Oregon Food Bank says proposed tax bill will ‘compound the problem’ of food insecurity

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Leadership at the Oregon Food Bank met with Congresswoman Maxine Dexter to discuss the on-the-ground impacts of Republicans’ tax bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives.

Andrea Williams, the food bank’s president, said they are already facing rising food insecurity in Oregon for a variety of reasons, and this bill would make it worse.

“One of those is less benefits,” she said. “One of those is an increase in cost and food, wages are not keeping up. And then there’s various policy choices. So if you add on reducing SNAP, reducing access to health care coverage, you’re going to continue to compound the problem.”

Dexter said the bill would reduce the number of people who could get SNAP benefits, which would impact other benefits as well.

“Whether or not you qualify for SNAP is how kids get free and reduced lunches at school like this. When you go in for, child care benefits or other benefits, like it is just it’s a threshold. And so we have shifted the threshold.”

She said the state would have a hard time making up the difference for benefits with its tight budget situation. Now the bill heads to the US Senate, and Dexter said she has already had conversations with Oregon Senator Ron Wyden.

“Making sure that there are robust negotiations, but centering the health and stability of our community, was not the case in the House of Representatives,” she said. “And we really need our senators to step up and do the right thing for their constituents.”