The hourlong debate was held at radio station WCLO and moderated by host Tim Bremel. Steil, a Republican and corporate lawyer from Janesville, has represented the district since 2019. Berman, an emergency room nurse, won the Democratic nomination in August.

Berman repeatedly criticized Steil’s support for the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, arguing that its Medicaid cuts and the eventual expiration of some health insurance subsidies will leave more people struggling to afford care. Steil defended the law and accused Berman of misrepresenting its effects.

Asked to name a federal policy that could help household finances, Berman called for repealing the Trump administration’s broad tariffs, saying they raise prices for consumers. He said Steil had voted eight times to continue them. Steil instead praised the administration’s support for fossil fuels and what he called an effort to “unleash American energy.”

Steil pointed to tax provisions in the 2025 law covering overtime pay, tips, some older adults and the child tax credit. He said Berman opposed the tax relief. Berman disputed that characterization, saying he did not oppose those provisions, but asked why several benefits for working people are scheduled to expire after 2028 while tax cuts for billionaires are permanent. Steil did not directly answer that question.

On health care, Steil said the law would bring Wisconsin an additional $1 billion in federal Medicaid money. That figure refers to increased matching funds tied to a provision in the state’s 2025-27 budget, which Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican legislative leaders advanced before a federal change took effect. Berman countered that the federal law cuts Medicaid funding nationally by about $1 trillion over 10 years and cited projections that 270,000 Wisconsinites could lose coverage when enhanced Affordable Care Act marketplace subsidies expire.

Berman, drawing on his work in an emergency room, said people who arrive uninsured or underinsured can shift costs to patients who have coverage. Steil defended Medicaid work requirements for some adults and said the law would prevent undocumented immigrants from receiving taxpayer-funded care. Berman criticized the law’s added administrative barriers. He did not say he supported Medicaid coverage for undocumented immigrants, but Steil accused him of doing so; Berman replied, “I don’t believe that’s what I said.”

The candidates also disputed campaign financing. Berman said his campaign takes no corporate political action committee money and pointed to his Federal Election Commission filings. Steil argued that a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ad supporting Berman undermined that claim. The debate account cited OpenSecrets’ analysis of FEC filings showing Steil’s campaign received $1.6 million from corporate PACs, or 31% of the $5.3 million it raised in 2025-26.

On Social Security and Medicare, Steil called for reducing waste and fraud. Berman pointed to Steil’s vote against a 2022 law allowing Medicare to negotiate prices for some prescription drugs and criticized federal job cuts at the Social Security Administration. Steil cited arrests and convictions related to Medicaid fraud in Milwaukee County and said more work remained.

On immigration enforcement, Berman called for transparency and accountability and said agencies should focus on serious criminals while following the law. Steil said immigration policy should reflect U.S. workforce needs and said he opposed amnesty, adding that Berman appeared to support it.