The Tiffany Telegram: March 12, 2021

Table of Contents
Committee Update
Recent Legislation
Recent Votes
District Update

Dear Friend,

This week Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats continued to push a partisan agenda, forcing votes on a series of controversial, outside-the-mainstream legislative proposals that will dig America trillions deeper into debt and target the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

I voted against Speaker Pelosi's $1.9 trillion spending bonanza last month in the House, and this week the legislation came back for final approval after clearing the Senate on a party-line vote last weekend. Just like when it passed the House before, this legislation is a wish list of liberal spending priorities and policy changes that have nothing to do with virus containment or eradication efforts (just 9 percent of the spending in the bill is actually targeted to this purpose). The bill – which liberals have called the "most progressive" in history – would provide hundreds of billions in bailout cash for irresponsible states like Illinois and reckless local governments like San Francisco, $50 million in taxpayer funds for Title X family planning services, such as those provided by Planned Parenthood, and did not include a amendment that would have blocked stimulus checks from being sent to illegal immigrants. One provision of the bill will even pay some federal employees – who already enjoy six-figure compensation packages on average – another $21,000 per year: A classic example of "The Swamp" taking care of its own. Finally, Democrats rejected dozens of Republican attempts to include back-to-school provisions in the bill that would prioritize funding for a return to in-person, classroom instruction.

Telegram readers have also seen my warnings over the last few weeks that Democrats would soon take aim at our right to keep and bear arms, and this week, they did exactly that. Less than a week after rushing a flawed, anti-law enforcement, soft-on-crime measure through the House, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats made good on their campaign promises to enact new gun control measures, targeting the ability of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves, their businesses and their families. These bills would do nothing to stop gun violence or prevent criminals from obtaining firearms, while creating new barriers for sportsmen and other legal gun owners. Even worse, at the same time Democrats sought to impose new restrictions on law-abiding Americans, they rejected a Republican proposal to require notification of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials when a background check indicates that an illegal immigrant is attempting to purchase a firearm.

I am deeply opposed to government infringements of our constitutional rights and voted against these dangerous and unconstitutional bills.

Border disorder
The dangerous immigration policies President Biden has put in place are already fueling a humanitarian and national security crisis at our southern border. From his ill-advised effort to suspend all deportation and promises of amnesty for illegal aliens, to his decisions to halt construction of the border fence and a return to the failed "catch and release" policies of the past, the White House is creating a lawless and chaotic environment that puts all of us at risk. According to statistics released by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, President Biden's first full month in office has resulted in record illegal immigration numbers. Nearly 10,000 unaccompanied juveniles were nabbed at the southwest border in February, and CBP said it recorded more than 100,000 "encounters" with illegal immigrants. Yet as large as those numbers are – they do not reflect the potentially thousands more who evaded detection and made it into our country undetected. Drug seizures at the southern border are also running well ahead of last year, and recent intelligence assessments suggest that the "incentives" the Biden administration's policy changes have created are encouraging drug cartels and human traffickers to ramp up their efforts, and could lead to a "significant influx" of migrants from places as far away as Asia and the Middle East, with some individuals paying smugglers $20,000 or more to get into the U.S. illegally. The chaos is getting worse with each passing day, which I why I joined several of my colleagues in asking the administration to explain how they plan to respond to this crisis, and restore order on the border.

Did Facebook steal the election in Green Bay?
That's a question a lot of people are asking in response to a bombshell story raising fresh new questions about the way a few jurisdictions in our state conducted the elections last year. For those of you who haven't heard, state lawmakers are investigating credible reports that a private advocacy group led by a political operative – and financed by Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg – was allowed to take an active role in running the election in Green Bay. The report notes that the operative was given keys to the main location where ballots were counted, and created such a "hostile work environment" that both the local Clerk and Deputy Clerk resigned. Telegram Readers know that we are deeply concerned about the integrity of our elections, and troubled by legislation (H.R. 1) Speaker Pelosi muscled through the House last month that would expand so-called "ballot harvesting," undermine state voter ID laws, and even pour public money the campaign accounts of wealthy politicians, ad consultants and well-heeled political operatives. I hope state lawmakers will get to the bottom of what happened in Green Bay, and that lawmakers can work together to defeat H.R. 1 and prevent this kind of chicanery doesn't "go national."

Watch: My Floor remarks on the recent Green Bay investigation into election irregularities in Wisconsin.

Sincerely,

Tom Tiffany
Member of Congress

Committee Update
Natural Resources Committee
This week the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources had a hearing on energy development laws. Unfortunately, the Democrats want to double-down on the actions of President Biden and make it increasingly difficult to produce energy in America. As if shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline weren't bad enough, Democrats on the committee now want to add more burdensome and expensive new regulations to energy development in an effort to end all oil and gas production on our public lands. One of the bills discussed in this hearing, H.R. 1506, would implement standards created by the so-called "Sustainability Accounting Standards Board" (SASB). The SASB is a private organization funded by some notable donors, Michael Bloombergand Tom Steyer. If supporters of this bill get their way, the federal government would be outsourcing energy regulations to a private panel founded and funded by left-wing, billionaires. I think that's a bad idea and will continue to fight to ensure that our families and small businesses have access to abundant, affordable, American energy that protects job security, economic security and national security.

Recent Legislation
This week, I cosponsored a bill with my colleague Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri to ensure the continuation of 6-day mail service. Over the years we have seen proposals to eliminate Saturday mail delivery, which would place an undue hardship on rural communities. Elimination of a mail and package delivery, especially at a time when so many of us are increasingly depending on them for everything from prescription medications and food to time-sensitive business and legal documents, just doesn't make sense. Since 1912, the tradition of reliable service six days a week has been a hallmark of the Postal Service that millions of Americans pay for and rely on.

Reopen Schools Act
This week, we continued to see news throughout the country highlighting how the CDC misinterpreted data on safe school reopenings and forced children to remain in hybrid or virtual learning environments. One article which caught my attention in USA Today used the CDC study conducted in Wisconsin school districts as a primary example for how school reopening can be conducted safely and with limited chance of transmission. The science is there. Children have a significantly lower risk of contracting this virus compared to elderly adults, and an even lower probability of ever experiencing any serious side effects. The CDC study in Wood County showed a transmission rate of 0.09 percent in classroom settings, a rate far lower than transmissions of the flu in a normal school year. Most importantly, this article refers to this period of early childhood learning as "a psychological pandemic," a stark reality that too many Democrats are willing to ignore. Anxiety, depression, unstable homes, and food insecurity are all occurring while our Democratic leaders sit idly by willing to let virtual learning ruin the future for America's youth.

Pipelines are lifelines
This week I signed a letter to President Biden that highlights the grave consequences that our state and region would face if the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline was shut down. As we've seen with the Keystone XL pipeline, this administration has already proven its capacity to shut down domestic energy pipelines, so it is essential that Line 5 does not suffer the same fate. The impact of another pipeline cancellation would be enormous, killing thousands of jobs -- including many right here in our state, as well as billions of dollars in economic output. Even worse, it would make energy in the Midwest more difficult to transport, and more expensive. Pipelines are the safest and most efficient mechanism to transport energy products, so getting rid of Line 5 would just force this oil and natural gas to be transported by trucks or rail. I am dedicated to protecting Wisconsin jobs and ensuring we continue to have affordable access to energy. You can read this letter here.

District Update
This week marked more exciting milestones in the battle against COVID and the vaccination process. Statewide, our vaccine administrators have administered more than 1.8 million first doses, with another 200,000 in transit this week. Wisconsin is currently number one in the country for vaccine distribution efficiency i.e. speed of receiving vaccines and getting them in arms. Earlier this week, Department of Health Services announced there will no longer be a waitlist for anyone in a long-term care facility setting or anyone on Medicaid, marking another positive milestone in vaccinating our state's most vulnerable residents. Additionally, this week marked the first week of vaccinations for educators, many of whom received the first doses of Johnson & Johnson coming out of distribution. This is another critical step towards getting kids back in school full-time in every part of the state.

Recent Votes
H.R. 8 NOT Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021
This week I voted "NO" on this assault on our rights. The Democrats, completely ignoring the facts and statistics, continue their all-out assault on our constitutionally protected right to bear arms. All one has to do is canvas the states who have the strictest gun laws, to know this approach at ending crime and violence is misguided and unconstitutional. This bill purports to institute a "universal" background check for firearms purchase and transfers – but nothing could be further from the truth, since universal means everyone. Of course, most criminals steal the weapons they use or get them through illegal channels, so they don't undergo background checks. The Department of Justice announced that 75 percent of criminals in state and federal prison who possessed a weapon, acquired that weapon through theft or so-called "black markets." Less than 1 percent of those criminals got firearms from gun shows. This legislation ignores these basic facts and instead subjects all law-abiding, responsible gun owners to more red tape and bureaucracy. The legislation creates ambiguity for transfers between spouses, family members and victims of domestic violence – shifting the burden of proof from the government to the individual – and could make sportsmen liable for loaning a hunting weapon to friend. We should be focusing on common-sense bipartisan legislation to support law enforcement and put criminals behind bars where they belong, not taking pot-shots at our constitution and putting a target on the backs of legal gun owners.

H.R. 1446, The Democrat Enhanced Background Checks Delay Act of 2021
Similarly, I voted "NO" on this "power-grab" legislation aimed at dissuading gun-ownership. Not only does this enable the creation of a firearms registry, it grants unelected government bureaucrats broad discretion to significantly delay firearm purchases. It eliminates the current "3-day safety-valve," which prevents the government from instituting an indefinite delay on firearm purchases for law-abiding Americans. It addresses the non-existent "gun show" loophole the Democrats insist exists – despite federal law requiring firearm dealers to be licensed, and to initiate a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) check, before transferring a firearm to a non-dealer regardless of where the transfer takes place. For our readers who may not know, under our current system when the 3-day safety valve window has passed, the FBI continues to research the matter that gave rise to an individual's delay—for 90 days after the check was initiated. If it is later determined that the person is prohibited from possessing firearms, the ATF is notified and tasked with retrieving the firearm. The current three-day safety-valve provision is vital and protects gun owners in numerous ways. The safety-valve provision ensures that if there is a disruption to NICS or an overwhelming volume of background checks, lawful firearm transfers from dealers can still take place. Most importantly, the safety-valve provision ensures that the FBI carries out its background check duties in an expedient and responsible manner that recognizes and respects the constitution's individual right to keep and bear arms. Absent this provision, the FBI will have less incentive to conduct NICS checks in a timely manner and would have free rein to indefinitely delay any transfers – and we've seen what happens when we give unelected bureaucrats more power. I am committed to defending our constitution and will continue to stand up for "We the People" not "We the Government."

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.

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.

The Congressional Art Competition is now open to high school students in the district. The deadline to submit artwork is April 14th, 2021. For rules and more information on the competition, visit my website.

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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.