May 2, 2025 11a
(WGTD)---1st District Congressman Bryan Steil held a telephone listening session last week.
The Janesville Republican declined to criticize Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, endorsed a proposal to strengthen the government’s ability to make sure that non-citizens aren’t voting in federal elections and supported President Trump’s tariffs policy.
On those tariffs, Steil said he expects that Trump will reach agreements with U.S. allies within the next few months, then secure their help in dealing with China. "I support allowing the president to play this out--to negotiate these agreements," Steil said. "The broad goal should be free, fair, reciprocal trade where other countries aren't taking advantage of the United States," he said.
Steil also expressed support for SAVE. That’s an acronym for Safeguard American Voter Eligibility. It’s a proposal to require would-be voters to prove their American citizenship before being allowed to register to vote. Critics say it would disenfranchise some women who might find it difficult to prove citizenship if their name differs from what’s on their birth certificates. Steil noted that’ll be up to the states to overcome the name-change hurdle. "It's because the name-change process is different in all 50 states," he said.
On Trump administration cost-cutting, Steil argued that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is not calling the shots. "The ultimate buck stops with the cabinet secretaries who have been appointed by Trump and confirmed by the United States Senate as well as different agency directors are are operating different federal agencies," Steil said. He inferred that those cabinet heads and department chiefs will have to defend their cuts before congress during budget reviews.
-0-