Congressman Derrick Van Orden threatens to report veteran, former VA employee to DOGE

The representative of Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, Republican Derrick Van Orden, is under fire for a message he sent to Army veteran and former VA employee, Tony Ruiz.  The message has gone viral. It shows the representative threatening to report the man to the Department of Government Efficiency. In it, Van Orden said “I am a member of Congress on the VA Committee. I have absolutely no say in the employment status of any individual in the executive branch however, I will be referring you to DOGE as it seems that at 13:46 on a Monday, you should have been working for veterans, not posting trash about your boss, President Trump.” The VA hired Ruiz in February 2024 as a veterans service representative. Almost exactly one year later, he said he was fired.  Ruiz said roughly a week after his termination, he reached out to Congressman Van Orden. Ruiz was in D.C. advocating on behalf of veterans. He requested a meeting with Van Orden while he was there, but it‘s unclear if that has been scheduled or happened.