Ron Johnson's Descent
And is Van Orden House trained?
What? You believed Sen. Ron Johnson R-WI when he said he wouldn't support the “Big Beautiful Bill”? You didn't expect his resolve to melt like frozen custard in the July sun?
Oh, for shame. This is the same senator who claimed to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election and then actively participated in the effort to have the election overturned. If Johnson’s conscience didn't bother him then, why would President Donald Trump’s demands worry the senator now?
The evolution (devolution) of the headlines was amusing to watch.
Sen. Ron Johnson says Trump's megabill 'doesn't have a chance of passing' Senate
- NPR, June 4, 2025
NPR interviewed Johnson when the bill would have added $2.4 trillion to the annual budget deficits over the next ten years, according to the Congressional Budget Office, just a month ago.
GOP Senator Ron Johnson says he's 'trying to force reality' on DC
- Fox News interview, June 13, 2025
The national debt has ballooned to the eye-watering sum of more than $36 trillion, with lawmakers and presidents from both parties presiding over the deficit spending that has led the nation to this point. I'm
Johnson said he's "trying to force reality" upon everyone in the nation's capital, regardless of whether they want to face that reality.
The reality-loving senator also said that the Covid vaccine is not really a vaccine and should come with a “black box” warning. Oh, and he said he would prefer to retire rather than run again. Riiiiight.
The Senate GOP’s hard-liners are suddenly sounding softer on the megabill
- Politico, June 13, 2025
“We all want to see President Trump succeed,” he said in a brief interview this week. “Everybody is trying to help. That’s why, if I seem to have been striking a more hopeful tone, it’s because I am more hopeful.”
Hope springs eternal.
Senator Ron Johnson Resists G.O.P. Megabill, Warning It Will Swell Debt
- New York Times June 20, 2025
Mr. Johnson immediately toned down his vocal drumbeat of criticism against the plan. But he still looms as a significant obstacle to the sweeping domestic policy bill that Senate Republicans hope to push through next week. Not only does he declare himself adamantly opposed to the current version, he is simultaneously undercutting the party’s message that the legislation will not pile on to federal deficits.
He is, however, trying to be nicer about it.
“I’m a pretty flexible, reasonable guy,” the sometimes disputatious, three-term Republican referred to on Capitol Hill as “RonJohn” told reporters on Wednesday, drawing scoffs of disbelief. “I am!”
Oh, I believed it.
Ron Johnson meets with Trump but maintains opposition to 'big beautiful bill'
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, June 25, 2025
“I can’t accept a one-and-done bill that leaves our deficits in excess of $1.9 trillion as far as the eye can see,” Johnson said on NewsNation after his meeting with Trump. “Until we address that or I see a believable strategy to address additional deficit reduction in the future, it’s pretty difficult for me to vote ‘yes’ and accept this as the new normal.”
If it will make Johnson feel better, none of this is normal. At this point, the Senate version of the “big beautiful bill” would increase budget deficits over the next ten years by $3.3 trillion, not $1.9 trillion.
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson 'satisfied' with Trump's bill after initial opposition
- NPR June 30, 2025
When asked if he would vote yes on the final version of the bill, Johnson said he was ready to proceed and see how the amendment process would go through Monday.
Did he smoke a cigarette after?
Key Senate holdout says he'll vote for Trump's megabill
- ABC News, July 1, 2025
“This is about as good as we can get. I don't like it. I would like to get a lot more. But at some point in time you have to recognize reality. And if we don't pass this bill, we have a massive $4 trillion tax increase,” Johnson said.
Remember when Johnson was trying to force reality on everyone else?
DC Wrap: Johnson votes to pass reconciliation bill despite past opposition; House nears vote
- WisPolitics, July 3, 2025
Johnson, R-Oshkosh, voted to advance the bill in a procedural vote over the weekend, saying he was confident Trump would support his efforts toward fiscal sustainability.
I ask again, who didn’t see this coming? Because, as our friend Charlie Sykes points out, there are no more elected Never Trump Republicans, no more elected fiscal conservatives, no more “GOP Moderates.” There are only Trump supporters, and those who pretend to be reluctant Trump supporters, in the Republican Party.
That includes Johnson who was first elected in the Tea Party wave of 2010. We can also safely say there are no more Tea Party Republicans.
I don't think he's House trained
Rep. Derrick Van Orden R-WI3 did not like the implications of a journalist's question.
Van Orden responded to a question from a student reporter at Punchbowl News by barking at her:
“The president of the United States didn't give us an assignment. We're not a bunch of little bitches around here, okay? I'm a member of Congress. I represent almost 800,000 Wisconsinites.”
The congressman did not deny denying he was Trump's little bitch. Instead, Van Orden, who seems to have a problem with young people, complained through his Twitter (X) feed that he was being taken out of context. He said his answer was in response to whether the president was leading him “by the nose,” and that the reporter neglected to mention he said Trump is their leader and the House is working closely with the president.
Of course, this response only makes Van Orden look exactly like Trump's little bitch.
I'll just note that when the Daily Caller attempted to come to Van Orden's rescue, the best they could is puff up his resume without mentioning where he was on January 6.
That said, I have three complaints about the young reporter's coverage:
We want the video, or at least the audio.
She spelled “Wisconsinite” wrong on Twitter (X).
She didn't follow up with a question about whether Trump ever smacked the congressman with a rolled-up newspaper. “Bad boy! Bad boy!”
Ironically, Van Orden had a Col. Nicholson “what have I done?” moment and begged Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to come to an agreement with the Wisconsin GOP-controlled legislature on the state budget before Congress could pass Trump’s bill that would cut Medicaid, hurting the rural hospitals in Van Orden’s district. Look at what Trump made his pet poodle do.
