Sen. Wyden discusses array of issues with NewsChannel 21

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., hosted a roundtable discussion at MountainStar Family Relief Nursery in Bend, discussing his Families First bill, then stopped by NewsChannel 21 to discuss a range of issues.

The bill would help children and reduce the number of foster care placements.

Wyden heard from local leaders about what they are doing to help families struggling with substance abuse.

When the senator paid a visit to NewsChannel 21, we asked him about some important issues affecting Central Oregon.

TRADE:

“I’ve tried to focus on enforcing the law, trying to make sure we’re enforcing our trade laws, because if we do so, we can bring both sides together. For example, the Canadian softwood lumber issue is going to be very big in September. There are mills, Warm Springs, Ochoco, a number of mills that care deeply about this issue. I believe that our mills can compete with anybody on the planet, if there is a level playing field.”

MARIJUANA:

“I’m going to be very involved with my Oregon congressional colleagues making changes to the banking system (since) it has been made legal in our state. We shouldn’t have people carrying around huge sacks of money in the middle of night because they can’t use the banking system.”

DONALD TRUMP:

“It would be more understandable if it just happened occasionally. But just in the last week, there is this pattern where he makes one of these statements that is just very outlandish. People on both sides of the aisle, Democrats and Republicans, say this is way over the line, both with respect to ISIS and respect to guns. He took both topics and says, ‘Well, that was sarcasm.’ I’m interested in practical solutions.”

GUN VIOLENCE:

“The reality is, gun violence, these mass shootings, is a four-alarm public health challenge, and we ought to be doing research and focusing on approaches that allow us to stem that violence. That is not gun control, and I’m going to do everything I can to lift the ban at the Centers for Disease Control so they can do this research.”

CYBER-SECURITY:

“There’s no question that we are increasingly facing these cyber-hacks. And obviously, the federal government is looking at approaches to strengthen our systems (for) iIndividual businesses, institutions.”