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To contact me, please click here: Sen.DebPatterson@oregonlegislature.gov
Dear Friends,
Recently the State’s Chief Economist, Carl Riccadonna, and Senior Economist Michael Kennedy, presenting their economic forecast to a joint meeting of the State to the Senate Finance and Revenue Committee and the House Committee on Revenue. The good news is that their economic forecast for the coming biennium is up by $345 million.
However, there are a number of real challenges that we are still facing. For starters, the undeclared war in Iran and the resulting disruptions to oil prices are causing huge sticker shocks when Oregonians fill their vehicles at the pumps. Of course, these higher gas prices also contribute a great deal to the higher costs for farmers to produce food, and to transport that food to market, leading to higher grocery prices as well. There are also tariffs that President Trump has put in place that further add to the cost of goods.
Add to all this the fact that “incomes are not keeping pace with inflation,” as Mr. Riccadonna stated. Oregonians are feeling the pinch more than ever.
The economists also pointed out that the stock market has done exceptionally well. However, for most Oregonians, balancing getting ahead with the rising costs of housing, healthcare, gas, and food is a real challenge. Households are drawing down savings to pay for needed consumer goods, possibly in anticipation of higher inflation, which may be coming.
I pledge to work with you to try to mitigate as many of these challenges as possible, recognizing that the major drivers are coming from federal actions. I am working to try to protect access to healthcare and make sure it is affordable, and to support our schools and funding for entry-level housing. There is much to do, but together, we can buttress Oregon from the worst of the economic shocks that are rattling vast numbers of people across our state.
If you would like to hear more from me about these issues, I hope you will join me at my next town hall (see below for details). I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely yours,
Deb
Town Hall on June 4
I am holding a legislative town hall on Thursday, June 4. The event will be at Monmouth City Hall, beginning at 5:30pm. Join me to hear about achievements from the 2026 legislative session and the issues I'm working on next.
I hope to see you there!
Lifting Up Working Families
Decisions made in Washington, D.C. around the Iran war and tariffs are making it harder for families to make ends meet. In Oregon, we must work harder at the state level to ease the affordability crisis.
While Oregon's economy has grown overall, economists are also warning of a "K-shaped economy." This means upper income-earners are seeing their money grow, while working Oregonians are falling further behind.
We must keep Oregon affordable for working families. That will mean ensuring all Oregonians share in our state's prosperity--not just the 1%.
Keeping Up with New Rules for Food Assistance
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The Trump administration is funding tax breaks for billionaires by making it harder for families to keep their food benefits, but Oregon has services to help people meet new SNAP requirements.
If you get SNAP, learn whether new rules apply to you and how to main your benefits at oregon.gov/snapworkrules.
If you need work opportunities to stay eligible for SNAP, you can connect with employment services and job training at bit.ly/SNAP-emp.
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Capitol Phone: 503-986-1710
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-411, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: Sen.DebPatterson@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/patterson
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