Government Spending

The decision to delay a vote on Senate Bill 83 came as a surprise to Republicans on the Committee, who later accused Democrats, House Speaker Julie Fahey, D-Eugene, and Gov. Tina Kotek of using it as a bargaining chip in negotiations over a wildfire funding proposal that would redirect $1 billion from the state’s “kicker” tax return.

For the third straight year, student basic needs advocates are trying to convince state lawmakers to pump more funding into aid that helps students pay for housing, food, textbooks and other college-related costs.

A bill that passed a key committee vote in Congress this week would add a work requirement for some on Medicaid and would jeopardize billions in Medicaid funding for Oregon.

The Democratic governor’s plan aims to fill a projected $12 billion budget hole he attributed to the Trump administration’s economic policies, a volatile stock market causing a decline in revenues from wealthy taxpayers, and a reduction in global tourism.

Claire Willett, a Portland-based playwright, artist and grant writer, joins us to share the latest developments.

In a letter to Harvard on Tuesday, a federal antisemitism task force said Harvard will lose grants from eight federal agencies in addition to $2.2 billion that was previously frozen by the Trump administration.

The National Science Foundation has terminated grants for research around misinformation. We'll hear from a misinformation researcher to learn about the wider implications.

Declining birth rates and rising inflation, along with state and federal funding uncertainties, remain ongoing barriers as Oregon school districts balance their budgets for next year.

Those receiving non-renewal or termination notices Tuesday represent about 20% of the employees funded in some manner by the terminated federal grants, the university said in a statement Tuesday.

Funding for grants administered by the Oregon Arts Commission has not increased since 2007. As a result, the state ranks 39th in the nation for arts funding, according to advocates.