The Trump administration rolled back federal rules protecting people with disabilities who want to receive care in their homes and communities instead of institutions.

Businessman Jeff Swickard has invested roughly $250 million in downtown Portland real estate and contributed more than $827,000 to Oregon political campaigns since 2025. His donations support both Democrats and Republicans, but what he hopes to accomplish with all this spending remains unclear.

Of the more than 30 articles reviewed this week, only one action received a score. We don't score every headline. We focus on actions with meaningful consequences for Oregon.

Travel Oregon awarded $4.5 million to help bring nonstop flights between Portland and Asia back to PDX. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield helped secure the release of $14.6 million in federal disaster-prevention funding for an earthquake-resistant hospital in Astoria. The Oregon Public Utility Commission strengthened protections for PGE customers in a proposed corporate restructuring. And Governor Tina Kotek led a push to give states more time to implement new Medicaid rules.

On the other side of the ledger, the Trump administration tried to cancel $810 million in funding already approved by Congress. The U.S. Department of Education stopped key oversight of federal K–12 spending, while Nvidia paused an Oregon AI training program before training a single new ambassador.

Also this week: Oregon's seven Democratic members of Congress called for an end to mass immigration hearings they say undermine due process.

Phil and Penny Knight pledged $1 billion to create a new engineering college at the University of Oregon. Pacific Power agreed to make new data centers pay the costs they create. Sen. Fred Girod helped secure public ownership of Abiqua Falls. And lawmakers from both parties took the first step toward banning Flock license-plate cameras statewide.

On the other side of the ledger, Oregon’s Department of Education still can’t clearly show what nearly a decade of High School Success spending has accomplished, while a new federal wildlife policy weakens protections for endangered species accidentally killed by development.

Also this week: Ron Wyden is using his Senate Finance leverage to pressure NBA owners over the Trail Blazers’ unresolved Portland arena deal.

The week’s biggest positive action was Phil and Penny Knight’s $1.1 billion pledge for a new women’s health hospital at Providence St. Vincent, while five members of Oregon’s congressional delegation earned positive scores for taking Oregon’s restrictions on corporate control of medical practices to Congress.

Other positive actions included Woodburn pausing new data-center development, the Supreme Court keeping new USPS mail-ballot rules from taking effect before the midterms, and Oregon lawmakers pushing to make the costs of publicly funded affordable housing more transparent.

On the negative side, Tacoma immigration judges began requiring more attorneys to appear in person, making it harder for Oregon lawyers to represent clients detained in Washington. The SBA also tightened requirements for some small-business loans.

Finally, I highlighted the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde without a positive or negative score. Their decades-long effort to restore federal recognition and rebuild their land base is a useful case study in sustained, effective lobbying, and something Oregon Rainmakers can learn from.

Oregon leaders took action this week on data centers, public defense, teacher training, wildfire costs, endangered-species protections and Southern Oregon University’s financial crisis. Tina Kotek led the weekly rankings with a +2, while the Oregon Public Defense Commission, Ron Wyden, Oregon’s teacher-training programs and SOU also earned positive scores. The Consumer Product Safety Commission received the week’s lowest score over its expanded collection of identifiable emergency-room patient data.

This week’s biggest positives included Portland State University and the National Science Foundation building a stronger pipeline to turn Oregon research into companies and jobs, Secretary of State Tobias Read and the Legislature adding new ballot safeguards, and Sens. Jeff Golden, Floyd Prozanski and Kathleen Taylor advancing Oregon’s Climate Superfund bill.

Other positive developments included rural hospitals working to band together, the University of Portland launching a three-year business degree, and Oregon reducing PERS’ long-term private-equity target. On the negative side, Home Forward moved to increase rent burdens for low-income households, federal health cuts weakened food-safety capacity, and Oregon lost 177 U.S. Fish and Wildlife jobs since 2024.

This week’s biggest developments included Panic refunding nearly $100,000 in tariffs to customers, Oregon State University opening the PacWave South wave-energy test site, the Oregon Department of Justice securing at least $125 million from Meta, and Multnomah County auditors identifying potential overpayments tied to property purchases made without independent appraisals.

Other notable actions included $185,000 invested in two Oregon startups through Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, a $180 million geothermal investment near Bend, and the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association’s unanimous expulsion of Curry County Sheriff John Ward.

The week also brought disputes over federal mail-ballot rules, costly turnover in Portland city leadership, and Independence’s decision to fence off city parks after a referendum put a newly adopted utility fee on hold.

Genentech led this week’s rankings with a +2 for announcing a $750 million expansion of its Hillsboro manufacturing operation, expected to create 250 permanent jobs. Other positive scores went to the Ballmer Group for investing $125 million in youth mental health, the U.S. Forest Service for $15 million in Oregon wood-industry projects, Rep. Court Boice for calling for accountability from the Curry County sheriff, the Oregon Government Ethics Commission for investigating Home Forward travel spending, and Prosper Portland for launching grants to help businesses fill vacant storefronts.

At the bottom, the U.S. Federal Tax Code received -3 for a system that allows billionaires to direct enormous amounts of otherwise taxable wealth toward priorities of their choosing. Umatilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan received -2 after driving drunk in a sheriff’s vehicle and lying during the traffic stop, while the City of Portland, Portland Solutions, and Urban Alchemy received -2 scores over accountability failures surrounding Portland’s homeless shelter system. Multnomah County also received -1 for closing hundreds of shelter beds after expanding services with temporary funding.

Senator Ron Wyden earned a +2 for helping pass a bill that could lower taxes for wildfire survivors. The Curry County Board of Commissioners also earned +2 for trying to hold Sheriff John Ward accountable. Ward received the week’s lowest score, -3, after refusing to provide records and facing serious misconduct claims.

Other positive scores went to four Portland city councilors and one Multnomah County commissioner for pushing back on the Blazers public funding plan, Providence for adding hospital beds, Oregon State University for winning job-training money, and the City of Portland for moving quickly on permits.

The Trump administration received negative scores for vaccine policy changes and for ending a rule meant to help track shell companies and financial crime.

Courts and watchdogs led the rankings this week. Judge Karin Immergut and the Ninth Circuit both earned +2 scores for stopping federal actions they found unlawful. Oregon leaders also pushed back on tariffs, studied their impact, helped wildfire victims, and called for stronger oversight of the state pension fund.

At the bottom, Rep. Greg Smith earned -3 after agreeing to a $12,000 ethics fine for using his public job to benefit himself. The Trump administration also received -3 after Oregon reported billions of dollars in tariff costs and major losses in exports and state revenue.

Tina Kotek led this week with +3 points. She stopped the sale of state land for a large Salem data center and asked the federal government for faster wildfire help.

Portland failed to protect a family from a dangerous tree. ICE made it hard to tell real agents from criminals. FEMA denied help for two Oregon fires, and the federal government ended legal aid that could affect about 175 immigrant children in Oregon.

The Port of Portland earned a +3 for finishing the $2.15 billion PDX project on time and on budget. The Oregon Legislature also earned a +3 after a new law helped free a man whose case used junk science. Alaska Airlines earned a +2 for a new $135 million repair center that should create about 100 high-paying jobs.

This week's biggest positive stories included federal funding for Oregon's semiconductor industry, city leaders asking for stronger protections before spending public money on the Moda Center, and efforts to investigate possible fraud in Lakeview.

This week's biggest positive stories included programs that reduced pesticide deaths among Oregon bees, expanded mattress recycling, and grocery assistance for some Oregon Health Plan members.

This week's biggest positive stories included a new federal grant for the Willamette Falls redevelopment, stronger calls for data center accountability, and emergency relief for Oregon pear growers.

The biggest setback came at the Oregon Health Authority, where Director Sejal Hathi resigned after a troubled tenure marked by budget problems, Oregon State Hospital issues, and leadership questions.

This week's Rainmaker Rankings cover data center tax breaks, the Prosperity Council's economic plan, the Moda Center debate, education, and the Willamette River. See who earned the highest scores, who lost points, and why.