Border Security is Your Security

Since 2021, more than 7.2 million people have entered our country illegally, a number greater than the population of Wisconsin. This has caused challenges here in our state.

For example, fentanyl is a dangerous synthetic drug produced in Mexico that is flowing into our communities through the unsecure border. This has led to roughly 1,300 deaths related to fentanyl in Wisconsin last year. In Kenosha County alone, 42 people died from a fentanyl related death.

A number of migrants coming across the border are moving to Wisconsin. The city of Whitewater is witnessing a dramatic increase in migrants flowing into the community. Last summer, I met with Whitewater city leaders who detailed to me the ongoing challenges in their community. They highlighted a rapid influx of individuals, many of whom require social services.

In December of last year, the Whitewater Police Chief wrote a letter to President Biden requesting help with an increase of migrants in the city. The letter outlined how “Law enforcement staff have responded to a number of serious crimes linked to immigrants in some manner, including the death of an infant child, multiple sexual assaults, and kidnapping.”

Another challenge of the broken border is the impact on the drug trade. In November 2023, Walworth County law enforcement reported that they tracked roughly $250,000 in transactions funneled to the Gulf Cartel, one of Mexico's largest drug cartels, over a four-month span.
I’m working to secure the border. I recently joined CNN to discuss how the unsecure border is impacting us in Wisconsin.

Click here to watch.

Join Me for a Border Town Hall Event

To further address these issues, on May 30th at 6:30PM, I will be hosting a border security town hall event in Kenosha at Indian Trail High School. We’ll discuss the challenges and policy solutions to stop the flow of fentanyl, end human trafficking, and secure the border right now.

And I want to hear from you.

For more information, click here or call my office at (262) 654-1901.

National Police Week

It’s National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays recognition to those law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

This week, I had the opportunity to welcome the Milwaukee Police Association to our nation's Capitol. I'm grateful for our law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line every day to protect our community. I invite you to take a moment this weekend to thank a police officer and remember the law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Ensuring Fair Regulations

Last week, the law firm Cleary Gottlieb released an independent, apolitical report confirming reports of widespread and entrenched misconduct at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The report outlines a toxic workplace culture at the agency, as well as verbally abusive behavior by Chair Martin Gruenberg.

I joined my colleagues on the House Financial Services Committee this week to hold Chair Gruenberg—who has led the FDIC for ten of the last thirteen years—to account for these long-standing problems by demanding he resign.

Click here to watch the full hearing.

Making Sure American Elections are for American Citizens

The U.S. Constitution protects the right of citizens of the United States to vote in our elections. In fact, federal law makes it a felony for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. Most, but not all states outlaw noncitizen voting in their elections. American elections are for American citizens. I'm working to keep it that way.

Every American deserves to have confidence in their elections. This week, I chaired the Committee on House Administration hearing on noncitizen voting and preventing foreign interference in our elections.

Click here to watch the full hearing.

I also introduced legislation to close loopholes that allow foreign nationals to fund elections operations. By doing so, we are one step closer in preventing foreign involvement in American elections. I’m committed to stopping foreign influence in U.S. elections and protecting U.S. donor privacy.

Click here to read the bill.

Inflation Remains High

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the April 2024 consumer price index this week. The consumer price index, a broad measure of how much goods and services cost at the cash register, increased 0.3% from March, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) State Inflation Tracker estimates that the average household in Wisconsin is paying $952 more per month to purchase the same basket of goods and services as they did in January 2021. Cumulatively since January 2021, the average Wisconsin household has spent $22,932 more due to inflation.

As more and more Wisconsin families fall behind under the impacts of inflation, it is critical to work to bring government spending under control. I recently joined Fox Business to discuss the impact an 18% increase in cost of living is having on our Wisconsin families, and workers.

Click here to watch the full interview.

On Wisconsin,

Bryan Steil
Member of Congress

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