Oregon Attorney General to host town hall over DOGE federal firings, funding freeze

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield is joining two other attorneys general in a town hall to hear how community members have been impacted by efforts from the Trump administration to terminate federal workers and freeze federal funding.

Rayfield will be joining Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez for the March 5 Community Impact Hearing in Phoenix, Arizona.

“The firings of many of our federal workers and the mess created by (the Department of Government Efficiency) has created turmoil in people’s lives,” Rayfield said. “Jobs are being lost, and critical services are being disrupted because there aren’t enough workers. It’s not right, and we’re doing everything we can to make sure Oregonians get the support and stability they deserve.”

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The hearing is part of a national series of town halls that will be hosted by attorneys general to hear feedback from the public about the firings and funding freeze led in part by DOGE.

“These reckless firings of Arizonans and arbitrary cuts to critical federal services are outrageous, unacceptable, and deeply infuriating,” added Attorney General Mayes. “Alongside my fellow attorneys general, I have been fighting to protect jobs, safeguard life-saving services, and ensure Arizonans receive the funding they are owed. Arizonans deserve to be heard—these firings and funding freezes are disrupting lives, straining workplaces, and harming communities and household budgets across the state.”

The first Community Impact Hearing with Rayfield, Mayes and Torrez will be held at 6 p.m. March 5 at Central High School Gymnasium at 4524 North Central Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona. Attendees are asked to RSVP.

Representatives of cities, counties, non-profits, agencies, healthcare institutions, research institutions, former federal employees and community members who have been or may be impacted by the federal firings or funding freezes are encouraged to attend and share a statement. At the hearing, attendees can share statements for up to three minutes. 

Community members can also leave written testimony for the attorney general over email with the subject line “Federal Firing and Funding Freeze Impact.”

Rayfield’s town hall comes after he held a press conference with Oregon Governor Tina Kotek in late January when the federal funding freeze began.

“The messages that are coming from the Trump administration are just confusing and they’re inconsistent and it’s another example of the Trump administration’s attempts to sow division and chaos for a political end,” Rayfield said at the January press conference, noting the freeze impacted everything from healthcare, and child support, to domestic violence programs, and law enforcement grants.

The attorney general has joined several lawsuits challenging the Trump administration, including a multi-state lawsuit filed earlier in February challenging Elon Musk and DOGE’s “power grab.”