February 2026

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce recently published the results of its annual employer survey. They found that most employers reported feeling dissatisfied with the quality of candidates entering the workforce. Employers particularly expressed concerns about the quality of Wisconsin’s K-12 education after seeing employees straight out of high school struggle with basic math and reading skills. This lack of skill has created an employment crisis for businesses across the state as they face difficulty finding qualified candidates.

Wisconsin's own Congressman Bryan Steil, as Chairman of the House Administration Committee, recently unveiled the Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act. This is a comprehensive, commonsense package of election reforms that sets clear baseline standards for how states run federal elections. The bill aims to boost voter confidence, strengthen election integrity, and ensure our processes remain easy to vote in but hard to cheat.

Over the past few weeks, I hosted a series of listening sessions across the 17th Senate District, including meetings in Albany, Argyle, Cuba City, Muscoda, Oregon, and Wauzeka.

I heard from more than 150 people during these events, with speakers coming from communities ranging from Prairie du Chien to Brodhead. People came from a wide variety of backgrounds and shared all kinds of opinions, ideas, and concerns.

Viterbo University, a Catholic school, has sent students and employees guidelines about ICE and illegal immigrants. Viterbo is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, a 3 hours southeast of Minneapolis. La Crosse Police confirmed the presence of ICE in La Crosse on Sunday, February 1.

Americans deserve elections that they can trust. After all, confidence in our voting system is the backbone of our Republic, yet today that confidence is at an all-time low.

Last year, I explained how our election system does not require proof of U.S. citizenship when individuals register to vote. Individuals simply check a box saying they are a citizen, and somehow that’s considered “good enough” to vote.

This is why states from Ohio to Virginia to Texas have discovered non-citizens on their voter rolls, with some even casting ballots.