Officials say Trump’s H.R.1 Bill poised to reshape life in Napa County
President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” known as the H.R.1 bill, is on track to be signed into law before the August congressional recess, according to Rep. Mike Thompson, who represents Napa County.
The sweeping bill, nearly 1,000 pages long, proposes massive tax breaks and deep federal spending cuts, and is projected to add $5 trillion to the national debt. Thompson warns the legislation will have weighty consequences for rural communities across the country, including Napa County.
Chief among the concerns are proposed cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), said Napa County Supervisor Anne Cottrell. The cuts total an estimated $880 billion and $300 billion respectively. The bill also includes cuts to veterans’ benefits and proposes selling off millions of acres of federally owned public land—moves that could affect residents and the region.
In American Canyon, 16% of residents rely on Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. Countywide, one in four households uses Medi-Cal as their primary form of health insurance. Thompson warned that the proposed Medicaid cuts would be devastating to people who rely on the coverage.
Nationwide, about 16 million Americans are expected to lose their health insurance if the bill becomes law, Thompson said.
Hospitals would also bear the brunt of the cuts. The California Hospital Association estimates that facilities in Thompson’s district are estimated to lose up to $1.7 billion in Medicaid funding, which could prompt hospital closures or the reduction of staff and services, according to Thompson.
In turn, individuals would have to travel further for health care, regardless of their insurance.
Thompson warned that with fewer providers and longer distances to travel for care, delayed access could cost lives.
“Added distance to going to get health care could mean life or death,” he said.
The bill would also shift more of the administrative costs of Medicaid to the states. That could leave counties like Napa responsible for covering expenses associated with federal health programs—costs local officials say they’re not confident they can absorb.
Cottrell said this cost shift could result in fewer reimbursements to local healthcare providers and force clinics to reduce the services they offer.
Supervisor Belia Ramos echoed those concerns during an American Canyon City Council meeting earlier this month, calling the bill a serious threat to local families.
“This is going to negatively affect Napa County families in a tremendous way,” she said.
SNAP cuts will affect more than 12,000 Napa County residents and 6,500 households that rely on CalFresh, California’s SNAP program. Of those enrolled, 33% are children and 20% are elderly or disabled adults.
Veterans could also face serious disruptions, Cottrell said. The bill proposes cuts to both primary and acute care through the Department of Veterans Affairs, which could reduce access to services at facilities like the Veterans Home of California–Yountville.
“The bill leaves U.S. veterans without the support that they were promised for serving their country,” Cottrell said.
Veterans make up 5.8% of Napa County’s population, many of whom rely on those services, she noted.
The county’s access to protected open space may also be at risk. The bill includes provisions to sell off millions of acres of federally owned public land. Cottrell worries that the 6,287-acre Cedar Roughs Wilderness Area could be among the properties on the chopping block.
In addition to steep cuts, the H.R.1 bill includes significant tax breaks that Thompson argues are tilted toward the wealthy.
“Someone who makes less than $50,000 a year will get 73 cents a day in tax cuts, and someone who makes $1 million a year will get $223 a day in tax cuts,” he said.
In anticipation of the bill’s passage, Napa County is beginning to coordinate with nonprofit and community organizations to prepare for the loss of critical services.
“Our county staff are already working closely with lots of our local community groups who are providing services so that they can think about ways to help residents if this bill passes and if people lose their services,” said Cottrell.
She warned that legislation like H.R.1 erodes the social safety net and destabilizes people’s sense of security, stripping away programs that people’s livelihoods depend on.
Cottrell emphasized that Napa is a high-functioning county with a strong economy built through hard work and resilience.
Although Napa isn’t looking for “handouts”, she said, successful counties still need a stable federal partnership.
“That’s part of the social contract,” she said.
