I live in Oregon but this pertains to the United States! I’m writing to urge you to take immediate action to stop cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and utility assistance programs — and to demand full transparency about what happened to the billions in COVID-era housing relief sent to Oregon.

I live on Social Security and receive SNAP. Even with that, I can barely get by. Rent for a single room is over $1,000. A gallon of milk is $5. Food pantries are empty because they’ve been cut too. Now, with these new program cuts, people like me are being left with nothing.

But here’s the part that makes no sense: Oregon received billions of dollars in emergency federal housing funds between 2020 and 2023. Those funds were meant to stabilize renters and prevent homelessness. And yet, I lived in my car for three years after COVID, and I know many others in the same boat.

Where did that money go?

It certainly didn’t make it into affordable housing, rental support, or permanent solutions. Oregon’s housing crisis is worse now than before the pandemic — and now you’re slashing the remaining lifelines we have left.

I am asking you — as a voter and a human being — to:

Oppose all cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and energy assistance

Investigate and disclose where Oregon’s COVID housing relief funds were spent

Demand accountability from agencies and contractors who handled relief money

Fully fund food, housing, and medical programs for those most in need live in Douglas County, Oregon, on Social Security and SNAP. Like many others—seniors, disabled people, single parents, and working families—we depend on food, healthcare, and utility assistance to survive. We’re already living on the edge, and these cuts are putting us in crisis.

Rent is over $1,000 for a room in many parts of Oregon. A gallon of milk costs $5. Eggs are $5. Groceries, utilities, and gas have all gone up. Meanwhile, food pantries in my area are running out of supplies because they've been cut too. Without action, more people will go hungry, get sick, or end up homeless. These programs aren’t handouts — they’re lifelines.

The cost of living keeps rising while safety nets are being slashed. We can't wait another year or another election. If lawmakers don’t act now to stop the cuts and restore funding to SNAP, Medicaid, and emergency aid, thousands of people will be left with nothing. I’m speaking up — and I hope you will join me.