U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz speaks during a ceremony at Eagle Point National Cemetery Monday. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday narrowly passed H.R. 1, the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” sending the sweeping tax-and-spending measure to President Donald Trump’s desk for final approval. The bill passed 218-214, with all House Democrats voting in opposition.

The legislation, hailed by Republicans as a signature win for the Trump administration, has been met with fierce criticism from Oregon leaders and healthcare advocates who say the bill will devastate working families, slash vital social services, and funnel tax breaks to the nation’s wealthiest.

Among the most vocal local critics is the Oregon Nurses Association, which condemned the bill as “cruel and calculated,” singling out Oregon Congressman Cliff Bentz for his vote in support.

“H.R. 1 will gut the Oregon Health Plan, our state’s Medicaid program, putting as many as 280,000 Oregonians at risk of losing coverage,” the organization said in a statement.

Much of their ire was directed at Rep. Cliff Bentz, an Oregon congressman who voted in favor of the bill.

“Rep. Bentz had a choice,” the organization said. “He could have stood up for rural hospitals. He could have stood with the thousands of children, working parents, and caregivers in his district who rely on OHP to survive. Instead, he stood with billionaires and lobbyists. He failed his constituents. And the cost of that failure will be measured in lost lives, devastated families, and shattered communities.”

Bentz, Oregon’s lone Republican in Congress, was a key local figure in the run-up to the House vote. State and federal Democrats, including Gov. Tina Kotek and former Gov. John Kitzhaber, had urged him to oppose the bill, citing the potential harm to his largely rural district. Kotek said she personally called Bentz to stress the risks to hospitals and families if the measure passed.

“I urged him, on behalf of his state, to vote no,” she told reporters on Wednesday, prior to its passage.

Only two Republicans joined Democrats in opposing the bill, Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.

The ONA warned that Oregon’s already strained healthcare system will bear the brunt of the bill’s consequences.

“We will see more patients showing up in crisis, having lost their coverage and delayed care,” the organization said. “We will see more hospitals slash staff, close departments, or shut down altogether.”

Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, a Democrat who represents Oregon’s 1st Congressional District, said cutting healthcare access for millions, defunding family planning services, and deepening economic hardship for low-income Americans doesn’t just put lives at risk, it’s a death sentence for the most vulnerable.

“There is nothing beautiful about this bill,” Bonamici said. “The cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act will result in up to 17 million people losing access to health care. Hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes will be forced to cut back services or close, and people will die prematurely.”

Bonamici warned that the bill would gut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), exacerbate climate change by rolling back clean energy investments, and defund federal education aid.

“The poorest Americans will be paying for tax breaks for the richest,” she said. “This legislation is the most regressive giveaway and wealth transfer that Congress has ever considered.”

President Trump is expected to sign the bill into law on July 4.