Bryan Steil touts lead reduction in drinking water affecting Black and Brown communities, but actually voted against it

Republican Wisconsin Congressman Bryan Steil recently touted millions of dollars coming to Wisconsin to help reduce lead in drinking water, which particularly affects Black and Brown communities, but the U.S. Rep. never voted for the bill. 

Steil is amid a heated race for his seat in Wisconsin’s First Congressional District, which includes southeastern Wisconsin, including part of Milwaukee County (Cudahy, St. Francis, Oak Creek and South Milwaukee). 

“Great news for Wisconsin! Proud to have worked to bring safe drinking water funding to our state,” Steil said Wednesday on social media, as first reported by Huff Post. He then shared a screenshot and link to an Environmental Protection Agency press release announcing the funding.

The funding is being distributed to states through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which is supported by a $15 billion allocation created under the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Steil voted against the legislation when it passed the House in November 2021.

“Today, I voted against the so-called infrastructure portion of Speaker Pelosi and President Biden’s $3 trillion spending agenda,” Steil said at the time.

“We should be making investments in our nation’s infrastructure, but through a smart, targeted approach that is focused on real infrastructure. Unfortunately, this bill is not paid for, will fund Green New Deal subsidies, and only directs a small portion of spending towards improving our roads and bridges,” Steil said. “I will continue voting against wasteful spending in Washington and protect Southeast Wisconsin families’ pocketbooks.”

A recent investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examined lead poisoning in the region and the communities most affected by it. The newspaper found that while far fewer children in Milwaukee today have the extremely high lead levels seen in previous decades, the neighborhoods where children are most likely to be poisoned have changed little over time.

Although lead service lines are often a major concern, the data showed children tend to have lower lead levels in neighborhoods with the highest concentration of lead pipes, including Bay View. Instead, the findings point to aging housing stock and deteriorating lead paint as the primary sources of exposure. In Milwaukee, those housing conditions are closely tied to the city’s long history of racial residential segregation.

The investigation found Black children living in properties — often rental housing — on Milwaukee’s central and north sides experience higher rates of lead poisoning than White children in other areas of the city, even in neighborhoods with homes of similar age. A comparable disparity was also identified on the city’s predominantly Latino near south side.

A Steil spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment from the Milwaukee Courier, but did provide a statement to the Huff Post. 

“Rep. Steil has consistently worked to support safe drinking water investments for Wisconsin communities, including by supporting and protecting the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which funds Wisconsin’s Safe Drinking Water Loan Program, the federal-state program through which this funding is being delivered to Wisconsin,” the spokesperson said in a Thursday statement.

“His advocacy on clean water issues also includes working with the community of Hales Corners, WI to address PFAS contamination, where assistance through Wisconsin’s Safe Drinking Water Loan Program helped connect impacted residents to the Milwaukee Water System,” said the spokesperson.

Democrats view 2026 as an opportunity to flip Steil’s seat, which has leaned Republican for decades. The seat was once held by former House Speaker Paul Ryan. Steil defeated union leader Randy Bryce in 2020 and was reelected in 2022 and 2024.

Bryce is in the race again in 2026 on the Democratic Party side. A Milwaukee alderman, Peter Burgelis, is also running for the seat, among other candidates. 

“It’s unfortunate that Bryan Steil continues to deceive the hard working people of Wisconsin’s First District,” Bryce said in a statement. “Whether it’s lying about federal help coming after a disaster or about supporting safe drinking water, Wisconsin deserves honest representation.

“He voted against this bill that he is taking credit for.

“November will show how fed up Wisconsin is with being blatantly lied to.”