Ron Wyden says affordability and holding Republicans and special interests accountable will shape his agenda in the 120th Congress, as Democrats prepare to take control in January.

Wyden is expected to chair the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees taxes, tariffs, Medicaid, Medicare and SNAP; he previously chaired it from 2021 through 2024 and has served on it since 2014.

A top priority is legislation to reverse healthcare and social-safety-net cuts in H.R. 1, including Medicaid cuts and work requirements, and restore the more generous Affordable Care Act subsidies that expired at the end of 2025.

The work rules require Medicaid enrollees aged 19 to 64 to document at least 80 hours a month of work, school or volunteer activity; in Oregon, they affect about 560,000 adults and are being challenged in court.

Wyden says the cuts are putting vulnerable people under financial strain and argues restoring funding is a matter of political will, while proposing a tax on billionaires as one possible source of revenue.

He has not specified how Democrats would pay to restore ACA subsidies; a Congressional Budget Office estimate put the cost of extending them for 10 years at $350 billion and projected 3.8 million more people would gain coverage.

The proposals face steep political hurdles: with Donald Trump remaining president, they would need his signature or enough Republican support to secure the two-thirds majorities required to override a veto.

Wyden also wants to end Trump administration tariffs, especially those on Canada, which he says harm both countries; Oregon’s reliance on global trade and imported parts leaves its industries exposed.

The Supreme Court struck down some of the administration’s most punishing tariffs in early 2026, but other import taxes remained in effect.

Wyden will continue advocating for Medicare for All and supports expanding Medicare beyond people aged 65 and older, while saying he will work to bridge differences with Democrats who favor a public option.

Wyden says he would use the Finance Committee to investigate efforts to secure lasting tax-audit immunity for Trump and his family, and seek bank and Treasury records related to Jeffrey Epstein; he has been unable to obtain a committee majority for a subpoena since 2025.

He also wants to investigate banks that may have enabled Epstein, arguing that compliance with existing laws could have stopped his financing sooner.