With the end of the federal government shutdown, the roughly 757,000 people in Oregon who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits could breathe a sigh of relief. Food would be on the table as winter sets in. There might even be enough to give thanks at Thanksgiving.
But that relief is temporary. The federal government is opening back up because the bill that caused so much disagreement has now passed both chambers of Congress — and with its passage, millions of Americans are going to permanently lose their food benefits. Refugees and documented immigrants are going to lose benefits completely. Others are going to be subject to tighter work requirements. And this week, the Secretary of Agriculture announced that she’s considering making everyone reapply for the program — even though people in most states already do that once, if not twice, a year.
But that’s not the end of the headache that is headed Oregon’s way. That same bill is going to make health insurance prohibitively expensive for a vast number of people. And on top of that, one of the programs that distributes funds to help people heat their homes in winter has yet to dole out the money this season — even though that money has already been appropriated by Congress. Senators, including Oregon’s Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. this week, asking him to release the “highest amount of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding available” under the current Continuing Resolution, which is keeping the government funded.
Nonprofits and other support services can only fill so much of the gap. State and local governments are currently grappling with what they can and can’t offer in terms of financial support.
Soon, we expect to see serious fighting commence — the battles over which of our local nonprofits should be funded with government dollars. Fights over whether we continue to fund facilities for the homeless while children go hungry. Arguments over which services are essential; which ones are life-saving. It’s not going to be pretty.
When those cuts begin, the least we should hope for is a process that makes the doling-out of public dollars as equitable as possible. Case in point: Last month, the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners voted to issue some $75,000 to two nonprofits that are instrumental in supplying food to the needy in Central Oregon. Commissioners issued some $37,500 to both NeighborImpact and The Giving Plate, with the idea that the funds would help to offset the looming loss of SNAP funds. That was a beneficial use of public dollars during a fraught time, but as Commissioner Phil Chang pointed out during the vote, it was ad hoc. Should they do something like that again, it should come with a process. The public deserves to know the criteria around which local governments are selecting who to support. Is it the number of people served, or the efficiency of their process? Perhaps lowest overhead costs compared to services rendered?
As those discussions unfold, the public should let commissioners know what they believe are the highest priorities. Food? Health care? Housing? This is going to be a time that truly tests the values of our community as the federal government serves up this Lord of the Flies process.
It’s hard to fathom that all of those things could be in peril all at once. It’s even harder to fathom that this is what voters want — all while the U.S. continues to add to its national debt. But this is the harsh reality. While we’re in it, we all need to get clear on what we’re willing to fund, and how.
This article appears in the Source November 20, 2025.
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Yes, the public should weigh in. The public should literally be empowered to direct 100% of their tax dollars exactly as they desire. This would be the worst nightmare of liberals as they would learn the hard way just unpopular their favored programs are.