The Tiffany Telegram: September 4, 2020

September 4, 2020

Dear Friend,

This week we saw more encouraging economic news along with some new reasons to be optimistic when it comes to containing and defeating the coronavirus.

The August employment numbers indicate that the Great American Comeback is continuing, with a whopping 1.4 million jobs created in August, building on the 1.9 million created in July and the more than 7 million we saw added in May and June. In addition, the unemployment dropped to 8.4%, an almost 50% decline from where we were in April.

On the public health front, The Wall Street Journal reported that "the U.S. seven-day rolling average of new [coronavirus] cases has fallen by about 40% from its peak on July 25," adding that "[h]ospitalizations are down by 62% in Texas, 60% in Florida, 48% in Utah, 45% in California, and 44% in Louisiana from their peaks…Arizona's hospitalizations…have fallen 78%." Here at home, we continue to see very marginal rates of COVID-19 infection, with the majority of counties in the 7th Congressional district experiencing active cases in the single digits each week.

The Trump administration is also encouraging states to get prepared for vaccine distributionover the next two months as several developers have started or are approaching Phase III of testing.

In this week's Telegram we have some updates for you on:

Keeping America's Navy "Superior"
For the last century, America's status as a superpower has been rooted in our supremacy on the high seas, enabling us to defend our country from foreign threats, to protect vital shipping lanes and to project power globally in support of American interests and values. But that supremacy is facing new challenges from China. Whether or not we can rise to meet that challenge depends in no small part on the health and vigor of America's privately-owned shipyards, including Superior-based Fraser. Yards like Fraser can help save taxpayers money, contribute to the readiness of our navy, and grow the Twin Ports economy. You can read an op-ed I penned on this important topic here.

Tom attends the 12th Annual Andy Hitt Ride with the Brothers by Choice MC in Mosinee, WI.

Virtual Elections Roundtable
This week I joined the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Administration, Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), along with my Wisconsin colleague Rep. Grothman (WI-06) and several election officials from our state in a discussion about potential challenges and best practices for the conduct of fair and secure elections later this year. We were the first state to hold statewide, in-person elections during the pandemic. We did so safely and saw no significant spread of the virus as many critics had predicted we would. Our clerks and municipalities have done a terrific job adapting to this new environment. Wisconsin also has a robust and secure absentee voting system – which is different than the kind of less-secure, mandatory "all-mail" balloting that some politicians have been calling for. Attorney General Bill Barr did a good job of clearly explaining the difference between the two during a television interview that you can view here. I have long been an advocate for Wisconsin's decentralized system, which has worked well, but share many of the concerns AG Barr outlined about last-minute rule changes to mandate wide-scale mail-in voting. We want to see every legitimate and legal vote counted, and the surest way to ensure that happens is to vote in person.

Good news for American agriculture
We got some great news from across the Pacific when Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen announced that outdated restrictions on U.S. beef and pork imports to the island will be lifted. These restrictions have long been an obstacle to closer U.S.-Taiwan ties, and this major step by the Taiwanese will open the door to formal negotiations between Washington and Taipei for a free and fair, bilateral trade deal. This is a positive development that will help us as we look to improve global supply chains and decouple from totalitarian dictatorships like Communist China – which is notorious for unfair trade practices, intellectual property theft, espionage and rampant human rights abuses. I'm excited about this opportunity for American farmers, ranchers and other businesses to expand an already strong economic relationship with our long-time friends in Taiwan.

Bringing whole milk back to Schools
This week, I joined my Wisconsin colleagues in sending a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar about the need to give kids access to whole milk in schools. Like the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, I signed on to last week, this letter outlines our concern with the recommendations of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGA). The DGA guides nutrition policy, and once again it has not considered the science that supports the real value of whole milk. The ban on nutritious whole milk in schools must be lifted, and I am committed to finding the solution that brings whole milk back into our schools' cafeterias.

Rural Telehealth Initiative
This week the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced their collaborative effort to address increasing disparities in rural health including efforts to resolve service provider challenges and promote broadband services. The action comes after President Trump signed an Executive Order in Improving Rural Health and Telehealth Access. Prior to this announcement, the FCC had utilized the $200 million COVID-19 tele-health program as a resource for temporary relief. As we look forward in our work to expand rural broadband access, tele-health will continue to serve as a critical resource to better the quality of care that our rural residents are receiving.

White House support for Wisconsin
We wanted to share some examples of how the Trump Administration has provided critical support to Wisconsin in recent months. Through their partnership with the private sector, Wisconsin has received more than 1.1 million N95 masks, 1.3 million surgical masks, 660,000 pairs of medical gloves, 480,000 surgical gowns, and 160,000 eye and face shields to be distributed throughout the state. Through President Trump's Paycheck Protection Program, the federal government has delivered more than $9.9 billion in loans to nearly 90,000 small businesses throughout the state, allowing many to stay open during this challenging time. Additionally, the administration delivered 2.9 million stimulus payments to Wisconsin residents, totaling over $5 billion. Unemployment has dropped by 6.6 percent since the economy was shut down in April, and in the last three months Wisconsin has seen over 200,000 new jobs. We are also very pleased that in the last month, Wisconsin's 7-day average of cases has decreased by 21 percent from the month of July, indicating we are making significant progress in combating the virus.

Tom tours local small business, Maina Harwoods Mfg., in Hayward, WI.

COVID-19 update
Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District continues to see very marginal rates of COVID-19 with most of our counties experiencing active cases in the single digits each week. Additionally, the fatality rate for COVID-19 in the entire state of Wisconsin is hovering at 1.5 percent, a number that continues to drop as we learn about more treatment options for the long-term. We are proud to have a Phase III COVID-19 clinical trial being conducted in our home state at the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health as so many great medical researchers work towards finding a vaccine. As we mentioned, the CDC advised states to prepare for vaccine distribution in late-October and early-November signaling that a vaccine may be available for release before the end of the year. On a similar note, the federal government is urging people to donate blood, if possible. Additionally, any person who previously tested positive for COVID-19 is being encouraged to donate plasma to be used as a viable treatment option for current COVID-19 patients who need supplemental care.

In case you missed it…
The Lakeland Times reported on some of the work that volunteers at Holy Family Catholic Church and Howard Young Medical Center are doing at area hospitals to support patients in this era of social distancing. You can read about their work here.

Upcoming Events
My office will be holding mobile office hours to assist constituents across the district. An office representative will be available to answer questions and help constituents with casework. The next mobile office hours will be held in:

Hudson, WI
Tuesday, September 8, 2020 - 10:00am
Hudson Public Library
700 1st Street
Hudson, WI 54016

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

White House Tours
White House tours will resume on Saturday, September 12th. Tours will be hosted on Friday and Saturday, 8:00 am to 11:00 am and tour size will be limited. Visit the website for more information and to schedule a tour.

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 Paycheck Protection Program resumed accepting applications on July 6. 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 for service, if you have any questions or need assistance.

Sincerely,

Tom Tiffany
Member of Congress