Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) has been a vocal and persistent critic of the Trump administration, disapproving of tariffs, national guard deployments and the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro.
One issue especially relevant to Oregonians, Wyden said during a wide-ranging interview with the Jefferson Exchange, is Trump’s attacks on vote-by-mail.
Oregon became the first state to administer elections exclusively by mail in 1998. Wyden was the first U.S. senator elected under the new policy. The second senator elected was Republican Gordon Smith.
“I want people in Oregon to know, once Trump is defeated and out of office, I'm going to come back to try and take Oregon’s vote-by-mail program national,” Wyden said. “I think Americans want it.”
Trump has linked voting by mail to fraud. In March, he issued an executive order requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship and requiring that ballots not be counted if received after Election Day. A federal judge struck that order down.
Wyden praised a recent federal ruling that Oregon is not required to provide requested voter information to the administration. Those opposed to sharing the data said it would violate citizens’ privacy rights.
Another priority for Wyden has been the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking network, something the senator said the Department of Justice is unwilling to do.
“I'm going to stay at it until two things happen. One: that we get all the facts out,” Wyden said. “When we're done with that, I'm going to introduce a major reform package that is going to prohibit banks from looking the other way ever again.”
Wyden, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, said investigators discovered hundreds of millions of dollars in wire transfers related to Epstein. He said he’s working on legislation to require banks to flag similar activity in the future.
Wyden also sits on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He wouldn't comment on classified information, but when asked how many died in the capture of Maduro, he said, “too many.”
Wyden said he’s also working on legislation to support hazardous fuels cleanup to reduce wildfire risk. Contractors who perform this work are concentrated in Jackson County.
“We've got a real good review coming from the Energy and Natural Resources Committee,” Wyden said. “I think prescribed burns are going to be the tool of the future in terms of dealing with fire.”
