(The Center Square) – Republican U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, facing Democratic challenger Peter Barca in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District, recently spoke on the state of inflation and immigration, two of the top three issues on Wisconsin voters’ minds according to polls.
Steil focused largely on inflation during the Friday press call, an issue central to his campaign.
“I can’t tell you how concerned people are with the state of the country and our need to get back on track,” said Steil. “The economic policies that he’s put forward have made everything roughly 20% more expensive than when he took office. Grocery prices are up, the median mortgage is double, car prices are up, it’s more expensive to insure your car, and energy prices – from what you pay at the pump to your utility bill – have increased dramatically under President Biden.”
Steil also lambasted Biden’s handling of the border, particularly the surge in migration to midwestern states like Wisconsin.
“His policies at the U.S.-Mexico border have been disastrous,” Steil said. “It has impacted not only the entire country but in particular the state of Wisconsin. The community of Whitewater, a city of about 15,000 people, has seen an influx of over a thousand migrants over the past two years, adding a serious burden on first responders and the school system in particular.”
Biden posted a letter to Democrats on social media Monday, saying he is running on a “historic record of success” regarding job creation, unemployment levels, health care and drug affordability, infrastructure and manufacturing growth, and student debt relief.
Biden’s letter did not mention his administration’s track record on inflation or border policy.
Inflation was 1.4% when Biden took office in January 2021 and was 3.3% in May, up two-tenths since January. In his tenure, the high is 9.1% in June 2022 and the low 3.0% in June 2023.
In a March 24, 2021, announcement, Biden said of Vice President Kamala Harris, “I’ve asked her, the VP, today – because she’s the most qualified person to do it – to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that help – are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border.”
Since January 2021, an estimated 12 million people have entered the country illegally, coming from more than 150 countries. Federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, have acknowledged they can’t locate millions of them, The Center Square reported.
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