Wisconsin Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden is facing backlash after briefly posting — and then deleting — a message that appeared to cheer the loss of health care and food assistance for millions of Americans under President Donald Trump’s newly signed tax bill.
Van Orden responded with an enthusiastic “YES!” on X (formerly Twitter) to a post outlining some of the bill’s harshest consequences: the loss of health coverage for 17 million people and food assistance for another 3 million.
The post was quickly deleted, with Van Orden later claiming it had been published “in error” and was intended as a reply to a different statement from the White House. But the damage was done.
Social media users were quick to express outrage, accusing Van Orden of celebrating widespread suffering. Critics questioned his explanation, suggesting the deletion was driven by public blowback rather than any mix-up.
While GOP lawmakers have promoted the tax bill as a win for fiscal conservatives, they’ve largely avoided public discussion about its human cost. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that roughly 17 million people will lose coverage under Medicaid or ACA marketplaces due to program rollbacks tied to the legislation.
Additionally, millions more are expected to be cut from SNAP benefits — a change that could strip children of free school meals and increase food insecurity nationwide.
Despite the party’s messaging around “efficiency” and “cost savings,” the fallout from the Trump-backed legislation is expected to hit low-income Americans hardest.
