Judicial ruling on SNAP leaves anxiety for families, as Wyden criticizes Trump’s response

Shawnté Matteson, 37, said she felt “a little bit of relief” at news a day earlier of a judge’s ruling to require the federal government to pay out SNAP benefits.

But on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 1, she and her husband, Richard, found no pending benefit listed in their SNAP benefits app. That means anxious days ahead for the Springfield family with five children who range in age from just under a year to 16, she said.

“We just got to a situation where we were no longer having to live with family. And with this situation, we feel like we’re getting kicked in the knees,” Matteson said.

She said her husband works 40 hours weekly, but that the family has struggled financially since the pandemic.

“I was pretty proud of where we were,” she said, sighing deeply. “My heart is broken, looking at the situation and thinking about all of the families surrounding me going into the cold holiday season, that they’re having all of this added unnecessary stress put on their shoulders”

Doubt remains about when exactly benefits will be restored amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. Matteson shared her experience alongside U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle at a news conference Saturday morning held at the Lane County Health & Human Services Building in Eugene.

The elected officials criticized a statement from President Donald Trump on social media after Friday’s ruling. Trump said he had “instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible,” while also blaming Democrats for delays in providing benefits.

Wyden expressed concerns about the possibility of continued delays.

“He said he was going to put his lawyers on it,” Wyden said. Trump’s remarks “certainly opened the door for more stalling on getting additional help to hungry people,” he said.

“I want everybody in Oregon to know, you’ve got two of your elected officials here, and on our watch, nobody’s going to play stall ball,” Wyden said.

Hoyle blamed the Trump administration for making “a conscious decision” to not use contingency funding for paying out SNAP benefits.

“They could do that, and they’re choosing not to, because the pain is the point,” Hoyle said.

Lane County Commissioner Laurie Trieger and leaders with county organizations including Head Start of Lane County and Food for Lane County also spoke Saturday.

About 75,000 people receive SNAP assistance in Lane County, roughly one out of every five county residents.

Statewide, 17.7% of the Oregon population received SNAP benefits in fiscal year 2024, according to the most recently available federal data. Among all states, only Louisiana and New Mexico had a greater share of residents receiving SNAP assistance.

Carolyn Stein, executive director of Food for Lane County, a nonprofit food bank in Eugene, praised Gov. Tina Kotek for providing $5 million statewide to support food banks.

The boost from the state, as well as “an outpouring of support from our community,” allows for the purchase of “full truckloads of proteins and shelf-stable pantry staples,” Stein said. But this support does not offset the loss of SNAP benefits.

“SNAP provides about $140 million in food assistance to Oregonians every single month, dollars that keep families nourished and local economies strong. When that support disappears, it leaves a massive gap that a food bank network simply cannot fill,” Stein said.