GOP Rep Deletes Post Applauding Cuts to School Meals and Health Coverage for Millions After Big, Beautiful Bill Passes: ‘That Was Supposed to Be a Response to a Different Text’ 

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a Republican from Wisconsin said Thursday that his enthusiastic reply to a social media post highlighting the loss of school meals and health care for millions of Americans was a mistake.

The post, made in protest of the Trump-endorsed “Big Beautiful Bill” after it cleared both the House and Senate, stated: “17 million people just lost health care. 18 million kids just lost school meals. 3 million Americans just lost food assistance.”

Van Orden replied to the message with a one-word response: “YES!” — a comment he later claimed was posted in error.

.@RepVanOrden in response to a post that says "17 million people just lost health care. 18 million kids just lost school meals. 3 million Americans just lost food assistance. And $3.5 trillion was added to the deficit. All for a tax cut for Trump’s billionaire donors" https://t.co/NczGJdbUnR

— Kate Morton (@KateMorton_) July 3, 2025

“That was supposed to be a response to a different text. And, all of that is BS,” Van Order then responded, also adding that his initial tweet was “an error” in a separate reply.

It has because it was an error. https://t.co/OUZoPTl7gG

— Derrick Van Orden (@derrickvanorden) July 3, 2025

Democrats have spent much of the last week fighting the passing of the bill tooth and nail saying it will cut healthcare, hospital access and food assistance programs for Americans across the country in mostly rural areas that tend to vote red.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy replied to Van Orden and said, “You need to understand these people know exactly how badly they are hurting people and they love it. It’s sick.”

Republican Congressman Van Orden.

You need to understand these people know exactly how badly they are hurting people and they love it. It’s sick. pic.twitter.com/UJwOJmU5nQ

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) July 3, 2025

DNC Secretary Jason Rae also reacted to the viral post and said, “This isn’t leadership. It’s cruelty. It’s time for him to go.”

Van Orden made headlines earlier this week when student journalist Kenzie Nguyen of Punchbowl reported that the congressman denied Trump influencing his decision for backing the bill and responding that Republicans were “not a bunch of little bitches.”

“No, no, no, I’m not going to allow you to get away with that,” Van Orden reportedly responded. “The president of the United States didn’t give us an assignment. We’re not a bunch of little bitches around here. I’m a member of Congress that represent almost 800,000 Wisconsinites. Is that clear?”

According to MSNBC, on Wednesday, a day before the bill passed Van Orden wrote an urgent letter to Wisconsin’s Democratic governor Tony Evers asking him to approve the state budget to protect the rural hospitals in the area from the cuts he voted for.

The post GOP Rep Deletes Post Applauding Cuts to School Meals and Health Coverage for Millions After Big, Beautiful Bill Passes: ‘That Was Supposed to Be a Response to a Different Text’  appeared first on TheWrap.