January 29, 2025

Merkley, Wyden Blast President Trump’s Illegal Federal Funding Cuts That Harm American Families

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today issued the following statements in response to a federal judge blocking the Trump Administration’s executive order immediately stopping all federal loans and grants:

“The attack on these programs that allow families to get on their feet and thrive is the great betrayal coming from President Trump, who campaigned on helping working families, said Merkley, Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee and a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “In addition, Trump’s order cutting federal funds will have a huge impact on critical infrastructure projects in Oregon—like the Hood River-White Salmon and I-5 bridge replacement projects and the Port of Coos Bay’s transformative container port project—as well as funding to mitigate and fight wildfires, fulfill our commitments to Tribal communities, ensure clean air and water, and protect our public lands and wildlife. During the chaos caused by Trump’s constitutional crisis, Oregonians called my office after being shut out of their federal reimbursement systems and cut off from funding for their work to provide affordable housing, Head Start programs, and health care at federally qualified health centers. I’ll keep fighting to block these illegal cuts.”

“Chaos is not leadership. Ransacking resources from Oregonians counting on federal support for local law enforcement, schools, small businesses, firefighters, veterans, and more hurts each and every community I am honored to represent,” said Wyden, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee. “Donald Trump ran on lowering prices for families, and instead he’s intentionally driving the economy into the ground, forcing all Americans who aren’t Elon Musk to accept a lower standard of living to help he and his buddies get richer and richer. Legal or not, he doesn’t care. This illegal unconstitutional act is now in a court of law, but it’s already playing out in the court of opinion with Oregonians voicing their outrage. The American people must keep the pressure on until every community counting on this funding is assured they will receive it just as Congress intended.”

According to the Oregon State Legislature, about 30% of Oregon’s budget is supported by federal aid, which is critical for supporting local communities. If allowed to go into effect, the directives in President Trump’s executive order could block funding in Oregon for:

  • PUBLIC SAFETY: Grants for law enforcement departments would cease to go out the door, undermining public safety in Oregon.
  • FIREFIGHTING: Grants to support firefighters would be halted—this includes grants that help states and localities purchase essential firefighting equipment.
  • HEALTH SERVICES: Over $106 million in federal funding for community health centers that provide health care for people across Oregon would be at risk, creating chaos for patients trying to get their prescriptions, a regular checkup, and more.
  • TRIBES: Funding to Tribes for basic government services like health care, public safety, programs, Tribal schools, and food assistance would be halted.
  • HEAD START: Funding for Head Start programs that provide comprehensive early childhood education for almost 10,000 children in Oregon would be at risk. Teachers and staff would not get paid, and programs may not be able to stay open.
  • COMBATTING FENTANYL CRISIS: Funding for communities to address the substance use disorder crisis and combat the fentanyl crisis would be cut off.
  • CHILD CARE: Child care programs in Oregon and across the country would be at risk to accessing the funding they rely on to keep their doors open.
  • K-12 SCHOOLS: Federal funding for our K-12 schools would be halted, preventing school districts in Oregon from accessing key formula grant funding including Title I and nearly $160 million in IDEA Grants (which help children with disabilities). This would pose tremendous financial burdens on schools in the middle of the school year.
  • INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS: Federally-funded transportation projects in Oregon and across the country—roads, bridges, public transit, and more—would be halted, including projects already under construction.
  • EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: Critical preparedness and response capability funding used to prepare for disasters, public health emergencies, and chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear events would be frozen.
  • DISASTER RELIEF: Public assistance and hazard mitigation grants from the Disaster Relief Fund to state, Tribal, territorial, and local governments and non-profits to help communities quickly respond to, recover from, and prepare for major disasters would be halted—right as so many communities are struggling after severe natural disasters.

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