>> ALL RIGHT. WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY. WE'RE JOINED NOW BY OREGON SENATOR RON WYDEN. GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE IN THE QUEEN'S 60. THANKS FOR JOINING US. >> SENATOR, THANKS FOR BEING HERE. A BIG THING HAPPENING HERE IN PORTLAND THIS WEEK. THE START OF THIS TRIAL TALKING ABOUT THE KROGER ALBERTSONS MERGER. I KNOW YOU'VE HAD SOME BIG CONCERNS ABOUT THIS MERGER. WALK ME THROUGH THOSE CONCERNS. >> I JUST THINK THIS MERGER IS ROTTEN TO THE CORE AND I BELIEVE REALLY STRONGLY IN COMPETITION AND MARKETS AND YOU ARE PUT UP THAT THIS WOULD BE THE BIGGEST GROCERY MERGER IN HISTORY IT'S AN EFFECT DECISION BEING MADE RIGHT HERE ON OUR OUR HOMETOWN AND I WAS IN EASTERN OREGON OVER THE WEEKEND FLEW RIGHT OUT IN THE MID WEST OF TOWN MEETINGS AND HOME STOP THE FRED MEYER IN THE DOW'S AND PEOPLE THINK THIS DEAL STINKS. AND THE REALITY IS WHEN PEOPLE GO UP THAT CHECKOUT COUNTER, THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE GET MONTH WHEN THEY'RE BUYING A GALLON OF MILK OR PALM MEET HIM CONSOLIDATION AND MERGERS ARE GOING TO MAKE THINGS WORSE. I'VE LED THE EFFORT WITH CONGRESSWOMAN JAYA POPE TO FIGHT FOR AN INJUNCTION. >> NOW, I WANT TO TOUCH ON A LITTLE BIT OF THAT, BUT ALSO BRANCHED OFF, SENATOR WYDEN, BECAUSE AS YOU SAID, A LOT OF US GO TO THE STORES AND WE SEE THINGS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE RIGHT NOW. SO WE'LL TALK ABOUT INFLATION AS WELL. AND THEN THERE'S THE ISSUE OF PRICE GOUGING. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION DO YOU THINK THEY'VE BEEN DOING AN OK JOB IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE THAT PRICE GOUGING IS AN ISSUE FOR AMERICANS AND THAT WE AS AMERICANS ARE BEING TAKEN CARE OF. AND THAT REAL, THAT THIS ISSUE, OF COURSE, REALLY TOOK OFF IN THE LAST FEW DAYS WITH THE VICE ANNOUNCEMENT. LET ME BE CLEAR CHAIRMAN THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE. >> I BELIEVE STRONGLY IN MARKETS. I THINK MARKETS ALWAYS ARE PREFERABLE. WHEN MARKETS BREAKDOWN. I DO BELIEVE THERE OUGHT TO BE SOME GUARDRAILS TO PROTECT THE CONSUMER AND BUT HUGHES MARKETS TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE. BUT THE CONSUMERS JUST GETTING CLOBBERED ON THESE ESSENTIALS ARE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S AN ACCIDENT, FOR THE ONLY SUPPLIER PUTS PRICES INTO THE STRATOSPHERE. THE CONSUMER OUGHT TO HAVE SOME PROTECTION. I WANT TO SWITCH GEARS TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT A PROPOSAL COMING OUT FROM JD VANCE, THE VP NOMINEE ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE. >> I TALKED ABOUT THAT $5,000 CHILD TAX CREDIT. BUT I KNOW HE MISSED A VOTE EARLIER THIS SUMMER ON THAT VERY ISSUE. BUT YOU SUPPORT THE $5,000 CHILD. WE WE HAVEN'T SEEN HIS PROPOSAL AND, YOU KNOW, THE TRACK RECORD, UNFORTUNATELY IS, YOU KNOW, HE FRIENDS ARE TAX BREAKS UP TO THE PEOPLE AT THE VERY TOP, NOT TO THE WORKING FAMILIES IN. LET'S UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE JD VANCE AND OTHERS DIDN'T SHOW UP FOR WORK. I MEAN, WE COULD HELP 16 MILLION KIDS, PARTICULARLY KIDS IN LARGE FAMILIES WHO HAVEN'T GOTTEN A FAIR SHAKE. WE COULD HELP MILLIONS OF SMALL BUSINESSES. WE NEED THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TAX CREDIT. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF UNITS OF HOUSING. AND WHEN SOMEBODY DOESN'T SHOW UP FOR WORK, THEY'RE LENT AND DOWN THE COUNTRY. THEY'RE LETTING DOWN THEIR CONSTITUENTS AND I HEAR LOTS OF RHETORIC NOW ABOUT AN EXPANDED CHILD TAX CREDIT. WE WOULD HAVE ALREADY HAD IT IF A JD VANCE AND HIS COLLEAGUES WHO MISSED THE VOTE AND SHOWING UP. OKAY, WE HAVE TIME FOR ONE MORE QUESTION. SENATOR IN THIS IS SOMETHING MAYBE ON PEOPLE DON'T KNOW. BUT I KNOW YOU'RE TRYING TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT IS THAT YOU'RE VERY INVOLVED >> AND ENSURING THAT THE ORGAN TRANSPLANT SYSTEM HERE IN THE U.S. IS MORE STREAMLINED IS AND IS FAIR. AND YOU'VE SEEN REALLY PROBLEMS WITHIN IT. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHERE THINGS ARE WITH YOUR WORK AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT SYSTEM IS BETTER FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED ORGAN TRANSPLANTS ARE. OUR LAW IS BEING IMPLEMENTED. AND I BELIEVE THAT'S GONNA MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF PATIENT SAFETY. WHEN WE STARTED. >> WE FOUND ORGANS WERE LYING AROUND AN AIRPORT HANGARS, IF YOU CAN BELIEVE IT. I MEAN, INCREDIBLY SLOPPY PRACTICES. THERE'S STILL SOME PLACES WHERE THERE ARE REAL CHALLENGE IS I LIKE TO THINK WE'RE GETTING IT RIGHT IN OUR HOME STATE WHERE I MET THE OFFICIALS AND I'M GOING TO WATCHDOG THIS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, BECAUSE PARTICULARLY MINORITIES HAVEN'T BEEN TREATED FAIRLY. YEAH. AND THAT'S A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION. >> SENATOR RON WYDEN, WE ALWAYS APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. TH