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To contact me, please click here: Rep.Farrah.Chaichi@oregonlegislature.gov
Hello Friends,
I hope you had a chance to read our newsletter from the first week of July, highlighting some positive things and some disappointing things from the 2025 Long Session. As a Member of our state’s “citizen legislature,” I am back at my day job Monday-Thursday, while doing legislative work on Fridays and weekends. Time goes by fast! It is already August and as you probably know, I will be back down in Salem for a Special Session on August 29th (more on this below).
Luckily, I have my two amazing staff (Anne Marie and Zack) helping with policy development, constituent services, social media, event planning, and the other important administrative and internal tasks for the office. I couldn’t do it without them and they are here to help you with any legislative or constituent matters!
From left to right: Anne Marie Bäckström, Zack Surmacz, Rep. Farrah Chaichi
Our Joint Town Hall on August 12th, 2025, at Beaverton City Library had almost 80 people!!
Wasn’t expecting to get the MIDDLE seat, but I think I handled it alright!
From left to right: Representative Hai Pham, Representative Farrah Chaichi, and Senator WInsvey Campos
On August 12th, we held a joint town hall with Senator Wlnsvey Campos and Representative Hai Pham at the Beaverton City Library. Over 70 constituents attended to discuss the issues that matter the most to them. The open discussion covered topics such as the upcoming Special Session, uncertainty in the face of pending federal cuts to Medicaid, protecting our immigrant communities, and other questions about the work that the legislators are doing in Salem to help our communities. It went really well and we will be doing more in the future! In order to provide constituent events that meet your needs and preferences, please fill out this 2-minute survey that asks about event locations, dates and times, etc. Hope to see you at a constituent event soon!
This does transition nicely into the now highly anticipated Special Session on transportation funding on August 29th, 2025, down at the capitol building in Salem, Oregon.
We have to make sure the snowplows get out to the roads in time this winter. That a damaged bridge doesn’t collapse. That a family doesn’t lose a loved one because their car struck a pothole that should have been filled. That’s the choice before us this special session.
The easy thing would be to kick the can down the road, or use a one-time, band-aid fix. I will be voting yes for this transportation funding proposal because it funds the critical transportation safety services we need; it ensures that all road users pay their fair share; it adds serious accountability measures to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT); and it prepares us for more sustainable funding in the future. To be clear: This isn’t a one-and-done deal. There’s more work ahead. We’re taking this one step at a time, and we’re doing it the right way, and I hope you will lean in to solving hard problems with me as we continue our work in Salem in 2026, 2027 and beyond.
Cuts to SNAP
Last year, the Oregon Food Bank Network saw 2.5 million visits to its network of over 1,200 food assistance sites across the state. That is a 31% increase from the previous year. So it doesn’t make much sense why the Federal Government would cancel 90 truckloads of food to Oregonians and thousands of truckloads of food to food banks nationwide.
Under Republican control of Congress and the Presidency, Americans are seeing a record-breaking need for food aid, at the same time they are providing tax cuts for the rich and gutting programs for the vulnerable. Their “One Big Beautiful Bill” that passed last month puts at risk the food assistance for all 42 million Americans who participate in SNAP, including one in six Oregonians.
This cruelty goes against everything I, and Oregonians in general, believe in. I promise you that I will continue to provide updates and continue to dedicate my time with my colleagues in Salem to protecting our district, our state and our country from this grotesque War on Poverty. In the meantime please use OregonFoodFinder.org (available in 19 languages) to find free groceries, meals or places where you can double your SNAP benefits near you. No proof of immigration status or gender identity is required at these locations.
Photo credit: Oregon Food Bank
Cuts to Medicaid
Photo credit: Congressional House Committee on the Budget, democrats-budget.house.gov/legislation/biguglylaw
Governor Kotek, our State agencies, and our Federal, state, county, and city elected officials continue to assess the impacts of the Big Terrible Bill. At this point, the Congressional Budget Office and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities have published data showing that in Washington, Tillamook, Clatsop, and Columbia county (most of Oregon’s 1st Congressional District) there are some 167,066 people that rely on Medicaid for their health care. This includes 59,680 children under the age of 19 and 18,000 seniors over 65. Furthermore, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides support to over 122,000 children, seniors, veterans, and working parents in our NW corner of the state. Republicans' tax cuts for billionaires will come at a steep price for the State of Oregon as we have to either pay to backfill huge amounts of lost Federal funds or make cuts, while also adding more documentation and oversight of the people who sign up for these programs. I will be showing up everyday to work with my counterparts in the Legislature to make sure we do everything in our power to take care of those at risk in both HD 35 and around the state.
Cuts to TriMet
Photo credit: TriMet
Since the 2025 Legislative Session ended without the passage of a comprehensive Transportation Package, there are some impacts we won’t be able to mitigate with the special session. Though we get some help from the Federal government for transportation infrastructure, this policy issue is actually much more internal to the State of Oregon. Transit service is a public good that states across the country have considerable autonomy over when it comes to funding decisions. Unfortunately, TriMet, and many other transit districts across Oregon are facing significant and growing budget gaps. I want to make sure that folks in House District 35 saw TriMet’s announcement that it will begin reducing service in November 2025. To fill their $300M budget shortfall, the organization is planning to reach a 10% overall cut to service by 2027 with more cuts scheduled for March 2026 and beyond. Here is what they’ve sent so far:
November 30, 2025: Cuts to Bus Frequency
- Some Frequent Service lines during evenings and mornings
- FX2-Division bus line at night
- Up to eight other bus lines (specific details will be announced on September 24th)
March 1, 2026: Potential further reductions
- Eliminating some low ridership bus lines
- Eliminating evening service on lower ridership bus lines
- Changing routes on some bus lines to increase efficiency
- Reducing the MAX Green Line route to only serve stations between Clackamas Town Center and Gateway Transit Center (riders would need to transfer to other trains at Gateway Transit Center)
Photo credit: Oregon Department of Energy
The Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) has released the draft “Oregon Energy Strategy” and the public is invited to share feedback on the recommendations using the public comment portal through Sept. 22, 2025. Your feedback will inform the final Oregon Energy Strategy, which will be submitted to Governor Kotek and the Oregon Legislature by Nov. 1, 2025.
This is important because the Oregon Energy Strategy will:
- Identify pathways to achieve the state’s short- and long-term energy objectives, including decarbonization goals, reliability, and affordability.
- Consider the benefits and challenges of different pathways, including how they may affect energy costs for households in Oregon, air quality and public health, and employment
- Present legislative and policy recommendations that reflect both input from subject matter experts, stakeholders, and most importantly, Oregonians from neighborhoods across the state
If this is of interest to you, I encourage you to:
Last week I woke up really excited to finally have the time and the appointment made to go donate blood. Tektronix makes it really easy by hosting a blood drive every other week on their campus in our district and the Red Cross leaves signage and vehicles along the way so you can find the building.
Those of you who are not already on the Red Cross donor list are likely not receiving phone calls and emails about the critical need for blood right now. Unfortunately, I didn't realize there is a three month restriction on donating after getting a tattoo outside of the states, and my souvenir from Germany means I now have to wait to give.
BUT YOU CAN HELP! As I mentioned, the Red Cross does blood drives here in House District 35 on a regular basis, as well as all over the Metro area. Please go to their website, find an appointment time that works for you, and give when you can. It's one of the easiest ways I've found to help people in crisis.
Please reach out to my office at any time for legislative or constituent matters. My staff and I are committed to serving the constituents of HD 35 and you can reach us at: Rep.FarrahChaichi@oregonlegislature.gov or 503.986.1435. To keep up with my office, consider following me on Facebook or Instagram.
Thank you again for subscribing to my newsletter and for reading the news and updates from our office. Please encourage your neighbors and friends in our district to subscribe to the newsletter as well. I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to represent you in the Oregon State Legislature.
In Solidarity,
 Representative Farrah Chaichi
House District 35
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1435
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-478, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.Farrah.Chaichi@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/chaichi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RepresentativeFarrahChaichi/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarrahChaichi
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