TOMS RIVER, N.J. — They opposed his “One Big Beautiful Bill”, but now they are having regrets, only after sparking a political firestorm in one of New Jersey’s biggest conservative strongholds.
The Ocean County Board of Commissioners has reversed its position and now says it will support former President Donald Trump’s Medicaid cost-cutting initiative after initially opposing it last week, a shift that comes amid mounting political pressure and the ongoing Republican gubernatorial primary.
The Ocean County Commissioners, although all-Republican members have taken liberal stances on many issues in the county, including being behind a push to build a homeless shelter in Ocean County.
The reversal, commissioners are now saying, follows conversations with Republican U.S. Reps. Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew, both of whom supported the Medicaid reform bill in Congress. Commissioner board members had originally denounced Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) proposal, which aims to slash Medicaid spending by targeting what proponents call waste and fraud.
New Jersey’s hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants are also cashing in on the Biden administration’s lax policies for medicaid approvals. Those free benefits are also expected to end if the bill is signed into law.
The board’s earlier public opposition drew backlash from conservative voters and GOP figures, including supporters of gubernatorial candidate Bill Spadea, who was endorsed by the Ocean County GOP, putting the organization at ideological odds with its candidate.
Political fallout in key GOP county
Ocean County, a Republican stronghold, had been one of the few county GOP organizations in New Jersey to formally endorse Spadea. The commissioners’ original statement opposing DOGE cited concerns over local hospitals, nursing homes, and vulnerable populations that rely on Medicaid support.
Their shift now appears aimed at minimizing damage within the party’s base. The timing coincides with growing friction between the local GOP establishment and the Spadea campaign, which has leaned heavily into pro-Trump messaging and the election in just over one week.
The DOGE initiative, spearheaded by Trump allies, proposes deep Medicaid cuts, including the exclusion of undocumented immigrants in sanctuary states like New Jersey. Spadea has described the proposal as a necessary measure to eliminate government “handouts.”
His handlers in Ocean County disagreed.
Support for Spadea faces test
The commissioners’ initial resistance to DOGE risked fracturing support for Spadea within his primary base, particularly in Ocean County, where party chairman George Gilmore is a paid consultant for Spadea’s Common Sense Club, an organization where both Spadea and Gilmore have been paid handsomely for their contributions.
Their renewed support for Trump’s agenda may help consolidate the local GOP ahead of the primary, but the episode has highlighted internal divisions over federal spending cuts, but Spadea’s opponent, Jack Ciattarelli maintains a firm lead in every major poll.