In March 2018, Wyden and Representative Frank Pallone sent a letter to Comptroller General of the United States Gene Dodaro calling for an investigation of eligibility requirements of Medicaid programs, writing that "If CMS continues to approve work requirements and other restrictions on Medicaid, the consequences could be severe for federal spending and the sustainability of the Medicaid program" and expressing the view that the public "should have complete information about the consequences of proposed Section 1115 waivers to ensure limited taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently, appropriately, and towards the goal of promoting, not obstructing, access to health care." In December 2018, Wyden was one of forty-two senators to sign a letter to Trump administration officials Alex Azar, Seema Verma, and Steve Mnuchin arguing that the administration was improperly using Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act to authorize states to "increase health care costs for millions of consumers while weakening protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions." The senators requested the administration withdraw the policy and "re-engage with stakeholders, states, and Congress." In January 2019, during the 2018–19 United States federal government shutdown, Wyden was one of thirty-four senators to sign a letter to Commissioner of Food and Drugs Scott Gottlieb recognizing the efforts of the FDA to address the effect of the government shutdown on the public health and employees while remaining alarmed "that the continued shutdown will result in increasingly harmful effects on the agency’s employees and the safety and security of the nation’s food and medical products." Wyden supports free trade; while in the House, he voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement and has subsequently supported many trade deals in the Senate being one of the very few Democrats to vote in favor of the Central America Free Trade Agreement. He has, however, voted against free trade agreements with Chile, Singapore, and Oman. Wyden supported the re-imposition of tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber in 2017, stating "Canadian policies ... distort trade and hold American lumber businesses back from fully realizing their potential." Wyden is a supporter of lifting the travel ban to Cuba as a more viable way to reach the Cuban people. With Senator Byron Dorgan, Wyden offered an unsuccessful amendment to end funding for TV Martí, an anti-Castro broadcasting project of the U.S. government aimed at Cuba. Dorgan and Wyden argued that the U.S. should "pull the plug on U.S. government television broadcasts to Cuba, broadcasts even the American government acknowledges Fidel Castro routinely jams and the Cuban people can't see."