News · Press Release

Western Wisconsin Building Trades President: Van Orden “sells us out every time he flies out to Washington”

When his D.C. party bosses say “jump,” Derrick Van Orden asks “how high.”

An opinion piece from the president of the Western Wisconsin Building Trades is exposing Van Orden’s vote to gut energy tax credits so he could give tax breaks to billionaires: leaving Wisconsinites with higher energy bills and risking good-paying jobs.

Rather than supporting workers, Van Orden “votes however the special interests tell him to,” slashing energy tax credits and “[giving] his wealthy donors a tax break” — despite the fact that “those credits are supporting more than 30 projects across his own district.”

DCCC Spokesperson Katie Smith:
“Derrick Van Orden puts Washington billionaires first and Wisconsin workers last. Van Orden voted to kill good-paying jobs and raise electricity bills for Wisconsinites because he cares more about securing a check for his campaign than doing what’s right for Wisconsin.” 

Read more:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Van Orden chose GOP party bosses over workers on Big Beautiful Bill Act | Opinion

  • Wisconsin’s building trades built the infrastructure that powers this state. We build the schools, the hospitals, the power plants. We’re the ones who show up every day, work hard, and keep Wisconsin running.
  • Lately, a lot of that work is thanks to clean energy tax credits. The same tax credits Rep. Derrick Van Orden just voted to kill in order to fund tax breaks for billionaires. Those credits are supporting more than 30 projects across his own district.
  • Here’s how it always works with Van Orden: His Republican bosses in D.C. snap their fingers, and he jumps. Doesn’t matter what it costs Wisconsin workers. Doesn’t matter how many jobs get killed. This time, they told him to kill the clean energy tax credits to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. And like always, he did exactly what they said.
  • The result? Over $200 billion slashed from wind, solar, nuclear, and other energy projects across the country. In Wisconsin alone, we’re looking at $2 billion in threatened investments and thousands of construction jobs on the chopping block. In a true lose-lose situation, these cuts will also slow down energy supply while demand is at an all-time high — straining the grid and driving up everyone’s utility bills.
  • The risk to that investment and the loss of those jobs falls directly on the shoulders of Van Orden, who has proudly bragged about his vote. This is Van Orden’s playbook every time. He goes to Washington, votes however the special interests tell him to, then comes back to Wisconsin acting like he’s some kind of champion for regular folks.
  • Think about that. Van Orden gave his wealthy donors a tax break worth more than many people make in two years of working, while our tax cut won’t even cover the higher energy bills his vote is causing.
  • Ultimately, Van Orden voted to cut investments, kill jobs, drive up energy costs, put rural hospitals at risk, and harm his constituents. He misled the hard-working families in this district and voted against their best interests. He stuck us with the bill for tax breaks for the wealthy.
  • We put in honest work for honest pay, and we expect our representatives to have our backs. We deserve someone who fights for Wisconsin workers. Instead, we have a congressman who sells us out every time he flies out to Washington.
  • Van Orden had a choice. He could have stood with the 40,000 building trades workers across Wisconsin who were counting on those clean energy jobs. Instead, he chose his party bosses and their billionaire friends.

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