Inland Empire Progressive

The economic pain spreading our Congressional District isn’t accidental; it’s the direct result of political choices made by Rep. Jay Obernolte and his continued alignment with Donald Trump. While politicians talk tough about patriotism, the reality on the ground is far less inspiring: jobs are disappearing, families are scrambling, and the district’s economic backbone is quietly eroding. At the heart of the issue is Trump’s “Israel First” policies that shift focus and resources abroad while weakening alliances that historically stabilized global markets and protected American industry. When alliances fracture and supply chains tighten are strangled because of tariffs, districts like ours that are heavily reliant on defense and logistics work are first to take the hit. Yet Obernolte continues to back these policies without hesitation, ignoring the growing consequences for his own constituents. The numbers are devastatingly real. Hundreds of skilled workers are being laid off from Fort ...

The relentless parade of half‑baked, over‑hyped artificial intelligence slop is not just a tech problem it’s a social disaster. What we’re witnessing is a flood of AI slop sweeping across America creating services no one asked for, replacing real human connections with synthetic relationships, sucking away American jobs, and exacerbating the loneliness epidemic. Meanwhile, Jay Obernolte and his regulatory colleagues are pushing for a 10-year moratorium. Generative AI and automation are not just replacing routine manual labor anymore they’re now picking off cognitive tasks as well. AI’s capacity for non‑routine work sets it apart and presents a threat to the quality and availability of work that underpin stable societies.  The giant sucking sound we feared is real and workplaces are being hollowed out, career ladders collapsing, and workers left stranded. Americans have been grappling with profound isolation for years, and AI is not helping, it’s worsening the crisis. One article no...

In the face of an excruciating affordability crisis that plagues thousands of Inland Empire residents, Jay Obernolte has offered zero meaningful leadership. Trump’s latest gambit, telling Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to get Big Homebuilders going because 2 million empty lots are allegedly gathering dust, is emblematic of a disconnected, scatter‑shot approach offered by Conservatives. Representative Obernolte has offered little in the way of proactive policy to address the roots of housing unaffordability. His focus on budget deficits out of touch when people are being priced out of their homes and money is being spent on and Israeli First agenda in the Middle East. Obernolte’s public priorities list does not even prominently mention affordability, and his legislative record shows no major development in our district. By staying silent while Trump plays with empty lots talking points, Obernolte is complicit in shifting the conversation away from meaningful change. Trump’s rhetoric serves ...

From the moment one reads the disturbing reports coming out of the Adelanto ICE facility, the comparison to some of the most infamous detention and concentration camps since World War 2 begins to seem less figurative than literal. People with disabilities are held in unsafe and unsanitary conditions at the facility, detainees routinely denied basic needs like adequate food, safe water, clean clothing, medical and mental‐health care.  The report by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General from 2018 found nooses in detainee cells, improper and inadequate detainee medical care at Adelanto.  KHSU has reported that ne detainee was held in solitary for 904 days in the so‑called Special Management Unit. These conditions are evidence of the Trump Administration's system of cruelty that was built to treat human beings as disposable, replaceable, invisible. It is not mere imprisonment; it is the slow grind of disenfranchisement, the factory of despair that is...

Rep. Jay Obernolte's performative stunts are failing the Inland Empire. Inlanders, this is not a clean continuing resolution (CR) as Obernolte keeps trying to tell us. This CR is a continuation of the March CR which funded the American Gestapo to conduct immigration raids of Victorville, Adelanto, and Hesperia with the blessing of the activist judges on the Supreme Court.   The very fabric of our region is fraying, thanks to the kind of nihilistic, self-righteous brinksmanship that seems to delight the modern Republican playbook. Meanwhile, Obernolte acts as though the Inland Empire is glad to act as the president's doormat. Grow a spine Congressman! Thousands of federal workers and contractors across the Inland Empire are seeing their income vanish into thin air, furloughed or forced to work with zero guarantee of pay. That means teachers, social workers, forest rangers, park staff, grant administrators all watching their utility bills, mortgages, and grocery needs pile up wh...

If the Trump administration invokes the  Insurrection Act , it will not happen in a vacuum. It will be enabled, normalized, and quietly tolerated by members of Congress who choose party loyalty over constitutional duty.  That enabling figure is Congressman Jay Obernolte. By refusing to draw a hard line against the use of domestic military force for political ends, Obernolte would effectively allow the Insurrection Act to be enforced in our own district. We already have ICE gestapo in Victorville and Hesperia. Now imagine the Marines from 29 Palms in Redlands and Loma Linda. The Insurrection Act gives the president extraordinary power to deploy federal troops inside the United States, overriding governors and local officials. Trump’s repeated threats to invoke it are not about restoring order but about asserting dominance over political opponents and bypassing local resistance. When a president frames protests, court rulings, or uncooperative local leaders as “obstructions,” th...

Rep. Jay Obernolte let Inland Empire’s public radio sputter into static by supporting cuts that defunded KVCR by $550,000. KVCR (91.9 FM) in San Bernardino Valley College is a valuable source of local news, local arts, and local accountability. For decades, it has served listeners across Riverside and San Bernardino counties information about events throughout the Inland Empire.  When public radio loses support, it undermines the journalistic independence, kneecaps local reporting, and silences the communities whose stories deserve amplification. But apparently, for Obernolte, silence is cheaper. With these cuts in support Obernolte proudly declares, “I am defunding KVCR!”  Obernolte shouldn’t pretend that this is neutral. It’s a sellout to let listeners go unheard. Radio is more than static and talk shows. It’s accountability: local governments, school boards, environmental hazards, health disparities — these are the stories KVCR covers because too often no one else will. To ...

During Rep. Jay Obernolte’s August  Spectrum News  interview, Obernolte delivered tidy talking points about House GOP messaging on President Trump’s Big Ugly Bill. But one response stood out like a flare in the dark regarding the question of the Epstein files: “We need to go open kimono.” He used it to emphasize transparency and to argue that government should be honest about its actions. And yet that very principle should mean that Obernolte should be a "Yes" on the upcoming vote to release the Epstein files. If he really believes what he said, then a “Yes” vote shouldn’t that hard. This moment calls for something far more significant than partisan gloss: it demands courage. And courage is exactly what Obernolte will need on the upcoming vote to release the Epstein files a vote he has no excuse to oppose. Transparency should never be controversial, yet Washington’s talent for avoiding accountability turns even the simplest moral choices into political calculus. The...

Republicans passed Big Ugly (H.R. 1) that slashes roughly 20 % of the  CalFresh  budget decimating benefits.  22% of residents of our District received SNAP (CalFresh) benefits. Meanwhile, Trump and the party circus are planning their next Great Gatsby party while poor families are figuring out how to stretch their dollar.  Trump, Jay Obernolte and his conservative allies are clinking champagne glasses with each other while cuts to SNAP coming for five million residents.  These are not minor adjustments. These are cuts that will push people into hunger, insecurity, and worse. The research clearly states that CalFresh benefits have not only fed families, but they’ve also bolstered local economies. Yet the cruelty continues and Obernolte is part of the cut-crew.  While grocery bills for a typical California family with children run over a thousand dollars a month, the average CalFresh benefit hovers at around $189. Obernolte and Trump think it’s cute to toss ...

  Congressman Jay Obernolte's  refusal to compromise is doing serious damage to our district. The federal government is stalled because Republicans in congress want to shove their cruel agenda down Inlander's throats while essential programs are being used as leverage to get Democrats to bend the knee.  The Trump shutdown threatens the food security of millions via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and leaves the pay of federal employees and service members in limbo. This month-long impasse has federal employees wondering whether their next paycheck will show up and if they will get back pay.  But what is Obernolte doing? He continues to hold the line against compromise, standing firm with MAGA Mike Johnson rather than lifting a finger to protect the people who depend on these programs. In his own words, he has called out partisan gamesmanship but declined to find a solution.  Families in Yucaipa, Barstow, Adelanto, and Victorville relying on ...

In a nation where the sick and vulnerable should be our priority, the latest move by the Trump Justice Department armed with the obedience of Rep. Jay Obernolte is transforming health care oversight into a raw political weapon. The suit against the Inland Empire Health Plan ( IEHP ), under the False Claims Act, reeks of political theatre dressed up as integrity enforcement.  It is easy to point fingers at health plans and accuse them of manipulating funding rules. But when those fingers belong to actors with a transparent political agenda, the accusation becomes far more sinister. Where is Obernolte’s concern when IEHP delivers care to communities that otherwise lack options? In his drive to bend the cost curve thousands of residents in our district stand to lose their health care coverage. Obernolte is letting himself be used as a political amplifier. He helps distract from the fact that the DOJ’s selective enforcement is glaring and investigations get initiated based on who holds...

Something has gone deeply wrong when the military an institution grounded in duty, discipline, and the apolitical defense of the nation begins to smell like a campaign rally in camouflage. Yet this is precisely the path that Rep. Jay Obernolte and the Trump administration are pushing us down, with scant resistance. A recent report reveals that Pentagon officials are considering a recruiting campaign built around the legacy of  Charlie Kirk , the conservative activist recently assassinated, with slogans like “Charlie has awakened a generation of warriors” and outreach tied to Turning Point USA chapters on college campuses. Consider what that means: turning military recruitment into a partisan memorial, collapsing lines between the state’s defense apparatus and a political movement. The service is outside partisan politics and serves the Constitution, not a party or the president. When the Trump administration and Obernolte stoop to leverage the uniform as a megaphone for political m...

The latest exhibit in Trump’s weaponization of justice is a federal grand jury has indicted New York Attorney General  Letitia James  on charges of bank fraud, in what is widely being interpreted as an escalation of the weaponization of the Department of Justice. Where is Rep. Jay Obernolte in all of this? Strategically tucked behind a quiet, finger-in-ear silence so deafening it could shatter glass. Obernolte campaigned with the standard GOP playbook of law and order, equal justice under law, limits on executive overreach. He has not, to my knowledge, penned any op-eds about the normalization of political prosecutions. His silence suggests that only some people deserve defense from a runaway executive. By refusing to speak out, Obernolte implies that when this kind of retribution is aimed at Trump’s enemies, it’s acceptable. That kind of moral surrender is cowardice. The fact that Obernolte hasn’t responded suggests either that: He genuinely doesn’t see a problem, or he sees ...

 The role of Congress in foreign policy isn’t to be an employee at a rubber stamp company. The Constitution doesn’t give the president a blank check to meddle abroad while lawmakers play spectator. But if you were looking at Rep. Jay Obernolte lately, you might assume Congress is just a fancy prop and Obernolte is auditioning to be Trump’s personal assistant to the Department of Defense. The Trump Administration is attacking boats up and down the  South American  coast with no rationale fracturing alliances and sending ripples through Latin American politics. This development demands Congressional attention. Such moves must be debated, scrutinized, and subject to congressional oversight. Instead, what we’re seeing Republicans giving Trump a pass. Meanwhile, our representative Jay Obernolte doesn’t seem to mind. He’s hardly been vocal in demanding hearings, reviewing executive actions, or forcing accountability. He raises barely a whisper when Trump acts unilaterally. Inla...

Rep. Jay Obernolte refusal to seriously oversee the Department of Health and Human Services is not only shirking his constitutional duty of oversight, but he’s also playing with fire with Inland Empire's health. Meanwhile, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is busy promoting wild, unproven theories about  Tylenol  causing autism and linking circumcision to neurodevelopmental disorders, and Obernolte appears to be napping on the job. This is not oversight, its negligence. Kennedy reasserted the connection between the pain reliever Tylenol and autism during a Cabinet meeting despite the fact that credible science rejects the link. He also referenced a conspiracy theory that boys undergoing circumcision have double the autism rate. How untethered to reality can you get? But while the scientific world recoils, Obernolte’s silence is deafening and irresponsible. Public health is not a joke. An Inlander might ask: What's the harm if a congressman fails to push back? The answer: everyth...

Our congressman, Representative Jay Obernolte is a co-conspirator with a front-row seat. While thousands of federal employees are not getting paid, furloughed, threatened with layoffs, or left in limbo, Obernolte’s inaction is deafening. The Trump administration has already begun issuing “ reduction-in-force ” notices to federal employees in agencies such as Treasury, Homeland Security, HHS all during a shutdown when legally the workers should be furloughed, not fired. This is not a mere “oops, budget mistake” it looks like a deliberate attempt to weaponize the shutdown to force Democrats to continue Trump's illegality. That's not going to happen. Obernolte is not some powerless freshman. Yet what has he done? Spoken politely? Issued vague statements? Counted on talking points? None of that suffices when federal workers are losing paychecks, and taxpayer are losing services. By refusing to break ranks, demand accountability, or force a way forward, Obernolte is effectively givi...

The notion that the current government  shutdown  is driven by fiscal wrangling or partisanship is erroneous on its face. The real reason for this government shutdown is that our congressional representative, Jay Obernolte, and his fellow Republicans is so that the Epstein files stay buried. Furloughing government workers, stalling services, and sowing chaos is all cover to keep the Epstein files from seeing the light of day. Democracy be damned, so they can protect powerful pedophiles.  The official narrative is that the shutdown is dragging on because Republican can't work on a bi-partisan deal with the Democrats. But the unofficial narrative is because House leaders continue blocking a discharge petition that would force a vote to release the Epstein files.  So, are we, the voters of the 23rd District naïve for noticing that a conveniently timed congressional absence happens to stall that vote? The timing is too perfect to be coincidence. Let’s call it what it is:...

When it comes to economic literacy, Rep. Jay Obernolte is auditioning for the role of Sloth from Goonies. He champions tariffs and refusal to admit they hurt consumers, is now showing up not just in obscure economic charts, but in the sticker price of your next  Xbox , PlayStation, or Nintendo system. Obernolte and his fellow tariff enthusiasts like to pretend that import duties are magically absorbed by foreign exporters. In his public musings, Obernolte claims that tariffs are paid only by foreign countries, not by domestic consumers. That would be a fascinating spell, if it existed in real economics. Spoiler Alert: it doesn’t. In reality, when the U.S. imposes heavy tariffs on electronics components or finished goods, importers and manufacturers absorb higher costs and then pass them directly to the end user. In other words, you pay. The narrative that tariffs are free money or pure leverage against foreign companies is just political soap opera, not serious policy. Just this ye...

Another school. Another locked-down campus. Another pair of students arrested for walking into  Mesa Ridge High School  with a handgun. School shootings are becoming so common that it almost standard practice.  This is another blatant warning that our system is broken. However, it’s business as usual for Rep. Jay Obernolte, who strongly supports the Second Amendment while voting against even the most modest reforms. Let’s go through the Obernolte’s track record. Because it matters which lawmakers refuse to act when students bring real guns into classrooms.  Yes, you’ll hear this preferred dodge: “We need more mental health resources.” As if that magically prevents a kid from grabbing a firearm. If it were solely a mental health issue, other democracies with robust mental health infrastructure wouldn’t have zero-tolerance school shootings. They do not. Jay Obernolte claims to support common sense reforms to our justice system. Yet he’s opposed to almost all gun-contro...

  I can't imagine that Congressman Jay Obernolte would treat the systematic  removal  of experienced senior military leaders like background noise. That silence would not be a neutral act. It would be a political choice. It would be a decision that says: “I will look away while the scaffolding of American defense is dismantled.” This is the sort of silence that should make any voter — conservative, moderate, or liberal — angry. Military readiness is not a partisan talking point. It is not a convenient backdrop for cable-news sound bites. It’s the difference between deterrence and chaos, between a clear chain of command and a brittle, politicized substitute. When a cascade of firings and abrupt removals of senior officers occurs from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs to intelligence directors and other four-star leaders —the republic deserves more than the faint chirp of a perfunctory press office; it deserves vigorous, public scrutiny from every member of Congress, includi...