Attendees speak out on the impact of federal cuts to health care, education, DEI programs, and other services
By Damian Mann for Ashland.news
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield heard story after story Thursday of how the Trump administration’s actions have hurt and spread fear in Southern Oregon.
More than 300 showed up for the public event in Stevenson Union at Southern Oregon University, the largest crowd Rayfield has encountered as he makes six stops around the state to talk about the 35 lawsuits his office has filed against the Trump administration to protect Oregon laws.
He was joined by state Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, and state Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland.
Fear in the Latino community
Virginia Camberos, director of the Rogue Valley chapter of Unite Oregon and a Phoenix city councilor, said Latinos live in fear after the nationwide crackdown on people in her community.
“I’m being traumatized,” she said. “There is so much trauma inflicted on our community.”
Camberos said she visited Winco recently and grew fearful about being the only person with brown skin in the store, and now has grown more sensitive to how people look at her.
“There’s tons and tons of fear in our community,” she said.
After hearing from Cambreros and others, Rayfield told the audience, “We are doing everything we can to stop these actions. We are in this together and we are stronger together,” he said.
Legal battles
Since President Donald Trump took office, Rayfield, a Democrat, has won 18 preliminary injunctions so far from the lawsuits filed, many of at least temporarily paused actions that hurt lower-income and vulnerable members of the community.
“We’re really seeing a divide between the haves and the have-nots,” Rayfield said.
Even before Trump took office, he said his office had made a plan to counteract actions that would undermine the laws in Oregon.
“We were one of the first states to file a lawsuit for gender-affirming care,” he said. “We were one of the first to fight back.”
Oregon has joined 22 other states that are attempting to legally challenge the Trump administration, he said.
Rayfield said the federal government has tied up $3.3 billion that would otherwise come to the state, with many of those dollars previously authorized by Congress.
‘War on the federal safety net’
Marsh said she appreciated the concerns expressed by the audience about the assaults on Planned Parenthood, Head Start, attacks on the trans community, and cuts to food programs for the poor and health care. She said that 42% of Southern Oregonians are on the Oregon Health Plan, which counts on federal support that is now under threat.
“You have told us with such passion about your experiences,” she said. “I think we are in a world of hurt.”
So many programs that Oregonians expect to have are under threat, including providing adequate health care in rural parts of the state.
“There is a war on the federal safety net programs,” she said.
Marsh said Rayfield is the tip of the legal spear for the state as it attempts to counter actions that will hurt everything from social service programs to transportation dollars.
Tough times ahead
Golden said, “If you found tonight a downer, you are not alone.”
He said the state’s response to the overwhelming cuts from the federal government amounts to “triage,” warning that the state faces tough times ahead battling cuts to federal dollars.
He urged everyone to redouble their efforts to fight against these threats, acknowledging that many friends in the community feel discouraged.
“We have to get more active as voters,” Golden said.
At Southern Oregon University and other campuses throughout the state, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs have been sharply cut back as a result of threats from the Trump administration to stop funding schools that aren’t in compliance with federal rules that conflict with state laws.
Rayfield said DEI programs “were in compliance prior to Trump being in office and you’re in compliance now.”
He said the federal government has developed new terms and conditions for government funding that are dependent on schools getting rid of DEI programs.
‘Core of democracy’
Rayfield said it “disgusts” him to hear about a plan to gerrymander Texas’ congressional district to favor Republicans, a move endorsed by Trump.
“It bothers me as a democracy,” he said. “It strikes at the core of democracy.”
He said that in response to gerrymandering attempts in Texas, other states run by Democrats have suggested they may attempt similar gerrymandering efforts, which Rayfield also said was morally wrong.
After Rayfield’s remarks on gerrymandering, Golden said the times may call for a different response from Democrats, who generally try to play by normal democratic principles.
“We Democrats have to stop bringing pillows to knife fights,” he said.
Golden also thought that basic democratic ideals such as vote-by-mail and fair elections are under threat, though he applauded Oregon’s efforts to make sure every vote counts.
“A big shout out to our county election officials,” he said.
Federal cuts to education, health care, and public media
Kal Petersen, speaker of the senate of the Associated Students of Southern Oregon University, the student government of SOU, said the deep cuts to federal Pell grants are a direct threat to working families. Pell grants provide tuition assistance to students.
“The cuts don’t just cripple, they crash,” Petersen said.
Kyna Moser, education program manager for Planned Parenthood of Southern Oregon, said her organization provides services to many rural parts of the state and, in some cases, is the only health care organization in an area.
She said Planned Parenthood offers everything from “A to V,” abortion to vasectomies, and helps people with sexually transmitted diseases to birth control.
“Right now, that care is under threat,” she said.
Patients are confused and afraid of the ongoing political climate threatening access to a health care organization that offers treatment for everyone, Moser said.
Kristen Roy, senior vice president, chief legal officer, and general counsel at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center, said her organization is the largest employer in the region.
“Rogue Regional Medical Center is the safety net in Southern Oregon,” she said. “The federal cuts are an attack on rural health care.”
Paul Westhelle, executive director of Jefferson Public Radio, said Congress and Trump rescinded all funding for public radio, amounting to a $525,000 cut to his radio station, which serves a large swath of rural areas in Northern California and Southern Oregon.
“We mostly serve small communities,” Westhelle said. JPR studios are located on the SOU campus.
Because of support from listeners, “We made up half of our funding (cut) since June,” he said.
Phil Meyer, president and CEO of Southern Oregon Public Broadcasting, said the federal cuts to his organization are $1 million, or 37% of its budget.
As a result, three open positions, which represent 27% of his staff, will not be filled.
On a more personal note, Meyer said he has a son with autism, and his wife gets reimbursed through Medicaid to care for him.
He said he’s concerned about how his family and other families will deal with cuts to Medicaid when they take effect after the mid-term elections next year.
“There’s going to be an influx of people who need support,” he said.
Cities in ‘ethical conundrum’
Carmel Zahran, assistant city attorney for Ashland, said city budgets have historically been built on the understanding that federal grants are fairly predictable.
Now with federal clauses tied to DEI, those grants are no longer reliable, and it has thrown cities and municipalities into confusion about how to respond because of the conflict between state and federal laws.
“These entities are in an ethical conundrum about violating state laws,” Zahran said.
Climate and fire safety programs
Terry Fairbanks, executive director of Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative, said $21 million was earmarked to help treat forested areas this year on mainly private properties to reduce fire risk, but that money has been held back by the federal government.
“We had helicopters that stopped in the midst of the funding cuts,” she said. As a result, huge piles of brush and trees that were stacked for removal are still sitting out in the forests, posing additional fire risks, she said.
Alan Journet, co-founder of Southern Oregon Climate Action Now, characterized the Trump administration’s disregard of climate change as “stupidity and insanity.”
“I’m here to express my absolute disgust with the Trump administration in regards to climate change,” he said.
Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at [email protected].
Related stories:
Rep. Marsh recaps 2025 legislative session at town hall and ice cream social (Aug. 4, 2025)
Oregon AG sues Trump admin over law limiting Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood (Aug. 4, 2025)
Oregon, other Democratic states secure 40-day pause on Head Start immigration requirements (July 30, 2025)
Oregon, Washington sue Trump over sweeping elections order (April 7, 2025)
Dem state attorney generals sue over ‘reckless and illegal’ mass firings of probationary federal workers (March 7, 2025)
