Roundup: Oregon and Washington respond to President Trump’s active first week

Editor’s note: The first week of President Donald Trump’s second term was a whirlwind of executive orders and big pronouncements, a seismic shift in federal policy that resonated across the country.

In Oregon and Southwest Washington, civic leaders and community organizers greeted the new administration with fear — and a few hopes — about the economic impact of Trump’s plans. And they promised to defend the most vulnerable populations in the Pacific Northwest from policies that threaten to undo existing legal protections.

OPB reporters looked at the Trump effect in a series of stories this week, and we will continue to track the impacts that changes at the federal level have on Oregon and Washington communities. If you’d like to weigh in on your perspective, or to pass along your questions, email us.

‘OPB Politics Now’: What does the second Trump administration mean for the Pacific Northwest? In the latest episode of “OPB Politics Now,” we get a sense of what people had to say in the days before the inauguration and what happens next.

WOODBURN: Oregon town grapples with fear, uncertainty

During the first Trump administration, leaders of the heavily Latino community of Woodburn worked with residents to build trust amid federal immigration crackdowns and local raids. They’re starting that work again now that a second Trump administration has made immigration changes a priority, with promises of mass deportations.

IMMIGRATION: What happens in a sanctuary state?

Oregon has one of the strictest immigration sanctuary laws in the country. President Trump and his aides have promised to go after communities that do not cooperate with their plans for crackdowns on illegal immigration.

EDUCATION: Student loan changes

As President Trump enters his second term, Oregon’s student loan borrowers are facing continued uncertainty. More than half a million Oregonians hold over $23 billion in federal student debt, and despite promises from the Biden administration to address loan forgiveness and relief, many borrowers are still unsure about the future.

ECONOMY: Preparing for tariffs by buying

Economically, Oregonians are bracing for the potential impacts of President Trump’s proposed tariffs on imported goods, which could raise prices across a wide range of consumer products like electronics, cars and electric bikes. In anticipation of these price hikes, many have accelerated big-ticket purchases, including upgrading their phones or buying e-bikes before tariffs make them more expensive.

INFRASTRUCTURE: Does less government spending endanger the I-5 bridge?

If all goes to plan, crews will begin major construction in the Columbia River on a new Interstate Bridge in 2027, ending decades of planning and consternation over a botched plan to fix the aging bridge between Vancouver and Portland more than a decade ago. That’s assuming the current effort isn’t derailed by the Trump administration that has said it plans to cut government spending, with a critical eye toward Biden-era policies that could be necessary to pay for the bridge.

POLITICAL VIOLENCE: Pardons for insurrectionists raise questions in Pacific Northwest

Oregon and Washington have been hotbeds for right-wing militias and political violence involving the far right and far left. Trump’s sweeping decision to pardon or commute the sentences of everyone involved in the attempt to seize the U.S. Capitol four years ago could have major implications on activists and law enforcement in the Pacific Northwest.

VOTERS: Oregonians didn’t vote for Trump, but they didn’t hate his policies

Exit survey data from the November 2024 presidential election shows that while Donald Trump didn’t win Oregon or Washington — and many voters saw him as too extreme and lacking the moral character to be president — some of his policy proposals did resonate.