Poll shows Trump approval numbers holding steady since March
Associated Press
President Donald Trump’s second term has been eventful. You wouldn’t know it from his approval numbers.
An AP-NORC poll from January found that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve of Trump’s performance as president. That’s virtually unchanged from March 2025, shortly after he took office for the second time.
Oregon News
Nearly half of Oregonians say state is on the wrong track in new survey
Statesman Journal | By Anastasia Mason
A survey of Oregonians found nearly half believe the state is on the wrong track.
Of the respondents to an Oregon Values and Beliefs Center survey, 48% said they think the state is on the wrong track and 41% feel the opposite. Of those who think the state was going in the right direction, 64% were Democrats and 23% were Republicans. The "wrong track" group was 73% Republican, with increasing homelessness listed as a top issue.
Portland Metro Chamber releases 2025 voter survey results
KOIN 6 | By Andrew Foran
The survey, done in partnership with independent research firm DHM Research, interviewed 600 registered voters across Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas Counties.
Across the board, the survey found negative perceptions across most categories, with people surveyed saying that the region’s direction and quality of life declined in 2025, as well as people saying their financial statuses were declining and that economic opportunities were poor.
In the survey, 63% of voters said they have poor economic opportunities in Portland, compared to 46% in 2024.
POLITICS
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr Discusses Gathering 250,000 Signatures Almost Overnight
Willamette Week / Oregon Journalism Project
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr (R-Dundee) is riding high. Along with state Rep. Ed Diehl (R-Scio) and Jason Williams of the Taxpayer Association of Oregon, Starr led a movement that turned in 250,000 signatures last month to refer controversial transportation tax hikes to the November ballot.
On Jan. 7, Gov. Tina Kotek caved. She now favors repealing the Oregon Department of Transportation funding package (House Bill 3991) that she and legislative Democrats worked so hard to pass.
For Starr, 57, it’s a bit of a comeback. The Oregon native and Portland State University graduate served in the Senate from 1999 to 2014—he worked alongside his father, former Sen. Charles Starr (R-Hillsboro)—then returned to the Capitol last year. Starr resumed a focus on transportation and quickly rose to the top of his caucus. He served as one of Republicans’ lead negotiators on HB 3991, which failed in the regular session but ultimately passed in a special September session.
OJP sat down with Starr for an interview that has been edited for brevity and clarity.
ODOT warns delaying maintenance is eroding Oregon's roads, as lawmakers weigh next steps
KATU | By Vasili Varlamos
Gov. Tina Kotek has urged lawmakers to repeal HB 3991 during the short session, redirect existing funds to protect core services, and begin work on a longer-term transportation funding plan in 2027.
ODOT officials told lawmakers they will wait until after the session concludes to finalize service reductions or layoffs, but warned that without action, Oregon’s roads and bridges will continue to decline, becoming more expensive and disruptive to fix over time.
Following the hearing, Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, R-Albany, told KATU the testimony highlighted the real costs of deferred maintenance but stressed that lawmakers must also respond to voters concerned about affordability.
“We know that deferred maintenance is expensive,” she said. “We know that everything that we’re seeing is very expensive, which means it’s really important that we look at responsible and real decisions that we have to make moving forward on how we’re going to pay for it.”
Boshart Davis said Republicans want the gas tax referral to proceed and called for a bipartisan approach to future transportation funding.
“As long as it’s a bipartisan conversation, a real bipartisan conversation, I think that’s what the people demand,” said Boshart Davis.
Oregon Democrats unveil bills targeting federal policies in 2026 session
KPTV | By Spencer Schacht
Republican response
Senate Republicans have criticized these Democrat-sponsored bills.
“We know Oregonians are struggling with the cost of living right now, and they’re tired of being told the answer is higher taxes,” Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr wrote. “More than 250,000 people said ‘enough is enough’ when they signed the petition to repeal Governor Kotek’s transportation tax hikes. Senate Republicans are listening. We’re heading into the short session focused on affordability, accountability, and making government live within its means, even as the majority party looks to spend more time chasing national political fights instead of fixing the issues right here at home.”
When asked how Democrats plan to address local issues like fully funding the Department of Transportation, Speaker of the House, Rep. Julie Fahey, said in a statement the party is “focused on doing what we can to limit disruptions in critical transportation operations and road safety.”
“Repealing House Bill 3991 (as the Governor requested) is one of the approaches under discussion, and we will continue working closely with the Governor and the Senate on a plan to reduce uncertainty and keep our city, county, and state roads safe,” Fahey said.
‘Not going to stand for it’: Local officials speak out after Trump threatens Oregon federal funding
KOIN 6 | By Joey Vacca, Ariel Iacobazzi
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield responded to the president’s comments in a statement: “As the courts have told President Trump over and over: Oregon’s sanctuary promise is legal and his threats to punish Oregon for following its law are not. We will continue to defend Oregon’s values and laws as needed.”
Additionally, Oregon Senate Democrats say they are finding ways to protect people through new policies, which they’ll pitch during the short session in a few weeks.
On the other hand, GOP members say state lawmakers need to keep their priorities straight.
“We know Oregonians are struggling with the cost of living right now, and they’re tired of being told the answer is higher taxes…We’re heading into the short session focused on affordability, accountability, and making government live within its means, even as the majority party looks to spend more time chasing national political fights instead of fixing the issues right here at home,” said Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr.
Oregon lawmakers lay groundwork for pushback against federal tactics
KOIN 6 | By Lisa Balick
Oregon lawmakers are laying out their agenda for an upcoming session, including proposals that push back on federal tactics.
Oregon not required to give feds voter data, judge rules
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Julia Shumway
A federal judge tentatively ruled Wednesday that Oregon does not have to hand over personally identifiable data of more than 3 million Oregon voters to the federal government.
Primate Center Would Cost More to Close Than to Keep Open, OHSU-Funded Study Says
Willamette Week | By Anthony Effinger
Closing the Oregon National Primate Research Center, as Gov. Tina Kotek and some legislators would like, would cost at least $118 million, according to Oregon Health & Science University, which runs the Hillsboro facility.
Oregon lawmaker reintroduces child abuse, foster rights legislation Gov. Kotek vetoed
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Shaanth Nanguneri
An Oregon state lawmaker is again trying to expand the list of rights given to the state’s foster youth and rework the child abuse investigation process, despite a previous veto from Gov. Tina Kotek which quashed the effort last year.
On Wednesday morning, Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, D-Corvallis, shared details of legislation incorporating two child welfare bills the governor vetoed last June. The veto prompted a rare rebuke from the Oregon Senate, which voted to override one of her vetoes.
New press offices at the Oregon State Capitol dedicated to reporter
Statesman Journal | By Abigail Dollins
Former colleagues, lawmakers and other community members attend the dedication ceremony of the new press offices at the Oregon State Capitol in honor of Peter Wong on Jan. 14 in Salem.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
State-by-state breakdown of income needed to keep one parent at home
KPTV
SmartAsset ranked U.S. states based on the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child — foregoing the major cost of childcare, but also additional income.
Oregon
- Single income needed for one parent to stay home: $84,074
- Income needed across two working parents: $104,998
- Cost of raising a child for two working parents: $33,114
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & HEALTH CARE
Oregon’s mental health workforce shortage is fueled by red tape; new bill aims to fix it
The Oregonian | By Kristine de Leon
Oregon’s mental health and addiction system is short thousands of workers, and state leaders say a major reason isn’t a lack of people willing to do the work — it’s a system that makes it unnecessarily hard for them to get started and stay in the field.
A draft bill aims to change that by cutting paperwork, speeding up credentialing and easing licensing bottlenecks that behavioral health leaders said Wednesday are driving burnout and keeping qualified providers from seeing patients.
