One year ago, to celebrate the passage of H.R. 1, a package of tax breaks and spending cuts which President Donald Trump dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the president and other Republicans gathered for a bill signing at the White House’s 4th of July picnic.
But this year, around the anniversary of that bill signing, Democrats — who, in turn, have dubbed the legislation the “Big Ugly Bill” — have been the ones more eager to talk about H.R. 1, according to an analysis by The Washington Post of public statements and social media content. Congressional Democrats brought up the controversial legislation twice as often as Republicans did in the month of June, the analysis found.
“It’s pretty clear that Democrats are much more enthusiastic talking about this bill than Republicans are. That’s incredibly unusual,” said Dan Schnur, who teaches political messaging at USC and UC Berkeley.
“Normally, when a political party passes legislation, they want to take credit for it. So they talk about it a lot,” Schnur said.
H.R. 1 extended Trump’s 2017 multitrillion-dollar tax cuts and increased funding for national defense and immigration enforcement.
At the same time, it cut funding for Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, otherwise known as food stamps, while adding new work requirements for people to receive such aid.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office last year estimated that the spending bill would ultimately increase the nation’s deficit by $3.3 trillion over a decade, and 11.8 million people would lose health insurance.
Those who support H.R. 1 have highlighted provisions within the bill they say help working Americans, such as not having to pay taxes on tips or overtime wages, and a boost in the child tax credit.
Critics, meanwhile, have lamented the loss of health insurance and food assistance for low-income households.
California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks said he’s not surprised that Republicans, one year out, appear less eager to talk about the legislation.
“It’s awful. It’s the biggest transfer of wealth probably in modern history,” Hicks said. “So I can understand why they (Republicans) would want to be really quiet about that.”
But, he added, “California Democrats are not going to be quiet about it. In fact, we’re going to make sure that we communicate just what this piece of legislation actually means for Californians and what it means for Americans across the nation.”
With less than four months to go before the general election, House Democrats in Los Angeles County who are seeking reelection have made sure to tie what they view as harmful legislation to Trump and his Republican allies.
On the first anniversary of when the bill passed out of Congress, for example, Democratic Rep. George Whitesides, who represents the Antelope, Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys in northern L.A. County, reminded supporters in a July 3 campaign email that “Trump and the GOP in Congress” passed H.R. 1, which “stripped away” healthcare and food assistance for millions.
“I’ve spoken with many Californians who are struggling to make ends meet because of this legislation. It’s why we must keep fighting for control of the House,” Whitesides said in the email, before asking supporters to donate to his campaign.
Rep. Derek Tran, D-Orange, who’s seeking a second term to represent parts of L.A. and Orange counties, hasn’t minced words when describing his feelings about the legislation.
“Unfortunately, Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans believe in an America where working families foot the bill for their disgraceful and un-American agenda,” Tran, who estimated that more than 41,000 residents in California’s 45th Congressional District risk losing healthcare coverage while 30,000 households may lose food assistance under H.R. 1, said earlier this month.
“When we secure a Democratic House majority in November, we will rein in this out-of-control administration and get back to serving the American people,” he said.
While Democrats are quick to pounce on H.R. 1, Republicans, when they bring it up, focus on what they see as the positives of the leigslation.
Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Big Bear Lake, is seeking reelection in California’s 23rd Congressional District, which represents a small portion of northeastern L.A. County, as well as residents in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
During a meeting this month with local business leaders, Obernolte said in a social media post that the group discussed how the Working Families Tax Cuts Act — the new name that Republicans gave the bill after it was signed into law — “will provide tax relief and help businesses continue to grow.”
In another Southern California district, one representing portions of Orange and Riverside counties, both Republicans in the runoff election, Reps. Ken Calvert and Young Kim, have also touted H.R. 1.
Calvert, of Corona, said in April that he voted for it “because the California families I represent are struggling with the high cost of living in the Golden State. I voted to let them keep more of the money they work hard to earn.”
And in a Facebook video as the first anniversary of H.R. 1 neared, Kim, of Anaheim Hills, said she voted for H.R. 1 to “help hardworking California families to keep more of their hard-earned money so that they can feel the ‘American dream’ is within reach.”
Roxanne Hoge, chair of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, said while Democrats will simply talk about their animosity toward Trump, “the more relevant conversations that all our (Republican) congressional candidates are having are about solving problems that we have in California and representing our point of view in D.C.”
“Every one of their (Democrats’) talking points can be distilled down to a single word: Trump,” Hoge said. “And our candidates will talk about a variety of things that will make D.C. help California. And they will be longer and more complex and more interesting arguments.”
Hicks, meanwhile, said he expects Democratic congressional candidates, particularly in competitive races, to continue to make H.R. 1 an issue in the midterm elections.
He also accused Republicans of rebranding the legislation because, he said, they know the “One Big Beautiful Bill” has gotten “a bad rap” and want to disassociate from it.
“You can try to change the name of the legislation. The impact is the same: less access to healthcare and higher prices while the rich get richer and future generations pay for it,” Hicks said. “Doesn’t matter what you call it. That’s the reality.”
After H.R. 1 was signed into law, Republicans, at the prompting of Trump, began ditching the name “One Big Beautiful Bill” and started calling it the “Working Family Tax Cuts” bill, because, they said, the new name better conveyed what the bill does for taxpayers.
For that reason, Schnur said, Republicans were smart to rename the bill.
But, he added, “the challenge that they’re facing is that … while they’re making a smart decision to rebrand the bill, unbranding something isn’t always that easy.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.