Oregon Fights to Secure Over $1.6 Billion in Federal Funding Against Trump’s Executive Order Threats

The Oregon Department of Justice (ODOJ) indicated earlier this week that the department has protected $1.67 billion in critical federal funding streams from executive orders (EOs) issued by President Trump and other federal actions so far this year.

The funding ensures that Oregonians can access critical services like food assistance, public safety, healthcare, education, and medical research.

Trump EO Threats To Oregon Funding Stymied

Since Trump was inaugurated in January and started issuing EOs that threatened federal funding in Oregon, the state has joined 13 multi-state lawsuits and numerous amicus briefs to challenge the conditioning, reduction, or complete elimination of federal funding for state organizations.

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield indicated that the team at ODOJ team has worked overtime to make this happen.

ODOJ has spent about $267,000 on federal litigation after it jumped in February when President Trump issued many executive orders that would have harmed Oregonians.

The $1.67 billion safeguarded so far includes funding that was directly frozen, suspended, or terminated and funds that were threatened due to federal action, but the department believes this amount is a low estimate and does not reflect the whole scope of impacts that may have happened due to these federal actions.

Rayfield said this affects agencies across the state, including divisions within the ODOJ. He emphasized that in some of the rulings, states that did not join did not have their funding protected, and Oregon was only protected because they joined the multi-state lawsuits, such as the preliminary injunction Oregon received in the case that protects key research funding for medical institutions that provide care.

Rayfield said, “Through every wave of chaos and every legally dubious executive order, our office has stood firm to protect the rights of Oregonians.”