Part 3: U.S. Rep Bentz on Rual Hospital & Public Broadcasting cuts
U.S. Rep Cliff Bentz responds to a question at The Dalles Rotary Club meeting on Aug. 20th at Spooky’s Restaurant.
Editor’s Note - We have broken down questions and U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz’s responses during a recent Rotary Club Meeting in The Dalles on Aug. 20th into four different stories that we will release during the next few days. Read Part 2 here.
Medicaid Cuts and Rural Hospitals
Linda Kentro
The Dalles, Ore., Aug. 20, 2025 — Audience member Linda Kentro at Wednesday’s Rotary Club meeting asked Rep. Cliff Bentz how vulnerable Oregonians will keep access to care if Medicaid funding cuts force rural hospitals to close emergency or maternity services.
“Already Seaside, Baker, Madras and Hermiston hospitals are looking at closing departments,” she said. “Delay in services costs lives.”
Bentz responded that Oregon’s “provider tax,” which the state uses to draw federal matching funds, was a “shell game” but admitted reductions pose a serious threat. “This is an existential issue to my hospitals,” he said.
He told the crowd he has pressed federal health officials for assurances and is gathering baseline financial data from hospitals across his district to track impacts. “I don’t think [the federal backstop fund] is enough to fix the problem,” Bentz said.
Public Broadcasting Funding
Keith Mobley
Rotary Club member Keith Mobley asked Rep. Cliff Bentz why he voted to strip funding from NPR and PBS, drawing boos from the audience when Bentz confirmed his support.
“Public broadcasting would have an easier time if it wasn’t so biased,” Bentz said, claiming a review of Oregon Public Broadcasting content showed overwhelming liberal slant.
He added that federal deficits leave little room for discretionary spending. “We’re broke now. What are we going to do?” he asked.
The exchange marked one of the most contentious moments of the afternoon, with many in the crowd voicing disapproval.
