Attorney General Rayfield Protects Social Services from Trump Attack

Attorney General Dan Rayfield today released the following statement after stopping the federal administration's unlawful attempt to gut essential health, education, and social service programs for low-income families:(open new window/tab)

"The federal administration attempted to block basic services that thousands of Oregonians rely on every day-things like childcare, health care and food assistance," said Attorney General Rayfield. "Once again, the Trump Administration was playing dangerous games with the lives of vulnerable Oregonians. And once again, we stood up to block these actions and the courts agreed."

In July 2025, Attorney General Rayfield was joined by 20 other attorneys general in a lawsuit challenging the federal government's reinterpretation of a decades-old law governing access to social services. The agencies' new interpretation restricted states from using federal funds to provide certain services to individuals who cannot verify immigration status - a major shift from long-standing federal practice under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

Today, a federal court granted the coalition's motion for summary judgment, vacating the administration's sweeping rules that threatened programs like Head Start, Title X family planning clinics, food banks, domestic violence shelters, adult education, and community health centers.

Among other things, in Oregon, this ruling means Head Start programs will not be forced to close, which would have put childcare and early learning at risk for nearly 4,800 children across the state. Oregon would also have lost over $3.1 million annually in Title X funding, cutting off access to reproductive and preventive health care for more than 2,200 low-income individuals.