The Tiffany Telegram: April 8, 2022

Dear Friend,

It's no secret that the Biden administration has created a catastrophe on our southern border. From ending the highly successful "Remain in Mexico" program to returning to the failed policy of "catch and release," the White House has put out the welcome mat for migrants across the globe, fueling record levels of illegal immigration.

And it is about to get much, much worse.

Ignoring the advice of even some Democrat lawmakers, President Biden is now in the process of unwinding a Trump-era pandemic safeguard that allows for the speedy removal of some illegal aliens on public health grounds.

This shift in policy is so extreme and dangerous that Biden's own intelligence advisors have warned that it could unleash a "mass migration event."

Immigration officials are so concerned that they are quietly bracing for the number of migrants flooding across the border to nearly triple – from an already staggering 8,000 illegal crossings per day to almost 20,000.

And that's not all.

This week we also learned that the Biden administration is giving free smartphones to illegal aliens, courtesy of you, the taxpayer.

You read that correctly.

From free cell phones, hotel rooms, travel expenses, and even pre-loaded cash cards, to the pressure this tidal wave of migration is putting on local education, health care and even sanitation costs, you are picking up the tab for President Biden's open borders obsession.

In an even more cruel irony, this misguided White House initiative would actually harm legal immigrants waiting patiently to enter our country the right way as overwhelmed immigration officials will be forced to process an avalanche of illegal migrants, delaying their ability to process the applications of lawful immigrants. In other words, illegal aliens will be rewarded, while those following the rules will be forced to the back of the line.

I have cosponsored a House version of Senate legislation that would stop President Biden's rollback of this last enforcement tool our Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs officers have to stem the tide of illegal migrants. I hope we can work together to pass this measure and force the White House to change course. But the clock is ticking: President Biden plans to fully open the flood gates on May 23.

We have a lot more to tell you in this week's edition of TheTiffany Telegram. We hope you have a good weekend and a Happy Easter – we'll be back in two weeks!

Sincerely,





Tom Tiffany
Member of Congress

House-Senate Conference Committee on China legislation
Yesterday, I was tapped by Leader McCarthy to serve on a House-Senate Conference Committee on legislation related to meeting the challenge posed by Communist China. A conference committee is made up of members from both houses of Congress to iron out differences between versions of a bill passed by each chamber. Telegram readers may recall that I voted against the House version of this legislation back in February because the bill included some very bad provisions, and failed to include some very good ones. Even so, I am pleased that I was named to this panel because I believe China poses a serious threat to America's national security, economic prosperity, and regional stability. China's Communist Party rulers grow richer, more ruthless, and more dangerous with each passing day, and I hope to work closely with my colleagues across party lines to make sure the final version of this bill meets the 21st century challenges posed by Beijing.

Getting Washington, DC out of wolf management
This week, Rep. Boebert and I led a letter to Secretary Haaland of the Department of Interior regarding the recent court ruling regarding gray wolves. We urged the Biden administration to appeal the court decision that "re-listed" the gray wolf in most of the lower 48 states – despite a body of scientific evidence that shows the designation is no longer necessary. We know for a fact that state-run conservation efforts for gray wolves have been successful, yet the authority on who manages these populations keeps flip-flopping. Federal agencies should follow the science and allow states to manage gray wolves as populations have far exceeded recovery goals for years. Unelected bureaucrats and California judges do not know what is best for Wisconsin's wolf management – state and local communities do. You can read the letter here.

FDA, CDC using "political" science?
First, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked a judge to give them 55 years to comply with the Freedom of Information Act to release the data it collected on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Then last month news broke about the Center for Disease Control's habit of withholding COVID-19 data from the American people — releasing only the cherry-picked data that supported their preferred narrative. One professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Dr. Marty Makary, went so far as to say that the CDC is guilty of "using science as political propaganda". Now it's recently come to light that the CDC also "accidentally" inflated children's covid death numbers by a staggering 24%. But it wasn't just the pediatric total that got an artificial boost — it turns out over 72,000 deaths were incorrectly attributed to COVID-19. Enough is enough. Unlike Anthony Fauci, I believe the American people deserve to have all the facts. That's why I signed on to a letter this week to FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf demanding he release all data collected by the FDA on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines. It's time for the administration to back up the science they demanded everyone's trust.

Gun control lobby takes aim at Second Amendment
This week we learned of a horrific shooting that took place in Sacramento, California. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and victims affected by this tragedy. Unfortunately, the event was immediately politicized by local elected leaders, the governor, and even President Biden. In unison, they called for stricter gun laws – deceptively capitalizing on the tragedy, without acknowledging the facts. One of the suspects, a recidivist convicted felon, was released almost five years early from a 10-year sentence; his past convictions included robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Moreover, felons cannot legally own firearms – and as you probably know, California has the strictest gun laws on the books. When the Left calls for stricter gun laws, they really mean a gun ban. The bottom line is that criminals don't go through background checks or follow these laws, and anti-gun politicians know that – but they are counting on you not to. These tragedies are horrible and should never happen, but unconstitutional gun bans aren't the solution. Holding criminals accountable and keeping them behind bars is.

Biden's new inflation tool likely to trigger recession
When President Biden announced his first major spending spree just a couple of months into his presidency, economists warned him that it would trigger massive inflationary pressures of a kind we hadn't seen in a generation. However, he dismissed their warnings and reassured Americans that it simply wasn't going to happen — it did. When inflation creeped in and prices began rising, Biden brushed off concerns and claimed it was just transitory — it wasn't. One year later and the inflation Biden said wouldn't happen is at a 40-year high — leaving Americans to pay more for everything from food and energy to school supplies and cars. Even the Easter Bunny is taking a hit this season due to the soaring costs of milk, sugar, and cocoa. Sadly, instead of just getting their spending habits under control, big-spending politicians are now relying on the U.S. Federal Reserve to clean up their mess. The Fed recently raised interest rates — for the first time since 2018 — as a way of trying to lower inflation. Unfortunately, economists are now sounding the alarm that Biden's new tool to combat inflation is likely to trigger a full-on recession. It's time for Washington to learn to live within its means and stop making hardworking Americans pay the price.

Easter Bunny Battered by Biden's Inflation

Standing with Israel, defending human rights
Last week I joined Rep. Greg Steube (FL-17), Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Louie Gohmert (TX-01), and Randy Weber (TX-14) in proposing legislation that takes aim at the corrupt United Nations' so-called "Human Rights Council" (UNHRC). This dishonest UN organization has been notorious for its targeting of Israel, while turning a blind eye to the widespread human rights abuses of totalitarian governments in Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, and even the genocidal rulers of Communist China. In fact, these very regimes have been allowed to sit on the UNHRC panel (Russia was finally suspended this week from the commission in a lopsided UN General Assembly vote). This legislation would make sure that not a single US tax dollar funds this UN "kangaroo court," and direct the Biden administration to oppose its anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, anti-democracy agenda. You can read more about the bill here.

The "People's House" reopens to visitors
After two years of being closed, the doors to the House of Representatives are finally back open to the public. This week, my office welcomed some of the first 7th District residents back into the Capitol Building since the start of the pandemic. It's great to see Wisconsinites back on the Hill! If you are planning to make a trip to Washington DC, do not hesitate to contact my office for more information on tours. To submit a tour request, please visit my website here.

My Office Welcomed Bernie and Nancy Repka from Holcombe

Protecting our seniors
Last week, I was honored to receive the "Guardian of Seniors' Rights" award by the 60 Plus Association for my protection of senior benefits. With inflation rising, I know many seniors living on a fixed income are struggling to make ends meet. I am committed to fighting for fiscal sanity in Washington so we can tamp down inflation and reduce the price of everyday items like gas and groceries to give folks on tight budgets more breathing room.

Honored to Receive the "Guardian of Seniors' Rights" award

Committee Update

Natural Resources
Fighting for better forest management
This week in the Natural Resources Committee, lawmakers examined the recent infrastructure law and the funds it contains to address the threat of catastrophic wildfires. We had witnesses from President Biden's Forest Service and Interior Department testify, I pressed them on this important issue. One thing I wanted to make clear was that it is the lack of active management of our forests that is the primary cause of this problem. As part of that discussion, I showed the witnesses this graph, which I entered into the record. It shows that peak timber harvesting was back in the late 80s and early 90s. Unfortunately, harvests have steadily declined in the years since – even as many of our forests have become overstocked with dead and diseased timber, creating tinderbox conditions. Unless we take steps to get America's timber industry back online – and modernize antiquated federal permitting and paperwork mandates – American forests will continue to be plagued by wildfires. You can view my full remarks during this hearing here.

Judiciary
When "guest workers" never leave
This week the House Judiciary took up legislation that would subvert America's long-standing limits on immigration – designed to protect American workers – by converting a huge swath of "temporary" visas into direct pathways to permanent residency for foreign guest workers, their spouses and even their adult children. As bad as that idea is, a quirk in the law allows people from foreign countries whose governments refuse to take back their own criminal aliens to obtain these visas. These nations are known as "recalcitrant countries," and perhaps the world's biggest offender is China (you can read more about this issue here). The effect of this loophole is profound. Since we cannot detain these foreigners indefinitely – and their home countries won't take them back – many are ultimately released into unsuspecting American communities on a permanent basis. I attempted to address this problem with a common-sense amendment that would have forced the Biden administration to stop issuing visas covered by the bill to people in "recalcitrant countries." After all, why on earth would we risk bringing foreigners here with the full knowledge that we likely won't be able to remove them if they break our laws? Unfortunately, Democrats rejected my amendment on a party-line basis, but I remain committed to closing dangerous gaps like this one in our immigration law.

Curbing government surveillance abuses
This week the House Judiciary Committee advanced a bill I cosponsored, the Non-Disclosure Act, introduced by my colleague, Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05). Americans on both sides of the political spectrum have expressed concerns about gradually expanding government surveillance powers. In fact rarely a week goes by where we don't hear about a new abuse by the Department of Justice or the FBI. Too often, unelected bureaucrats weaponize our national security apparatus against their political enemies, disregarding civil rights, established procedures, and most importantly—the law. It's not acceptable for the DOJ to gain
unsupervised access to private citizen information without showing probable cause – and issuing a "gag order" doesn't make this abuse any more legal. You can read more about the bill here.

District Update

Art Competition deadline is around the corner
Each spring, the Congressional Art Competition is sponsored by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and I am pleased to invite high school students to participate in the 40th Annual Congressional Art Competition, called An Artistic Discovery. With my 2022 Congressional Art Competition deadline quickly approaching, I want to remind high school students to mail or hand-deliver their artwork to my Wausau office no later than 5:00 PM on Wednesday, April 20, 2022.

The first-place entry will represent Wisconsin's Seventh District for one year in the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C, and I am looking forward to seeing this year's entries. The guidelines and regulations to participate in my 2022 Congressional Art Competition can be found on my website while the student release form can be found here.

Severe Weather Awareness Week
This week was dedicated as "Severe Weather & Tornado Awareness Week" across the state of Wisconsin. While snow may still be on the ground, it's time to prepare for severe weather and tornadoes that occur during the spring and summer months. From knowing where designated shelters are located to making sure you create an emergency kit for your home, it's important for your family and loved ones to take the necessary preparations in case severe weather strikes. You can find more information on ReadyWisconsin's website.

Social Security field offices re-open
Yesterday, the Social Security Administration resumed in-person services at nearly 98% of all field offices for the first time since the pandemic first hit. I've been calling on the administration to re-open SSA field offices for months now and I'm glad that they will finally be going back to business as usual. The SSA strongly encourages people to make an appointment before heading into the office as they are expecting delays and long waits for walk-ins. You can schedule or change an existing appointment by calling 1-800-772-1213 or by contacting your local field office using the SSA's online field office locator application by clicking here.

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

New Hockey Team in Town

The North American Hockey League announced that the Minnesota Magicians will be relocated to Eagle River, Wisconsin, following the conclusion of the 2021-22 season. Get ready to watch some hockey!

Spelling Bee Whiz

Congratulations to Tomahawk middle schooler Elliot O'Connor for making it to the state's spelling bee competition – best of luck!

Local Golf Star

Reece Bartelt, a Northwestern High School graduate, is playing for a spot in the PGA Championship later this month. Good luck!