Patti Adair’s Congressional Bid: A Focus on Fiscal Cuts
In the political race for Oregon’s 5th District, Patti Adair, a Republican and current Deschutes County commissioner, has launched her congressional campaign. Adair’s platform emphasizes reducing costs and improving affordability. However, she has supported a Trump-era policy that might result in up to 12 million Americans losing Medicaid coverage.
Adair’s challenge is directed at the incumbent Democratic Rep. Janelle Bynum. Since June 2025, Adair has been vocal on social media, sharing endorsements from Republican Senators Markwayne Mullin and Rick Scott about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), a significant tax reform law from President Donald Trump’s second term.
The OBBB law is notable for extending tax cuts to wealthy individuals by implementing substantial federal spending reductions. Among these cuts is a staggering $1 trillion reduction in Medicaid funding, a crucial health insurance program for low-income individuals, impacting 206,000 potential voters in Adair’s district.
Senator Rick Scott’s social media post claimed that Medicaid is plagued by fraud, suggesting that reducing enrollment could rectify these issues. Contradicting this assertion, various studies indicate that most Medicaid fraud is perpetrated by healthcare providers and contractors, not by beneficiaries.
The financial implications of these cuts are expected to severely impact rural healthcare facilities reliant on Medicaid reimbursements. In Oregon’s 5th District alone, five hospitals could face a combined revenue loss of $55 million over the next decade, with St. Charles Medical Center in Bend potentially losing almost $23 million.
Additionally, the OBBB legislation allows the expiration of tax credits that previously made Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) plans more affordable. The House Joint Economic Committee forecasts that 26,500 individuals in Adair’s district might lose their health coverage due to the combined effects of Medicaid cuts and the end of these credits.
Adair’s opposition to Obamacare is longstanding. In a 2017 post, she demanded the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, emphasizing urgency with the words “#repeal Obamacare. Now. Now. Now.”
The OBBB’s spending cuts extend beyond healthcare, including a $186 billion reduction from SNAP, a program assisting over 42 million Americans to purchase food.
In contrast, Rep. Janelle Bynum, who voted against the OBBB, advocates for Medicaid protection. Her campaign website asserts, “No person should be a medical emergency away from bankruptcy, but sadly that happens all too often in our country,” and calls for congressional action to safeguard Medicare, expand Medicaid, and reduce prescription drug prices.
Adair, a known ally of Trump, previously served as a delegate during his 2016 presidential campaign.
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