First lady Jill Biden visits Green Bay area, attends NFL watch party hosted by American Cancer Society

ASHWAUBENON - First lady Jill Biden arrived Monday night in Ashwaubenon to kick off her two-day northeastern Wisconsin tour to promote cancer detection screening and meet with members of the Menominee Nation.

Biden and Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland were greeted at the Austin Straubel International Airport by Oneida Nation Chairman Tehassi Hill, Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach, Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich and the mayor's family.

Monday evening, the first lady joined the NFL Crucial Catch Monday Night Football watch party hosted by the American Cancer Society. The Green Bay Packers are taking on the Las Vegas Raiders tonight in Monday Night Football.

The mission of this partnership with the NFL is to detect cancer early and look for ways to reduce the risk.

The Crucial Catch event is part of the president's and first lady's Cancer Moonshot, with the goal of preventing more than 4 million cancer deaths by 2047 and to improve the experience of those whose lives are touched by cancer. The goal is to invest in research, help patients and families navigate the cancer diagnosis and treatment, and make treatments more affordable, first lady Jill Biden said. The Bidens' son, Beau, died from brain cancer.

"Cancer touches us all and that's true for my family and, I know, for too many of your families as well," Biden said Monday night.

On Tuesday, the first lady will tour the Menominee Tribal Enterprises’ sawmill in Neopit to learn more about the tribe's sustainable forest management, the White House said. Later Tuesday, she will visit the College of Menominee Nation in Keshena to "learn about the Menominee Tribe’s approach to community education and sustainable development" before participating in a women's empowerment summit.

The Menominee Nation over the summer received $2 million to build a lending program for small businesses as part of a White House business support program aimed at native tribes.

This is the second Wisconsin visit for Biden in under two months. She visited Madison in late August to also promote cancer detection and attend a fundraiser for Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is up for reelection in 2024.

Lawrence Andrea of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

Sophia Voight is a local government and politics reporter with The Post-Crescent. She can be reached with feedback and tips at svoight@postcrescent.com.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: First lady Jill Biden visits Green Bay area, Menominee Nation