Oregon lawmakers would have to find an extra $850 million in the state budget starting in 2028 to cover cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill just signed by President Donald Trump.
Alex Aghdaei, policy analyst and outreach coordinator with Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, said the bill is projected to cause an estimated 100,000 Oregonians to lose SNAP coverage by 2034.
He said policymakers will face some hard choices going forward.
“We believe that there is no other option than to find the funding,” said Aghdaei, “because our state simply cannot abandon the one-in-eight of all Oregonians that rely on this program to feed their families.”
Aghdaei added that the bill makes more people subject to a work requirement, even though 83% of Oregon Trail Card users are already employed.
It also requires people to verify their eligibility more often, and it cuts the amount the federal government reimburses for the administrative costs of SNAP.
Aghdaei said low-income families will face similar paperwork obstacles to maintain coverage under the Oregon Health Plan because of huge cuts to Medicaid.
“Make no mistake, this bill will kill,” said Aghdaei. “The level of cuts that the SNAP program will experience, in addition to Medicaid and other essential services, is frankly unheard of, and the impact in Oregon will stretch far across the state.”
The legislature just concluded its 2-year session, but lawmakers will begin to address these issues in the short session next February.
Suzanne Potter, Oregon News Service
