Dana Hittle, acting deputy director of the Oregon Department of Human Services, told the committee that Oregon moved quickly during a November federal funding disruption to ensure recipients received full SNAP benefits. Hittle said the governor directed ODHS to issue 100% of November benefits by the morning of Nov. 7, and that benefits were available on recipients’ EBT cards despite shifting USDA guidance and concurrent federal court actions.

Hittle described the federal legal landscape, citing two active cases: Rhode Island Council of Churches et al. v. Rollins et al. (District of Rhode Island) and Commonwealth of Massachusetts et al. v. U.S. Department of Agriculture (District of Massachusetts), and noted USDA issued and revised guidance multiple times during the shutdown. In Oregon’s response, the state activated an Incident Management Team (IMT) to coordinate statewide communications and resource deployment and worked with the Department of Justice on ongoing litigation.

“As of November 14, all SNAP benefits for the month of November have been issued statewide to all eligible participants,” Hittle said, and she emphasized the operational challenge of implementing changing federal memoranda while protecting food access. Hittle also confirmed that the continuing resolution and farm bill provisions passed by Congress stabilize SNAP funding through September 2026, per ODHS staff.

To bolster local emergency food capacity, Hittle said Governor Kotek allocated $5,000,000 to the Oregon Food Bank Network and $1,000,000 distributed equally among the nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon. ODHS is distributing those funds by contract and using local partners and food banks to get aid into communities quickly.

Committee members asked for clarifications on workforce and budget impacts; Hittle said APD staffing priorities had been coordinated with broader DHS budget planning to avoid conflicts. ODHS indicated it would continue reporting to the legislature and provide requested data on program operations and performance measures.

Next steps for the legislature include reviewing ODHS follow up materials and the department’s continued coordination with DOJ as federal litigation proceeds.