Ron Wyden facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Ron Wyden
Official portrait, 2021

Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Mike Crapo
In office January 3, 2015 – February 3, 2021
Preceded by	Orrin Hatch
Succeeded by	Mike Crapo
Chair of the Senate Finance Committee
In office February 3, 2021 – January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Chuck Grassley
Succeeded by	Mike Crapo
In office February 12, 2014 – January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Max Baucus
Succeeded by	Orrin Hatch
Chair of the Senate Energy Committee
In office January 3, 2013 – February 12, 2014
Preceded by	Jeff Bingaman
Succeeded by	Mary Landrieu
United States Senator from Oregon
Incumbent
Assumed office February 6, 1996 Serving with Jeff Merkley
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

Personal details
Born	Ronald Lee Wyden (1949-05-03) May 3, 1949 (age 76) Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Laurie Oseran (m. 1979; div. 1999) Nancy Bass (m. 2005)
Children	5
Relatives	Peter H. Wyden (father) Franz Weidenreich (grand-uncle)
Education	University of California, Santa Barbara Stanford University (BA) University of Oregon (JD)
Signature

Ronald Lee Wyden (born May 3, 1949) is an American politician. He is the senior United States Senator from Oregon. He has held this position since 1996. As a member of the Democratic Party, he also served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996.

Senator Wyden is known for his focus on civil liberties. He strongly supports privacy rights, internet freedom, and limiting how much the government can watch people. He is also the main Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee.

Early Life and Education

Ronald Wyden was born in Wichita, Kansas. His parents, Edith and Peter H. Wyden, were Jewish and had to leave Nazi Germany. He grew up in Palo Alto, California. In high school, he played basketball for Palo Alto High School.

He went to the University of California, Santa Barbara, on a basketball scholarship. Later, he transferred to Stanford University. He studied political science and earned his degree in 1971. In 1974, he received a law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law.

Early Career and Helping Others

Before becoming a politician, Wyden taught about aging at universities in Oregon. He also started and led the Oregon chapter of the Gray Panthers. This group works to help older people. He was also the director of a nonprofit law service that helped elderly people.

Time in the House of Representatives

Wyden in 1981

In 1980, Ron Wyden ran for the United States House of Representatives. At just 31 years old, he won against the person who was already in office, Robert B. Duncan. This was for Oregon's 3rd district, which includes most of Portland. He won the main election with 71% of the votes.

Wyden was reelected seven times for this seat. He always won with more than 70% of the votes. While in the House, he helped pass an important part of a law called Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act in 1996. This law helps protect internet companies from being responsible for what users post.

Becoming a Senator

How Ron Wyden Became a Senator

In January 1996, there was a special election to fill a Senate seat. This seat became open when Senator Bob Packwood left. Wyden won this election against Gordon Smith. He won by just over 18,000 votes.

Gordon Smith later won another Senate election in November 1996. So, Smith and Wyden served together as senators for Oregon until 2008. Wyden holds the Senate seat that was once held by Wayne Morse. Wyden worked for Morse in 1968 and calls him his mentor.

Key Elections as Senator

Wyden has been reelected to the Senate several times.

In 1998, he won with 61% of the votes.
In 2004, he won with 64% of the votes.
In 2010, he won with 57% of the votes.
In 2016, he won with 57% of the votes.
In 2022, he won with 56% of the votes.

Key Issues and Work in the Senate

Ron Wyden is known for being an "independent voice" for Oregon and the country. He focuses on healthcare reform, national security, protecting consumers, and making the government more open.

Protecting Civil Liberties

Wyden is a strong supporter of civil liberties. These are the rights and freedoms that protect people from government actions.

Gun Control

Wyden supports gun control measures. He has voted to increase background checks for gun purchases. He also voted to renew the ban on certain types of assault weapons.

LGBTQIA+ Rights

In 1995, Wyden was the first U.S. Senate candidate to publicly support same-sex marriage. He voted against the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. This act tried to define marriage only as between a man and a woman. He also voted against a proposed change to the Constitution that would have stopped same-sex marriages.

Internet Freedom and Privacy

Wyden has been a major champion for internet freedom.

In 2006, he proposed a law to stop network operators from charging companies extra for faster internet delivery of their content. He believed this would help small businesses compete.
In 2010, he stopped a bill called the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA). This bill would have allowed the government to block access to websites that were thought to infringe on copyrights. Wyden believed this would harm internet freedom.
He also strongly opposed the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). He said these bills would give more power to those with money and lawyers. His actions helped delay these bills, which led to massive public protests and their eventual postponement.
In 2019, he introduced the Algorithmic Accountability Act. This bill would make companies check if their technology has biases based on race or gender.
In 2019, he proposed the Mind Your Own Business Act. This act would allow the government to fine companies that violate privacy rules.

Patriot Act

Wyden voted for the Patriot Act after the 9/11 attacks. However, in 2006, he was one of only 10 senators to vote against renewing parts of the Patriot Act. He and Senator Jeff Merkley criticized efforts to quickly pass the bill again in 2011.

Education Initiatives

In 2017, Wyden worked with other senators to introduce a law. This law would allow graduate students to put money from their scholarships into tax-deferred retirement accounts.

Healthcare Reform

Wyden has worked on healthcare reform. In 2009, he sponsored the Healthy Americans Act. This act aimed to create a national system of private health insurance. He supports increasing funding for Medicare. He also wants to help more uninsured people get into federal programs.

Immigration Policy

Wyden has spoken out about immigration issues. In 2018, he signed a letter criticizing the deployment of troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. In 2019, he sponsored a bill called the Dreamer Confidentiality Act. This bill would stop the Department of Homeland Security from sharing information about DACA recipients with immigration enforcement agencies.

Science and Environment

Wyden supports environmental protection. He voted for the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005. This act would have allowed federal money to fund embryonic stem-cell research. He urged President Bush to sign it, but Bush vetoed it.

Climate Change

Wyden believes that climate change is a very important environmental challenge.

In 2011, he voted against limiting the EPA's ability to control greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2015, he supported the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan.
In 2017, he questioned the decision to repeal the Clean Power Plan. He said that denying science would not stop the effects of global warming.
In 2018, he co-sponsored a resolution that accepted the findings of major climate reports. This resolution also supported strong actions to address climate change.

Tax Policy

Wyden in 2005

Wyden has specific views on taxes. He is critical of the estate tax and has voted to get rid of it. He also helped create the Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act, which bans taxes on internet access in the U.S. He has voted to lower the capital gains tax.

He voted against the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. Wyden supports lower taxes for companies. In 2016, he introduced the Presidential Tax Transparency Act. This law would require presidents and presidential nominees to release their tax returns publicly. He reintroduced this bill in 2019.

Trade and Business

Government Bailouts

During the financial crisis of 2007-2010, Wyden voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which was a bailout plan. He also criticized President Obama's stimulus plan in 2009. He wanted more focus on "tangible infrastructure investments."

Trade Agreements

Wyden supports free trade. In the House, he voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In the Senate, he has supported many trade deals. However, he has voted against some free trade agreements with countries like Chile, Singapore, and Oman.

Committee Assignments

Wyden is a member of several important committees in the Senate:

Committee on the Budget
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (where he chairs the Subcommittee on Water and Power)
Committee on Finance (Chair)
Select Committee on Intelligence
Joint Committee On Taxation (Vice Chair)

Personal Life

Ron Wyden and wife Nancy

Ron Wyden lives in Portland, Oregon, and has an apartment in Washington, D.C. He has two older children, Adam and Lilly, from his first marriage to Laurie Oseran. They divorced in 1999.

In 2005, Wyden married his current wife, Nancy Bass. She is the daughter of an owner of New York's Strand Bookstore. They have three children together: twins born in 2007 and a daughter born in 2012.

In December 2010, Wyden had surgery for very early-stage prostate cancer. He recovered quickly and returned to Congress in January 2011.

Images for kids

Senator Ron Wyden
Wyden in Portland, Oregon, February 25, 2017
Wyden at a town hall in 2017