WASHINGTON – Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) says Republicans aren’t truly chopping anybody’s federal well being or meals advantages in President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax invoice — a plan that slashes $1 trillion from Medicaid and meals help applications.
“I want to be super clear: When these Democrats have been lying to you, saying we’re cutting Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP benefits, that we’re going to cut all of these other programs — they’re lying,” Van Orden mentioned Thursday on a Wisconsin-based podcast, “The Meg Ellefson Show” on WSAU.
“We did this early enough so that folks are going to understand that we’re telling the truth. It’s fantastic,” mentioned Van Orden. “I want anybody in my district to call me if their benefits have been dropped by a nickel. Not gonna happen.”
It’s not clear what the GOP congressman is speaking about. Trump’s massively consequential tax and spending invoice, which Home Republicans handed Thursday and despatched to the Senate, represents the largest upward switch of wealth in U.S. historical past. It cuts $1 trillion from federal well being and meals applications to assist pay for $4 trillion in new tax cuts to wealthy folks.
The consequences of this invoice, if it grew to become regulation, can be devastating for thousands and thousands of low-income individuals who depend on Medicaid and the Supplemental Diet Help Program, previously referred to as the meals stamps program. The invoice would kick an estimated 8 million folks off of medical health insurance, and its expanded work necessities for SNAP would lead to an estimated 1.5 million households dropping all meals advantages and 1.2 million households dropping some.
These numbers embody an estimated 48,000 youngsters who would lose meals help totally, and 1.5 million youngsters who would get fewer advantages.
Tom Williams by way of Getty Pictures
In Van Orden’s personal neighborhood, Wisconsin’s third Congressional District, about 152,900 folks — or 21% of the district — depend upon Medicaid for well being protection, per an evaluation by KFF, previously referred to as the Kaiser Household Basis. Roughly 50,000 of the Medicaid enrollees in Van Orden’s district are youngsters, and 21,600 are seniors. Greater than 20,000 are folks with disabilities.
Almost 1.3 million folks in Van Orden’s state are enrolled in Medicaid.
1000’s of individuals in his district depend on SNAP advantages, too. The GOP tax invoice places about 8,000 adults in Van Orden’s district prone to dropping all meals help, and about 16,000 folks prone to dropping not less than some meals advantages, per an evaluation by the Middle on Price range and Coverage Priorities. These figures embody hundreds of people that reside with school-aged youngsters.
A Van Orden spokesperson didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Right here’s a hyperlink to the audio of Van Orden on the podcast. His feedback concerning the GOP invoice not chopping any advantages begin across the 2:20 mark.
In one other Thursday interview on one other MAGA-aligned podcast, “The John Fredericks Show,” Van Orden celebrated the invoice’s passage and by some means claimed it was proof Republicans delivered on a marketing campaign promise to guard federal well being applications.
“We campaigned on protecting Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, securing the border, making sure veterans have their benefits. We did it,” the Wisconsin Republican says across the 45-minute mark. “We. Did. What. We. Campaigned on. And I’m so super stoked for being a part of this process.”
