Derrick Van Orden

The nation’s top defense official on Tuesday traveled to Wisconsin for the second time this year to speak to manufacturing workers supporting the defense industry — and to boost U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden just weeks ahead of the midterms.

Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, introduced U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who spoke to workers at Riverside Machine and Engineering in Eau Claire as part of the Defense Department’s “Arsenal of Freedom Tour,” highlighting domestic defense manufacturing.

Hegseth last came to Wisconsin in August, visiting workers from Oshkosh Defense as part of the same tour, which is meant to highlight domestic defense manufacturers. Democrats have criticized the visits as trying to sell the public on an unpopular war in the Middle East.

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Both visits have come under the backdrop of the war with Iran, which has contributed to a surge in gas prices across the country.

In introducing Hegseth, Van Orden, a longtime ally to President Donald Trump, said he became friends with the defense secretary “a long time ago” because “his heart’s in the right place.”

“He did not have to take this job, where he’s gotten so much guff that is absolutely inappropriate,” Van Orden said of Hegseth. “But he’s doing it for the right reasons. He’s doing it for you. He’s doing it for your children.”

Likewise, Hegseth praised Van Orden when he took the stage and called out the congressman’s military service.

“No more steadfast supporter on Capitol Hill than that man right there, who never forgets where he came from — whether it’s the U.S. Navy, whether it’s the SEALs or whether it’s Wisconsin,” Hegseth said. “He’s a guy that just never backs down, and I respect the heck out of what he does and how he does it.”

They spoke at Riverside Machine and Engineering, which makes precision components for the defense, medical and aerospace industries. Riverside and sister company Metal Craft say their products support defense companies like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.

During the event, Hegseth said Riverside is one of Lockheed Martin’s top suppliers.

“The employees here and the quality that you manufacture are the best of the best, and we are here to recognize you for that,” he said. “Riverside and Metal Craft simply equal American skill, using American muscle to supply American warriors.”

Hegseth said the Trump administration wanted to support small manufacturers, like Riverside, because they provide the backbone for larger, better-known defense suppliers.

“The big companies in Silicon Valley and the prime contractors can make blueprints all day long, and I know they send you blueprints, but those blueprints are worthless without the high-precision machining done by great Americans like you,” he said.

One of the administration’s efforts is establishing the Small War Plants Commission, a joint effort of the Department of Defense and the U.S. Small Business Administration. The commission is aimed at pooling federal resources to cut red tape and support small manufacturers.

SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said the commission would provide “results” for companies like Riverside.

“We’re clearing out red tape, helping guide small businesses through things like (cybersecurity), cutting regulation to make it easier for you to do business, getting access to capital,” Loeffler said.

Wisconsin has hundreds of manufacturers who work either directly or indirectly for the defense industry, along with four primary defense contractors: Oshkosh Defense, Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Leonardo DRS and Fairbanks Morse Defense, according to the nonprofit Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.

In 2023, the state ranked 30th nationally in defense contracts, according to WMC.

Hegseth’s visit was met with pushback from Wisconsin Democrats, who framed it as an attempt to sway the public on the continued war in Iran.

The war is unpopular both in Wisconsin and nationally. The September Marquette Law School poll found 73 percent of registered voters in Wisconsin said the war wasn’t worth the cost. An even larger share of state voters, 83 percent, said the United States has not achieved its goals in the war.

In a congressional debate before Hegseth’s visit Tuesday, Van Orden himself acknowledged that the war was making 2026 midterm elections “exponentially harder” for Republicans, though he said it was worth the political cost.

Hegseth only gave the war a few mentions during his remarks in Eau Claire.

“I got to see some of our war fighters, they’re preparing and ready to ensure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon,” he said. “They’ve been vigilant for many months. They’re prepared and they’re dialed in.”

In a statement, Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Haley King said Hegseth was coming to Wisconsin to “try to sell voters on the Trump administration’s cost-raising war.”

She said the war has fueled rises in gas and grocery prices, and criticized Republicans in Wisconsin’s congressional delegation — including Van Orden — for not doing enough to end it.

“Wisconsinites are sick of theatrics and want real solutions and leaders who will actually put an end to this war — not another round of lip service,” King stated.

Van Orden’s opponent, Democrat Rebecca Cooke, also blasted Hegseth’s visit in a statement and, specifically, Van Orden’s appearance alongside him.

“He still hasn’t had a single in-person town hall with voters in Wisconsin. But has time to pal around with one of the officials who promised us that this war would be over months ago,” Cooke said. “Wisconsinites are fed up with politicians who make promises like ‘no new wars’ and then break them.”

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a longtime supporter of Wisconsin’s defense manufacturers, also issued a statement critical of Hegseth’s stop.

Baldwin said she’s always tried to work across the aisle to support national security and American workers, but she questioned the visit and the Iran war more broadly.

“If Secretary Hegseth is coming to Wisconsin to talk about Trump’s agenda, he must first and foremost explain to my constituents why this administration started another expensive, endless war in the Middle East that’s jacking up costs for Wisconsin families, farmers and businesses every single day,” she said in a statement.

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