February 9, 2024 – Congressman Cliff Bentz: Bentz Briefing: February 9th Update
Dear Friend,
We are wrapping up another couple weeks of legislative business in Washington, D.C. Below you will find some of the interesting things that have happened over this time. If you would like to see more updates on what I am doing, please follow us on Facebook HERE!
Holding Secretary Mayorkas Accountable
It has been said that Secretary Mayorkas is dishonest, duplicitous, and derelict in his duties. I agree. However, it has also been said that such conduct does not rise to the constitutionally required “high crimes and misdemeanors.” That legal conclusion may or may not be true, but when we add in the Secretary’s willful refusal to comply with and enforce the nation’s laws along with his explicit direction to DHS (Department of Homeland Security) employees to NOT enforce the law, we satisfy, in my opinion, the High Crime and Misdemeanor standard.
Fortunately, the Articles of Impeachment now before the House (they passed out of the House Committee on Homeland Security last week) are dramatically more complete than was the case back in November (where another set of articles of impeachment was brought up to soon), since they now contain facts and legal theories that actually support impeachment. As I said last week on the House floor: “If we fail to follow best practices in this effort, impeachment will soon become little more than a sad and ineffective means of expressing dissatisfaction with the policies of the opposing party.” Chairman Mark Green of the House Committee on Homeland Security is to be commended for his efforts to get this process right. (As an aside, Article II of the impeachment Articles, which includes obstruction, could have recited what we members of the Judiciary Committee observed, as the Secretary dodged our questions regarding his Department’s activities. It seemed to me then that his responses were designed to obstruct our efforts to elicit what he was ordering his department to do and not to do on the border.)
Most House Republicans are committed to properly conducting the process of impeachment. Because we followed “regular order” (the step-by-step procedural sequence called out by the Constitution and past practice), there is now evidence in the record that the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, intentionally flouted immigration law and disregarded his constitutional duty to secure America’s borders. Secretary Mayorkas deserves to be impeached, and it is my intention to vote in favor of impeachment.
Watch my full remarks on the House floor this morning that outline in greater detail my stance on impeaching Secretary Mayorkas:
READ MORE:
EXCLUSIVE — Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-OR) will vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas when articles come to the House floor as early as next week.
Read the full article HERE.
Eight Authorities President Biden Could Utilize Today to Address the Crisis at the Border
- End Catch and Release
- Reinstate Remain in Mexico
- Enter Into Asylum Cooperative Agreements
- End Parole Abuses
- Detain Inadmissible Aliens
- Use Expedited Removal
- Reign in Taxpayer-Funded Benefits for Illegal Aliens
- Issue a Proclamation to Suspend or Restrict Entry
Bentz Works to Defend the Snake River Dams and for Upkeep of the Columbia River System
“For decades, the Columbia River has been an essential part of Oregon’s economy, conveying over 65 million tons of cargo in 2021 alone,” Congressman Bentz stated. “Thanks to the Columbia River, wheat from the Pacific Northwest reaches the world, and entire regional economies flourish on its banks. Two of my requests to the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) are to ensure our Columbia River system continues to function. If taken up, these additions would secure funding for upkeep and improvements that this system must have. I have also offered two other amendments to the bill that would safeguard the Lower Snake River Dams from removal.”
Bentz continued, “This isn’t just about water. The Snake River Dams and Columbia River are essential to the Northwest’s energy production, navigation, and agricultural industry. It is critical that Congress protect the Pacific Northwest’s economy by approving these submissions.”
What is the Water Resources Development Act?
WRDA is a legislative package for authorizing federal navigation projects and implementing policy changes for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is designed to conserve and develop water and related resources, and authorizes the Secretary of the Army to conduct studies, construct projects, and manage research activities to improve the rivers and harbors of the United States.
Read more about my requests to WRDA, HERE.
Bentz Joins Colleagues in Challenging Use of Enron Era Statute As Basis For Sentencing January 6th Defendants
I joined Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (Oh-04) and 20 fellow members of Congress in filing an amicus (Friend of the Court) brief in the Supreme Court. The brief was filed in the case of Joseph Fischer v. the United States, challenging the lower Courts’ decisions to apply what is a financial crimes statute against people linked to the events of January 6th, 2021.
The petitioner, Joseph Fischer, faces indictment for his alleged involvement in activities near the U.S. Capitol on the aforementioned date. The charges brought against him cite a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2), a statute initially crafted in response to the Enron scandal to combat witness tampering and destruction of evidence in financial crimes cases. The brief argues that the prosecutors and court have misapplied this statute so that the defendants could be exposed to the statute: imposing a potential maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
“The Biden Administration’s use of this is a concerning overreach,” stated Congressman Bentz. “I am joining my colleagues in pushing back against what I see as politicization of what should be a strictly legal proceeding. This would set a dangerous precedent.”
The amicus brief can be viewed HERE.
Fighting for the Klamath Dams
The destruction of the Klamath Dams is a classic case of misdiagnosing the problem and applying the wrong remedy.
Listen to my remarks on the House floor from Monday on the removal of the dams HERE.
Assistance with Federal Agencies
you need help with the Internal Revenue Service, Social Security, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or another federal agency, please reach out to our office. We will do our best to help you get results from whatever federal agency you might be working with.
If you live in Oregon’s 2nd District, please call:
Medford: (541) 776-4646. My Medford office is open Monday through Friday, from 9:00am – 5:00pm Pacific Time
Ontario: (541) 709-2040. My Ontario office is open Monday through Friday, from 9:00am – 5:00pm Mountain Time
Votes and Legislation
H.R. 7024 – Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act – YES
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, led by Congressional Republicans and President Trump, represented a transformational overhaul of the federal tax code, leading to years of record low unemployment, GDP growth, real wage growth, and all-time high tax revenues. While House Republicans have put an end to the multi-trillion-dollar, inflation-boosting spending packages concocted by Congressional Democrats, pro-growth and pro-working-family tax policies are needed to boost our economy, improve international competitiveness, and support struggling families. In addition to continuing a child tax credit for working families, this legislation addresses and reforms three expired provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that will help grow the economy and enhance competitiveness with China.
I voted for this legislation, and it passed with 357 YES and 70 NO.
H.R. 5585 – Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act – YES
This legislation would help protect border patrol agents, law enforcement officials, and local communities from one of the countless dangers of Biden’s open southern border. Under current law, federal criminal penalties do not exist for individuals who intentionally evade CBP agents or law enforcement officers assisting CPB agents.
I voted in favor of this legislation, and it passed with 271 YES and 154 NO.
H.R. 6679 – No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act – YES
H.R. 6679 will prevent Hamas terrorists from exploiting United States immigration law to obtain citizenship by ensuring that aliens who are members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and those who carried out the attacks on Israel that began on October 7, 2023, are inadmissible to the United States, removable from the United States, and ineligible for immigration relief.
I voted for this legislation, and it passed with 422 YES and 2 NO.
H.R. 6678 – Consequences for Social Security Fraud Act – YES
This legislation protects Americans by ensuring that criminal aliens are inadmissible to and removable from the United States for social security fraud and other identification document fraud.
I voted for this legislation, and it passed with 272 YES and 155 NO.
H.R. 6976 – Protect our Communities from DUIs Act – YES
Under current law, there are no explicit grounds for removability or inadmissibility of aliens who are convicted of driving under the influence. This legislation makes driving-under-the-influence (DUI) an inadmissible or deportable offense and streamlines the process by which they can be quickly removed.
I voted for this legislation and it passed with 274 YES 150 NO.
H.R. 7217 – Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act – YES
This bill would provide $17.6 billion in appropriations to provide weapons and equipment to Israel and addition to enhancements to U.S. embassy and security protection. This bill is a $3.3 billion increase over the House passed Israel Supplemental from November but does not include spending reductions.
I voted in favor of this bill, and it failed to pass because of a Motion to Suspend the Rules which requires a 2/3rds vote and it received 250 YES and 180 NO, which is below the 2/3 necessary.
H. Res. 863 – Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors – YES
This resolution resolves that DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is impeached and refers two articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial: (1) Willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law and (2) breach of public trust.
I voted in favor of this resolution, but it failed to pass with 214 YES and 216 NO.
H.R. 485 – Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act of 2023 – YES
This bill would prohibit all federal health programs from using prices based on “quality-adjusted life years” (QALY). The QALY formula is used to assess if a treatment is cost-effective enough to be covered by the federal government based on how successful it will be at returning a patient back to perfect health. The QALY formula does not consider otherwise healthy patients who are living with a chronic health condition or a disability as being able to attain “perfect health.” Therefore, treatments for patients who have a disability or chronic condition are seen as less cost effective because they cannot achieve the same health outcomes in those patients compared to young, healthy patients.
I voted in favor of this bill, and it passed with 211 YES and 208 NO.
Updates from Washington
It was an honor to preside over the House of Representatives as Speaker Pro Tempore.
It was great to sit down with the Director of the Oregon School Nurses Association to discuss the effective of school nurses to help students in rural school districts around the Second District.
I met with the Oregon School Board Association in my Washington D.C. office where we discussed ways to improve student outcomes and education workforce development.
It’s critical that parents, educators, and policymakers work together when it comes to finding the best ways to educate our children.
ICYMI: I was honored to have earned an A+ on SBA Pro-Life America’s scorecard. We must continue to defend the lives of unborn children in the womb!
Great to meet with Ducks unlimited to discuss duck habitat conservation and water management in the Columbia River Basin.
I met with the National Association of Independent Colleges this week where we discussed teacher education programs, current delays in the FAFSA program, and putting our students first when it comes to their education needs.
I sat down with the U.S. Dry Pea and Lentil Council where chatted about priorities in the Farm Bill, increasing access for Pulse Crops to Feeding programs, and risk management for farmers.
This week, I met with the Klamath Tribes Housing Authority to discuss housing issues on the Klamath Reservation.
I spoke with County Commissioners DeGroot of Klamath and Freeman of Douglas this week to discuss the important role of counties in land management.
I met with the National Onion Association this week to discuss labor issues, including locking in H2A rate levels, and priories for the Farm Bill.
Great to sit down with Oregon Community Colleges in my Washington office this week to discuss strengthening the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and bolstering career and technical education training for our students.
Sincerely,
Cliff Bentz
Member of Congress
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