Wisconsin members split along party lines as reconciliation bill clears House and goes to Trump

Wisconsin House members split along party lines to send a GOP tax cut bill to President Donald Trump, overcoming Dem opposition to cuts in Medicaid and other programs.

The bill passed the House 218-214 today after clearing the Senate on Tuesday 51-50 via a tie-breaking vote by Vice President JD Vance. Trump is expected to sign the bill tomorrow. 

Two Republicans – U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky. – joined Dems in opposing the GOP reconciliation bill. 

U.S. Reps. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, and Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, condemned the bill for cuts to programs like food stamps and Medicaid. 

“This bill will gut funding for nursing homes, reproductive health care, health care for children, seniors, and people with disabilities while taking food out of the mouths of everyday Americans struggling to get by,” Moore said. “This legislation even strips away SNAP benefits for veterans, foster youth, and homeless Americans, something I actively fought against and raised with House leadership. There is truly no bottom to this bill’s cruelty.”

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, said the bill will provide tax cuts while removing people who are in the country illegally and rewarding hard work.

“We can’t reverse four years of damage with a single bill, but this is a strong first step toward a better future,” Tiffany said. “I remain committed to protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for our seniors and the most vulnerable, while rooting out waste and curbing the reckless spending that threatens future generations.”

U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said the bill is “a major win for working families.” 

“It delivers historic tax relief by boosting take-home pay, making the Trump Tax Cuts permanent, giving seniors eligible for Social Security tax relief, increasing the child tax credit, and protecting family farms from the death tax. By eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, it also ensures workers keep more of what they earn,” Fitzgerald said.

U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, criticized Dems for “fearmongering and pushing blatant lies from day one” about the bill. 

“When this beautiful bill reaches President Trump’s desk, Americans will see their taxes go down, wages go up, and integrity and stability restored in critical programs like SNAP and Medicaid,” Van Orden said.

Before voting to pass the bill, Van Orden had urged Gov. Tony Evers to sign the state budget as soon as possible to implement a plan to draw more federal money for Wisconsin hospitals. Evers signed the 2025-27 budget bill, including the pro-hospital provision, early this morning.

The reconciliation bill includes a moratorium on new or increased provider taxes, which would have blocked a 6% hospital patient revenue assessment Evers and GOP lawmakers agreed to in their budget deal. 

“Delaying the state budget enactment beyond July 3rd risks losing vital opportunities for the state’s healthcare system and the Wisconsinites who rely on it,” Van Orden wrote in yesterday’s letter to Evers. “Healthcare and rural healthcare, in particular, is vital to us in Wisconsin. We cannot leave anything on the table.”

The Evers administration estimates hospitals would see more than $1 billion in additional funds under the proposal. The state will retain 30% of the matching federal funds, which will go into Wisconsin’s Medicaid trust fund.

Moore suggested Van Orden’s letter was hypocritical. 

“Maybe don’t vote to cut $1 trillion from BadgerCare and you wouldn’t have to create a rural hospital fund to save yourself from a manufactured disaster,” she said.