About 15,000 people in Oregon’s sixth district will be impacted by federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program commonly referred to as SNAP. That’s according to the district’s congresswoman, Andrea Salinas, who recently met with the Oregon Department of Human Services. “The numbers are staggering,” Salinas said. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump last July, cut about $425 million from Oregon’s SNAP program funding. More than 70,000 Oregonians lost access to the resource from last April to this April according to state experts, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. The bill notably changed work requirements. People ages 18 to 65 must now work or be in a work program for at least 80 hours per month. Previously, anyone over 55 was exempt to the work rules. The bill also removed exemptions for people with children or dependents older than 14, veterans, homeless individuals and anyone 24 or younger who aged out of foster care. “People are gonna go hungry,” Salinas said. “Which we knew, and I keep saying: hunger is a policy choice, and Republicans have chosen to starve people.” The bill raised states’ cost share for SNAP administrative costs from 50% to 75%. Salinas said that these additional costs could come with a $500 million price tag. ODHS requested $56 million to accommodate changes to the agency’s 2025-27 budget cycle due to cuts, the Oregon Capitol Chronicle reported in January.  New policy from the U.S Department of Agriculture issued financial consequences to states that had higher error rates in the accuracy of eligibility determinations for SNAP. States that have error rates about 6% will be responsible for 5-15% of their benefits as soon as October 2027. Oregon’s error rate was 14%, according to 2025 data. ODHS estimated it would need $450 million in its 2027-29 budget in the event the state’s error rates don’t improve. Food resources in the city are already seeing an increase in usage following cuts. At the opening event of the new Ella Curran Food Bank in Independence, the director of the Marion Polk Food Share told Salinas they serve 1,100 people weekly at the location. “That is catastrophic,” Salinas said. She added that while it was good to see volunteers and community members working together to build the new food bank, it was heartbreaking to know that families will be left “high and dry and hungry” due to cuts from the federal government. One of Salinas’ biggest concerns is children. Currently, children of SNAP users automatically qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The changes could mean fewer children qualify for those programs. “Kids in school districts like the Salem-Keizer School District are likely going to lose out,” Salinas said. “When you go to school hungry, you can’t learn.” One action she hopes to take is to delay the cost share of the states. Salinas pushed for amendments to the Republican-backed Farm Bill to delay costs and reverse SNAP cuts, but they failed to pass. Additionally, Salinas said she is concerned about the lack of consideration for the ripple effect of SNAP cuts. She pointed toward rural grocery stores and areas that exist in food deserts and how many of them get revenue because of SNAP benefits. “I don’t think people understand that there is an economic multiplier out there that keeps the entire food system going,” she said. “This is going to be so harmful in some of our rural and most vulnerable areas and regions around Oregon.” Sam West, communications and marketing manager at Marion Polk Food Share, said that while she hasn’t observed a dramatic spike in usage at present, SNAP is “a hugely important foundational safety net” for food banks. “For every one meal we provide as a food bank, SNAP provides nine,” West said. “We cannot possibly make up the delta left if SNAP were to disappear for any reason.” West said that Marion Polk Food Share currently sees 17,000 to 18,000 monthly pantry visits, a number that has been steadily climbing since 2021. She explained that while SNAP cuts are impacting pantry usage, it is not “causing massive food lines.” West said that overall people are trying to ease expense burdens through food pantries because the cost of housing, gas, healthcare and food have all gone up. “People are really struggling, and that conversation people are having around the kitchen table of ‘do we pay this bill, or do we pay this bill?’” West said. “It is not just one expense causing them harm or hurt.” Marion Polk Food Share operates 18 pantries throughout Salem. West said donations are accepted at all pantry sites.  “My go-to source every morning for accurate, local news.” Make Salem Reporter your trusted source for independent local reporting – every day. Stay informed and connected. Subscribe today. The post ‘Staggering’: Congresswoman meets with state agency as Oregon confronts SNAP cuts appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less