On Friday, Nov. 3 Oregon State Senator Ron Wyden visited Tigard High School for a town hall meeting and to take questions from students. Wyden has been a senator for over 26 years, since being first elected in a 1996 special election.  

During the town hall, Senator Wyden discussed multiple topics including DACA, abortion, rising tensions with North Korea, and defense of Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality is the plan to revoke freedom of internet. Wyden has always been a strong believer in internet privacy and digital citizenship according to Barbara Smith Warner, Oregon House of  Representative, District 45. Warner used to work for him before she became a politician herself. When asked about how he plans to combat plans to revoke Net Neutrality, Wyden made his opinion clear.

“I think keeping Net Neutrality, particularly in a time of media concentration… is extremely important…” Wyden said.  

Another topic Wyden addressed was the recently proposed Republican tax plan, in which there would be itemized deductions, elimination of the AMT, and new income tax brackets. Wyden is a Democrat, who strongly opposes this policy.

“The proposers of this one bill want it to move so fast that nobody really gets a chance to see what’s in it because this is such a flawed product,” Senator Wyden said. “You can be sure that I will be doing everything I can to make sure that this Grinch doesn’t steal the middle class Christmas.”

Students were eager to ask the Senator questions. Tigard students asked questions mostly pertaining to his stance on certain policies, and how he got to where he was today. Wyden was eager to answer and inform students about his occupation and how the government works. The town hall was a great chance for students to gain insight into the world of politics, and feel their voices were heard.