The Tiffany Telegram: July 10, 2020

Dear Friend,

I hope you had a great 4th of July holiday with your friends and family, and that you had a chance to take in some of the fireworks and celebrations from across our great country, including those at America's iconic Mount Rushmore.

With lawmakers returning to their states for the Independence Day work period, I was back home in our district and:

• Visited with health professionals at the Marshfield Clinic, which continues to play a critical role in our national effort to defeat the coronavirus.
• Met with Wisconsin ginseng growersto discuss some of the regulatory obstacles they face and how we can work together to overcome them.
• Joined several important, bipartisan working-groups known as Congressional Caucuses.
• Added my support to legislation that would help reduce America's reliance on Communist China for key supply chain essentials.
• Heard more experts weigh in on data supporting the need to reopen schools safely and responsibly for in-classroom instruction this fall.

Rep.Tiffany tours Miller-Bradford & Risberg Inc. in Marathon, WI.

Meeting with Medical Experts
This week I visited with community health professionals at the Marshfield Clinic for an update and briefing on their efforts and the critically important work they will be carrying out with a recently announced $22.5 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Integrated Research and Development Laboratory at Marshfield Clinic Research Institute will be serving as the nation's center for testing as part of the on-going CDC efforts to better understand the coronavirus and how to treat it. You can read about the grant here.

The accelerated testing work being done by Marshfield was recently described as "the largest-scale project the lab has taken on, as well as the one with the highest stakes." It was great to spend some time with these hard-working professionals, and we can all be thankful that folks in our community are playing such a key role in this important national endeavor.

Talking Ginseng
As you probably know, America's largest ginseng company by sales is located right here in Wisconsin. American ginseng is the best in the world, and some of the finest is cultivated in Marathon County and distributed to markets here and abroad. But like all businesses, ginseng growers have faced market disruptions during this challenging time due to factors beyond their control.

This week, we met with growers to discuss some of these obstacles, ways to ensure that all agricultural producers have access to relief and assistance programs during these turbulent times, and to remove government barriers that stand in the way of a speedy economic recovery.

Click here to learn more about the Wisconsin ginseng industry.

Rep. Tiffany meets with local ginseng farmers.

Getting Kids Back to School
This week we saw renewed calls for students to return to in-person classroom instruction in the fall, and fresh warnings about the risks we face by keeping our schools shuttered.

You may remember the findings reported by the American Academy of Pediatrics about the need to get our kids back into classrooms as soon as possible, with the group noting that "[t]he importance of in-person learning is well-documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in the spring of 2020."

You may also recall some data from a recent Pew Research Center analysis, underscoring the difficulty that mandatory online learning poses for lower income and rural households (who often find themselves on the opposite side of the digital divide when it comes to reliable internet access), and a recent assessment of more than 900 child care centers serving 20,000 children suggesting that we can safely and responsibly reopen schools with minimal risk.

This week, Vice-President Pence and President Trump also voiced support for ending school shutdowns. Dr. Anthony Fauci also weighed in, noting in a radio interview that "[i]f you keep children out of school, the unintended negative ripple effect – consequences – can be profound." You can listen to that segment here.

It is becoming increasingly clear that distance learning is simply not an adequate substitute for in-person classes, and the research is already bearing that out.

Congressional Caucuses
Congressional Caucuses are coalition groups formed on Capitol Hill by lawmakers from both parties to exchange ideas and pursue common legislative objectives. As a new Member of Congress, I am seeking to participate in a number of these important forums to cooperate with like-minded colleagues from both sides of the political aisle to seek solutions in areas where we share common ground. So far, I have joined caucuses related to dairy farming and sportsmen's issues, and I am seeking to join working groups on the cranberry industry, ports, rural broadband and others. We look forward to updating you on the priorities of these caucuses as they arise and advocating for the interests of Wisconsin during our deliberations.

Reducing Our Reliance on Communist China
As we all know, the recent public health environment has revealed the very real dangers associated with relying on Communist China for essential products and strategic resources. President Trump has taken steps to address US security and economic vulnerabilities related to our dangerous dependence on Beijing, and to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for their human rights abuses, unfair trade practices, deception in international organizations, theft of intellectual property and provocative and destabilizing behavior toward the US and other democratic nations.

That's why this week I cosponsored The American Critical Mineral Exploration and Innovation Act, legislation designed to help address the threat posed by over-reliance on China for minerals. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida, will help secure US supply chains for the components we rely on for everything to energy production and storage to defense systems and everyday technology and devices that businesses and families use every day.

You can read the text of the legislation here, and view information about the bill provided by Rep. Waltz' office here.

In case you missed it….
The Washington Times reported this week that "the number of Americans dying from the coronavirus has been falling for weeks," adding that "the ratio between confirmed deaths and confirmed cases [in the United States] is well below that of France, the United Kingdom and Germany."

The report added that "the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an update Friday noting that the death rates from pneumonia, influenza and COVID-19 have dropped for 10 straight weeks, from 9.0% in week 25 to 5.9% in week 26 and almost rea

ching the point at which the outbreak would no longer be considered an epidemic."

You can read the whole story here.

You can also check out the infographic, which appeared in The Wall Street Journal, showing the trend of daily reported COVID-19 deaths over the last four months.

Regional Assistance
In addition to my Wausau and Washington, DC offices, you can reach my staff located in various parts of the district by phone in the location most convenient to you (Note: These lines have 202 area codes as they are connected directly through the US House of Representatives system in Washington, DC):

Hayward: (202) 510-2790
P.O. Box 586
Hayward, WI 54843

Hudson: (202) 510-8993

Tomahawk: (202) 738-6508

Coronavirus Response Resources
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.

The USDA also continues to accept applications for assistance under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) through August 28, 2020 to assist farmers and ranchers who have been adversely affected by price instability, supply-chain problems and cost spikes. You can learn more about how this program applies to soybeans, dairy, corn, livestock and a variety of other agricultural products here, and a useful fact sheet on the program can be viewed here.

As you might recall, the Paycheck Protection Program briefly lapsed, but President Trump signed bipartisan legislation extending the deadline to apply for assistance under the program. The PPP program provides assistance to employers negatively affected by the public health emergency.

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.

And once again, remember to make sure that you and your family are counted in the census. Please be sure to visit 2020census.gov to learn more.

If a friend forwarded you this newsletter, and you would like to receive it in the future, you can sign up here, and don't forget to 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, if you have any questions or need assistance.

Sincerely,

Tom Tiffany
Member of Congress