US Rep. Cliff Bentz on town halls decision, budget bill and more

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon Republican Congressman Cliff Bentz held his most recent town hall — but like other Republicans in Congress, it wasn’t in person.

Bentz recently announced he would no longer hold in-person town halls, citing a growing number of attendees engaging in “intentionally disruptive, repetitive, practiced, rude and demeaning behavior.”

As the only Republican in Oregon’s congressional delegation, the representative of Oregon’s 2nd District joined Eye on Northwest Politics to talk about this decision, calling it “enormously successful” in its ability to reach thousands of his constituents.

“I almost have to thank those people who were so disruptive,” he said. “I guess their intent was to intimidate, but what they really did was just make it impossible for us to hold a decent conversation, so these virtual town halls have been extraordinarily successful in giving people a chance to ask a question without being interrupted or booed and a chance to read an answer without the same kind of treatment.”

He added he would go back to live town halls, but said he would not give up telephone town halls because of the ability to reach so many more people.

Bentz also talked about the latest budget bill process in Congress after the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” passed earlier this year and what he says he’s hearing from his constituents.

Watch the full interview in the video above.