Eastern Oregon state lawmakers talk budget, ODOT, elections

Eastern Oregon state lawmakers talk budget, ODOT, elections

Published 8:00 pm Thursday, January 8, 2026

By BERIT THORSON | East Oregonian

Greg Smith, Todd Nash addressed questions about state funds and ODOT during Rotary Club lunch event

PENDLETON — Community members recently gathered in the Pendleton Convention Center to hear from local representatives about the upcoming legislative session.

The Pendleton Rotary Club met Jan. 5 at noon for an hour-long moderated panel with state Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, and Sen. Todd Nash, R-Enterprise. Moderator Blue Mountain Community College President Mark Browning asked about the state budget, the Department of Transportation and upcoming elections. He noted these would all play roles in the outcome of the short session, which starts in early February and lasts just more than a month.

Smith, who has served in the Oregon Legislature for 13 terms, or 26 years, serves on the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, which oversees the budget. Nash, a first-term senator, sits on committees focused on natural resources and housing.

The most recent revenue forecast from the state’s Office of Economic Analysis anticipates a revenue shortfall of about $63.1 million. Browning asked the legislators if they believe the state has a revenue problem or a spending one.

Oregon has issues with its revenue collection and its spending, Smith said. He pointed to a growing budget for the last 14 years or so that includes funding first-time programs during the pandemic without the revenue to continue them after the crisis ended.

“We’re very, very heavily dependent on the income tax, and so during economic recessions, it creates tremendous downturns and it forces the state of Oregon to make some really, really hard decisions,” he said. “Because of the instability, effectively, it makes managing cash flow very difficult.”

Smith also noted a disconnect between dollars the state raises and what the state uses that money for, pointing to funds from hunting and fishing licenses that don’t return to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Nash echoed some of the same themes. He said his belief is the budget system — or at least how it functions regarding transportation — focuses on making people pay for what they use, rather than raising revenue in a way the government can provide necessary services.

“We just don’t consider a lot of those things that have become user fees (to be) a function of state government and I think we need to really reorganize,” he said. “If we could really get back to the basics and agree what they are and pay for those basic functions, I think we have enough money.”

Reevaluating the Department of Transportation

Oregonians dealt with uncertainty for part of 2025 as the legislature had to enter a special session in the late summer to fund the transportation department, which would have had to shut down key programs without additional funds. Browning asked the politicians how to fix the problems with the DOT.

Nash and Smith said they’d like to rebuild the department from the ground up, focusing first on what is absolutely necessary for the department.

Smith said while he thinks the department is full of individuals doing their best, the system beyond them is broken. Nash said some of the base-level functions of the department aren’t being completed, which is eroding residents’ belief in the state.

For example, Nash said, many bridges across the state aren’t functional because their maintenance has been deferred since it’s expensive. It would take a lot of money ODOT doesn’t have right now to fix all the bridges.

“It is a little bit scary, but in order to make progress on that, we have to have faith in the department that they are doing the best that they can with the dollars that we give them,” he said, “and there isn’t faith in that right now.”

Preparing for election season

Browning also asked how the upcoming 2026 elections will impact the work they do in the legislature, as Gov. Tina Kotek is up for reelection as are many state representatives, including Smith.

“Politics is a rough business and you have to know why you’re there. You have to know who you’re serving,” Smith said.

He said his 26 years in the House have earned him a place of power and influence in the legislature, and warned that if he is voted out or leaves office, “they’re going to put someone in from Portland to replace me” on the Ways and Means Committee, effectively silencing rural Oregon’s voice on the committee.

“Eastern Oregon deserves to have its dollars returned, and I will fight to the end for that,” Smith said. Smith added he’d be supporting Kotek’s opponent, Sen. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, in the upcoming gubernatorial election.

Nash, who doesn’t have to run because he’s in his second year of a four-year term, said Republicans have a chance to increase their numbers in the state Senate from 12 to 13 of 30. There are four especially competitive districts with Senate seats open in the upcoming election year.