Iowa Republican U.S. Congressional candidate Zach Nunn speaks to supporters during a Republican Party of Iowa election night rally, Nov. 8, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

Last week, Reps. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), Zach Nunn (R-IA) and Don Bacon (R-NE) introduced House Resolution 382, a procedural move to oppose legislation that cuts Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP).

Eight days after the resolution was introduced, all three representatives voted in favor of a plan to slash as much as $300 billion from SNAP.

HR 382 was a procedural move that isn’t eligible for a vote on the House floor until at least 30 legislative days after it was introduced, making it essentially useless since House Republicans are planning to vote on President Donald Trump’s tax cut bill before that.

When asked about HR 382 in a press conference last week, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said it was “not a serious effort” since Speaker Mike Johnson (R) wants the tax bill done before Memorial Day (May 26). Jeffries also argued that if Van Orden, Nunn and Bacon were serious about stopping Medicaid and SNAP cuts, they would support a discharge petition backed by Democrats that is live on the House floor.

“We’ve been in conversation with Republicans throughout this entire process because more than a dozen Republicans, if not more, have repeatedly and publicly said they will not support a budget reconciliation that actually cuts benefits for Medicaid and SNAP,” Jeffries said. “However, it’s time for them to actually put their money where their mouth has been legislatively and support a bill that can actually prevent Medicaid and SNAP benefits [cuts] from taking place.”

Van Orden, Nunn and Bacon are all members of the House Agriculture Committee, and they voted with their fellow Republicans on a plan to include as much as $300 billion in cuts from SNAP programs to the tax bill. The plan passed in the Agriculture Committee 29-25 on party lines on Wednesday.

In a statement to Heartland Signal, Van Orden argued that the SNAP cuts he voted for will only address waste, fraud and abuse. He said that people that qualify for SNAP will still get their benefits.

“The Agriculture Committee reconciliation bill does protect SNAP benefits for our most vulnerable populations – 100% in line with the resolution I signed on to,” Van Orden said. “What the bill did cut was the ability for the waste, fraud, abuse, and overpayments states have gotten away with for years to continue, which has cost taxpayers billions of dollars. We are restoring integrity in the program so it can best serve those who truly need it.”

Despite this claim, a report from the progressive think tank Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) shows that the Agriculture Committee’s plan shifts at least 5% of food benefit funding to states. The report argues that this requirement alone would put significant strain on state budgets, and the ripple effects will likely see many low-income families lose access to food assistance benefits.

Nunn and Bacon did not respond to requests for comment.

Van Orden, Nunn and Bacon are all projected to face an uphill battle in their 2026 reelection efforts, and their seats are seen as some of the most attainable for Democrats to flip in the midterms.

Johnson and the GOP are looking to pass a mega bill to extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts that disproportionately benefited the ultra-wealthy in the United States. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that the extension will add an estimated $4.6 trillion to the federal deficit over the next 10 years. The CBO also estimates that the proposed changes to Medicaid could see up to 13.7 million people lose their health insurance by 2034.