The Tiffany Telegram: April 29, 2022

Dear Friend,

This week, Secretary Mayorkas finally appeared before the full House Judiciary Committee – some 15 months after President Biden was sworn in. Mr. Mayorkas was supposed to provide us with long-overdue answers to serious questions about the Biden administration's role in triggering the unprecedented crisis on our southern border, and their continued refusal to enforce our immigration laws.

Astoundingly, Secretary Mayorkas defended his record of complete failure on the border as "effective" – despite the fact that the Department of Homeland Security encountered more than 220,000 illegal aliens just last month. Even worse, the number has exceeded more than 150,000 every single month since February 2020 – the longest sustained influx ever.

The situation has become so chaotic on the U.S.-Mexico border that America is on pace to see some 6 million illegal migrants cross into our country in the next 12 months alone – on top of the record 2 million we saw last year.

And that's not all.

Secretary Mayorkas also talked up the Biden administration's handling of the botched evacuation in the wake of Afghanistan's collapse, claiming that every Afghan evacuee was "fully vetted" before coming to the U.S. But that's simply not true. Numerous news reports have revealed cases of Afghans with serious criminal records – and even prior deportations – making it to the United States on flights out of Kabul.

This is shocking, but not surprising.

Last year, in the midst of the chaos, CNN quoted a Customs and Border Protection official who admitted that the Biden policy was to "get as many people on the plane as you can, and we'll sort out the [immigration visa] stuff later." This was confirmed by a recent Department of Defense Inspector General report, which concluded that "dozens of people with ‘significant security concerns' reached the U.S.," and that "officials had no idea where most of them were." Other reports have revealed instances of Afghans simply walking off of base compounds before "completing the resettlement process." I can confirm this as true, as I visited Ft. McCoy several times and was briefed by officials about this troubling trend.

We've also seen instances of criminal activity perpetrated by evacuees – most of whom were admitted outside of the normal immigration process, without a visa, through an obscure administrative authority known as "parole." The list includes alleged cases of domestic violence, rape, weapons offenses, and even the sexual assault of children.

I told you last week that President Biden isn't trying to secure our southern border, he's intentionally erasing it. Secretary Mayorkas' testimony this week made that even clearer. It's time for new leadership at the Department of Homeland Security. Americans deserve better.

Thanks again for starting off your weekend with us! We hope you enjoy this week's edition of the Tiffany Telegram.

Sincerely,





Tom Tiffany
Member of Congress

Click here to watch my exchange in the House Judiciary Committee with Secretary Mayorkas.

Inching America into another expensive war?
Some of you may have read that I voted against a bill this week known as "The Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act." I did so because it could pave the way for an open-ended donation of US military equipment to countries in Eastern Europe. While I strongly condemn Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and support arms sales to friendly countries looking to bolster their own security, I am concerned that asking American taxpayers to shoulder the full cost of defending faraway nations is both unfair and unwise. The U.S. is already the largest donor to Ukraine in this war (see the nearby chart). Yet President Biden requested another $33 billion this week on top of the billions in assistance Congress approved just last month. This is despite the fact that the effort has begun to deplete U.S. military stockpiles that could take "months or years" to replenish. With families here at home facing the highest inflation in 40 years, a shrinking economy, and a border catastrophe, this is not the time to spend billions on foreign aid that could potentially draw American servicemen and women into another trillion-dollar conflict half a world away. If the last two decades have taught us anything, it is that it's always much easier to get our country into a foreign conflict than it is to get us out. Intervening in an overseas military engagement, whether through the deployment of US personnel, or a blank check for military assistance, is among the most serious decisions an American leader can make – and a step that should only be taken when clear, vital national security interests of the United States are at stake.

National Security, the economy, and now our Veterans
As we've watched our southern border overrun by illegal immigrants over the course of the last two years, I have often expressed my concerns this crisis poses to our national security and our economy. This week we learned that this administration's reckless policies could claim another victim. Alejandro Mayorkas confirmed during his visit to Capitol Hill that discussions are underway within the Biden administration to potentially divert Veterans Affairs resources to help care for illegal immigrants. Each year we receive requests from the Department of Veterans Affairs urging Congress to provide more funding for resources and personnel to ensure that those who have served our country have access to high-quality care. So it is disappointing to learn that administration officials would even consider diverting much-needed personnel to serve migrants rather than fulfilling their promise to our warriors.

Stagflation?
Earlier this month, I warned Telegram readers that we may be on the brink of a full-on recession due to President Biden's actions in office. Despite initially being warned that his spending habits could set off massive inflationary pressures, President Biden and many in Congress kept spending like there was no tomorrow – and inflation followed suit – skyrocketing to a 40-year high. Rather than reining in this unsustainable spending spree, those same big-spending politicians turned to the U.S. Federal Reserve to clean up their mess by raising interest rates. A move that caused economists to start sounding the alarm on Biden's economic policies once again, this time they warned that it would likely trigger a full-on recession. While President Biden continues to claim that his economy is booming, this week we learned that the economy actually shrank this quarter for the first time in years. This means that the United States economy is officially in a period of stagflation. I hope this week's economic report serves as a wake-up call to the White House, that the administration will finally stop dismissing the red flags and start working to change course – before Americans find themselves mired in a full-on recession.

Biden's new family farm tax
This week I signed on to a letter, alongside 28 of my colleagues, that was sent to President Biden expressing concern about a deeply concerning White House initiative. The President's budget contains a provision that would tax the "unrealized gains" of farm assets – a potential death sentence to many hardworking family farmers. If this new tax were to go into effect, it could mean families paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in unjustified new capital gains taxes. With so many in the agriculture sector struggling with inflation and supply chain disruptions, a punitive new tax could strike a devastating blow to an industry that has been the backbone of America for generations. I will continue to fight on behalf of America's farmers, and I hope the President rethinks this proposed tax. You can read more about our letter here.

Committee Update

Natural Resources
Protecting Wisconsin farmers
As you may know, a destructive policy provision caught a ride on wide-ranging legislation that passed the House earlier this year that would effectively put all Wisconsin mink farmers out of business. The measure was quietly tacked on to a bill that is supposed to address U.S. competitiveness with China earlier this year. I spoke against this provision on the floor and plan to continue my efforts to get it out of this bill as part of a House-Senate conference committee I was named to earlier this month. This week as part of those efforts, I led a letter along with 10 of my colleagues to other members of the panel negotiating the final bill to strike this unfair provision. The inclusion of the offending language in a larger, unrelated bill is a typical, Washington-style sneak attack on mink farmers across the country – particularly those right here in our state. Wisconsin is the top mink producing state in the nation, and it is crucial that we make sure it isn't snuffed out by Big Government. You can read our letter here.

Recent Legislation

Freedom to fly maskless
Last week, hardworking Americans and small businesses that have been struggling under the weight of President Biden's illegal travel mask mandate responded to the Florida court ruling with a deep sigh of relief. However, the Biden administration is already pumping the freedom brakes as they seek to appeal the Federal court ruling that deemed the mask mandate unlawful. Wisconsinites have fallen victim to this sad saga of bureaucratic overreach for far too long, and this week I introduced legislation that would prohibit the Biden administration from using taxpayer funds to appeal the travel mask mandate. Taxpayers shouldn't be forced to pick up the tab for President Biden's endless campaign of virtue signaling to satisfy his political base. Despite what the swamp insiders in Washington may think, the American people are capable of making their own health decisions.

District Update

3M – an economy booster in Wausau
With Congress out of session, I enjoyed spending quality time back home in the Seventh District the past few weeks touring facilities and meeting with constituents. One of my tours was a visit to 3M in Wausau where I learned about the technology and products they are creating to help power our local economy. 3M is a prime example of the American Dream, once a small-scale mining venture that is now a Fortune 500 company. I also took a train ride on Watco's Fox Valley & Lake Superior Rail System (FOXY) to see firsthand how 3M's products are transported.

Thank you, 3M and Watco, for the informational tour!

Rice Lake VA ribbon cutting
I was also thrilled to attend the ribbon-cutting for the VA Outpatient Clinic in Rice Lake. The new Rice Lake VA Outpatient Clinic is a state-of-the-art health care facility that will allow the VA to expand their services to provide radiology and physical therapy. I'm glad to see the VA allocating more resources to the veterans of Wisconsin's 7th District, and I will continue to fight to make access to veteran's healthcare the rule, not the exception.

Do not hesitate to call my district office if you ever need assistance with VA benefits.

Honoring a local hero
On April 18th, my staff was able to attend the 80th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid in Ashland, where George "Red" Barr was honored. After the Pearl Harbor bombing, George participated in the first U.S. attack on Japanese soil in one of the 16 Army bombers that were sent and survived three years as a Japanese POW. His story is one of inspiration and adversity, and I hope you will join me in admiring this local hero who selflessly put his country first.

Team Tiffany honored the VFW Post 690 with a citation for hosting this incredible event.

Upcoming Events

Tomorrow: New Richmond Service Academy Day
This Saturday, I will be hosting my first of two Service Academy Days
at the New Richmond American Legion. If you are a high school student with a desire to serve our nation as a military leader, you won't want to miss the chance to hear from representatives from all five military branches. Admission is free, and parents, teachers, and students at any grade level are welcome to attend.

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

Shipping Season

The first ship of the 2022 maritime shipping season arrived in the Port of Duluth-Superior on April 15th to load critical goods that will fuel the world.

Director of the Year

Bobbie Guyette of New Richmond was named Director of the Year by the School Nutrition Association of Wisconsin's board of directors!

35 Year Legacy

The Daigle Brothers have been serving our community for 35 years. It's amazing how long they have been a backbone to our local economy!

Perfect ACT Score

Nick Knezic of Wausau West High School earned a perfect score on his ACT! Keep up the great work.