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Michael Dunne: One might forgive the Democratic members of Congress for feeling sidelined right now. After all, they're out of power and out of the loop with a president who seemingly has no interest in giving them a heads up on all matters of state, including something as serious as going to war. Today on the show, you'll hear from Oregon Rep. Val Hoyle about what's going on in Washington, D.C., and how that translates to impacts back home. She's running for reelection, and she believes that if the Democrats take back the House, the United States and Oregon will be in a much different place. It's a look inside the brutally partisan politics of our age, and it's next on Oregon On The Record. Rep. Val Hoyle, always great to talk to you. Thanks so much for coming on.
Rep. Val Hoyle: Oh, absolutely. Always happy to talk to you.
Dunne: Trying circumstances. We are now at war with Iran. I wanted to get your thoughts both on that simple fact and on what you feel the president's responsibility is to Congress and the American people.
Hoyle: Well, I think we deserve transparency. I think we deserve good reasons for what the president's actions were, and so far we have received none. I have a family member who is married to someone who works at Fox News, and they were told that junior staff at Fox News were told to be on alert to come in on the weekend. So Fox News knew that we were going to attack Iran before I did. Today, the Republicans canceled the Foreign Affairs Committee meeting. We've signed on to a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson saying he should call us back in next week, when all of us will be at home in our districts. The fact is that the power to declare war rests with Congress. People who voted for Donald Trump were clear that they believed him when he said we're not going to end up in more wars, and here we are. He's gone into Iran and is now shocked, just shocked, that it didn't play out like Venezuela, and that there's actual retaliation and instability. Meanwhile, his son isn't in the military. Benjamin Netanyahu's son isn't in the military. Netanyahu's son is living in Miami, while our kids are the ones who fill the boots. Fundamentally, what the American people deserve is transparency. What the American people deserve is thoughtful policy. What the American people deserve is not to be dragged into another war in the Middle East for oil.
Dunne: You mentioned that Trump campaigned vociferously about not entering into wars, especially in the Middle East. How do you think swing voters and even core supporters of Trump and the Republican Party are responding to this?
Hoyle: They're not responding well. This is incredibly unpopular, and as oil and gas prices rise at the pump, people are going to be even more opposed. This is not something that's going to end in a few days, and the president specifically campaigned on not going to war. At this point, I don't think he cares what he campaigned on, because he believes he can do anything he wants without coming to Congress. With Republicans in control of the House and Senate, it appears they're willing to not fulfill their obligation as a separate and equal branch of government to compel the president to work with Congress. We are voting on the War Powers Act again. I'd like to remind you that I voted on the War Powers Resolution both against Biden when he went into Yemen without consulting Congress, and against Trump. This is something that presidents of both parties have done. But right now, fundamentally, this is putting American lives in danger. We've put out the word that if there are constituents of mine, American citizens in the Middle East who want to get back home, they should contact our office. The administration is not being very helpful. They're essentially saying you're on your own. We want to make sure Americans are safe, and this certainly isn't making our world safer. These tax dollars being spent overseas on another war are dollars not being spent on things Americans need. My Republican colleagues wouldn't vote to extend the Affordable Care Act or work on affordable health care access for Americans, yet they can spend money on a foreign war, sending our kids to die for oil. That's just wrong. And across the political spectrum, we are hearing people oppose that.
Dunne: Right now, as we're talking, the stock market is tanking. The president also campaigned heavily on affordability and lowering inflation. Talk about the potential economic implications of this war with Iran, whether it ends soon or becomes protracted.
Hoyle: The stock market is tanking for a reason: investors can see this isn't going to end quickly. Between the erratic tariff policy and now this ill-fated war that the president decided to start on a whim, announcing at 2 a.m. on social media that yes, we're at war. The ramifications are significant. Our economy is in a very precarious position. The president has figured out ways for himself and his family to profit from his position, whether through legal pressure on the American people or accepting what amounts to bribes through foreign dealings. There are so many ways the Trump family is making money off of his office. I don't think Donald Trump has ever cared about ordinary working people, because he has never had to decide whether to pay rent or feed his kids. He has never had to struggle. It is difficult for me to believe that he cares about what we're going through. We're losing allies on trade and now on this disastrous foreign policy decision. I am extremely concerned about the state of the economy, about jobs and about the effect on our small businesses, which are the backbone of Oregon. The majority of businesses in Oregon are small businesses. This matters deeply to people putting food on the table.
Dunne: Not that long ago, the Supreme Court invalidated Trump's tariffs. I wanted to get your opinion on how average consumers were impacted when the tariffs were in place and what might change going forward.
Hoyle: I've had concerns with U.S. tariff policy for a long time, whether it was NAFTA or the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I think those were trade policies that undermined working people and gave incentives to offshore American jobs. That said, my background is in international trade and manufacturing distribution. I think tariffs are a legitimate tool. They shouldn't be used as a weapon. The erratic nature of how Donald Trump has wielded tariffs has hurt our businesses. We have small businesses with goods on the water that were suddenly hit with a 145% tariff. That is a tax on consumers, period. End users pay that tariff. They pay that tax. It's simply making it more expensive for Americans to buy things. Donald Trump not only attacked the Supreme Court for rightfully interpreting where the authority to levy tariffs comes from, which is Congress, not the executive branch, but then threatened to institute blanket tariffs on his own. This man wants to be a king. He wants to be a tyrant, and it is incredibly detrimental. We as consumers are paying the price for that.
Dunne: You've recently declared that you're running again to represent this district. What are your top priorities if you're reelected going into the next Congress?
Hoyle: I sincerely hope that we will have a Democratic majority in the House, and with that we can actually provide some checks and balances on this administration. Speaker Mike Johnson has deferred to Donald Trump every step of the way. He refuses to stand up to him. So far, Rep. Thomas Massie is the only Republican who will consistently push back on the administration. With a Democratic majority, we can be part of the negotiations on appropriations, on how we invest taxpayer dollars. We can investigate Donald Trump. Many people would like to see him impeached, and that will not happen as long as there is a Republican majority. My focus would be to work with, hopefully, a Democratic majority in the House and potentially in the Senate, then concentrate on policies that help working people and investment in infrastructure. I serve on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and on the Natural Resources Committee, where I'm the ranking member on water, wildlife and fisheries, as well as on the Indian and Insular Affairs subcommittee. We can be proactive in fighting to protect our environment and push back against what Republicans have done to gut protections for our water, for wildlife and for addressing climate change. If we want to have a voice, we need balance. In order to have balance, we need Democrats in the majority. I am running for reelection to do what I've always done: fight for working people.
Dunne: Moving to local issues, I did want to talk about the situation at PeaceHealth and the canceled contract with Eugene Emergency Physicians. Remind our listeners what you'd like to see happen.
Hoyle: I've been involved in health care access in this area for a very long time. Before the Affordable Care Act, I worked with United Way on the health care access coalition, leading that effort when our uninsured rate in Lane County was 21%. I worked in the legislature with Gov. John Kitzhaber on putting together the community care organization. What I know about PeaceHealth is this: when the University District hospital closed and services moved to RiverBend, I very clearly recognized, as a representative for West Eugene and Junction City, that we had no hospital on that side of the Willamette. That put part of Lane County in a very difficult position in case of an earthquake or other dire emergency. PeaceHealth never invested in strengthening the resources needed to absorb the added patients from the University District hospital. Now their chief medical officer, Jim McGovern, is arrogantly blaming the emergency doctors who have served our community for decades for a problem that PeaceHealth created and chose not to address. They are bringing in a group based in Georgia called the Apollo Group. They say it's physician-owned. The manager leading that group also heads a venture capital fund. This is all about corporate interests buying up our medical system. Eugene Emergency Physicians live in our community. Their kids go to school with our kids. Their families live and work here. What the Apollo Group would do is bring in traveling doctors who have no connection to our community. The bigger issue is this: if there is an emergency such as an earthquake or a wildfire where we need doctors immediately, we can't fly someone in from Montana, Texas or Georgia. We need doctors who live here. I have been abundantly clear that I want PeaceHealth to slow down this process so that we can investigate the Apollo Group. The legislature passed a bill to ban the corporate practice of medicine, and I've spoken directly with the governor. The Oregon Health Authority needs to investigate whether this contract with Apollo Emergency Physicians violates that law. Until that review is complete, I do not think Eugene Emergency Physicians should be let go. Their contract should be extended. That contract expires June 30.
Dunne: I know you're very busy. I want to squeeze in one last question. You've also been heavily involved in what's going on at the coast regarding the helicopter. Talk about where things stand. I know you, Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Jeff Merkley have had something of a victory there. What's happening right now?
Hoyle: Right now, we have a helicopter back in Newport, which is good news. The Pacific Coast is very different from the Atlantic. Coast Guard leadership has often worked on the Atlantic, where someone in the water can survive for a while waiting to be rescued. In the Pacific Ocean, after an hour, you're looking at a body recovery. What we'd like to see is our helicopter kept in Newport and rescue boats positioned in North Bend and Gold Beach, because whether it's tourists, commercial fishers or recreational fishers, they need to be safe in those extreme conditions. The other issue is that the Department of Homeland Security was looking at placing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility somewhere on the coast. It is my understanding that has been put on pause. I've invited the Coast Guard commandant to come to Oregon so we can show him why we need our rescue boats and helicopter, and why we do not have space for an ICE facility. We will fight that with every bit of effort we can. Every breath in my body will go into speaking out against having an ICE facility here. I do think we are in a good place. Our community stepped up and let DHS know that Oregon will not accept an ICE facility. Not on our watch. Not on our ground.
Dunne: She's Oregon Rep. Val Hoyle. Really appreciate your time. Thanks so much for coming on.
Hoyle: All right, take care.
Dunne: Now, let's chat with our reporter about a controversial Lane County commissioner. Zac Ziegler, thanks so much for coming in and talking to us.
Zac Ziegler: Yeah, no problem.
Dunne: You've been covering the story of David Loveall, commissioner for Lane County. Why don't we start with a reminder: what has he been accused of?
Ziegler: About a month ago, we received a summary of a report from an independent law firm that had looked into several instances of alleged harassment and retaliation against a handful of Lane County employees. That report backed up their allegations and their human resources complaints. For the most part, it said that what was stated in those complaints was, at least on the face of it, substantiated.
Dunne: OK. So take us to what happened, I believe yesterday, at the county commissioner meeting.
Ziegler: The meeting started after public comment time with what the agenda called a statement of unity and support for those reporting discrimination and harassment. That passed 5-0. Things then took a bit of a turn when Loveall was asked about an apology. The deadline for him to offer one was that day. He basically said nothing. He asked for his attorney to be allowed to speak during that time, and there was a debate among commissioners about how to handle that. His attorney, Jill Gibson, had said she believes Loveall should sue the county over this, which raised the question of whether commissioners have to invite someone who is essentially an adversary into the meeting. Independent counsel hired by the county said no. Commissioners then turned to Loveall and gave him the chance to speak. He did not apologize. He continued a line he has used repeatedly, saying he will not participate in what he calls an illegal process or an illegal meeting. At that point, Commissioner Heather Buck introduced a censure motion for a vote.
Dunne: What would censure mean for Commissioner Loveall?
Ziegler: It doesn't mean a great deal for him practically, other than the headlines. It signals that the county is trying to take action and, importantly, creates a record in case there are future incidents. That's probably the main concern: protecting the county against the possibility of future lawsuits or additional misconduct, from Loveall or from another employee or elected official, for that matter.
Dunne: My last question, and I know this is somewhat hypothetical: what comes next? Has Loveall made any overtures about stepping away, or is he being defiant?
Ziegler: He's on the ballot in November and does have a challenger, the mayor of Springfield. That is probably the next significant step, and it's something Loveall has routinely pointed to himself. He has said he will run again and has argued that much of this is driven by the fact that it's an election year for him, and that the rest of the board is trying to unfairly influence that race. So let's see what happens as we get closer to November.
Dunne: Zac Ziegler, reporter for KLCC, covering this story. Zac, thanks so much for the update.
Ziegler: Sure thing, Michael.
Dunne: That's the show for today. All episodes of Oregon On The Record are available as a podcast at KLCC.org. Tomorrow on the show, a local group is trying to get an initiative on the ballot that would force large retailers to pay more for their climate footprint in Eugene. I'm Michael Dunne, host of Oregon On The Record. Thanks for listening.
