Rep. Van Orden, Cooke Participate in Candidate Forum

Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden and his Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke participated in a candidate forum on Tuesday with just two weeks to go until the midterm election.

The forum, moderated by WEAU, took place at Chippewa Valley Technical College and represented the first time the Third Congressional District candidates have shared a stage after failing to agree to a similar forum before the 2024 election. It covered a wide range of issues, including the impact of tariffs, the war in Iran, and the healthcare crisis the Chippewa Valley has struggled with since the HSHS hospital closures.

Speaking on that healthcare crisis, Congressman Van Orden highlighted his efforts to secure funding for BadgerCare through the Working Families Tax Cut and Jobs Act.

"As far as here in rural Wisconsin, in the Working Families Tax Cut and Jobs Act I was able to secure an additional $1 billion for BadgerCare in the state of Wisconsin," he said. "$1 billion a year for BadgerCare in the State of Wisconsin. We also got a $50 billion rural healthcare infrastructure revitalization fund. That's the largest investment in rural healthcare in the history of our country. That's $203 million a year for five years going to the State of Wisconsin for rural healthcare."

In response, Cooke noted that $203 million through the Rural Health Transformation Fund is a drop in the bucket compared to what rural healthcare facilities in Wisconsin actually need to stay open, and shared her vision for how to begin addressing the healthcare crisis in the Chippewa Valley beginning with extending the ACA tax credit premium.

"It's not just about cost, but costs are also going through the roof," she said. "You look at Congress' failure to expand the ACA tax credit premium for three more years, small business owners are seeing their premiums go up from $400 to $1,800 a month. In Congress, I want to expand Medicare to cover vision, dental, and hearing, the things that deteriorate as folks age. I'd like to see a public option get passed, people can keep their private insurance if they like it, but getting a public option passed. And I think the first thing that I'd like to do if Democrats win back the House, HR-1 is expanding that ACA tax credit premium for three more years."

The impact of tariffs has also been an especially significant issue for the agricultural industry in Western Wisconsin leading up to the midterm election. Congressman Van Orden referred to tariffs as a tool during the forum, arguing that they're needed to ensure American farmers are competing on a level playing field and highlighting the number of new trade deals finalized under the Trump administration. Cooke highlighted the struggles that farmers have faced as a result of reciprocal tariffs, making it more difficult for them to export their goods and drastically increasing their input costs.