ELK MOUND – U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden appeared alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a dairy farm outside of Eau Claire, celebrating the start of dairy month in Wisconsin.
The two appeared alongside farmers and faith leaders at a panel in the early afternoon on June 1, talking about the new food pyramid and different approaches to dealing with addiction. Reporters were permitted to listen to a portion of the panel, and Kennedy and Van Orden, who is in a tight re-election campaign, took questions from reporters.
Here’s what to know about the visit.
Dairy farming is at the heart of the 3rd Congressional District
The visit to a family dairy farm played to the heart of the 3rd Congressional District that Van Orden represents and includes vast swaths of farmland.
“The dairy industry in Wisconsin is not just a business, it’s our culture, it’s who we are as people,” Van Orden said.
Kennedy highlighted the host Gilbertson family that has run a dairy farm for generations, but still needs investment and support to keep going.
“It’s an illusion to think that we can rebuild these farms once we’ve lost them, and President Trump understands that, Congressman Van Orden understands that,” he said.
Kennedy also highlighted the new food pyramid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services that places dairy at the top.
“We deprived two generations of children of whole milk, which has all the micronutrients that they need for physical development, for bone development, and it really was almost a form of child abuse to do that,” Kennedy said. “President Trump, because of his leadership, is bringing whole milk back to American schools, but also just good food and real food, food that comes from farms, not chemical plants.”
Rural health care systems are under strain in Wisconsin
The 3rd Congressional District has felt the effects of strains in the rural health care industry. Clinics and hospitals have closed in recent years, leaving gaps in care for many communities.
Kennedy said under Medicaid, the Trump administration is planning to boost $20 billion going to rural health care facilities with another $10 billion infusion.
“One of the reasons we need to save the rural hospitals is … when the hospital goes, the community follows, because these are the highest paying jobs,” he said. “After the hospital leaves, no business is going to move back.”
But it is unlikely those infusions will entirely offset cuts to Medicaid in rural areas as part of the tax and spending legislation as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
KFF, a health policy research organization, has said the temporary fund could offset about a third of the estimated cuts to federal Medicaid spending in rural areas.
The funding will be used to bolster the rural health workforce, improving technology and digital systems and improving access to basic and preventative care. Wisconsin applied for a total of $1 billion over the five years of the program, or about $200 million annually.
Encouraging more people to study to be veterinarians
Van Orden said a large portion of health care for the state includes taking care of farm livestock.
To encourage more veterinary students to go into treating large animals, the Trump administration established a program to provide $75,000 in relief for veterinarians, in addition to human doctors.
“Let’s remember that large-animal veterinarians are very difficult to find, because it’s easier and it’s more profitable to treat a cat in town than it is a cow out here,” he said. “And I don’t know if you’ve ever been kicked by a cat, but it’s significantly different than being kicked by a cow.”
Kennedy attributes his journey to sobriety to his faith
Kennedy spoke during the panel discussion about his journey to sobriety and how a 12-step program helped him find his faith and also his sobriety.
The secretary has been outspoken about his struggles with drugs and did not hesitate to share his story again in Elk Mound.
He said that a 12-step program led him to a “spiritual awakening,” and helped him quit using substances, after he struggled for years to stop. He said faith-based programs are successful, and that the federal government is now working with organizations that can provide a similar process to the one he went through.
“We’re looking at the science, we’re saying that this is something we got to do, and we’re changing the regimen at HHS to make sure that those programs – faith-based programs that are private – are available,” he said.
Van Orden is campaigning for his third term in Congress
The Monday morning stop came the same day that signatures of support for Van Orden’s campaign were due to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Van Orden did not speak about his race at the event.
Van Orden is running for election in Wisconsin’s most competitive district, in the state’s western counties. He is facing a challenge from Democrats Rebecca Cooke and Emily Berge, who will face off in a primary on Aug. 11. The winner of that race will face Van Orden in the Nov. 3 general election.
Cooke came within 2.8 points of Van Orden in 2024, and Democrats are targeting the district as they seek to flip control of the House of Representatives.
Democrats blast Van Orden, Kennedy visit
Democrats pushed back on Kennedy and Van Orden’s event, saying that much more could be done to help farmers and constituents who are struggling.
“If Derrick Van Orden actually cared about our farmers, he would stop rubber-stamping tariff taxes and an illegal war with Iran that is sending gas and fertilizer costs through the roof,” said Haley King, deputy press secretary for the Wisconsin Democrats.
“Instead of fighting for relief, D.C. Derrick is parading around a roadkill-eating conspiracy theorist while our farmers pay the price.”
Spokespeople for Cooke and Berge did not immediately share comments with the Journal Sentinel.
Van Orden mum on vague Madison tweet
The morning of June 1, Van Orden posted on X, calling for prayers for Madison.
“We are waiting on more information,” he then said in the post.
When asked at the event what the tweet was in reference to, Van Orden didn’t respond to reporters. When he was told that people were concerned about what the post meant, he laughed.
“Well, that’s good. You know what, Madison always needs prayers,” he said.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: RFK Jr. visits Wisconsin dairy farm with Rep. Derrick Van Orden
Reporting by Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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