An Open Letter to Congressman Cliff Bentz

Dear Congressman Bentz:

We are writing this open letter after you failed to respond to our request for an in-person meeting. Instead, many of us received a form letter, the tone of which felt condescending and dismissive of your constituents who worry about what they’re seeing in Washington, D.C.

You have repeatedly said that we are pawns or paid protesters; mooches who want to keep the handouts coming; and that our phone calls to your office are motivated by something other than sincere worry about the direction of our country. Wrong on all counts. We are Americans, we are patriots, and we are your constituents.

We believe in democracy, in transparency in government and oversight. We keep trying to participate in our democracy even as we watch the erosion of government norms. We have legitimate questions and we want an actual dialogue. It appears you continue to meet with constituents who agree with you and make it nearly impossible for those of us with questions and concerns to engage. Even the telephone town hall you held the other week wasn’t noticed in the newspapers. We found about it quite by accident.

The following are a few of the questions we would ask if given the chance.

On your role as a congressional representative: Your form letter said that a judge ruled DOGE constitutional, but your off hand defense does not address the full suite of findings and questions about DOGE and its drug-fueled leader’s attacks on vital services. Beyond DOGE, President Trump’s power to unilaterally impose tariffs does not pass the smell test nor legal muster. The responsibility for cutting or funding government programs lies with Congress. If Congress surrenders the power of the purse and ofmeaningful oversight, what, then, is the point of Congress? What do you see as your job?
On the role of the executive branch and the president: It wasn’t so long ago that you defended Congress’ constitutional role. When the Biden Administration used the Antiquities Act to protect public lands, you filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court and then put out a press release reading in part, “The Constitution makes it clear that Congress, not the President, makes our laws. The President’s job is not to make laws, but to enforce them.” With a Republican Administration, you seem to have done an about-face. President Trump churns out unconstitutional executive orders almost daily and we don’t hear a peep from you. Are you scrutinizing these executive orders, and will you oppose any of the 157 executive orders Trump has issued so far?
On the Constitutional rights of people. President Trump has suspended due process and sent people to an El Salvador prison without anyone able to determine whether it was just. He refuses to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back despite a Supreme Court order to do so. He has further suggested sending “homegrowns,” overseas without any process. If Trump continues to defy court orders, would you support impeachment? If he were to use federal troops against US citizens? What is your red line? Are there any circumstances that would cause you to publicly oppose the President?
On the role of the courts: Like you, we were taught that the separation of powers is a key part of what makes America great. The checks and balances provided by the Constitution have protected our liberty for almost 250 years. You acknowledged as much in a recent televised interview and suggested the courts would save us. However, the administration is openly defying court orders. Republicans in Congress threaten to impeach judges and eliminate courts altogether. You yourself voted to limit federal judges’ ability to protect us from this administration. With the courts’ powers in question and the blind loyalty of Congressional Republicans, the Executive Branch is completely unchecked. Again, what do you see as your job?
On federal spending and the Elon Musk-led oligarchy: You have been publicly supportive of DOGE because of its purported mission to save taxpayer money. However, it is quite clear that DOGE’s reports are riddled with accounting errors. Doge cost more money than it’s saving. Government spending is up compared to last year even as crucial programs like the Department of Education and the National Weather Service are defunded. We see DOGE as an expression of the CEO-monarchy/”efficient dictatorship” form of government in the dubious theories of these billionaires’ guru, Curtis Yarvin. Yarvin seeks to replace democracy, and Musk is doing the work of breaking it. While Chainsaw wielding, ketamine-user Elon Musk cut programs like CASA which supports child abuse victims, he also handed himself billion-dollar contracts and eliminated any accountability. With this unchecked power, he was able to mine our priceless personal data. And instead of scrutinizing these outrageous practices, the administration spends its days extorting universities, media, and lawyers (like yourself). The President corruptly promotes unregulated and speculative crypto currency, selling access to million-dollar investors. This conduct is all out in the open. Do you support this outrageous and unregulated self-dealing?
On our health care: You serve on the critical Commerce Committee that decides the fate of Medicaid, a highly efficient system providing health care for nearly half of the citizens of your district. Its loss would make us sicker.These cuts are universal, kitchen table issues that put people’s lives and futures at risk. In your interview on February 26 with David Miller, you said that you “put together a little team of people to help advise me on the types of impact any of the proposals that we’ll be discussing over the next month and a half might have on Oregon.” It appears that you have been speaking with John Kitzhaber, the original architect of the Oregon Health Plan, although he says you have not been listening and calls your budget bill “immoral.” Are you willing to reconsider your vote for these cuts?
On elections: We wish to thank you for your 15 years of public service in elected office, particularly your bipartisan work in the Oregon Legislature on transportation. In your March 24 form letter to constituents, you suggested that one response by those who are afraid and angry was “veiled and not so veiled threats of finding others to run against the member.”We believe in free and fair elections that allow for a robust exchange of ideas. As a long-time elected official why would you perceive an election opponent as a threat?
On the Republican Party: Reportedly, the Republican base thwarted the second impeachment of Donald Trump by threatening the lives of Republican senators and their families if they voted to impeach. Given Trump’s jokes about the attack on Paul Pelosi, this is not an insignificant worry. Are you concerned that there will be threats to your life if you oppose this administration?
And finally, the only question that really matters: Why are you standing by while we watch our Constitution be undermined, while the power of the people is replaced with billionaire authoritarians?

Congressman, these are serious questions, and we are in no mood for platitudes or talking points. We still demand a meeting with you, or at the very least a town hall. As your constituents and people whose lives and access to essential services depend on your leadership, we deserve the opportunity for you to see us and give us genuine and non-pejorative answers. Senators Merkley and Wyden did not hide from Tea Party activists back in 2009. They did not call their constituents names. They showed up and took the tough questions. We expect you to do the same.

Sincerely,

Jefferson County Democrats & your other constituents.

References

Bentz Leads Bicameral Coalition in Amicus Brief Urging Supreme Court to Curb Presidential Overreach under the Antiquities Act (Representative Bentz Federal Website) https://bentz.house.gov/media/press-releases/bentz-leads-bicameral-coalition-amicus-brief-urging-supreme-court-curb
Donald Trumps Executive Orders https://www.federalregister.gov/presidential-documents/executive-orders/donald-trump/2025
Roll call for the “No Rogue Rulings Act” in the US House of Representatives April 9, 2025 showing Bentz “aye” vote to limit judicial oversight. https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202598
Government Spending Continues to Climb Even as DOGE Touts Cuts https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/government-spending-continues-to-climb-even-as-doge-touts-cuts/ar-AA1CJqMl
The Law Firms That Appease Trump and Angered Their Clients (Wall Street Journal) https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/law-firms-trump-deals-clients-71b3616d
Hundreds Join Trump at ‘Exclusive’ Dinner, With Dreams of Crypto Fortunes in Mind (New York Times) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/us/politics/trump-memecoin-dinner.html
Medicaid is Even Leaner as Accountability Improves (HealthLaw.org) https://healthlaw.org/medicaid-is-even-leaner-as-accountability-improves/
Comparison of Utilization, Costs, and Quality of Medicaid vs Subsidized Private Health Insurance for Low-Income Adults (Journal of the American Medical Association) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2774583
1. “[Combining insurer paid and out of pocket,] total costs were 83% higher in Marketplace coverage [than Medicaid]”

9. Cliff Bentz February 26 Interview with OPB’s David Miller https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/26/us-rep-cliff-bentz-tackles-town-halls-medicaid-in-wide-ranging-opb-interview/

10. Bentz cites Kitzhaber as adviser, but ex-governor calls budget bill ‘immoral’ (Malheur Enterprise) https://www.malheurenterprise.com/2025/05/22/bentz-cites-kitzhaber-as-adviser-but-ex-governor-calls-budget-bill-immoral/

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