The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current, August 01, 2018, Page 30, Image 29

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    30
Wednesday, August 1, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
WYDEN: Sisters crowd
was largely supportive
of Senator
Continued from page 3
the country from going back-
ward on healthcare.”
Wyden said the Trump
administration is trying to
unravel protection for peo-
ple with pre-existing medi-
cal conditions, who number
1.5 million in Oregon. He
believes that if Trump’s nom-
inee for the U.S. Supreme
Court, Brett Kavanaugh,
is confirmed, the Supreme
Court will override the
Affordable Care Act, making
healthcare a benefit for only
the healthy and wealthy.
The senator is also a
strong advocate for protect-
ing women’s healthcare and
abortion rights.
“As long as I’m the rank-
ing member on the Finance
Committee, they’ll have
to run over me to get rid of
women’s healthcare,” he said.
Four ways Wyden sees
to reduce medical costs are:
lower the out-of-pocket costs
for prescription medication;
get rid of the Medicare rule
that keeps the government
from bargaining with phar-
maceutical firms on prices;
get rid of the middlemen
between big pharma and the
pharmacies; and pass the
“Spike Bill” which would
require pharmaceutical com-
panies to prove justification
for price hikes on their drugs,
and not to support marketing.
Wyden would like every
American to have the choice
to use a Medicare-based sys-
tem for healthcare, which
would not be the same as the
current 65-plus Medicare pro-
gram. He would also like to
see more focus on prevention.
Immigration was broadly
discussed as two green
card holders representing
Immigration Voice spoke
about the need for a bipartisan
fix to the green card situation
based on a quota system by
country. They both requested
Wyden act as a co-sponsor
on a current proposed bill
so it can work its way to the
Appropriations Committee.
They discussed the
inordinately long wait
time for a green card if an
immigrant doesn’t have an
employer-based one. They
said an immigrant with an
employer-based green card
is basically indentured for-
eign labor whose intellectual
property belongs to the com-
pany. They are unable to start
a business, which could hire
American workers, because
the green card doesn’t belong
to them.
On another immigration
issue, Wyden said legisla-
tion is underway to speed
up the reunification of fami-
lies separated by the Trump
administration’s policies at
the U.S.-Mexican border. He
indicated that to arrive at a
workable, fair immigration
policy it would take biparti-
san compromise.
One out of five jobs in
Oregon relies on foreign
trade.
“Tariffs have a place in
the tool box,” Wyden said,
“but the new ones are caus-
ing a lot of pain for states
like Oregon.” He believes
President Trump’s “latest
actions regarding our NATO
allies have hurt U.S. ability to
do business with our allies.”
In answer to the question
of Russian interference in the
U.S. elections, Wyden said he
has been advocating for paper
ballots for a long time. He
also thinks money talks.
“This is a ‘follow the
money’ issue. The way you
compromise people is with
the money,” he remarked.
Wyden told the audience
he has been sending regular
letters to the National Rifle
Association regarding foreign
funding and the involvement
of Russian Maria Butina. He
said the NRA’s first response
was that they didn’t take
money from foreigners, fol-
lowed by various versions of
they accepted one donation to
multiple, to a final letter say-
ing, “we’re not interested in
answering any more letters
from the Senate.”
After the indictment of
Butina, Wyden said that
Trump adopted a new IRS
rule that makes it easier for
foreign “dark money” to get
into the U.S.
“I’m going to fight this
day in and day out,” Wyden
said.
Wyden told The Nugget he
is working on getting emer-
gency funds for the Sherman
and Wasco county wheat
ranchers impacted by recent
fires.
Wyden said he voted to
approve Ryan Zinke as the
Secretary of the Interior
because, during his confirma-
tion hearing, Zinke said he
would be a “Teddy Roosevelt
Republican,” inferring he
would protect national parks
and monuments from being
reduced in size for the benefit
of coal, oil, and other mineral
extracting companies.
As soon as Zinke was con-
firmed, Wyden said he “got
as far away from Roosevelt’s
ideals” as he could. Zinke
came to a budget commit-
tee meeting to discuss huge
proposed cutbacks in land
and water management.
Representing a state in
which the Federal govern-
ment owns a good share of
the state, between BLM lands
and national forests, Wyden
informed Zinke, “My vote to
confirm you was one of my
worst votes and I’ll be fight-
ing your ideas from here on.”
On other issues, Wyden
said he would hold Education
Secretary Betsy DeVos
accountable for allegedly
lying during her confirmation
hearings regarding graduation
rate statistics.
He believes the middle
class drives the economy and
Trump’s tax plan only really
helps the wealthy. The tax
PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden held his 902nd Oregon Town Hall in Sisters on
July 28. It was his second Town Hall held in Sisters since the 2016 election.
relief offered to the middle
class is only temporary, but
permanent for the rich. The
tax breaks are being used for
stock buy-backs to benefit
corporate executives rather
than increased wages for
workers. Wyden is looking
forward to upcoming sessions
dealing with taxes.
Wyden believes it was a
“great mistake for Trump to
withdraw from the Paris cli-
mate accord.” He thinks our
current environmental poli-
cies are a “monument to yes-
teryear.” There are $10 billion
worth of tax breaks for major
fossil fuel businesses that
Wyden would like thrown
out. Instead, Wyden would
like to see tax breaks for
developing clean energy and
clean transportation fuels.
On the subject of gun
control, Wyden asserted,
“There is no Second
Amendment violation to keep
guns out of the hands of those
who shouldn’t have them”
indicating known terrorists,
those with mental illness, and
criminals. He believes people
in rural areas can be pivotal in
this debate.
He told the story about a
high school sophomore from
Hood River who he brought
back to testify in front of
the Senate, after hearing
her speak at her high school
about how she and her fel-
low students, who have
grown up with and used guns,
“have had it.” She shared,
“We know about guns but
we are tired of drills to save
our lives. We’re students. We
expect those in charge to do
something about this.”
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