MADISON, Wis. — Yesterday, a concerned daughter of one of Van Orden’s constituents wrote an op-ed in the Cap Times sharing how Derrick Van Orden broke a personal, verbal and signed written promise after she traveled to his DC office to raise concerns about potential Medicaid cuts. These cuts would impact her mom’s – one of thousands of Van Orden’s constituents who depend on Medicaid – ability to receive critical long-term care. Despite Van Orden’s assurance that he would not support cuts to the program, he soon turned around and backed a budget that slashed Medicaid and gave tax breaks to billionaires. Now, Kate Scanhofer’s family no longer has the peace of mind that a medical emergency won’t financially devastate them—and her family is just one of many in the third congressional district that Van Orden has abandoned.

Cap Times: Van Orden promised to protect Medicaid, then voted for cuts
By: Kate Schanhofer | 4/27/26

One year ago I went to Washington, D.C., to visit with U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden. He promised to protect benefits for constituents like my mom, who depends on Medicaid. And one year later, that promise is still broken, and things are getting worse.

My mom has supported me in every way my entire life. So when I heard that Congress might cut Medicaid, which pays for my mom’s long-term care, it was my turn to go to bat for her. I had the opportunity to meet the congressman with a group of his constituents who shared similar concerns about looming federal cuts.

Proposals to cut or weaken Medicaid may sound abstract, but the consequences are deeply personal. Van Orden appeared to listen as his constituents shared their stories and concerns. He heard how Medicaid is the only way many of them can afford medications, doctor visits and the life-saving care they need. He seemed to understand that reducing benefits would mean making a choice between bankruptcy or foregoing treatment for the people he was sent to Washington to represent.

Medicaid is not about convenience, and it is not a handout. It is about having access to essential medical care that allows one to live their life with dignity. For my mom at age 93, it is about someone who has worked hard her entire life and now needs support.

After hearing us all out, Van Orden looked us in the eye and promised us that he wouldn’t vote to cut benefits. This wasn’t an off-handed remark. He took the time to make it look like the promise was genuine. He even put it in writing, signing a letter addressed to my mom promising to not cut her benefits — and even sealed the letter with his own monogrammed wax stamp.

This wasn’t the only time he made this promise. Van Orden told constituents repeatedly that there would be no cuts to Medicaid. Last year, he said, “If you are an American citizen that is lawfully receiving benefits from the federal government, your benefits will not be cut by a nickel.” He even accused Democrats of “fear-mongering” and insisted “there are no cuts to Medicaid.”

Then, just weeks later, he voted for the Republican tax law — legislation that included the largest Medicaid cut in American history — more than all previous Medicaid cuts in history combined.

Like many families, we don’t have unlimited resources. Medicaid fills the gap between what my mom needs and what our family can realistically provide on our own. It gives us peace of mind knowing that an illness or an emergency won’t immediately turn into a financial crisis on top of a health crisis.

Here in Wisconsin, 54,000 people will lose their Medicaid coverage because of this law. Children, seniors, people with disabilities are all at risk. States will be forced to make painful cuts to their programs. Hospitals, especially in rural areas, are already warning they may have to close or cut services.

It’s impossible to reconcile Van Orden’s repeated promises with his vote for this law. How do you promise someone their benefits won’t be cut “by a nickel” and then vote to slash nearly $1 trillion dollars from the program?

Even worse, these cuts are being made to pay for tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. The same law that cuts Medicaid gives more than $1 trillion in tax cuts to the ultra-rich and big corporations.

Families shouldn’t have to choose between medications and rent, between doctor visits and groceries, between caring for their loved ones and financial ruin because Van Orden broke his promise. Thousands of families across Wisconsin’s 3rd District are facing impossible choices because of his vote.

Derrick Van Orden needs to remember the real people, his constituents, behind Medicaid. Protecting Medicaid means standing up for our parents, our neighbors and our most vulnerable family members. For Van Orden, it means standing up for those he was elected to represent. Van Orden needs to fight to restore the Medicaid funding he voted to cut. He needs to prioritize health care for working families over tax breaks for billionaires.

He made a promise to me and to thousands of families like mine. It’s time he kept it.