Sen. Ron Wyden to skip Trump’s first speech to Congress, hold town hall instead

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced he will be skipping President Trump’s first speech to Congress in his second term to hold an online town hall.

During his constitutionally-required address to a joint session on Tuesday, President Trump is expected to layout his legislative agenda before Congress.

Sen. Wyden will instead be “choosing to hear from residents in the best state of the union,” he said.

Wyden has been a vocal critic of the actions in the Trump administration. In particular, as the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, he sounded the alarm after Elon Musk and DOGE were granted access to sensitive information held by the Treasury Department as well as Social Security data.

Further, as co-chair of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, Wyden said that President Trump broke the law on the night of Jan. 24, when he fired 17 inspectors general without warning.

For Wyden, who is in his 28th year as a United States senator, this virtual town hall and others he has held are opportunities to connect with the people he represents and to pass along information about what he — and others — are doing in Congress.

“In this unprecedented time in American history, my top priority is making sure Oregonians from every corner of our state can keep weighing in directly with me,” he said.

Oregonians who want to ask a question during the virtual town hall can submit their questions in advance here.

The event will stream on Tuesday, March 4 on Facebook Live at 6 p.m.