The Tiffany Telegram: January 21, 2022
Dear Friend,
We're officially one year into the Biden administration. President Biden held a press conference to mark the occasion and tout his accomplishments where he boasted that no other President had done as much as he had in a year. While his actions certainly have "done" a lot—they're not exactly the kind of results most Americans would have hoped for.
The Biden administration's policies have caused numbers to surge across the board – from inflation and gas prices to illegal immigration and violent crime.
Prices have skyrocketed forcing consumers to pay more for everything from groceries to gas due to inflation reaching a 40 year high last month as the consumer price index rose from 1.4% in 2020 to 7% in December. As Telegram readers know the Biden administration policies have also caused energy prices to surge. In just one year gas prices rose from $2.42 in January 2021 to $3.32 now—and experts are predicting that they could continue to rise by another $0.45 by the summer.
Soon after Biden was sworn in, he halted construction on the border wall, paused deportations, brought back the failed policy of "catch and release," and ended the highly successful "Remain in Mexico" program. By November 2021, the President of the National Border Patrol Council announced that the United States had officially reached its biggest border crisis ever as a result of the Biden administration reversing all of President Trump's common-sense immigration policies. The impact of those decisions is now crystal clear: A tidal wave of migrants pouring into our country – with the number of illegal crossings surging by an astounding 128% from the same time the previous year.
Over the past year we've also seen an increase in calls for no cash-bail policies, defunding the police, and DAs that are soft on crime. Not surprisingly, we now see soaring crimes rates, lawlessness, and tragic outcomes. In California smash and grab robberies and "Wild West" style train robberies are actually starting to become part of the norm (more on that later).
It's long past time for the White House to face reality and start working with lawmakers to correct these poor policy choices that have negatively impacted the lives of so many Americans.
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
California crime wave a train wreck for US supply chains
Many of you have no doubt seen the shocking images and videos of rail cars being systematically looted in California, as thieves brazenly cut the locks off containers and steal what they want with impunity, often in broad daylight. In their wake, these organized gangs leave heaps of trash and discarded items, which have piled up so rapidly that the dystopian scene prompted California Governor Gavin Newsom to say his state was turning into a "third world country." But this isn't just California's problem. The refusal of soft-on-crime state officials and President Biden's Department of Justice to confront this problem and enforce the law has ripple effects across the country, as small businesses and families wait for goods ranging from electronics to medical supplies that arrive late – or not at all. That's why this week I called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to stop spending time and resources trying to label parents who attend school board meetings as "terrorists," and to take action to hold the modern-day outlaws staging these "Wild West" style train robberies accountable. You can read more about my efforts here.
NBA owner "doesn't care" about China genocide
Over the last few years, the NBA has dribbled its way closer and closer to the Chinese Communist Party – going out of its way to ignore rampant human rights abuses in pursuit of the almighty dollar. From the persecution of a front office official who expressed solidarity with peaceful democracy protesters in Hong Kong, to current and former NBA stars signing lucrative endorsement deals with Chinese sportswear companies who openly source products from forced labor camps that I called out last summer, it is looking more and more like the league is in a fast-break to rebrand itself as the "Communist Chinese Basketball League." This week the NBA doubled down, with Golden State Warriors owner Chamath Palihapitiya bragging openly that "nobody cares" about the brutal genocide of ethnic and religious minorities being engineered by China's unelected rulers. When asked during an interview about the ongoing genocide, Palihapitiya said "I think it's nice that you care. The rest of us don't care…Of all the things that I care about, yes, it is below my line." I joined Boston Celtics player Enes Kanter Freedom in blowing the whistle on Palihapitiya's outrageous statement and asked NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to hold all league owners to a higher standard.
Will Vice President Kamala Harris stand up to China?
This week the White House announced that Vice President Kamala Harris will be traveling to Honduras to attend the inauguration of their incoming president. Taiwan's Vice President, William Lai, will also be in attendance – creating a rare opportunity for a face-to-face, bilateral meeting between the vice-presidents of Taiwan and the United States. In 1979 when then-President Jimmy Carter recognized Communist China, he also bowed to China's demand that senior Taiwanese officials be barred from meeting with senior US officials. But that changed in 2018 when President Trump signed bipartisan legislation (which then-Senator Kamala Harris voted for) lifting the Carter-era rules and dispatching the first cabinet-level U.S. delegation to Taiwan since the 1970s. Rep. Scott Perry (PA-10) and I have led the push in Congress to normalize U.S. relations with our partners in Taiwan, and this week we wrote to Vice President Harris asking her to meet with Taiwan's vice president next week as part of that effort. You can read more about what we had to say here. For too long, both Republican and Democrat administrations have followed a failed policy of allowing China to dictate the terms of our engagement with Taiwan's democratically elected government. That must come to an end. America does not need a permission slip from the Chinese Communist Party to talk to its friends and allies around the world.
Are cars too easy to steal in Wisconsin?
Officials in Milwaukee apparently think so – but not for the reasons you might think. This week the Wall Street Journal published an editorial highlighting the reckless thinking of some politicians in Milwaukee. Car thefts have tripled in the last two years, thanks to city leaders turning a blind eye to increasing criminality. Instead of holding the perpetrators accountable, Aldermen reportedly want to sue car companies for the surge in automobile thefts. One even claimed that auto manufacturers "are directly responsible…for the drain on police and other city resources that have been sadly directed to deal with the rash of vehicle thefts and the havoc those thefts have brought to our city." More than 10,000 cars were stolen last year in Milwaukee, yet according to former mayor Tom Barrett, only about 2% of the criminals have been prosecuted. Wisconsinites deserve better from the Big City officials whose job is to ensure public safety, protect the property of working people, and enforce the law.
Second Amendment notches courtroom victory
As we've told you on many occasions, the Second Amendment remains under attack. Those seeking to violate our fundamental constitutional rights continue to find excuses to do so, which has not surprisingly led to more litigation. This week, in one of those cases, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that California's COVID gun store shutdowns were illegal, finding that two California counties violated the Constitution's right to bear arms when they shut down gun and ammunition stores as "nonessential businesses" during the coronavirus lockdowns – yet those same counties decided bike shops were essential businesses. Judge Lawrence VanDyke, a Trump appointee wrote "[The Second Amendment] means nothing if the government can prohibit all persons from acquiring any firearm or ammunition…But that's what happened in this case." I agree. Effectively, the decision holds that government "cannot use a crisis to trample on the Constitutional rights of citizens." We've seen many Big Government abuses and overreach during this pandemic, but the tide is turning, and I have faith that our Constitution and common-sense will prevail. You can read more about the decision here.
This week, I had the honor of meeting FFA Central Region Vice President, Cortney Zimmerman, from Spencer, WI.
Committee Update
Making a bad bill a little better
On Wednesday the Natural Resources Committee considered the Recovering America's Wildlife Act (H.R. 2773), introduced by my colleague from across Lake Michigan, Rep. Dingell (MI-12). This bill would amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to create a new subaccount for states for species conservation – but this new subaccount would receive over $1.3 billion in mandatory spending every year with no end date. I oppose this kind of blank check approach to spending, but I tried to make this bill a little bit better by successfully attaching an amendment which would hold back some of the funds for the Department of Interior's Office of Inspector General, which will oversee the program to ensure the money is being spent appropriately. My amendment received bipartisan support and was one of only a handful of Republican amendments to secure passage. I'm pleased I could make a slight improvement to this legislation to provide more oversight.
Last week, Congressman Tiffany joined state and local leaders to discuss the iron floc of Dead Pike Lake in Vilas County, WI.
Recent Legislation
Race-based healthcare
Monoclonal antibodies have become the treatment of choice when patients are diagnosed with COVID-19 as it has had great success at keeping high-risk patients out of the hospital while minimizing symptoms. Unfortunately, as cases have skyrocketed across the country the availability of monoclonal antibodies has become scarce. In response to the shortage, health departments have begun implementing rationing guidelines for determining who is eligible to receive the lifesaving treatments. Several states reached a divisive and destructive low by implementing policies that prioritized access to antibody treatments, vaccines, and other forms of care based on skin color. Our neighbor to the west, Minnesota, openly declared that "race and ethnicity alone, apart from other underlying health conditions," would be considered when determining access to monoclonal antibodies. In Utah, a patient's skin color carried more weight than a patient with congestive heart failure when determining their risk factor and eligibility for treatment. Denying life-saving medical care to Americans based on skin color is wrong, it is illegal, and it is un-American. This week I introduced the Medical Equality and Discrimination Stoppage (MEDS) Act, which prohibits the Biden administration, states, or any other recipient of federal funds from intentionally discriminating against or granting preference to any person based on race in connection with the distribution of or access to medical treatment.