Ashland’s congressional representative takes questions on policies ranging from wildfires to Social Security to climate change

By Damian Mann for Ashland.news

Wildfires, the border, Social Security and “neglected” federal forests dominated the discussion at the annual town hall held by U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, on Tuesday at The Expo in Central Point.

This was his third town hall he’s held so far this year, with 17 more to go before he covers all the counties in the sprawling Second Congressional District. Bentz held a town hall in Jackson County last year.

Bentz represents an area that extends from Jackson County to the border with Idaho. It covers roughly two-thirds of the state and is one of the biggest congressional districts in the U.S.

Bentz, speaking before about 100 people, was briefly interrupted at the beginning of the town hall by protesters of the war in Gaza.

Police escorted the protesters out of the Padgham Pavilion, with one man shouting, “We found you guilty,” and another telling an officer, “Don’t touch me.”

The protesters, who took issue with Bentz’s support of Israel’s invasion of Gaza, were briefly detained and then released. Many audience members booed as the protesters tried to speak.

An unfazed Bentz said he welcomed the opportunity to speak in Jackson County.

“It’s an opportunity to be heard — maybe not as loud as we just heard,” he said.

Protesters take issue with Bentz’s support for Israel, according to an unsigned statement emailed by a group known as the Rogue Valley Pepper Shakers to news media after the meeting, including his vote in favor of funding Israel’s “Iron Dome” defense system to protect against missile attacks, and for saying, according to the Pepper Shakers, “I stand with Israel.”

Bentz gave the audience a rundown of his first four years in office, describing his 88 flights to Washington, D.C., and the difficulty of getting 435 members of the House of Representatives to agree on legislation.

“This is my fourth year, and I’m still learning,” Bentz said.

He said it takes a while to understand the position and views of his colleagues, particularly when many of them retire and a new crop of representatives take their place.

Bentz said that Oregon, and in particular the Second District, has been hard hit by fires this year.

He said he’s been attempting to change the Endangered Species Act to allow forest service agencies to remove fuels and reduce the chances for wildfires to occur.

Bentz said he want to open up areas of the state to more intense grazing as a way to create badly needed fire breaks.

Reining in the federal budget has been an immense job, Bentz said.

“There is a huge disagreement about how much to cut,” he said.

He said Social Security and Medicare need to be protected, even though they represent a major portion of the federal budget.

“Ten thousand people a day are retiring and going on Social Security,” he said.

Another big ticket item is defense spending, and Bentz said he’s not in favor of cutting it, either.

Joanne Hollister, who owns rural land in Central Point near Jacksonville, said a majority of the forests in Oregon are owned by the federal government.

She said she’s surrounded by overgrown forests, and is worried about the potential fire risk.

“Will the federal government allow the clearing of these trees?” she asked.

Bentz said insurance rates have gone through the roof for many rural Oregonians in fire-prone areas, adding that inflation has been one of the drivers.

“You’re not addressing my question,” Hollister called out.

Bentz apologized, saying he was eventually going to respond to her question.

He said when he was in Cave Junction recently, he noticed that many yards had overgrown weeds.

Bentz asked someone about it, and he said the response was, “Why bother cleaning up our yards when you’re not cleaning up the national forests?”

He said he’s working on a number of ways to improve the forests, including seeking changes to the Environmental Protection Act to help thin the forests.

Reducing the number of lawsuits filed by environmental groups over thinning operations is another step, he said.

Bentz urged people to protest these environmental lawsuits. On the other hand, Bentz cited one local effort to reduce the fuel load in a local forest.

“The area around Ashland has all been cleared out,” he said. “It’s a miracle.”

The helicopter logging was needed to help maintain the city’s watershed, Bentz said. The city of Ashland used helicopter logging last winter to remove dead or dying Douglas fir and other vegetation.

Hollister followed up her question by saying she would like to see someone sue the environmental groups for negligence when their lawsuits prevent the thinning of forests.

“It would be interesting to turn the tables on them,” she said.

Bentz took issue with the Biden Administration’s handling of the border, but got pushback from a woman who pointed out that former President Donald Trump called Republicans and urged them to scuttle a bipartisan bill to reduce the flow of people across the border

“President Trump didn’t call me,” Bentz said, while pointing out that border bill was already opposed by many members of Congress anyway.

He did say border crossings by asylum seekers is down to about 1,000 a day, compared to 5,000 a day in previous years.

Bentz, who has visited the border five times since taking office, described the situation at the border as “sad,” while also pointing to many holes in the border fence that allow people to enter the country.

He said many of the people entering are young people looking for a better life.

“Who can blame them?” Bentz said. “Who wouldn’t want to live here.”

Another woman asked Bentz if he thought climate change was real, and what can be done about it.

Bentz said, “The truth of it is that it’s getting hotter, dryer, with less water.”

He didn’t think more regulations would be the solution, suggesting that if people are offered something that is better for the environment at a cheaper price, then they’ll readily sign up for it.

“You’re paying 60% more for green power,” he said.

Wind and solar power aren’t a cheaper solution than hydropower, said Bentz, who supports retaining dams and putting more investment in nuclear energy.

Even if we switched to a carbon-free method of providing power, Bentz said it was his understanding it would still take 30 or 40 years before the climate benefits would begin to show.

A Jacksonville woman told Bentz she was disappointed about the U.S. Supreme Court decision giving broad presidential immunity to the executive branch.

Bentz said he would need to look into that issue before responding effectively.

Logan Vaughan, who is running for mayor in Medford, asked Bentz about term limits for representatives.

“What is a good number as far as term limits go?” Vaughn said.

Bentz said he hasn’t landed on a good number yet, saying it takes awhile for a representative to get up to speed. He said it also takes time to get a good seat on the many congressional committees that help develop new laws.

He said he would likely favor something between a minimum of about nine years and a maximum of somewhere between 12 and 15 years.

Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at dmannnews@gmail.com.