Inside Salem: Deb Patterson

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are approaching the end of 2025, and preparations for the 2026 Legislative Session are underway. Oregon faces difficulties ahead, and one of the biggest challenges for every state right now is responding to President Trump’s budget bill, H.R. 1.

The largest impacts stem from the cuts to Medicaid, which is known as the Oregon Health Plan in our state. This is the program that provides health care access for one in three Oregonians, including half of children in Oregon. Cuts to the Oregon Health Plan will make it harder for people to get the care they need and will strip essential funding that helps keep our hospitals and community clinics afloat. The bill also cuts funding to the SNAP program, which provides food assistance to people facing hunger in our communities. SNAP helps one in six Oregonians with an average food benefit of just $6 a day. At a time when food insecurity is already high, these cuts will make it even harder for people such as kids, seniors, and veterans to access food.

All of this creates huge barriers for Oregon’s health and food systems. The federal budget cuts are enormous — more than $15 billion over the next six years. The state government alone cannot fill this gap.

This means we must all work together to meet the needs of Oregonians. In the face of these challenges to our health care and food systems, Oregon needs all hands on deck to find creative solutions. That is why I have been connecting with experts both across the state and right here in our community. I recently convened a regional roundtable to discuss health care needs in the Marion-Polk region and organized a legislative hearing to understand the statewide impacts of H.R. 1. I am also working as a member of the Oregon Hunger Task Force to protect food access for those at risk of hunger.

As Oregonians, we have always led the way on innovation and a shared commitment to helping our communities thrive. The task ahead will not be easy, but as long as we can work together to meet the needs of Oregonians, I know we can get through this difficult period for our state. Together.

You can follow along with our work in the Legislature through the Oregon Legislature Information System website. The Senate and House committees will be previewing issues for the 2026 Legislative Session during committee hearings on November 17-19, and these meetings are all open to the public. If you have questions or comments about the issues we are working on, you can reach my office at (503) 986-1710 or Sen.DebPatterson@oregonlegislature.gov. I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Deb Patterson