DECISION 2026: Bentz touts rural wins as health care subsidy fight looms

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — As Oregon Congressman Cliff Bentz reflects on a turbulent year in Washington, one marked by major wins for rural schools and hospitals, he’s also bracing for a political showdown over federal health care subsidies that could raise costs for thousands of Oregonians in the year ahead.

Focus on Rural Investments

The Republican representative for Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District says one of his key votes this year was for the Big Beautiful Bill, which included $197 million for rural health care across the state. Bentz said rural hospitals must “meet the times,” explaining that “they have to be able to update with appropriate artificial intelligence features—features that address the ever-increasing cost of personnel.”

Bentz acknowledges the issue is difficult to solve, saying he wants to preserve “high-quality care,” but also recognizes that rising costs must be contained and that “we can’t offer every type of service in every small town.” He said the price tag is simply too high to duplicate “all of the incredibly amazing equipment that we have here at St. Charles, or over in Boise, or up in Tri-Cities, or in Portland” in every rural community.

Bentz also voted to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, a decades-old initiative providing vital funding for timber-dependent counties. The program, originally authored in 2000 by Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, delivers nearly $50 million each year to rural school communities. Bentz said he recently met with local officials to discuss the program’s benefits, calling it “huge for Oregon counties.”

Delisting Wolves as Federally Endangered Species

A third-generation Oregonian who grew up on a Harney County ranch, Bentz said his rural background makes the newly passed law to remove gray wolves from the federal endangered species list especially meaningful, arguing that for ranchers, wolves are not an abstract conservation question but a direct threat to their livelihood.

He has previously described wolves as “killing machines” that can stalk herds for weeks, costing ranchers not only calves but also future income through lower pregnancy rates, and has pushed for more local control over wolf management in vast counties like Harney and Malheur. Bentz said the challenge is “twofold” — deciding what the right number of wolves should be and ensuring that people bearing the costs of livestock losses are properly reimbursed, even as federal delisting would still leave Oregon’s own strict protections and tightly regulated lethal control rules in place.

Health Care Costs and Coverage Concerns

Earlier this year, House Republicans passed a temporary funding bill that removed federal health insurance subsidies for more than 22 million Americans. According to the Oregon Health Authority, the change could result in premiums skyrocketing for approximately 140,000 Oregonians, with roughly 35,000 losing their coverage entirely. Premiums are expected to rise between $127 and $456 a month.

Bentz said he’s focused on fixing what he calls the major flaws of the Affordable Care Act. “It most assuredly is not the Affordable Care Act—it’s costing way, way, way too much,” he said, adding that costs have “skyrocketed” since the law passed. His goal, he said, is to make the program work more efficiently by improving how coverage groups are structured and targeting fraud within the system.

Addressing Waste and Fraud

Bentz pointed to findings by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a nonpartisan watchdog that set up 24 fake insurance accounts in 2024 and 2025 to test federal enrollment systems. The GAO found that 22 of those accounts were approved, costing taxpayers at least $10,000 a month. However, it's unclear how widespread this fraud is and how much it could realistically bring costs down.

Bentz is also up for reelection and says voters should choose him over his challengers in part because of his connection to national Republican leadership, noting that “President Trump endorsed me a couple of months ago for this job, and it’s the third time he’s done it.” He added that having direct access to the White House is “hugely, hugely important,” saying, “That’s why I’ve been able to get so much done — because I know people.”