The Tiffany Telegram: April 1, 2022
Dear Friend,
This week in Washington President Biden submitted his fiscal year 2023 budget request to Congress – unfortunately for the American taxpayer it looks as if the President has taken it upon himself to make a bad situation even worse.
As Telegram readers know, during the past year the Democrats have had one party rule in Washington which gave them the freedom to go on one spending spree after another – causing inflation to skyrocket to the highest level in 40 years as gas prices reached their highest price everrecorded.
While American families are facing a $5,200 yearly inflation tax from spending more on everything from groceries to gas as a result of runaway government spending – President Biden decided to double down and spend even more – $5.8 trillion more.
To make matters worse his budget also increases taxes on hardworking Americans by tacking on another $2.5 trillion in taxes – the largest tax hike in history.
That includes a nearly $1 trillion tax hike on families and a $1.5 trillion tax increase on small business owners – many of whom are still trying to recover from the revenue they lost during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
As I've said before, if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you have to do is stop digging. Unfortunately, it looks as if President Biden still isn't quite ready to put his shovel down.
Thanks again for starting off your weekend with us – we have a lot more to tell you about in this week's edition of the Tiffany Telegram.
Sincerely,
Tom Tiffany
Member of Congress
Drug prices: Right goal, wrong approach
Some of you may have heard that I voted against legislation this week aimed at lowering the cost of insulin by imposing a government price cap on out-of-pocket costs. While government price caps for insulin may sound good in theory, in reality, price controls will only drive insurance premiums higher, force uninsured diabetics to pay even more for insulin, and undermine life-changing, healthcare innovation. I am also concerned that this bill could lead to nationwide drug shortages and rationing – something we have seen happen in other countries that try to mandate the price of prescription medications. Instead of increasing government control over healthcare, a better approach to lower the price of insulin – and other prescription drugs – would be to increase competition and require greater transparency for middlemen who negotiate prices with drug companies and pharmacies. That's why I signed on to the Lower Costs More Cures Act, which is a more comprehensive proposal that will help make drugs more affordable for all patients without increasing government controls that put patient access and care at risk.
"High" priority, or bad April Fool's joke?
As we just explained, Americans are struggling with record-high gas prices, the worst inflation in more than a generation, an alarming spike in homicides, and an unprecedented surge in illegal immigration. Yet instead of confronting these challenges, Speaker Pelosi scheduled a vote on legalizing marijuana. Beyond simple decriminalization, the bill would also collect personal details of marijuana sector employees – including their race and ethnicity – for a massive, publicly accessible government database. In addition to raising serious privacy concerns, this would lay the groundwork for yet another race-based quota system that picks winners and losers based on skin color (something Democrats have already attempted to do with farm policy). I tried to improve this legislation by offering two amendments (they are listed as Amendments #7 and #8 here). The first would have required child-resistant packaging and a Surgeon General's warning label on cannabis products detailing the danger marijuana use poses to pregnant women and their unborn babies. The second would have banned the use of ingredients or flavor additives that appeal to children – such as fruit, chocolate and vanilla, or candy – in marijuana-infused products. Sadly, Democrats refused to even allow a vote on my amendments before passing it on a largely party-line vote. Fortunately, Republicans were able to narrowly defeat a dangerous Democrat amendment that would have prohibited federal agencies from denying security clearances for applicants past – or even present – marijuana use. You can read more about the debate over this April Fool's Day legislation, and what I had to say about it, here.
Warning: Be on the lookout for gas thieves
With gas prices hitting record-breaking levels, criminals are employing new methods – like drilling holes into your gas tank – to steal the gas right out of your car. While it's a sad reality that we must be alert to the possibility of this happening, please make sure you are taking precautionary steps to prevent gas theft. This includes purchasing a locking gas cap and parking your car in your garage or a high foot trafficked or well-lit area.
Protecting farmland as global food shortage looms
Did you know that it would take the landmass of approximately 1,579 Wisconsin farms for intermittent solar energy to power our state? That is 1,579 farms no longer providing the food we eat every single day. President Biden admitted that global food shortages are "gonna be real." So why is his administration continuing to spend your hard-earned tax dollars to take prime Wisconsin farmland out of production? It's time for Congress to level the playing field and restore common sense and fairness to energy and agricultural policy by removing the corporate welfare that has propped up substandard energy sources for far too long. After hearing from many Wisconsin farmers who expressed their frustrations about not being able to compete with gold-plated, green energy subsidies, I introduced the FARM Act to eliminate the tax subsidies that replace actual farms with wind and solar "farms." You can read more about the bill in a recent op-ed that I penned here.
Committee Update
Natural Resources
More talk, little action from Dems on energy, mining
This week the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee held an oversight hearing on orphaned oil wells and abandoned mine lands. While it is important that we see these wells capped and sites mitigated, it's clear that the Biden administration's priorities are misplaced. They are more focused on finding "undocumented" wells than stopping "undocumented migrants" from flooding into our country. It's also important to remember that one of the greatest profiteers of this administration's energy policies is Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who is reaping the benefits of oil and gas prices that are soaring thanks to President Biden's anti-oil-and-gas policies. It's time to put an end to self-destructive energy policies that are costing us at the gas and on the world stage. I am committed to restoring American energy dominance, and providing relief to working families and small businesses.
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| Watch my Remarks During the Hearing |
Recent Legislation
Refueling America's energy independence
This week I joined my colleagues from the Natural Resources Committee in helping introduce six important pieces of energy legislation. The six bills offer various solutions to our current energy crisis by reversing the Biden administration's anti-energy policies and unleashing domestic energy production here at home. Specifically, these important bills would resume onshore or offshore oil and gas lease sales and require the Biden administration to process applications for new oil and gas drilling in a timely manner. Enacting these bills would go a long way toward helping restore American energy independence by reversing these costly Biden-era policies. You can read more about the six bills here.
A closer look into irresponsible crime policies
This week I cosponsored the Pretrial Release Reporting Act
introduced by my Wisconsin colleague Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, which requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to report information on individuals released on bail and pretrial release from state courts charged with violent felony offenses. As you know, rogue District Attorneys including Milwaukee's, have implemented policies that favor criminals and put communities at risk for more violence from recidivist offenders. As homicides, rapes, robberies, and other crimes surge throughout Wisconsin and the country, District Attorneys should be enforcing our laws and holding perpetrators accountable, instead of finding creative new ways to allow criminals to commit more crimes It's indisputable that this practice not only jeopardizes community safety, but also places our law enforcement officers in increased peril. I will continue working with my colleagues and law enforcement partners, to ensure criminals are held accountable and we regain the rule of law. You can read more about
this legislation here.
District Update
Hitting the town
Last week, I spent two days holding listening sessions around Wisconsin's 7th District to hear from constituents and discuss my work in Washington DC. My staff and I visited six different counties and traveled over 500 miles. We even made a quick stop to fill up our gas tank – a costly reminder of how important it is for us to reverse President Biden's disastrous energy policies.
Thank you to everyone who was able to come out to my listening sessions and ask questions. While the topics varied in every listening session, one common thread was growing concerns with rising energy prices. While I continue to urge President Biden to change course, and work with my colleagues on bills to drive down energy prices by producing more Made-in-America oil and gas, many of my colleagues on the other side remain committed to doubling down on the same failed policies that got us here in the first place.
At Rocky's Service in Cable filling up in between listening sessions
Emery powerlifting superstar
Congratulations to Mitchel Gamache of Amery High School for winning the 2022 Wisconsin High School Powerlifting Association (WHSPA) State Championship in the 181-pound weight class. Mitchel set state records in both his bench press lift at 353 pounds and in his total weight lifted at 1,328 pounds. It is safe to say I couldn't keep up with him in the gym.
Congratulations Mitchel
Upcoming Events
The opportunity of a lifetime
If you are a high school student with a desire to serve our nation as a military leader, you won't want to miss my annual Service Academy Days coming up this spring. While attaining a Service Academy nomination can be a long road, these are great opportunities to learn how to receive a world-class education, while serving your country.
We are less than a month away from my first Service Academy Day at the American Legion in New Richmond. On Saturday, April 30th from 11am - 2pm students will hear the best practices of the nomination and application processes and have the opportunity to talk with members of my staff and representatives from all five military branches representing their respective academies. I will also be hosting a second Service Academy Day in Superior at the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center. Admission is free, and parents, teachers, and students at any grade level are welcome to attend.
All high school students admitted to our nation's military service academies must first receive a nomination from at least one member of their state's Congressional Delegation, the Vice President, or the President of the United States. Last year, I had the pleasure of nominating Cadet Levi Black to the United States Air Force Academy, and I received an update from him just recently letting me know of his rigorous, yet rewarding, schedule and his accomplishment of making the Dean's list his first semester. Keep up the great work Levi!
High school students seeking my Service Academy nomination should visit my website to access the application and learn more about the nomination process.
Resources
As many begin to travel internationally again, the Department of State is available to assist with passport services. We recommend to apply at least six months before planned travel as routine service may take up to about 18 weeks. For more information, please visit travel.state.gov.
The USDA continues to make resources and assistance available to agricultural producers and working families to ensure access, safety and stability for food markets and supplies.
Small businesses can also apply for assistance through the Economic Injury and Disaster Loan program. This program provides economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue as a result of the pandemic.
If a friend forwarded you this newsletter, and you would like to receive it in the future, you can subscribe here for weekly updates and connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
As always, you are welcome to visit my website or to contact my offices in Washington, DC or Wisconsin, which remain open for service, if you have any questions or need assistance.
Good News from Wisconsin's 7th District
Happy 103rd Birthday!
Dolores Schraufnagel of Price County turned 103 on March 23rd. Happy birthday, I hope you had a great day!
Young Author
Congratulations to Samantha Gibson from New Richmond who just released her first bookat seventeen years old – way to go!
Conference Player of the Year
Tyson Blanchard was named boys basketball conference player of the year for the Lakeland-West conference. Congratulations!