On July 3rd US Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) sent an e-mail reporting why he voted “Yes” on the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act after he had had voiced grave concerns throughout the legislative process. Sen Johnson wrote “With President Biden in the White House and majorities in both chambers of Congress, Democrats had every opportunity to repeal the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and increase taxes on ‘the rich. They did not do so.”

Sen Johnson’s second reason was “By passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, we have avoided a $4 trillion automatic tax increase and a default on our debt.” His third and final comment was “While the bill is a step forward, we have only just begun the difficult task of reducing spending, and there is still a long way to go.”

Congressman Derrick Van Orden (R-WI-3rd) sent a similar press release after voting for the OBBB stating that the OBBB contains a variety of wins for the American people and then six bullet statements in justification. Prior to that, he had communicated with Governor Evers (D-WI), followed by a letter on July 2nd, encouraging the Governor to sign the legislature passed State Budget Bill “without delay” to assure that Wisconsin would maximize the benefits of the OBBB (which he did)! The Wisconsin Budget had to become law before the President signed the OBBB into law for Wisconsin to reap all the benefits.

About a week later, on July 9th, in response to frequently asked questions about the OBBB being shared by the media, Rep Van Orden released a multi-page e-mail with answers to ten widely asked questions. These answers clearly showed how the OBBB will work for Wisconsinites and all Americans across the country. The OBBB will reduce “fraud, waste, and abuse” and not diminish programs properly administered.

Since the OBBB was signed into law, the Congress has passed and the President signed into law “The Rescissions Act of 2025” which will cut $9.4 billion in wasteful federal spending on anti-American foreign aid initiatives and woke public broadcasting.

Rep Van Orden, who serves on the Agriculture, Armed Services, and Veterans Affairs Committees, remains busy representing the citizens of Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District. He was recently seen in the Oval Office with President Trump when the President was signing a Veteran Housing Bill which Van Orden had authored.

Just as “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, the financial quagmire now so prevalent in our federal government didn’t start last week, but quite probably last century! As Senator Johnson said “we have only just begun…and there is still a long way to go”.