Salem, OR – Governor Tina Kotek convened a conversation on Saturday with Oregonians experiencing the impacts of changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) under President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” hearing directly from SNAP recipients, workers, farmers, food security advocates and community leaders about what the loss of federal food assistance means for families and communities across the state.
Approximately 35,000 Oregonians have lost SNAP benefits because of HR 1, which expanded federal work requirements and changed eligibility for certain adults. Governor Kotek met with six families who have lost benefits.
“What has always been key to my work has been listening to the people who are hurting and listening to the people working hard to help them,” Governor Kotek said. “Today, I sat down with Oregonians who have lost their SNAP benefits because of President Trump and his Big Ugly Bill, and what I heard was heartbreaking. Hunger should not be a political weapon, and Oregon will not stand by while families go without food.”
During a recorded roundtable conversation with community leaders, emergency food providers, state agency staff, and food insecurity experts, Governor Kotek heard how Trump’s cuts are affecting people across Oregon.
Food security in Oregon
Experts participating in the roundtable conversation shared that more than half a million Oregonians experience food insecurity each year, with the highest rates among lower-income families, families with children, communities of color and rural communities.
The impacts come at a time when food insecurity remains significant in Oregon. The most recent data cited by the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) show that one in eight Oregonians — and one in six children — experience food insecurity.
Mark Edwards, Director of the Oregon State University Policy Analysis Lab, explained that SNAP reduces food insecurity and helps families afford healthier food while easing pressure on food banks. Edwards warned that the federal government ended funding for key data collection, making it harder to track food insecurity and risks the state’s ability to address food insecurity where it hits hardest.
Oregon has longstanding success connecting eligible people to SNAP.
Protecting SNAP and helping eligible Oregonians maintain access
Before Trump’s cuts to SNAP, approximately 757,000 Oregonians benefited from the program. In June, ODHS reported that number had dropped to approximately 646,000.
When someone may be subject to the new federal work requirements, ODHS staff review their individual circumstances to determine whether they qualify for an exemption or have good cause for not meeting the requirements. The agency is also working to connect people with employment, education and training opportunities through the Oregon Employment Department and WorkSource Oregon.
The changes required by HR 1 have added substantial complexity and workload for the state. ODHS has had to interpret changing federal guidance, update policies and systems, revise notices, train staff and communicate new eligibility requirements to hundreds of thousands of Oregonians — while continuing work to improve the accuracy of SNAP payments and maintain service levels. In the coming months, the state will implement new SNAP EBT cards with chips in them to protect the benefit from theft.
“These changes to SNAP in HR 1 have nothing to do with fraud or getting people back to work—it’s all about tax cuts for billionaires and cutting people’s benefits,” said Representative Andrea Valderrama, House Chair of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Human Services. “Here in Oregon, we are partnering with Governor Kotek to modernize EBT cards and prevent theft from happening to our families most in need.”
Other participants in the roundtable included Jihane Nami, Associate Director of Programs at The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO), Andrea Williams, Executive Director of Oregon Food Bank, State Senator Lisa Reynolds, John Burt, farmer and Executive Director of Farmers Ending Hunger, Andrea Omojola, a director at Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, and ODHS’ SNAP administrators and eligibility workers, Jessica Amaya Hoffman, Renee Ulloa, and Gantt Rawls.
The roundtable took place at Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon’s food bank in Northeast Portland, the largest food bank in the state that served approximately 350 people earlier in the day. A recording of the roundtable can be found here.