The Rogue Valley Transportation District has laid off 82 employees and expects to cut services by 60% in the coming months, as $7 million in federal reimbursements remains in limbo.
At the center of the funding disruption is a Trump administration directive requiring public transit districts nationwide to assist with immigration operations in order to receive federal funds.
“In our present agreements, there was a stipulation put in there that we would help with deportation and we would allow [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to actually use our facilities,” said Julie Brown, general manager at Rogue Valley Transportation District.
She said Oregon's sanctuary laws prevent that type of cooperation, which has led to the Rogue Valley Transportation District not receiving over $7 million in reimbursements.
Brown said the district has been running on reserves. Even before the funding delay, the district faced a projected $10.2 million deficit.
“The only way that we're going to be able to keep the district doors open and provide any levels of service is by doing a massive service cut,” Brown said, “and trying to limp along until we get our federal funding.”
Twenty states, including Oregon, joined a lawsuit against the administration over the requirement to assist immigration authorities. Recently, a federal judge sided with those states and temporarily blocked the withholding of funds.
“I directed states who want federal DOT money to comply with federal immigration laws. But, no surprise, an Obama-appointed judge has ruled that states can openly defy our federal immigration laws,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on social platform X.
Brown, meanwhile, said the district is still waiting on the money it would have normally received in December 2024.
“It's going to be a long game, I think, of waiting,” Brown said. “But in the meantime, it's penalizing our own community because we can't provide transportation.”
The district plans to hold an open house to gather public input on which transportation services are most important.
