2025 Year in Review

I’m eager to start the New Year and continue working on the issues important to you and your family. We have made progress this year, but there is more work to do to make life more affordable and support working families.

I want to hear from you:

Which of these issues should be Congress's top priority in the New Year?

Inflation and Cost of Living Border Security and Immigration State of Democracy Social Security & Medicare Healthcare Costs Budget & Taxes Crime Energy Costs Foreign Policy Other (please specify)

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I remain focused on working to bring down the cost of living, get government spending under control, support veterans and their families, protect our communities, and support our seniors. Here are some of the major issues we’ve made progress on in 2025. 

Constituent Report Card

My priority is remaining open and accessible to you.

This year, my office helped more than 1,500 families with federal agencies including Social Security, Veterans Affairs, and Medicare. We also responded to over 120,000 phone calls, emails, and letters.

We held eleven telephone town halls and numerous in person listening sessions including in Beloit, Elkhorn, Janesville, Kenosha, and Racine. Finally, I participated in over 100 interviews to answer your questions and share more about our work in Congress.

If you ever have a question or need help with a federal agency, please don't hesitate to contact my office.

Government Spending Transparency 

In 2025, federal government spending was $7.010 trillion, while revenue was $5.235 trillion - resulting in an $1.775 trillion deficit. Spending at this level is not sustainable. We must get  spending under control, while protecting important programs for those in need.

Bringing Down the Cost of Living

Costs remain too high. We have a lot of work to unwind high inflation. Below are highlights of Congress's work this year to make life more affordable.

Lowering Costs for Working Families

• Increased and made permanent the Child Tax Credit to $2,200
• Prevented a $1,500 tax increase on working families
• Created a new $1,000 federally funded child savings account
• Reduced taxes on tips and overtime

Increasing Housing Affordability

• Led the nonpartisan Accelerating Homebuilding Act to encourage innovative, cost-effective solutions to increase housing supply and support housing affordability

Ending Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

• Repealed $550 billion of wasteful government spending
• Strengthened Medicaid eligibility integrity
• Held states accountable for erroneous payments for government programs like SNAP
  • States make $14 billion a year in erroneous SNAP payments
• Implemented work requirements for able-bodied adults without young children of 80 hours a month to receive government benefits

Learn more about my work to make life more affordable here.

Lowering Energy Prices

Energy costs are making life less affordable for working families. Lower energy prices can help decrease the cost of groceries and other necessities. Studies have shown that for every 10% increase in oil prices, grocery prices increase by 5%.

We need an all-of-the-above energy strategy to unleash American energy, increase domestic energy production, and lower costs for families.

Unleashing American Energy

Recently passed legislation will:

• Increase domestic energy production
• Ensure at least 36 new oil and gas leases
• Repeal bans on new oil and gas projects
• Extend the Clean Fuel Production Credit
• Help lower gas prices
• Promote energy independence

Removing Expensive Fees and Burdensome Red Tape

• Passed the PERMIT Act to modernize Clean Water Act permitting, cutting red tape to lower construction costs, accelerate infrastructure timeline and strengthen domestic energy production
• Voted to pass the SPEED Act to unleash domestic energy and mineral production by reforming the National Environmental Policy Act, to streamline reviews, set reasonable limits on litigation, and retain strong environmental protections

Protect Consumer Choice

Introduced legislation to:

• Protect consumer energy choice
• Stop costly energy bans
• Ensure affordable energy options for Wisconsin families

To listen to my recent interview on the need to lower energy costs, click here.

Protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Seniors

I'm committed to protecting Social Security and Medicare.

Safeguarding Social Security and Medicare

• Strongly support protecting and preserving earned benefits for Wisconsin seniors

Delivering Relief to Seniors

• Helped pass into law a new $6,000 tax deduction for low- and middle-income seniors
  • Eliminated taxes on Social Security for 88% of recipients

Stopping Consumer Fraud and Scams

• Spearheaded efforts to support scam survivors across the nation
• Passed into law new consumer protections in emerging digital financial transactions

Learn more about my work to protect seniors here.

Working for Wisconsin Veterans

I am working to protect our veterans' earned benefits.

Protecting Veterans' Benefits

• I strongly support fully funding the VA and protecting veterans benefits
• Secured $431.4 billion in vets funding for FY 26, to fully fund veterans' benefits
• Invested $52.7 billion in the Toxic Exposures Fund to provide veterans exposed to environmental hazards with the healthcare they need

Increasing Veterans Services

• Helped pass nonpartisan legislation to make significant advancements for veterans' benefits, eliminate red tape, improve veterans' care services, and expand non-healthcare benefit services for veterans
• Supported legislation to address cancer in military pilots and liver cancer in Vietnam veterans
• Passed into law legislation to assist veterans with mortgages and reduce veteran homelessness

Aiding Veterans Families

• Introduced the Survivor Benefits Fairness Act to stop the VA from demanding the families of beneficiaries pay back monthly benefits in the event of a surviving spouse's death

Supporting Veterans' Mental Health

• Led the No Veterans Fall Through the Cracks Act to ensure all veterans get a follow-up call to reschedule their mental health appointment from the VA, regardless of how they canceled their appointment

Learn more about my work to support our veterans here.

Restoring Trust in Government

Americans should have trust that their elected officials are working for them.I am working to provide transparency and accountability in Congress.

Driving Legislation to:

• Ban members of Congress from trading stocks
• Prevent members of Congress from receiving pay during government shutdowns
• Secure our elections
• End the potential for future government shutdowns
• Provide Wisconsin communities with unique ZIP Codes to prevent misdirected tax revenue, reduce emergency response delays, lower insurance rates, and ensure mail arrives on time

To hear more about my work to restore trust in our government, click here.

Securing the Border to Keep our Communities Safe

I am working to secure our border and keep our communities safe. We must equip law enforcement with the tools needed to stop drug and human trafficking.

This year Congress:

• Passed the Laken Riley Act into law, to detain criminal illegal aliens who are accused of assaulting law enforcement, theft, burglary, or crimes involving death or serious injury
• Invested $46.5 billion to build and modernize the wall, hire 8,000 new border and customs agents, and support counter narcotics efforts
• Passed the HALT Fentanyl Act, which permanently makes fentanyl analogues Schedule I drugs, to crack down on human trafficking and protect our communities

To learn more about how this work has secured our border, click here.

Happy New Year

I hope you and your family had a Happy New Year!

As always, feel free to contact my office if you have any questions, want to share an opinion, or are having trouble with a federal agency.an ever be of assistance.

On Wisconsin,

Bryan Steil
Member of Congress

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