Latest news with #Cascadia-ready
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oregon DOJ reports $1.6B has been saved from Trump admin's federal funding threats
PORTLAND, Ore. () – Three months into President Donald Trump's second term, the Oregon Department of Justice says it has preserved more than $1.6 billion in federal funding for the state amid threats by the administration to cut funding. In the last three months, Oregon has joined 13 multi-state lawsuits, and submitted numerous court filings, challenging the conditioning, reduction or elimination of federal funds for organizations in the state. 'Through every wave of chaos and every legally dubious executive order, our office has stood firm to protect the rights of Oregonians,' Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in a press release Wednesday. 'Our team at the Oregon Department of Justice is working overtime to make this happen. These victories in court have preserved more than a billion dollars in funding for critical services like food assistance, public safety, , education, and medical research.' DON'T MISS: Rayfield takes on Trump Administration: 'Constitution must be followed' According to the Oregon DOJ, the $1.6 billion in preserved funding for Oregon includes funds that were frozen, terminated, or threatened under the administration. Officials note that the estimated $1.6 billion is likely 'underinclusive,' and does not represent the full scope these funding threats have had on organizations in the state. 'The figures include impacts that were reported by state agencies and other state entities submitting information and declarations for various lawsuits,' the Oregon DOJ said. 'The nature of these lawsuits and the urgency that is required does not allow for the legal team to unearth and document every single possible effect, but to quickly apprise the courts of significant in-state impacts.' 'Ticking time bomb': Oregon lawmakers consider funds for Cascadia-ready Columbia Boulevard bridge These funding threats go back to the first few days of the Trump administration when a memo from the Office of Management and Budget directed a federal funding and grant freeze, leaving state agencies and community partners across the U.S. unable to access federal funding. This impacted several organizations in Oregon, according to Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and Attorney General Rayfield, who held a joint press conference as the freeze was rolled out in January. Kotek and Rayfield said the funding freeze led organizations from the Oregon Health Authority to Head Start unable to access federal funding. 'Within the first few days of the Trump administration, there was a funding freeze memo that jeopardized funding across the entire state,' Rayfield recalled Wednesday. 'I walked into work and heard our child support division couldn't even access the portal they need weekly. For our folks on the frontlines in these divisions, it is extremely stress-inducing and chaotic.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now So far, the Oregon DOJ says it has spent an estimated $267,000 on federal litigation against the administration. In some court rulings, Oregon's federal funding was only protected because the state joined multi-state lawsuits, Rayfield said, noting states that did not join those suits did not have their funding protected. This included a preliminary injunction Oregon received in its case to preserve research funding for medical institutions that provide care. These federal funding threats under the Trump administration come amid Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency's work to slash federal spending and the federal workforce. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon unemployment keeps growing, but has it reached a turning point?
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon's unemployment rate is on the rise, and state economists say it has been for the past year. According to the , the state's rate rose to 4.6% in March, a slight bump from the 4.5% recorded in February. Oregon's unemployment rate has steadily increased since the rate dipped to 4.1% in March 2024. Multnomah County launches by-name database for tracking homeless population This means unemployment in the state is 0.4% higher than the current national average of 4.2%, which also jumped from 4.1% between February and March. Since , the OED has reported that each month's increase is the when the state saw an unemployment rate of 4.7%. However, economists shared some optimism: Many of the state's major industries — including healthcare, business and trade — boomed in March. The highest gain was in health and social assistance with an addition of 4,600 jobs, professional and business services with 1,000 jobs, and wholesale trade with 700 jobs. Overall, Oregon's seasonally-adjusted nonfarm employment rose by 7,300 jobs. 'The return of workers who were on strike at a major health care provider contributed to the one-month gain of 4,600 jobs in health care and social assistance during March,' according to the OED. 'This industry has been leading private-sector job growth in Oregon over the past few years.' 'Ticking time bomb': Oregon lawmakers consider funds for Cascadia-ready Columbia Boulevard bridge Economists also note that professional and business services have seen a major bounce back in the past year. 'Professional and business services added jobs in each of the first three months of the year, with gains totaling 4,500 jobs in that time,' they said. 'This reversed a generally declining trend in the industry during the prior two years when it shed 5,400 jobs during the 24 months ending December 2024.' The current unemployment rate remains higher than the rates recorded three years prior to the Covid pandemic and recession that began in 2020 — indicating the state is still recovering from this period. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Multnomah County launches by-name database for tracking homeless population
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Multnomah County has launched its long-awaited count of the region's homeless population — with each person tracked by name. The county's — formerly known as the — is now able track those who have stayed in a shelter, met with a street outreach worker, signed up for housing services or visited local day centers. 'Ticking time bomb': Oregon lawmakers consider funds for Cascadia-ready Columbia Boulevard bridge This information will be posted to the county's every month in order to provide the most up-to-date record of how many people have entered and exited homelessness, according to county leaders. 'This accurate and timely data is a major milestone that provides increased transparency and accountability while helping frontline workers, decision-makers, and the whole community make progress that we can more easily track and therefore achieve,' Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said in a statement. The dashboard shares how many people are currently receiving rent assistance on a monthly basis, whereas that data used to be shared every three months. It also tracks whether people were able to leave homelessness for housing. John Tapogna, the senior policy advisor for ECOnorthwest said housing data — including how much housing is currently available — is crucial to ending homelessness. 'The root of our homelessness crisis is housing affordability,' he said. 'Local governments have sheltered and housed more people than ever — outperforming the goals set under the ambitious Supportive Housing Services measure — but the need continues to outpace the available resources.' Pickup plows through Vancouver brewery; driver hurt This data, combined with Multnomah County's real-time shelter availability, will make it easier for the county to ensure those experiencing homelessness are receiving the care they need. Prior to the by-name list, county leaders used to rely on the Point in Time Count to record how many people were experiencing homelessness, as determined by the federally-required Homeless Management Information System. However, officials said this data county meant the same unnamed person could be counted more than once. Multnomah County took over the information system in March 2024, allowing them to gather fresh data with people listed by name to improve tracking. 'This is an important milestone and provides a path for actionable, data-informed decisions aimed at making homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring,' Meghan Arsenault, the county's senior strategy lead for community solutions. The dashboard also reveals that the number of people experiencing homelessness has increased over the past year due to several factors, including housing shortages, evictions, expanded services, and better data collection. Oregon bill aiming to crack down on costly concert tickets gets 'do-pass' recommendation However, leaders say this increase is a sign that the county's data has improved by reflecting the number of people who have been 'experiencing homelessness all along, but had not previously been counted.' 'Our region has a new baseline from which to anchor strategy and performance,' Central City Concern CEO Andrew B. Mendenhall said. 'We are saddened, but not surprised by this data.' It also comes as the Homeless Services Department faces criticism for its projected in the next fiscal year. Stay with KOIN 6 News as we continue to cover the homeless crisis. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
