By: Amanda Orozco, Policy Manager
Now that the 2026 Legislative Short Session has wrapped up, we need to call the facts out: while some progress was made, Oregon lawmakers fell short in addressing hunger and food insecurity at a time when families need bold action. Again.
Short sessions move fast, and this one was no exception. Federal policy changes and budget pressures created real challenges, and much of the session was spent holding the line: preventing cuts, tracking threats, and reacting to crises, rather than advancing the policies that could help Oregonians keep food on the table.
While many state agencies were forced to cut their budgets by 7%, the legislature did fund the Oregon Department of Human Services’ request for additional staffing so they could implement federal changes to the SNAP program and avoid hundreds of millions in federal fines. This was absolutely necessary and will help ensure that Oregonians continue to have access to vital programs and services. But it’s also an example of how decisions to limit the harm of federal cuts kept Oregon from advancing meaningful long-term solutions to combat food insecurity.
This session, lawmakers also had the chance to provide universal school meals for all students in Oregon but declined despite strong evidence that free school meals reduce chronic absenteeism and improve student success. The debate around not funding School Meals for All was framed around the lack of need to fund this program in the remaining wealthier school districts. But the broader benefits of universal meals – including reducing cost of living stress for families regardless of where they live, eliminating burdensome paperwork, elimination of meal debt, and the ability for schools to focus on educating students rather than administering eligibility systems – also apply to families who may be struggling even in those districts.
So there were wins and losses, but we want to be real about the impact of those losses because the reality is stark: critical priorities supporting long-term food security systems did not advance. Lawmakers had the opportunity to act decisively, yet budget caution and a general lack of understanding about how hunger truly impacts our communities dominated, leaving Oregonians at higher risk of going hungry.
Below is a breakdown of what lawmakers did, and didn’t do, this session, and how advocacy helped prevent worse outcomes.
Protecting SNAP Access & Strengthening ODHS Capacity
Supporting the ODHS Budget Request
Outcome: Substantially Funded ✅
One of PHFO’s top priorities was supporting the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) request for funding to implement federal SNAP changes under H.R. 1 and maintain program integrity. At a time when federal policy changes are increasing administrative complexity and risk within SNAP, this funding represents a critical step toward protecting uninterrupted food access for Oregonians.
The Legislature approved approximately $110 million toward ODHS’s request (out of $131 million requested). This investment will:
- Increase staffing capacity to address ongoing caseworker shortages,
- Improve eligibility processing and administrative accuracy to reduce SNAP payment error rates and help Oregon avoid potentially significant federal fiscal penalties in future biennia.
Transition to Chip-Enabled EBT Cards
Outcome: Fully Funded ✅
The Legislature approved full funding to transition Oregon’s Electronic Benefit Transaction (EBT) cards for SNAP to secure, chip-enabled technology: a modernization that addresses widespread benefit theft caused by card skimming and cloning, while allowing Oregon to leverage available federal cost-sharing before it expires.
The results in other states speak for themselves: after rolling out chip cards in early 2025, California saw EBT theft drop by 83% within months, cutting monthly losses from roughly $20 million to under $4 million. Once implemented in Oregon, this upgrade will meaningfully strengthen benefit security and help ensure families don’t lose the food assistance they depend on.
Addressing Food Insecurity
School Meals for All
Outcome: Did Not Advance ❌ | Major Cuts Prevented ✅
Free school meals are already widely available across Oregon. Only 21 public schools in Oregon currently participate in the program. Legislation this session aimed to close that final gap and bring the remaining 65 schools on board, but it did not advance due to long-term cost concerns in a constrained budget environment. But, advocates didn’t walk away empty-handed: a proposed $27 million cut to existing school meal funding was blocked, preserving that access for the more than 1,100 schools already in the program.
While full expansion remains a goal for future sessions, protecting this foundation matters, especially as federal changes, tightening household budgets, and growing uncertainty continue to put pressure on families’ ability to put food on the table.
Oregon Hunger Response Fund (OHRF)
Outcome: Additional Allocation Not Approved ❌
PHFO supported a one-time increase to the Oregon Hunger Response Fund to address rising demand across Oregon’s food bank network, particularly as federal SNAP changes threaten food access for hundreds of thousands of residents.
Additional funding was not approved this session. Food banks will continue operating with existing state resources but remain under significant strain due to sustained increases in need.
Emergency Food Assistance for Refugees & Humanitarian Entrants
Outcome: Funded ✅
Under H.R. 1, an estimated 3,000 refugees, asylees, and certain other immigrants in Oregon stand to lose SNAP eligibility, cutting off food assistance for some of the state’s most vulnerable newcomer communities. The Legislature responded with $2 million in one-time emergency assistance, to be distributed through ODHS via refugee resettlement agencies and culturally specific community organizations for direct food and basic needs support.
While one-time funding can’t fully replace lost federal benefits, this investment helps prevent immediate gaps in food access for newly impacted families and individuals.
Protecting State Revenue to Sustain Vital State Programs
Outcome: Passed ✅
Legislative action to selectively disconnect from certain federal tax provisions helped stabilize Oregon’s revenue outlook during a volatile budget year.
Coalition partners emphasized that maintaining state revenue capacity is essential to sustaining nutrition programs and preventing cuts to services such as school meals and food assistance. Passage of this policy helped avoid deeper reductions that were under consideration earlier in the session.
Additional PHFO Priorities
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Expansion
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Expansion: Funded ✅
As part of Senate Bill 1507, Oregon lawmakers expanded the EITC:
- 14% of the federal credit for most families (up from 9%)
- 17% of the federal credit for families with a child under age three (up from 12%)
This expansion is expected to send approximately $26 million more directly to working families in the 2026 tax year, helping them cover essentials like food, rent, and child care. The EITC remains one of Oregon’s most effective tools for reducing poverty, and this increase may also encourage more eligible families to claim the credit and access these critical resources.
Resilience Hubs & Networks
Outcome: No New Funding Approved 🛑
HB 4044 included opportunities to strengthen Oregon’s resilience framework and provide sustained investment in community-based systems like Resilience Hubs and Networks which act as emergency support sites during disasters. Unfortunately, those investments did not move forward this session. We are disappointed that the state missed an opportunity to build on the early success of this program, especially as communities across Oregon continue to face climate-driven disasters, economic instability, and disruptions to food access.
Advocacy Impact
Community advocacy remained a defining feature of this short session. In just over one month, advocates from across Oregon’s statewide anti-hunger coalitions took action in significant numbers:
- More than 1,000 advocates contacted legislators through coordinated actions.
- More than 150 advocates traveled to Salem to lobby for anti-hunger policies.
PHFO was proud to participate alongside partner organizations in these efforts. This collective advocacy played an important role in protecting existing programs and securing targeted investments despite fiscal limitations.
Looking Ahead
The 2026 short session largely centered on stabilization rather than expansion. While several investment priorities were constrained by the budget environment, we and our partners secured meaningful protections for nutrition programs and advanced key infrastructure needed to mitigate federal policy impacts.
As Oregon moves into interim work and preparation for the next legislative cycle, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, the Oregon Hunger Task Force, and our community partners will continue advancing policies that:
- Protect access to food
- Strengthen hunger response systems,
- Reduce child hunger, and
- Build long-term food security statewide.
Thank you to the advocates, partners, and community members whose leadership and engagement made these outcomes possible.
Finally, if you’re interested in getting even more involved in this work, we’re currently hiring at PHFO. You can learn more at oregonhunger.org/careers.