Wisconsin Republican Derrick Van Orden shared, and then deleted, a social media post appearing to celebrate how millions of people will lose health insurance and food aid as a result of President Donald Trump’s massive tax bill.
“YES!” he wrote simply on X in response to a post that listed the harms of the legislation, including that “17 million people just lost health care” and that “3 million Americans just lost food assistance.”
Van Orden later deleted his post, claiming that it was published in error and that he meant to respond to a different statement from the White House.
Social media observers were skeptical of his claims, however, suggesting that he may have deleted the post due to the backlash he received for how openly cruel it appeared to be.
It wasn't in error. You couldn't take the heat. You want to spout off be man enough to take it
— Tracey Gallagher (@asmartbrunette1) July 3, 2025While Republicans have touted the cost savings they’ll get from slashing social programs via the legislation, they’ve tried to obscure the pain it will cause millions of Americans.
According to an estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, roughly 17 million people will be pushed off Medicaid or Affordable Care Act insurance plans as a result of the tax bill.
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In general, the One Big Beautiful Bill hasn’t polled well, with a Quinnipiac survey conducted from June 22 to June 24 finding that 55% of voters opposed the legislation overall. However, Republicans have claimed that some provisions in the bill are more popular than others.
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