The Tiffany Telegram: July 16, 2021

Dear Friend,

Congress is preparing to reconvene for legislative activity after a two-week recess, and likely to begin work on yet another massive spending proposal that is being framed as an "infrastructure package" as early as next week. There's just one catch: The plan has very little to do with roads or bridges. It would, however, plow $3.5 trillion in new spending into a host of Big Government giveaways: Everything from "free" college and earmarks for "racial justice" programs to a "100% carbon-free electricity standard" that's bound to raise utility bills. It even includes a sweeping amnesty for 10 million illegal aliens.

Speaking of immigration, the border crisis continues to worsen with each passing day. This week we learned that at least one million illegal migrants have crossed our southern border in President Biden's first six months in office – a staggering figure. Even worse, thanks to President Biden's failed policy of "catch-and-release," the lion's share of illegal aliens are fanning out across the country, with few, if any, bothering to check in with immigration officials as they are directed to. Once they are cut loose, we have no idea where they go, and few tools to track them down.

On the national security front, Telegram readers may recall that the House approved an amendment I offered shortly after coming to Congress authorizing shipyards like Fraser in Superior to conduct vital maintenance and repairs to U.S. Navy ships. I wrote a column about it at the time highlighting the vitally important role these shipyards play in America's military readiness. That contribution has come into much sharper focus with news that Communist China's naval force is now larger than our own. Yet despite this disturbing development, the White House budget proposal for the Navy would actually result in the decommissioning of 15 vessels – and President Biden recently declared that climate change is the "greatest threat" to U.S. national security. This is troubling, to say the least, and I hope to work with my colleagues to make sure that our armed forces have the resources they need to counter real global security challenges, and that America maintains a strong and vibrant shipbuilding industry.

Thanks again for starting off your weekend with us, and we hope you enjoy this week's edition of the Telegram.

Sincerely,

Tom Tiffany
Member of Congress

Government tracking your text messages?
You read that right. This week, Biden administration officials suggested that they will push phone carriers to "scrutinize phone and social media messages" for "misinformation" – something that would have been unthinkable even a few years ago. For too long, Big Tech and Big Government have been working together to intimidate their critics, undermine digital free speech, fuel cancel culture and create an environment where Americans are increasingly afraid to speak their mind. I am deeply opposed to technology giants restricting our right to free expression and silencing those with whom they disagree. That's why I've cosponsored legislation to roll back the blanket immunity these companies hide behind as they engage in widespread censorship and viewpoint-based discrimination. You can read a news report about the White House's disturbing text message policing plans here.

Court rules handgun ban unconstitutional
This week, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court ruling that banned sales of handguns to individuals between the ages of 18 and 21. Judge Julius Richardson found that "Our nation's most cherished constitutional rights vest no later than 18…And the Second Amendment's right to keep and bear arms is no different." This is a welcomed development, especially in light of skyrocketing violent crime rates in big cities – a spike driven by soft-on-crime policies like the elimination of cash bail and so-called "sentencing reforms" that put repeat criminals back on the streets faster. Despite this important ruling, however, our right to keep and bear arms remains under threat. Some lawmakers have floated proposals to license and tax guns, ammo and magazines, and are demanding new hurdles that will make it harder for law-abiding citizens to defend themselves and their families. I oppose these unlawful and unconstitutional schemes. The way to address rising crime isn't more restrictions on lawful gun ownership, it is making sure we adequately fund our police, and hold the bad guys accountable.

California-style climate control
Imagine a future where decisions about when you can turn on your air conditioner, crank up the heat in winter, do your laundry or charge up your electric car are made by bureaucrats, not you. Crazy? Maybe not. We could be getting a sneak peek at that kind of tomorrow in California, where skyrocketing power rates and a lack of adequate generating capacity are prompting calls for people to "voluntarily conserve electricity when there is an anticipated shortage of energy supply." But how long before it's not voluntary? Instead of imposing heavy-handed government mandates and strangling America's energy sector with red tape, we should tap into our nation's abundant resources so that every American family and business has access to the affordable and reliable power they need – when they need it. That's why I oppose policies like the "Green New Deal," and support common-sense legislation expanding access to American energy and minerals and putting the Keystone XL pipeline project back on line.

Countering Chinese mischief in the Caribbean
While all Americans have been inspired this week by images of the Cuban people coming together to demand an end to more than six decades of dictatorship, a darker situation is unfolding nearby in Haiti, where that country's president was killed by assassins in a brazen, well-organized operation. Haiti is one of the few remaining countries that has normal ties with America's friend and ally Taiwan, and the chaos that is enveloping the country in the wake of the assassination has created an opportunity for China to make mischief on America's doorstep. This week Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and I warned the Biden administration about the dangers of Beijing gaining a greater foothold in the Caribbean. We also encouraged Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to work with his counterparts in the region to counter rising Communist Chinese influence.

ATF Proposed Rulemaking
This week I joined my colleagues in sending a letter to the Attorney General of the United States and the Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. We have deep concerns and oppose their definition of "Frame and Receiver" and Identification of Firearms. The proposed rule would create overbearing marking requirements for manufacturers and give pre-approval authorization of new firearm designs to the Director of the ATF. Further, this proposed rule exceeds the ATF's congressionally granted authority by creating definitions for terms and concepts that do not appear anywhere in statute. These regulations hinder the development ability of manufacturers to produce new firearm designs or improve upon features of previously designed firearms. This proposed rule is just another example of the Biden administration's attempt to eliminate law abiding citizens' Second Amendment rights by furthering government overreach over the U.S. firearm industry.

COVID Update
As we cross the 18-month threshold of COVID-19 in the U.S. I would like to applaud all of you for working hard to support our local economy. It's great to see tourists back in our lake communities, businesses open, and "help wanted" signs in windows. That said, I wanted to highlight some recent data summaries being released both at the state and federal level that reveal some of the tragic impacts of last year's lockdowns.

The Wisconsin Hospital Association recently released their data set showing the utilization of non-emergent care services throughout the pandemic. Following Governor Evers' lockdown announcement in March 2020, hospitals were forced to suspend all non-emergent services resulting in a more than 85 percent decrease in elective procedures such as hip replacements and a 95 percent decrease in preventative care such as colonoscopies and biopsies. This delay in care has resulted in tragic events, which many of you may have heard anecdotally such as cancer going unidentified or joint function becoming immobile due to lack of immediate care. Following the reopening in June, hospitals continued to see reduced rates of patients coming to them for non-emergent procedures. Volume of inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department services are all tracking at levels below the volume reported in 2019. Possible causes for these low numbers include stigma associated with COVID and hospital staffing challenges made worse by work-discouraging supplemental unemployment payments.

I also wanted to share some data released by the CDC earlier this week reporting a 30 percent increase in drug overdose deaths from 2019 to 2020. The peak number of deaths occurred in May 2020, when 3,597 more overdose deaths occurred than in the same month in 2019. Overdoses from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl were up 54 percent from 2019, a number which not only highlights the lack of clinical support services offered during the pandemic, but also the impact of drug smuggling on our southern border. There is no question the lockdown period from March to May 2020 had dire consequences for both the physical and mental health of Americans, and we need to work together to make sure people have access to the medical care and support services they need.

Door-to-door vaccine checks
Many of you may have heard President Biden's suggestion that the next step in vaccine distribution may include going door-to-door at people's homes to encourage shots. I am deeply concerned about the impacts this invasive approach may have on people's privacy. I am also concerned that these visits will create an environment where people are coerced into revealing their medical information for entry into a government database. That's why I joined several of my colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden requesting more information on this proposed policy, which raises serious constitutional questions.

Agency news on vaccines, masks
I would also like to highlight some of the more recent announcements coming from our federal agency offices. Earlier this week, the FDA released a warning that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could increase the risk of developing Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), a neurological disorder usually presenting with feelings of weakness and tingling. The warning clarifies these diagnoses are fairly isolated to males over 50.

Additionally, HHS released a statement clarifying there is no research to support a booster shot for the two-dose or single-dose vaccines at this time. The FDA, CDC, and NIH are all engaged in research to determine if and when a booster may become necessary sometime in the future.

Finally, the CDC announced vaccinated children may go without masks, something that frustrates many parents of children under 12 years old who are not yet eligible for a vaccine. The critical component of this announcement is that the CDC issues guidance, not mandates. Local officials will still have the ability to decide if masks will be mandated or not and we encourage you to reach out to your local school board officials to have these conversations. We know children are in the lowest risk category and we know it is critical to give them the ability for normal emotional expression and physical exercise free from the constraints of a mask. Let's keep working hard to give our kids the rights they deserve.

Committee Update
House Judiciary Committee
This week I joined my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee for a hearing on "diversity" in the judicial system. I think it's important to first highlight the importance of having a well-qualified, merit-based judiciary. I believe that qualifications, experience, and application of the law should be the metric by which our judiciary is staffed. In other words, we should always strive to choose the best person for the position. However, some on the other side seem to believe that we should judge people first and foremost on their skin color, gender, or ethnicity. It is unfortunate that some of my colleagues want to take us back to a time where Americans are judged based on these group characteristics rather than on their merits and qualifications as unique individuals. I oppose these kinds of unconstitutional racial quotas, and the efforts of those who want government to treat Americans differently based on their race.

House Natural Resources Committee
This week we considered several bills, including one dubbed the "Blue New Deal." This bill would ban new offshore oil and gas leasing in certain areas and spin our reams of burdensome red tape and regulation across the country. I offered an amendment to address one of the big issues I have with this bill: The creation of a "map" that would pave the way for more federal regulatory interference in matters best left to local control. For example, just one watershed included in this map, the Mississippi watershed, accounts for about 40% of the continental United States. This federal initiative could be used as a pretense to justify the targeting of dams, levees, dikes, or other structures for removal because they are labeled as "threats to the health of a blue carbon ecosystem." My amendment sought to eliminate this map and with it the potential for expanded federal control. Unfortunately, my amendment was rejected by committee Democrats.

I introduced an amendment to eliminate the harmful mapping provision in the "Blue New Deal" which targets dams, levees, and dikes in the interior of the US.

District Update
Ashland Industry Tours
Last week, I visited with leadership at Memorial Medical Center (MMC) and learned about their partnership with Essentia Health to provide state-of-the-art cancer treatment to residents of Northern Wisconsin. MMC's investment provides hope for those who otherwise needed to travel to larger markets for chemotherapy and other diagnostic treatments. MMC is one of the largest employers in the region providing a full range of medical services from orthopedics, ENT specialties, behavior health and occupational therapy.

After MMC, I also toured the production floor of Bretting Manufacturing, a fifth-generation leader in paper converting equipment. Bretting's engineering, manufacturing and service is recognized globally as the premier producer of napkin-folding and specialty packing equipment. Like many industries, Bretting Manufacturing is on a trajectory for growth and looks to our technical colleges and universities for high-skilled workers.