EAU CLAIRE, WI – In case you missed it, yesterday Rep. Derrick Van Orden (WI-03) celebrated his first 100 days in office. During that time, Van Orden’s constituent services-first office has sent over 40,000 letters, closed over 200 cases, and given over 100 tours in the Nation’s Capital to over 400 Wisconsinites.
Van Orden has also introduced five bills, including two Veterans’ Affairs bills that would support transitioning servicemembers and military families.
Read more from the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram here, or find excerpts below:
Rep. Van Orden reflects on his first 100 days in office
Chris Vetter
April 13, 2023
U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden is upbeat as he marked his first 100 days in office on Thursday, from authoring his first five bills to his office’s work in addressing constituent needs.
Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, told the Leader-Telegram on Thursday he is proud of his staff in Wisconsin, noting the 11 workers have closed more than 200 cases for constituents, such as helping veterans get their benefits. More than 40,000 letters have been written to constituents, and he’s organized more than 100 tours in Washington for his constituents.
“I’m very proud of how we’ve been able to assemble a team that is making positive changes in the district,” Van Orden said. “We have twice as many workers in the district as in Washington. This is where the rubber meets the road. We have covered the entire district. People need to be able to reach out directly to their congressman; we’re meeting people where they are.”
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Van Orden serves on the Agriculture, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Veterans’ Affairs Committees. Of the five bills he’s authored, two deal with obtaining benefits for veterans.
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Van Orden also talked about a “Dairy Pride’ legislation which has bipartisan support, which would clearly state that milk comes from mammals, and products like soy or nuts are not milk products.
“It’s truth in advertising,” Van Orden said. “The dairy brand gets cheapened when you call (soy and nut products) milk.”
Van Orden said that in debt ceiling negotiations, changes to Social Security and Medicare are not on the table, and he criticized Democrats for saying the GOP want to make cuts to those entitlements.
