¶ Overview
- Desmond defended the “Big Beautiful Bill” on the day it passed and criticized his previous Democratic opponent for not supporting it. Then while serving on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Desmond opposed the formation of a county fiscal planning subcommittee in response to federal budget cuts in the “Big Beautiful Bill” claiming it was “political fear-mongering.” It was estimated the county could lose $300 million in annual funding for programs like Medi-Cal and SNAP. In 2024, there were an estimated 25,617 households in CA-48 that relied on SNAP benefits to afford groceries.
¶ Desmond Backed Legislation That Made The Largest SNAP Cuts In History
¶ On The Day The Big Beautiful Bill Passed, Desmond Criticized His Democratic Opponent For Voting Against It
7/3/25: Desmond Criticized His Democratic Opponent For Voting Against The “Big Beautiful Bill” Which He Praised For Allegedly Bringing Tax Relief To Middle And Working-Class Families. According to a post on Jim Desmond’s Twitter, "Families in Southern California are struggling just to stay afloat. The cost of everything—groceries, gas, electricity, insurance—has exploded. You’re working harder and getting less, while Washington keeps making things worse. My opponent had a chance to help, but instead he voted against *Eliminating taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security *Making the Child Tax Credit permanent, helping over 40 million families Cutting taxes on Made-in-America auto loans *Putting an estimated $10,000 a year back into the average family’s pocket He voted to keep taxes high. He voted to block relief for middle- and working-class families. He voted to make life even more expensive than it already is. This effort still passed—but not because of him. The people in our district deserve better. You deserve a representative who fights to bring down costs, not protect a broken system that’s pricing people out of California. You shouldn’t be penalized for working overtime, leaving a tip jar out, or trying to raise a family here. That’s why I’m running—to bring real relief to the people who need it most." [Twitter, @JimDesmondSD, 7/3/25]
¶ Desmond Voted Against forming A County Fiscal Planning Subcommittee In Response To Federal Budget Cuts In The “Big Beautiful Bill” Claiming It Was “Political Fear-Mongering”
September 2025: The San Diego County Board Of Supervisors Voted To Create An Ad Hoc Subcommittee Focused On Fiscal Planning In Response To Federal Funding Cuts. According to NBC San Diego, "The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 Tuesday in favor of creating a subcommittee aimed at shielding services from funding cuts. Sponsored by Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe, the proposal establishes the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Sustainable Fiscal Planning, tasked with ‘developing strategic recommendations to maintain essential county services, protect vulnerable residents and preserve the county's financial health.’" [NBC San Diego, 9/30/25]
- The San Diego County Board Of Supervisors Claimed Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Could Risk $300 Million In County Funds For Medi-Cal, SNAP, Housing, And Early Childcare. According to NBC San Diego, "The supervisors pointed to the passage of Congress' One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), which a county analysis estimated could create more than $300 million in annual fiscal risks, including to programs like Medi-Cal, SNAP, housing and early childhood care." [NBC San Diego, 9/30/25]
¶ In Response To Federal Funding Cuts To Programs Like SNAP, Desmond Said People Who Really Needed Benefits Could Still Get Them And Creating A Subcommittee To Address Funding Cuts Was “Political Fear-Mongering”
Desmond Opposed The Creation Of The County Subcommittee, Claiming It Was “Political Fear-Mongering,” And Defended Federal Budget Cuts By Claiming People Who Really Needed Them Could Still Get Them. According to NBC San Diego, "Supervisor Paloma Aguirre joined Lawson-Remer and Montgomery Steppe to yes, while their colleagues Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond were opposed. Before voting, Desmond called the subcommittee ‘political fear-mongering’ and an excuse to raise taxes. He said people really in need of benefits can get them, and the only ones at risk ‘are able-bodied adults who aren't willing to work, volunteer or go to school for at least 20 hours a week.’" [NBC San Diego, 9/30/25]
¶ desmond’s endorsers donald Trump and mike johnson were Behind The Largest Snap Cut In History
¶ Trump And Johnson Fought To Pass The Final Version Of Republicans’ Reconciliation Bill That Would Cut SNAP Funding By $186 Billion
2025: Trump And Johnson Worked Together To Pass The “One Big Beautiful Bill.” According to Fox News, "House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., touted the close coordination between Congress and President Donald Trump to successfully pass the ‘one big, beautiful bill,’ saying the collaboration is part of the ‘beauty of unified government.’ Congress officially passed Trump’s multitrillion-dollar bill Thursday afternoon after back-to-back sleepless sessions for both the House and Senate. The massive agenda package now goes to Trump’s desk to be signed into law just in time for Republicans’ self-imposed Fourth of July deadline." [Fox News, 7/3/25]
- July 2025: Trump And Johnson Lobbied The Republican Holdouts To Make Way For Passage Of The Bill. According to NBC News, "A bloc of Republican holdouts had initially opposed a procedural vote Wednesday to advance the bill, leading to an hourslong overnight standoff. But Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., managed to sway all but one of them, teeing up final passage in the House." [NBC News, 7/3/25]
HEADLINE: "Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Cuts Food Stamps For Millions — The Average Family May Lose $146 Per Month, Report Finds" [CNBC, 7/10/25]
- The GOP Reconciliation Bill Would Cut SNAP Funding By $186 Billion, Which CBPP Said Constituted The “Largest Cut To SNAP In History.” According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "The Senate Republican leadership’s reconciliation bill would dramatically raise costs and reduce food assistance for millions of people by cutting federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by $186 billion through 2034, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), about 20 percent — the largest cut to SNAP in history. These cuts would increase poverty, food insecurity, and hunger, including among children. The so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is anything but beautiful; it would cause widespread harm by making massive cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, which would raise costs on families and make it much harder for them to afford the high cost of health care and groceries." [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 6/30/25]
¶ May 2025: Trump And Johnson Spearheaded The Effort To Pass Republicans’ Budget Bill, Which Included A $300 Billion Cut To SNAP
May 2025: Trump Visited The Capitol To Help Johnson Force Republicans To Come To An Agreement To Pass His “Big Beautiful Bill.” According to the Guardian, "The biggest obstacle the bill faces is disputes among Republicans themselves. In the days leading up to the vote, Johnson had to reach agreements with lawmakers representing Democratic-led states who demanded a bigger deduction for state and local taxes (Salt). He also had to woo moderates wary of cutting too deeply into safety net programs and rightwing lawmakers demanding more cost savings. The speaker appears to have bridged those divides, aided by a visit to the Capitol from Trump on Tuesday. Moderates backed down after some cuts were nixed, while lawmakers who held out over Salt won an enlarged tax break. Johnson also managed to corral most fiscal conservatives, but acknowledged: ‘There was a few moments over the last week when it looked like the thing might fall apart.’" [Guardian, 5/22/25]
- The House Republican Reconciliation Bill Included Nearly $300 Billion In Cuts To The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "The House-passed Republican reconciliation plan would cut nearly $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through 2034, based on Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates — by far the largest cut to SNAP in history.[1] As a result of these cuts and other policies in the legislation — which are being used to pay partly for trillions in tax cuts skewed to the wealthy — millions of people would lose some or all of the food assistance they need to afford groceries, when many low-income households are struggling to afford the high cost of food and other basic needs." [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 5/28/25]
¶ February 2025: Trump And Johnson Pushed Forward A Budget Bill That Set Up Future Cuts To SNAP
2/25/25: The Budget Bill Passed “With A Push From President Donald Trump.” According to the Associated Press, "With a push from President Donald Trump, House Republicans sent a GOP budget blueprint to passage Tuesday, a step toward delivering his ‘big, beautiful bill’ with $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and $2 trillion in spending cuts despite a wall of opposition from Democrats and discomfort among Republicans. House Speaker Mike Johnson had almost no votes to spare in his bare-bones GOP majority and fought on all fronts — against Democrats, uneasy rank-and-file Republicans and skeptical GOP senators — to advance the party’s signature legislative package. Trump made calls to wayward GOP lawmakers and invited Republicans to the White House. The vote was 217-215, with a single Republican and all Democrats opposed, and the outcome was in jeopardy until the gavel." [Associated Press, 2/25/25]
- HEADLINE: "House Republican Budget Takes Away Health Care, Food Aid To Pay For Expanded Tax Cuts For Wealthy" [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2/21/25]
- CBPP Said The Republican Budget Resolution Outlined $230 Billion In Cuts, Primarily From SNAP Benefits. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "The House Republicans’ budget plan would give major tax cuts to high-income, wealthy households. Extending the expiring individual income and estate tax provisions for households with incomes in the top 5 percent of the income distribution (households with incomes over $321,000) costs around $1.8 trillion through 2034, accounting for 49 percent of the total $3.6 trillion cost of extension through 2034. That $1.8 trillion for wealthy and high-income households is close to the amount of the spending cuts House Republicans have outlined — including at least $880 billion primarily from Medicaid, $230 billion primarily from SNAP benefits, and $330 billion primarily from making student loans more expensive. Of the tax cuts for wealthy households, nearly $200 billion is for an estate tax giveaway that showers some $6 million per estate on the 1 in 1,000 wealthiest estates. In contrast, the average SNAP benefit is $6.20 per person per day, which helps struggling families put food on the table." [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2/21/25]
¶ most county health departments in california planned to shut down certain nutrition programs as a result of cuts in the “big beautiful bill”
Most County Health Departments In California Planned To Shut Down Nutrition Programs Focused On Teaching Low-Income Families How To Stretch Their Food Stamp Dollars And Cook Healthier Foods As A Result Of Cuts In The “Big Beautiful Bill.” According to CalMatters, "California cities and counties have closed public health clinics, eliminated family planning programs, stopped dental services, reduced appointment availability for immunizations, instituted hiring freezes and laid off dozens of local health workers. At the end of the month, because of cuts in Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, most county health departments will shut down nutrition programs focused on teaching low-income families how to stretch their food stamp dollars and cook healthier food." [CalMatters, 9/15/25]
¶ 2024: 25,617 households in the old CA-48 relied on SNAP benefits
2024: 25,617 Households In The Old 48th Congressional District Relied On SNAP Benefits.
[U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP Community Characteristics Dashboard, Viewed 4/21/26]