The man who will soon become Wisconsin's newest member of Congress says he is requesting a spot on the House Agriculture Committee. Representative-elect Derrick Van Orden, who was elected on Tuesday to serve the state's third congressional district, said many of his constituents are either farmers or working directly with the ag industry.
"We are an agricultural district and it is about two decades late for our Congressional Representative to be on that committee," Van Orden told the Eau Claire Leader Telegram. "Career politicians have been campaigning on getting Internet, particularly broadband, into the district for years but have not done much to actually make that happen. Rural development is the purview of the Agriculture Committee, and I plan on getting there to actually fix problems, not just campaign on them."
The Prairie du Chien Republican will replace Rep. Ron Kind, who served the district for the past 26 years.
Wisconsin has not had representation on the ag panel since former Rep. Reid Ribble of Appleton stepped off the committee in 2015. Prior to that, Ribble's predecessor, Democrat Steve Kagen, served on the committee from 2007 until he lost his seat to Ribble in 2010.
In the Senate, Democrat Tammy Baldwin has served on the U.S. Senate Ag Appropriations Subcommittee for the past eight years.
Categories: Wisconsin, Government & Policy