The Tiffany Telegram: February 18, 2022
Dear Friend,
With inflation recently hitting a four decade high thanks to President Biden's destructive economic policies, many Americans are left struggling with how to manage their personal finances. The skyrocketing prices have put a strain on the kitchen table budget of families across the nation, and for those living on a fixed income that burden can be even more difficult to navigate.
The spike in consumer prices isn't limited to just groceries and gas. A report from AARP recently stated that if inflation of brand-name drug prices continues to rise many older Americans will soon face drug costs well above their yearly income – leaving them unable to afford the medicine they need.
Earlier this session I introduced the Inflation Transparency for Seniors Act to provide senior citizens with an inflation projection to help them better plan for their future. This legislation increases transparency in government spending and will help hold any administration accountable for enacting policies that place undue financial burdens on the American people.
After my recent Telephone Town Hall, my office received several contacts about Social Security and the struggles our senior citizens are facing to make ends meet.
Each year millions of Americans become eligible for Social Security retirement benefits. After working for decades, paying taxes on their hard-earned income to fund the federal government's programs, some seniors are forced to pay income tax yet again on those same benefits.
Taxing cash-strapped seniors twice in order to receive the benefits they already paid for is wrong and it needs to stop. That's why I signed on to Rep. Massie's (KY-04) Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act, which will amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and put an end to the practice of double taxing our senior citizens.
We have a lot more to tell you in this week's edition of The Tiffany Telegram and we appreciate you starting off your weekend with us!
Sincerely,
Tom Tiffany
Member of Congress
Audit finds "potentially dangerous" Afghans released into American communities
Telegram readers may recall my warning last year that the Biden administration was not fully screening Afghans brought here after the chaotic collapse of Kabul. In the aftermath of the Biden administration's frantic withdrawal, we learned that previously deported Afghans convicted of felony robbery charges and rape managed to board evacuation flights. At Fort McCoy – one of the facilities that housed evacuees – Afghans were leaving the base before fully completing vetting procedures, and we saw troubling reports of minors being molested, spousal abuse and sexual assault. Yet for months, the White House has repeatedly claimed that all Afghans were undergoing "thorough screening and background checks." We now know that wasn't true. This week, the Pentagon's independent watchdog found that "at least 50 Afghans with ‘potentially significant security concerns'" made it into the U.S. The Inspector General report added that the government "appears to have lost track of most of them." This is shocking, but not surprising – and it underscores the possible consequences of the Biden administration's handling of the evacuation. I have written multiple letters to President Biden and other members of his administration demanding answers about his sloppy and dangerously flawed Afghan resettlement policy. Unfortunately, I've yet to receive a reply.
Border disorder: Time for Mayorkas to resign
In addition to the disconcerting Pentagon audit we just told you about, we learned this week that the crisis at America's southern border is steadily worsening. Recently disclosed court documents revealed that border agents encountered more than 150,000 illegal aliens at our border in January – more than twice the number during the same month last year and the highest in 20 years. Even worse, tens of thousands of migrants are simply being released by immigration authorities at the direction of the Biden administration – allowing them to disappear into American communities across the country. Yet rather than taking steps to get control of this chaotic situation, President Biden's Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently issued rules that effectively exemptmost illegal aliens from detention or removal. In short, Mr. Mayorkas has openly declared that he will no longer enforce many of our duly enacted immigration laws – making much of America a de facto "sanctuary nation." That's why this week I joined several of my colleagues in calling on Mr. Mayorkas to step down. You can read our letter here.
End the Capitol lockdown
Today I joined several of my colleagues in once again demanding that Speaker Pelosi lift the U.S. Capitol complex lockdown and reopen our democracy. For too long, the American people have been effectively barred from entering their own Capitol building – unable to share their views and concerns with the people who represent them in Washington face-to-face. If lawmakers can gather in our nation's capital, the people who sent us here ought to be able to do so as well. You can read about our letter to the Speaker here.
Tax time: From bad to worse
On Tuesday, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Chuck Rettig finally raised concern over the agency's massive backlog of unprocessed returns—warning that it could lead to a "challenging" tax season this year. A December report by the National Taxpayer Advocate showed that the IRS still has a significant backlog of more than 8.6 million unprocessed individual income tax returns, 2.8 million business returns, and 5 million pieces of unanswered mail. With tax season right around the corner, new returns will soon add to those piles of unprocessed returns. As Telegram readers know, I've been sounding the alarm for months now and requested that all federal employees return to their pre-pandemic in-person work stations and hours to better address the backlog. Today, I sent a letter to the Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen about the negative impact the IRS backlog is having on constituents and how it has been devastating for small businesses, which have already been struggling the past year due to the pandemic's unique challenges. The letter also called upon the IRS to take several steps this filing season to offer relief to taxpayers and reduce the backlog.
Committee Update
Natural Resources
Hearing on "Environmental Justice"
This week we had a hearing regarding a bill targeted at enacting ‘environmental justice'. One thing I wanted to highlight for our witness panel and members of the committee is the improvements we have made when it comes to our environment. We have greatly reduced pollution, average life expectancy has greatly increased, and infant mortality has notably decreased over the past several decades. In short, we have come a long way, and should recognize that progress even as we strive to be better stewards of our environment. Unfortunately, the focus of this hearing was legislation designed to further erode local control and empower wealthy, Big City "environmental" groups who often work against the best interests of working families. Too often, these groups use the rhetoric of "justice" to turn Americans against one other based on their backgrounds. The bottom line is that thanks to the economic and energy policies of the Biden White House, people of all backgrounds are paying a lot more for everything – hurting those most who can afford it least. Propane prices are up significantly from last year and spiking prices for fuel and natural gas are making everything from food to fertilizer more expensive. It's time to start working together to bring prices down – and stop promoting division.
Judiciary
Special Counsel Filing
Special Counsel John Durham's latest court disclosure this week raised troubling new questions about possible illegal surveillance during the 2016 election cycle – and after. According to the filing, political operatives allegedly breached protected servers at Trump Tower, and later the White House, to "mine Internet data" in an effort to "link Donald Trump to Russia." The filing also alleges that an undisclosed tech company and a university may have participated. These are serious allegations that merit thorough investigation by Congress, and we must make sure that anyone who may have been involved or complicit in criminal activity be held accountable.
Recent Legislation
Unvaccinated need not apply?
This year there's been a disturbing trend taking place at our nation's hospitals—the denial of lifesaving care to individuals who have chosen not to get the jab. Recently, we've seen cases of patients being denied organ transplants as well as their removal from transplant lists. Last month, a North Carolina man in need of a kidney transplant was forced to turn down more than 100 willing donors because the hospital refused to do the operation. It is unimaginable that an organ transplant center with a patient in dire need of a transplant would deny life-saving care – leaving the patient with a death sentence – based solely on vaccination status. While it's sad that there is a need for legislation, it's become apparent that Congress must act. No one should be forced to choose between their beliefs or their life. That's why I signed on to the SAVE Act this week along with my colleague Rep. Ben Cline (VA-06) to ensure that no one is denied an organ transplant or donation based on their vaccination status.
Good News from Wisconsin's 7th District
Daytona 300
Best of luck Eagle River's Natalie Decker who will be competing in the Daytona 300 Xfinity series NASCAR race this weekend!
Queen Betty
This week Marathon County Humane Society's shelter dog, Betty, took over TikTok and received nearly 2 million views which helped her get adopted!
Artist of the Week
Congratulations to Kamden Heckel on winning the Artsonia's Artist of the Week competition, and receiving more than six hundred votes! Keep up the great work!