During a visit to Food for Lane County on Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said food should not be used as a political weapon.
“The largest [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] cut in history passed Congress in the summer of 2025. And the first pledge I want to make is that as Oregon’s senior senator, I’m going to do everything I can to reverse that damage,” he said.
Wyden pointed to recent legislation he and fellow Oregon U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley introduced that would allow grocery stores to opt to offer discounts to SNAP recipients when a government shutdown prevents them from getting full benefits.
He said the injury goes beyond recipients and also impacts the places people normally shop.
“All of these cutbacks really hurt local grocery stores and really hurt jobs in Lane County, so it’s another part of the reason I’m trying to get more flexibility for those grocers and ways in which they can keep their doors open, pay their employees and make sure there’s food for hungry people,” he said.
It also impacts places that distribute food free of charge to people in need.
Food for Lane County saw an increase in demand starting in late October.
"People really concerned about making it through Nov. 1 and as far afterwards as they needed to during the shutdown,” said FFLC’s Rebecca Sprinson. “And so we heard of big lines, folks needing to be turned away, not having enough food at pantry distributions to meet the need, which is incredibly upsetting."
The food bank said pantry visits have quadrupled in recent weeks, forcing it to increase food purchases despite an uptick in donations.
Opposes potential ICE detention facility
Wyden also spoke about recent events in Newport involving a potential new Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center located at the Newport Municipal Airport.
Wyden said he and other elected officials have drafted a letter expressing their stance against adding an ICE facility in the coastal town. He added that the proposed location could be about avoiding media scrutiny that has happened in larger cities like Eugene and Portland.
“They fear the media in towns like this and in the valley and the like. They want to go somewhere where they can do things that they would have a lot of trouble explaining otherwise,” he said.
Wyden expressed concern that the presence of ICE could deter tourists from Newport. He said his office is arranging a public meeting in the city in about a week.
