For this week’s “Bend Don’t Break” podcast we talk with Oregon’s U.S. Senator Ron Wyden who has been representing the state in Washington, D.C. for forty years. As he begins his tenure as the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Wyden discusses his plans for investment in renewable energy and a 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps.
Wyden comments on his commitment to fight for federal legalization of marijuana, especially in light of Oregon’s robust cannabis industry. We also ask Wyden about his thoughts on Section 230, the famous law that he authored more than 20 years ago. It shields Big Tech from liability based on its user’s posts. Critics on the left say social media companies should be responsible for the incitement of violence and hate speech, while those on the right believe the law allows social media companies to censor right-wing ideologies.
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Sen. Ron Wyden has held his seat in the Senate chamber since 1996. Before that, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981-1996 for Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes most of Portland.
Thanks to the new Democratic majority in the Senate after the Georgia runoffs, Wyden is serving as the chair to the Senate Finance Committee which makes him one of the most influential elected leaders in the Senate. He also deserves much of the credit for delivering the extra $600/week unemployment insurance benefit to Americans who were out of work due to the pandemic.
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Listen to more from Wyden on this week’s episode of “Bend Don’t Break,” hosted by the Source Weekly’s publisher Aaron Switzer and co-hosted by Laurel Brauns. Every week, we feature a guest from the community with a new perspective on living through the COVID-19 pandemic including mental health professionals, economists, educators, artists, business people, local leaders and historians.
This article appears in Jan 27 – Feb 3, 2021.
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