and Power
• Committee on the Budget
• Select Committee on Intelligence
• Special Committee on Aging

Electoral history

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Ron Wyden

• Senator Ron Wyden official U.S. Senate website
• Stand Tall For Americaofficial policy and campaign website

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
• Collected news and commentary at The New York Times

Articles

• World Internet News: "Big Oil Looking for a Government Handout"
• Sen. Ron Wyden on Soaring Oil Prices and Company Profits and the Senate Investigation into Prewar Intelligence

United States Senators from Oregon Class 2: D. Smith • Baker • Stark • Harding • Williams • Kelly • Grover • Dolph • McBride • Mitchell • Gearin • Mulkey • Bourne • H. Lane • McNary • Mulkey • McNary • Cordon • R. Neuberger • Lusk • M. Neuberger • Hatfield • G. Smith Class 3: J. Lane • Nesmith • Corbett • Mitchell • Slater • Mitchell • Simon • Fulton • Chamberlain • Stanfield • Steiwer • Reames • Barry • Holman • Morse • Packwood • Wyden