Oregon
Oregon’s U.S. Senators Pledge to Vote Against Homeland Security Spending
Both of Oregon’s U.S. senators are among the growing opposition to a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, as outrage over federal killings in Minnesota builds to a showdown in Congress.
This week, senators are set to vote on an appropriations package that contains six funding bills, including one for DHS. In separate votes on Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the majority of the package by a vote of 341–88, but the DHS portion of the bill passed by a much narrower margin, 220–207.
Republicans now face a steep challenge passing the $64.4 billion DHS spending package, $10 billion of which would be directed to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The bill will require 60 votes to pass the Senate—that means it needs bipartisan support.
But it comes to the chamber in the wake of the fatal ICE shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, the latest escalation in a string of immigration crackdowns nationwide that have turned increasingly violent. Video footage has since undercut many of the federal government’s initial claims about Pretti, including that he was brandishing a gun. (He was holding a cellphone, and he had been disarmed before agents started firing.) Across the country, public outrage has grown over ICE’s actions in Minneapolis.
Pretti’s death marked the second killing of a U.S. citizen at the hands of ICE this month, after an agent shot Renee Nicole Good on Jan. 7. Good was also 37.
Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have told WW they plan to vote against the DHS spending bill.
Wyden says the Senate has “absolutely no business” approving funding for DHS without “sufficient guardrails against these heinous and intolerable ICE abuses in Minneapolis, Portland and far too many other cities across America.”
Wyden says he’s working with fellow senators to push for reforms, including requiring ICE agents to wear their uniforms and display their badges, and is also pushing against racial profiling during ICE operations.
He adds: “I’m also battling for the rights of elected officials to visit immigration detention sites and for local communities in Oregon to refuse the siting of detention facilities in their towns. I’d also add that I’m keeping receipts on who’s issuing these orders under Trump—as well as who’s following those orders. I’m putting all those people on notice: The courts are not going to forget who broke the law in Oregon, Minnesota or anywhere else in America.”
Merkley says the Trump administration has used ICE to “terrorize communities” while denying people due process and often resorting to violence.
“I oppose giving one more penny to ICE, which already got $75 billion from Trump and Republicans in the Big Ugly Betrayal Bill,” Merkley said. “As long as more funding for ICE is in the DHS bill, I will vote against it.”
Whether the congressional standoff leads to a government shutdown remains to be seen. NBC reports that Senate Democrats have plans to advocate separating out DHS from the spending bills for other agencies in a similar fashion—trying to limit the consequences of a partial government shutdown. (That decision is ultimately up to the Republican majority leader.)
Aaron Mesh contributed reporting.
Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office.
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Watch video of high seas rescue off Oregon coast
A cruise ship, the Silver Whisper, rescued a Canadian man whose vessel broke down nearly 500 miles off the Oregon coast May 26.
A cruise ship rescued a Canadian man stranded on his boat nearly 500 miles of the Oregon coast on May 26, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The 74-year-old man, who the agency did not name, was sailing from Hawaii to British Columbia when his vessel ran into gale-force winds and 30-foot high waves. The 29-foot boat’s engine failed and the mast broke, injuring the man’s shoulder.
He’s made the same trip four times before, Coast Guard officials said, and had food, water, a life raft and a life jacket on board. The mariner used his handheld satellite communicator to contact the U.S. Coast Guard’s Northwest District, which the agency used to track him.
He was rescued 489 miles off the coast of Tillamook.
“This mariner’s experience and preparedness allowed the Coast Guard and other agencies to communicate with him and effect a rescue,” Coast Guard Northwest District Search and Rescue Program Manager Scott Giard said. “His foresight to bring a satellite communicator averted a tragedy.
Coast Guard officials deployed a C-27J cargo plane from Sacramento, California, to function as their “eye in the sky” as they coordinated the rescue because he was so far from the shore.
The plane assessed the state of the sea and the damage to the vessel. It was also equipped with life rafts, communication gear and rations that could sustain a survivor while responders coordinate the rescue, officials said.
Coast Guard officials contacted a cruise ship, the Silver Whisper, that went 120 off its charted course to rescue the stranded Canadian man. The Coast Guard found the Silver Whisper by tapping into its Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue system, a global network that tracks the positions of commercial ships that participate in the program.
Eder Campuzano is the local news editor for the Statesman Journal. He can can be reached at ecampuzano@statesmanjournal.com. Find him on Bluesky at @ederc.bsky.social or Threads @ederc.
The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 29, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 29 drawing
19-24-47-59-65, Mega Ball: 07
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 29 drawing
1PM: 6-7-9-9
4PM: 4-3-8-0
7PM: 1-2-5-0
10PM: 3-9-9-3
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
- Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.
SALEM, Ore. (KATU) — Oregon’s childhood vaccination rates have fallen to their lowest levels on record, while the number of parents claiming nonmedical vaccine exemptions continues to climb, according to newly released data from the Oregon Health Authority.
The agency reported on Thursday that 85.6% of Oregon kindergarteners were up to date on required vaccines during the 2025-26 school year.
At the same time, the nonmedical exemption rate reached a record high of 10.9%.
State health officials say the trend is raising concerns about the potential for outbreaks of highly contagious diseases, including measles and whooping cough.
“Although the vast majority of families in Oregon are still choosing to protect families through vaccination, the downward trends are deeply concerning,” said Dr. Howard Chiou, medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at OHA. “We risk seeing the return of diseases such as measles and polio—diseases of the past that once caused widespread harm but are entirely preventable with vaccines.”
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The statewide numbers tell only part of the story.
According to OHA, more than one in three Oregon schools with at least 10 students have measles vaccination rates below 95%, the threshold public health officials say is needed to help prevent outbreaks through community immunity.
Chiou said those exemption rates, combined with lower vaccination coverage at some schools, are increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.
The concerns come as Oregon and the nation are seeing increases in vaccine-preventable diseases.
OHA says the nonmedical exemption rate for the second dose of the measles vaccine has nearly doubled over the past decade, rising from 4.9% to 9.4%.
The state also recorded 1,475 cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, in 2025, the highest total in 75 years.
What could happen if the trend continues?
Dr. Alanna Braun, a pediatrician at OHSU, said declining vaccination rates increase the likelihood of disease outbreaks.
“The thing that really stands out to me the most is just sort of the trend of just ongoing decreased immunization rates across our state and seeing how many schools here in Oregon are now at risk for major outbreaks of some really serious illnesses,” said Braun.
Braun said communities become more vulnerable when vaccination rates fall below the level needed to prevent the spread of disease.
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She noted that outbreaks can affect more than just unvaccinated students.
“A lot of kids have infant siblings at home who are not able to be vaccinated,” Braun said. “Certainly, there are kids in all of these schools who are unable to be vaccinated, kids who are undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. There are teachers who are immunocompromised for various reasons.”
Braun said the long-term outlook is concerning if vaccination rates continue to fall.
“As we’re seeing reduced rates of immunizations, I think it’s more and more likely that we are gonna see some of these preventable illnesses with more frequency,” she said.
What parents can do
OHA is encouraging parents to check vaccination rates at their child’s school and talk with their healthcare provider if they have questions about vaccines.
“We want to empower families to make informed decisions,” said Chiou. “We want parents to revisit and reconsider their decisions because the situation in Oregon has changed.”
Parents can view vaccination and exemption rates for individual schools using OHA’s School Immunization Data Dashboard.
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