Rep. Jay Obernolte calls himself a champion of small business and job creation, but his voting record tells a different story. Obernolte voted against both the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act — two landmark bills that created hundreds of thousands of jobs nationwide — then voted for Trump's tariffs that economists warn will cost his constituents $1,700 per year in higher prices and threaten the Inland Empire's logistics industry, where 1 in 5 San Bernardino County jobs depend on trade. The region lost 26,000 warehouse and transportation jobs in the first half of 2025, and economists project further losses as tariff-driven trade disruptions suppress port traffic. Obernolte then voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which the Congressional Budget Office found will cut income for the poorest 10% of Americans by 3.1% while increasing income for the richest 10% by 2.7% — enacting the largest SNAP cuts in history while delivering $1 trillion in tax cuts to the top 1%. His own district has a 12.5% poverty rate, median household income that falls 34% short of what a family of four needs for basic expenses, and 5% of employed residents who still live in poverty. Obernolte talks about jobs and the economy, but he has consistently voted against bills that create jobs and for bills that make life harder for working families.
Obernolte Voted Against The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Which Invested $1.2 Trillion In Roads, Bridges, Broadband, And Clean Energy. According to GovTrack, Obernolte voted "Nay" on H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which passed the House 228-206 on November 5, 2021. The law funded highway repairs, broadband expansion, water infrastructure, and public transit — investments directly relevant to the Inland Empire's aging transportation network and the High Desert's chronic lack of broadband access. [GovTrack, 11/5/21]
Obernolte Voted Against The CHIPS And Science Act, Which Invested $280 Billion To Bring Semiconductor Manufacturing And Research Jobs To The United States. According to GovTrack, Obernolte voted "Nay" on H.R. 4346, the CHIPS and Science Act, which passed the House 243-187 on July 28, 2022. The law invested in domestic semiconductor production, scientific research, and technology workforce development — areas Obernolte claims to champion as the House's leading AI policymaker. [GovTrack, 7/28/22]
Obernolte Voted To Shield Trump's Tariffs From Congressional Oversight, Then Voted To Keep 25% Tariffs On Canada. According to The Dispatch, Obernolte was among Republicans who "originally voted against the rule" blocking tariff disapproval votes but then flipped to "yes" under pressure from GOP leadership, passing the measure 213-211. He later voted against a bipartisan resolution to overturn Trump's 25% tariffs on Canada, which passed 219-211. [Dispatch, 9/16/25; NBC News, 2/11/26]
One In Five San Bernardino County Jobs Depend On The Logistics Sector That Tariffs Threaten. According to IE Business Daily, logistics was San Bernardino County's largest job sector, with the county facing greater tariff exposure than neighboring Riverside County. Manfred Keil, chief economist for the Inland Empire Economic Partnership, warned: "A lot of logistics jobs will be lost because of this." [IE Business Daily, 4/7/25]
The Inland Empire Lost 26,000 Warehouse And Transportation Jobs In The First Half Of 2025. According to CalMatters, the Inland Empire — a national hub for the warehouse industry with over 4,000 warehouses covering approximately 40 square miles — saw 26,000 jobs disappear from the transportation and warehousing sector during six consecutive months of losses. The combined ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach handled 4.6% fewer goods in June 2025 compared to a year earlier. [CalMatters, 5/21/25]
Economists Projected Tariffs Would Cost The Average Household $1,700 Per Year In Higher Prices, With The Poorest Families Hit Hardest. According to the Yale Budget Lab, "the price level rises by 1.2% in the short run, representing a loss of $1,700 for the average household and $900 for households at the bottom of the income distribution." The tariff burden "expressed as a share of post-tax-and-transfer income on the first decile is more than three times that of the top decile (2.4% versus 0.8%)." [Yale Budget Lab, 11/17/25]
The Congressional Budget Office Found The OBBBA Will Cut Income For The Poorest 10% Of Americans By 3.1% While Increasing Income For The Richest 10% By 2.7%. According to the Medicare Rights Center, the CBO's distributional analysis found that after-tax incomes for the highest 10% of earners would rise by 2.7% by 2034, driven primarily by tax cuts, while incomes for the lowest 10% would fall by 3.1%, driven by cuts to Medicaid and food assistance programs. [Medicare Rights Center, 8/14/25]
The OBBBA Delivered $1 Trillion In Tax Cuts To The Top 1% While Cutting $197 Billion From Food Assistance For Working Families. According to the Food Research and Action Center, nearly 75% of the OBBBA's tax cuts go to the highest-income 20% of households, with the top 1% receiving "over a trillion dollars over the next decade." Meanwhile, the law cut $197 billion from SNAP, "the largest cut to the program in history." [Food Research and Action Center, 7/7/25]
Obernolte Praised The OBBBA As A "Generational Opportunity" Without Mentioning Its Cuts To Food Assistance Or Its Tax Breaks For Millionaires. According to the Big Bear Grizzly, Obernolte stated the bill was "a generational opportunity to deliver results for the American people" that "extends the 2017 tax cuts, unleashes American energy, reins in the regulatory state, and restores fiscal responsibility to government programs." He did not mention the historic SNAP cuts or the law's distributional effects in his public remarks. [Big Bear Grizzly, 7/8/25]
The OBBBA's SNAP Cuts Are Projected To Strip CalFresh Benefits From 395,000 Californians And Cut Up To $5.1 Billion In Annual Federal Food Assistance. According to the California Association of Food Banks, the law will cut federal CalFresh funding by $2.3 billion to $5.1 billion annually, with approximately 660,000 Californians likely to lose benefits after work requirement screening and an additional 72,000 noncitizens losing eligibility entirely. [California Association of Food Banks, Viewed 2/16/26]
SNAP Cuts Are Projected To Reduce Independent Grocer Sales By 6.7% And Cost Farmers $24 Billion Over A Decade. According to the Food Research and Action Center, independent grocers will see sales decline 6.7% within six months of the cuts taking effect, averaging 8.7% over nine years. Farmers stand to lose $24 billion over the next decade as reduced SNAP purchasing power suppresses demand for food. [Food Research and Action Center, 7/7/25]
San Bernardino County's Poverty Rate Exceeds Both State And National Averages. According to San Bernardino County Community Indicators, 12.5% of county residents live in poverty — higher than the state average of 11.8% and the national average of 12.1%. Among children under 18, the rate is 16.4%. Even among employed residents over age 16, 5% are living in poverty despite working. [San Bernardino County Community Indicators, Viewed 2/16/26]
San Bernardino County's Median Household Income Falls 34% Short Of What A Family Of Four Needs For Basic Expenses. According to San Bernardino County Community Indicators, the median household income is $85,069, but a family of four with two working adults and two children needs approximately $128,000 to cover basic costs of living — a gap of more than $40,000. [San Bernardino County Community Indicators, Viewed 2/16/26]
The Inland Empire's Leading Economic Partnership Warned Tariffs Would Drive Up Consumer Prices In The Region. According to CalMatters, Paul Granillo, CEO of the Inland Empire Economic Partnership, stated that "certainly the tariffs can and probably will have a negative effect on the economy of the Inland Empire" because "those are prices that are passed onto the consumer and so people buy less." Granillo also warned that Canadian lumber tariffs would increase homebuilding costs, noting "Canadian lumber is a big part of the homebuilding industry; with tariffs and the current state of relations between the Trump administration and Canada, that's problematic." [CalMatters, 3/19/25]
Food Banks Warned They Cannot Compensate For SNAP Cuts, As SNAP Provides Nine Meals For Every One A Food Bank Distributes. According to the California Association of Food Banks, SNAP "provides nine meals for every one distributed by food banks," meaning the historic cuts enacted by the law Obernolte voted for will create a hunger gap that charitable organizations cannot fill. [California Association of Food Banks, 7/3/25]