Republican Representative Derrick Van Orden from Wisconsin has written an urgent letter to Democratic Governor Tony Evers, asking for help to protect rural hospitals from the effects of a Republican budget bill that he himself voted for.
According to MSNBC, the letter was sent on Wednesday, just before the bill’s passage on Thursday. Van Orden’s request adds to a growing list of Republicans who have acknowledged that their Trump-backed budget could harm vulnerable Americans, despite many party members claiming otherwise.
In his letter, Van Orden desperately urged Governor Evers to sign the state budget quickly to protect rural hospitals from severe Medicaid cuts that would likely result from the Republican budget bill. “I cannot emphasize enough the importance of signing the proposed state budget into law without delay,” Van Orden wrote in his letter.
Wisconsin races to protect hospitals from losing over $1 billion in federal funding
The situation became so urgent that Wisconsin lawmakers and Governor Evers worked through Wednesday night and into Thursday to pass a state budget before President Trump could sign the federal budget bill into law.
I have disdain for my congressman for his betrayal supporting KMc. I sincerely hope that one of my senators gets a smack down in the primary election. He is responsible for two of Biden’s biggest legislative victories. Yet he ran as a Trump Republican.
— Preternatural Ponderings(@1sam62) July 3, 2025
The rushed action was necessary because Wisconsin stood to lose more than $1 billion in federal funds if Congress’s budget became law first. This money was meant to support the state’s BadgerCare medical assistance program and help hospitals cover losses from treating low-income patients.
Van Orden’s letter used positive language to describe the Republican bill, claiming it would ensure BadgerCare’s solvency and strengthen rural healthcare systems. However, the underlying message clearly showed his awareness that the GOP budget would threaten Medicaid and rural hospitals.
The events in Wisconsin highlight a larger pattern where Republican lawmakers publicly support the budget bill while privately acknowledging its potential negative impacts on healthcare systems. Governor Evers and state lawmakers ultimately managed to enact changes that will help protect Wisconsin’s rural hospitals from the anticipated financial damage of the federal budget bill.
