President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" is now law -- and the centerpiece of the battle for control of the U.S. House in the 2026 elections.

Democrats are banking on it being a big Dem year -- because of history suggesting the party in power in DC suffers a hit in the midterms plus the consequences of the reconciliation bill that Dems already working hard to define as a sop to the rich at the expense of the poor.  

But in Wisconsin, where Republicans hold a 6-2 margin in the House delegation, Dems will have to narrow that margin without the help of congressional redistricting after the state Supreme Court decided not to take up those cases. Most political pundits say Dems’ best chance to gain a seat is Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District.

The rhetoric after the early July congressional passage of the bill gave a preview of what is to come in the 2026 campaigns with a lot of it targeting U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, the 3rd District GOP congressman from Prairie du Chien.

One recent example: Dem Gov. Tony Evers countering of claims by Van Orden that the GOP congressman played a role in boosting the hospital assessment to generate millions more in federal dollars for health care in Wisconsin.

Evers and GOP lawmakers recently raced to complete the budget before the president could sign the reconciliation bill to ensure the increased assessment wouldn’t be barred by a provision in the federal legislation.

Among other things, Van Orden has suggested it was congressional and legislative Republicans who were responsible for guaranteeing “access to health care” in the state budget.

But Evers spokesperson Britt Cudaback told WisPolitics Van Orden didn’t contact the governor’s office about the assessment until June 30 -- after a deal had already been reached with GOP lawmakers to increase the tax -- despite discussions in DC dating back to the spring about preventing such a move. She added Van Orden had nothing to do with the increased assessment being included in the budget.

“Put simply, if Congressman Van Orden wanted to take credit for supporting Medicaid and protecting Wisconsinites’ access to healthcare, perhaps he shouldn’t have voted to gut Medicaid and kick 250,000 Wisconsinites off their healthcare,” Cudaback said.

Evers first proposed in February upping the assessment to 5.7% of hospital patient revenue through his state budget plan. It had been 1.8%. The state uses that money to draw additional federal funds through the Medicaid program.

The deal he struck with GOP lawmakers -- announced publicly early July 1 -- included taking the assessment to 6%, the maximum allowed for matching funds. The move is expected to generate an additional $1 billion a year in payments to hospitals while providing more money to the state.

The reconciliation bill the House approved in May with Van Orden’s support included language barring states from establishing new provider taxes and freezing the assessment at existing rates for those that already had them.

“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,” said U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee.

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

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.

Van Orden criticized Dems for “fear-mongering and pushing blatant lies from day one” about the bill, adding: “Americans will see their taxes go down, wages go up, and integrity and stability restored in critical programs like SNAP and Medicaid.”

For more go to WisPolitics.com