Two months in, Donald Trump’s agenda for his second term is clear: cruel policies and deep cuts to critical services that enrich his billionaire donors and attempt to divide our communities. This reckless and ruthless approach threatens Oregonians in every corner of the state, including our immigrant and refugee neighbors, the LGBTQ+ community, working families, and the millions of people who depend on Medicaid, food assistance, public schools, and veteran services. But in Oregon, we won’t back down — organizations across the state are digging in and fighting back to protect our communities and keep the Trump administration in check.

Protect Oregon is committed to providing regular updates and action alerts from the leaders and groups on the ground actively working to protect our rights, our communities, and our livelihoods. If you’re looking for ways to protect our communities and build a better future for all Oregonians, this is the newsletter for you. 

PROTECTING OREGON FAMILIES WHO RELY ON MEDICAID & SNAP

WHAT'S HAPPENING: Trump and Congressional Republicans have set out a budget framework with a potential $880 billion in cuts to critical programs like Medicaid and SNAP over the next decade. They are aiming to pass a finalized budget by mid-April.

In Oregon, these cuts would threaten health care for the 1 in 3 Oregonians who rely on the Oregon Health Plan – that’s 1.4 million of us, including kids, veterans, new parents, seniors, rural Oregonians, and people with disabilities. The ripple effect would be devastating – increasing costs for everyone and worsening the mental health and drug addiction crises.

These tax cuts for billionaires also threaten federal SNAP programs, forcing 757,000 Oregon families to choose between paying rent and feeding their families, in addition to hurting our economy and local businesses. 

HOW WE'RE FIGHTING BACK: Our Oregon and allies are mobilizing Oregonians to pressure Cliff Bentz (OR-2) to vote NO on the final budget. You can help:

• Share the social and graphics in this toolkit to help pressure Rep. Bentz to stand up for Oregonians, not Trump's billionaire donors. 

• Sign up for one of SEIU’s #HandsOffMedicaid rallies

  • Medford - March 15th, 1:30 pm 

  • Portland - March 19th, 5:30 pm  

  • Bend - March 21st, 5:30 pm 

  • Eugene - April 12th, 11am

  • Salem - April 16th, 3:30 pm 

PROTECTING TRANS YOUTH AND THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY

WHAT'S HAPPENING: As anticipated, the incoming White House has issued a series of cruel and sweeping executive actions — including targeting the LGBTQ+ community. At the moment, they are largely going after gender-affirming care and trans athletes and leaving trans, non-binary, and intersex folks in limbo with passports, social security cards, and much more.

But there’s hope. In Oregon, we have some of the strongest LGBTQ+ protections in the country. Already, we’ve seen courts pause some of the reckless executive orders emerging from the White House. Case in point: Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield joined two other states in a lawsuit challenging Trump’s executive order. As a result of that and other lawsuits, Trump’s attempt to ban federal funding for gender-affirming care has been halted by multiple courts.

HOW WE'RE FIGHTING BACK: Basic Rights Oregon (BRO) and allies are fighting to ensure all Oregonians, including LGBTQ+ Oregonians, live free from discrimination and are treated with dignity and respect in every community in our state. We’re not backing down, and you can help:

• Help support the Equal Rights for All Campaign. Heading to Oregon voters in November 2026, this ballot measure makes clear that the Oregon Constitution protects all Oregonians' freedom and equal rights to make our most private, personal decisions — including about one’s health care and who one loves — no matter our sex, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. These protections include the right to abortion and reproductive health care including IVF and contraception, gender-affirming care, and marriage equality. 

• Sign up for House Parties on March 8 and 18. The Equal Rights for All campaign has house parties on March 8 in Beaverton, Corvallis, Eugene, Manzanita, and Portland, and on March 18 in the Rogue Valley. Sign up today and learn more about how you can get involved!

• Sign up for BRO’s weekly newsletter to get the LGBTQ+ news you should know, things you can do, and ways you can help

PROTECTING NIH-FUNDED RESEARCH AND WORKERS

WHAT'S HAPPENING: Reckless Trump administration cuts to National Institute of Health (NIH) funding could endanger jobs and critical research in Oregon, including life-saving research at OHSU, UO, and OSU. The Trump administration is showing they have no concern for the well-being of Americans by playing political games with this critical research. These reckless, chaotic disruptions endanger important research, threaten jobs across Oregon and could cost lives. NIH research must be allowed to continue uninterrupted.

Just this week, a federal judge again blocked the administration from making deep cuts to medical research funding and jobs — a response to a lawsuit brought by Oregon Attorney General Rayfield and 21 other states.

HOW WE'RE FIGHTING BACK:  AFSCME, which represents workers potentially impacted by these cuts, has introduced HJM 6 — urging Congress to ensure strong annual federal funding—  and is pursuing opportunities for the state and private philanthropy to invest in this critical research. You can help:

• Attend a Stand Up For Science 2025 rally with Congresswoman Salinas TODAY (March 7) at the Oregon State Capitol

• Support HJM 6 when it comes up for a hearing

PROTECTING IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE OREGONIANS

WHAT'S HAPPENING: The Trump administration used racist tropes and lies to get elected and continues to relentlessly attack immigrant and refugee communities. Now, Trump is seeking billions of dollars in new federal funding for his aggressive deportation agenda that would tear apart Oregon families — harming all of us. 

Oregonians have fought for generations to create a welcoming state for immigrants and refugees, which is why we have one of America’s oldest Sanctuary State Laws. Oregon is home to more than 400,000 immigrants and their families. Our state is enriched by the diversity of experiences, cultures, and traditions that all of us, including immigrants, bring to our communities. We all want safety and security, and an immigration system that functions. Trump’s orders don’t accomplish that – they just create fear, anxiety, and harm for our communities. 

Our friends, family members, and neighbors who are immigrants are part of our community. They should not face the threat of criminal prosecution for failing to carry papers as they go about their daily lives — when they go to church, the grocery store, or a park — that’s not the kind of country we want to live in.

HOW WE'RE FIGHTING BACK: The Oregon for All coalition is fighting back against these blatant attacks on immigrant justice and the dignity of Oregonians who call our state home. You can help: 

• Volunteer with or donate to the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC) hotline, which coordinates rapid response services to support immigrants and refugee Oregonians detained by ICE

• If people are detained by ICE or there is potential ICE activity, report asap to the PIRC hotline (1-888-622-1510) 

• Add your name or your organization’s name to urge our elected leaders to oppose H.R. 32, known as the Defund Our Communities Act — an unworkable, chaotic, and cruel piece of legislation that would cut off federal funding for vital services to communities across our state — from Meals on Wheels to the local bus line. The deadline to add your name is Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 9 PM PDT.

• Reach out to media@oregonforall.us if you would like to join weekly communications calls

• Join the Oregon for All coalition! 

PROTECTING OUR CLIMATE

WHAT'S HAPPENING: Trump campaigned on giving the fossil fuel industry “a deal,” and they promised him a billion dollars for his campaign. He has held up his end of the bargain— gutting environmental protections and leaving our communities to face the consequences: more wildfires and climate disasters, higher utility bills, worse pollution, and fewer good-paying jobs. 

HOW WE'RE FIGHTING BACK: The Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, and climate advocates and organizations across Oregon are fighting to ensure we protect our state’s climate future, even in the face of the Trump administration’s attacks. You can help: 

• A healthy climate depends on a healthy democracy, that’s why OLCV is fighting against attempts at voter suppression like the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility” (SAVE) Act. Use this toolkit to join in the fight.