Ranking Member's News
Wyden Blasts EU Airbus Subsidies, Calls for Strong Enforcement of Trade Rules
WASHINGTON -- Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., blasted the European Union for funneling billions in illegal subsidies to Airbus, as a new World Trade Organization report confirmed today. "The WTO today sent a clear message to Europe: Stop heaping billions in illegal subsidies on European companies," said Wyden. "The massive subsidies the EU keeps piling on Airbus are inconsistent with global trade rules, and cost Americans tens of billions in exports and good-paying jo… Continue Reading
09.22.16
Wyden Proposes New Middle-Income Housing Tax Credit
WASHINGTON - With the cost of housing squeezing family budgets across the country, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released draft legislation that would create a new tax credit to spur the development of rental homes affordable to Americans with moderate incomes. The new incentive, called the Middle-Income Housing Tax Credit (MIHTC) is carefully designed to work in conjunction with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), a popular existing program that has hel… Continue Reading
09.21.16
Wyden Statement at Finance Committee Markup of the Miners Protection Act and Pension Legislation
Seventy years ago the U.S. made a commitment to its coal miners that this country would protect their health benefits and pensions. Today tens of thousands of mineworkers and their families, including a lot of widows, are in serious danger of losing that security. These are hardworking people who come from communities where broken promises, bad policies and bankruptcies have hit like one wrecking ball after another for decades. These miners put in backbreaking work in one of the toughest jobs o… Continue Reading
09.21.16
Wyden Proposes Improvements to Medicare Benefit, Enrollment Process
Ranking Finance Democrat Introduces Sweeping Bill to Establish Out-of-Pocket Caps for Seniors, Simplify Medicare Enrollment, and Make the Program More Affordable for All Wyden's Legislation Also Eliminates Harmful, Senseless Two-Year Wait Period for Individuals with Disabilities to Receive Health Coverage through Medicare WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today introduced a bill that would improve Medicare coverage for seniors and individuals with dis… Continue Reading
09.14.16
Wyden Praises New Initiative To End Fishing Subsidies
WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., praised a new effort to eliminate harmful fisheries subsidies, announced today by the U.S. and 12 other nations. "Governments around the world are lavishing billions and billions in subsidies on their fishing fleets, to build more and bigger fishing boats, and use ever more extreme methods to harvest vast amounts of fish from the oceans," Wyden said. "These subsidies contribute to an overfishing epidemic that is both decima… Continue Reading
09.13.16
Wyden Blasts Illegal Chinese Subsidies For Wheat, Other Ag Goods
WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today praised the Office of U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) for challenging billions worth of illegal Chinese subsidies for wheat and other agricultural products, in a new trade case filed with the World Trade Organization (WTO). China is a key market for U.S. agricultural commodities, including wheat, which is a leading agricultural export for Oregon. Pacific Northwest wheat farmers shipped over 500,000 metric tons (MT) … Continue Reading
09.08.16
Wyden Proposal Would Crack Down On Tax Avoidance In Retirement Plans, Create New Opportunities For Working Americans To Save
WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released a discussion draft of legislation titled the Retirement Improvements and Savings Enhancements (RISE) Act, which would help more working families and recent college graduates save for retirement, while cracking down on unfair strategies used by the privileged to rake in subsidies and dodge tax bills with so-called "mega Roth IRAs". The existing tax incentives for retirement savings - which will add up to more … Continue Reading
09.06.16
ICYMI: Canada's Softwood Pricing Undercuts the Market, Threatening Oregon Jobs
WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., yesterday wrote an opinion editorial in which he detailed his concerns regarding the Canadian timber market, fearing that lower prices set by the Canadian government on timber imports are undercutting U.S. markets, threatening thousands of timber jobs in Oregon and several other states across the country: I write in response to the op-ed by Canada's consul general challenging the views of an Oregon mill owner harmed by subs… Continue Reading
09.02.16
Wyden, Pallone Question Mylan Payments to Medicaid for EpiPens
WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., D-N.J., today sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell requesting additional information regarding EpiPen's classification and rebate obligations under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, following revelations that Medicaid may have been grossly overpaying for the EpiPen for nearly two decades due to a misclassif… Continue Reading
08.31.16
Wyden Urges EU Not to Undermine Fair Use With ‘Link Tax’
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., urged the European Union not to undermine an open internet and fair use by targeting U.S. companies that link to news articles, in a statement today. "Reports that the European Commission is considering creating a new 'link tax' targeting links to news articles raise serious concerns," Wyden said. "Restricting the ability to link to news - or charging for it - is incompatible with a free and open internet and principles of fair use of c… Continue Reading
08.30.16
Wyden Comment on European Commission Ruling in Apple State Aid Case
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement on the European Commission's ruling in the state aid case involving Apple: "It is extremely concerning that the European Commission has effectively stepped outside the terms of existing bilateral tax treaties to hand an American firm a massive, retroactive tax bill. Right now countries ought to be working in partnership to prevent tax evasion and crack down on the unfair practices that have eroded ta… Continue Reading
08.26.16
Wyden Statement on Softwood Lumber Negotiations
As Canadian negotiators met with U.S. officials and U.S. industry representatives in an attempt to resolve longstanding differences between the United States and Canada regarding subsidies to Canadian lumber production, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, renewed his call for a real and lasting solution to this longstanding problem. "For two years, the United States has been clear that simply renewing the old softwood lumber agreement is not possible. The Unit… Continue Reading
08.19.16
Wyden Applauds Release of New Rules Strengthening Trade Enforcement
WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today applauded the release of interim rules implementing the Enforce and Protect Act of 2015, legislation written by Senator Wyden to strengthen the enforcement of U.S. trade laws, protect American workers and businesses and hold foreign countries to their commitments. "This is a big step forward in terms of tough enforcement of the trade laws on the books," Wyden said. "The trade cheats have proven they'll go down every a… Continue Reading
08.17.16
Wyden Calls on Peru to Step Up Campaign Against Illegal Timber
WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today called on Peru to take additional measures to combat illegally harvested and traded timber, following a new report on continuing shortcomings in Peru's efforts to enforce its own forestry laws. Wyden requested the report earlier this year. "The report provided by Peru demonstrates that it has much more work to do to enforce its laws and to stop trade in illegally taken timber," Senator Wyden said. "Illegal timber cost… Continue Reading
08.09.16
Wyden Touts Success Of Independence At Home Model
WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today touted new data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) showing strong second year results from the Independence at Home Demonstration, which provides primary care services to Medicare beneficiaries in their homes. Wyden also celebrated news that Housecall Providers, Inc., based in Portland, Oregon, had the highest level of cost savings in the 15-practice demonstration group. Housecall Providers also … Continue Reading
