Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden (WI) snapped at the press on Wednesday, saying he knows the 2026 budget bill is bad, but that they must all compromise. As one MSNBC host pointed out, however, there was nothing to compromise. The bill wasn't changed.
"So this bill will pass. Am I happy about everything? No, but there's a difference between compromise and capitulation. We're not capitulating. We're compromising," said Van Orden.
"The president of the United States didn't give us an assignment. We're not a bunch of little b------ around here, okay? I'm a member of Congress. I represent almost 800,000 Wisconsinites. Is that clear?" he snapped at the media pressing him on his support for the bill.
MSNBC's Ana Cabrera asked a former Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo (FL) what word he'd use to explain Van Orden giving in to President Donald Trump's demands.
"So, he was one of many who didn't like this bill to begin with, once it came back from the Senate. He's saying they didn't capitulate. But if the bill didn't change, there was no compromise. So what do you call that?" Cabrera asked.
Curbelo said it all goes back to Trump's influence and power over the Republican Party.
"We know that there are senators who did not like this bill," said Curbelo. "They said it publicly. We know there are House members who have some very serious concerns. Yet, the president's muscle is what got this through. This was a risky strategy. There were congressmen and senators who told the president they should pursue a two-bill approach. The president was all-one shot, and despite some resistance in both chambers, he got it through."
He went on to call it a "double-edged sword" because it will be a great way for Republicans to usher through cuts and an agenda they've always wanted. "But politically it tends to hurt the party that gets it done."
Van Orden narrowly won his Third Congressional District seat in 2024, with a little over 11,000 votes over Democrat Rebecca Cooke. In March, Cooke announced she would again challenge Van Orden, Wisconsin Public Radio reported at the time.
See the comments below or at the link here.
- YouTube www.youtube.com
