Ten Sunshine Moments

by Ron Wyden

Since I first came to Congress, I've fought for government transparency. I believe that openness is the heart of democracy and makes for better policies that help all Americans. Whether it's transparency in funding to ensure accountability, pricing in order to drive down costs, or interpretations of the law to protect Americans' rights, openness is a good thing.

Sunshine Week highlights all the good work agencies, lawmakers, organizations and Americans do to keep the government accountable and what else still needs to be done. And while there's plenty more on my sunshine to-do list, here are some highlights.

10 ways I'm standing for sunshine:

  1. End secret holds in the Senate (where a Senator can block a bill anonymously)

  2. Stood against mass surveillance of Americans by warning of secret interpretations of the Patriot Act and fighting to end the dragnet

  3. Make public secret interpretations of intelligence laws:

  4. Disclose when and where oil trains carrying volatile material travel to protect Oregon communities and prepare emergency responders

  5. Audit the Pentagon so every taxpayer dollar for our defense is spent wisely and accounted for

  6. Open up the Medicare claims database to help drive health costs down by shining a light on payments that physicians, surgeons, nurse practitioners and other providers receive through Medicare (You can explore some of that data here: https://data.medicare.gov/)

  7. Student Right to Know Before You Go Act so students can access data to help them determine the best investment for their higher education dollars

  8. Founded the Whistleblowers Caucus to ensure workers who report waste, fraud and abuse in our government are protected from retaliation

  9. Stand by your ad provision that requires candidates to be identified and take personal responsibility for their campaign ads

  10. Campaign finance reform to require disclosure of dark money given to Super PACs