The Tiffany Telegram: May 20, 2022
Dear Friend,
One of the first moves Biden made after being sworn into office was to rejoin the World Health Organization (WHO). As Telegram readers know, President Trump had withdrawn us from this controversial United Nations body due to its duplicity during the COVID-19 crisis and failure to pass along key information during the early days of the virus outbreak.
The organization chose to follow Communist China’s propaganda about the virus – including their claim that it couldn’t spread from person-to-person – rather than the science.
They also opted to disregard the warning from non-WHO member Taiwan back in December 2019, which could have greatly reduced transnational transmission rather than kowtowing to China.
Now it has come to light that President Biden is looking to go one step further – reportedly proposing amendments at the World Health Assembly that would give the WHO even more power by transferring greater authority for pandemic control from member nations over to this unaccountable UN body.
One amendment goes so far as to eliminate the requirement for WHO to consult with the governments of member nations, including the United States, before unilaterally declaring an infectious disease outbreak.
President Biden’s decision to rejoin WHO without addressing any of the issues that were exposed by the global pandemic is concerning enough. Granting this international bureaucracy even more power is almost unthinkable. But more on all that later.
Thanks again for spending some of your Friday afternoon with us! We hope you enjoy this week’s edition of the Tiffany Telegram – we’ll be back in two weeks with our next edition.
Sincerely,
Tom Tiffany
Member of Congress
Stopping President Biden’s “mass migration event”
As Telegram readers know, President Biden is on the cusp of ending a common-sense, Trump-era border policy that allows for the quick removal of some illegal migrants on public health grounds. It is a move his own advisors have reportedly warned will unleash a “mass migration event,” potentially “crash” our immigration system, and result in nearly 20,000 migrants per day flooding across our border. We can’t let that happen. That’s why this week I joined several of my colleagues in introducing The Border Safety and Security Act, which would make it easier for Border Patrol officers to turn back migrants seeking to illegally enter our country – instead of simply cutting them loose into American communities. You can read more about our bill here.
Biden headed to Asia – but skipping Taiwan?
As China continued to ratchet up tensions in the Pacific this week, President Biden departed for a trip to Asia, where he is slated to meet with officials in Japan and South Korea. Unfortunately, he seems to have left a very important destination off his itinerary: Taiwan. Telegram readers know I have been leading the effort in Congress to restore normal U.S. ties with Taiwan, and to work toward deeper security and economic cooperation between our countries. President Biden has often said his commitment to Taiwan is “rock solid.” That’s why this week, I led a group of nine lawmakers in asking him to demonstrate that commitment by stopping in Taipei for an official visit with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen. The White House hasn’t responded to my request, but I hope they will take it under consideration. You can read our letter here.
Stopped in its tracks
As Telegram readers know from just a few weeks ago, the Biden administration came after our First Amendment rights when they announced they were establishing something called a “Disinformation Governance Board” (DGB). This prompts me to ask: Who knew George Orwell’s “1984” would become a how-to manual for the Biden administration? Thankfully, this move earned widespread criticism and pushback by members of Congress, myself included, who called on Biden’s DGB to be defunded and terminated immediately. Even liberal talk show host Bill Maher was dumbfounded. Thanks to freedom-loving Americans who stood up and spoke out against this Soviet-style directorate, Biden’s DGB has been stopped in its tracks. While this is a win for free speech, we must make sure that nothing like this is ever created again. Our First Amendment is not up for grabs by the Biden administration or anyone else in power.
Biden's blame game continues
It’s no secret that President Biden keeps passing the buck on rising prices at the pump and inflation. First, it was the pandemic, then it was Putin, and now it is because of “price gouging” at the pump. This week, I heard firsthand the disastrous impact the Democrats' latest effort to stop alleged “price gouging” would have on our oil and gas industries from the Energy Marketers of America. During our meeting, it was clear that on day one, Biden’s hostile actions to stifle investment in new drilling and cancel the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline – which would have delivered 830,000 barrels per day – has fueled higher energy prices. In fact, for the first time ever, the average price of gas is over $4 in every single state in America. Made in America is the cleanest and safest in the world. It’s past time to unleash it. Biden’s blame game does nothing to fix the root cause and bring down gas prices, it only inflicts more pain day in and day out on hardworking Americans.
Enjoyed meeting with the Energy Marketers of America, including some constituents in Wisconsin’s Seventh District!
Small business visit in Washington
This week I had the pleasure of meeting with small business owner Shannon Johnson of Superior. Beyond discussing her incredible work, I enjoyed learning how her small business uses digital tools to connect with customers. Small businesses, like Shannon’s, are the heart of our communities, and as our local businesses shoulder the burden of inflation, I will continue to fight for pro-growth and deregulation policies in Washington.
Great meeting small business owner Shannon Johnson!
Committee Update
Another “summer of rage”?
This week in the House Judiciary Committee, we held a hearing on the leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court of the United States and the fallout being seen across the country as a result. As we mentioned last week, some extreme groups are already warning of a “summer of rage” if they don’t get their way and allow for unregulated, “on-demand” abortions right up to the moment of birth. Unruly demonstrations, fire-bombings of pro-life organizations and even intimidation of justices at their homes have broken out over the last two weeks. Despite this, President Biden’s Justice Department has done little to intervene – despite federal laws that prohibit much of this behavior. Remember, this is the same federal agency that has attempted to brand concerned parents as terrorists. This is wrong. On the broader issue, it is important to remember that we have seen amazing medical advances in the last 50 years. We now know unborn babies have detectable heartbeats at 18 days, noses, lips, eyelids, and eyebrows at 15 weeks, and most importantly – those babies feel pain. That is science you can’t deny. As our Declaration of Independence declares, life is an unalienable right. I am committed to defending that right for all Americans, born and unborn.
Click here or on the video above to watch my remarks in the House Judiciary Committee
Recent Legislation
Defunding the corrupt WHO
Since the COVID-19 pandemic first began in Wuhan, China, it has become increasingly clear that the UN-affiliated World Health Organization has become little more than a subsidiary of Communist China. For more than two years, the WHO – and its corrupt leader Tedros Ghebreyesus – have been covering for Beijing, and actively working against the interests of American taxpayers. At China’s behest, the WHO has also blocked Taiwan’s participation in the global health forum. And of course as we mentioned earlier, going so far as to ignore Taiwan’s warning in December of 2019 about the potential for human-to-human transmission of a new virus. We all know what happened next. Fortunately, President Trump ended US involvement with the WHO shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, President Biden restored US funding for this incompetent global bureaucracy last year. More than 16 months later, nothing has changed. There has been no meaningful reform. Tedros has been given a second term as WHO boss, and the WHO is once again poised to reject Taiwan’s participation in the group. This has gone on long enough. That’s why I have cosponsored legislation authored by Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21) that would halt U.S. taxpayer funding for the WHO. You can read that very simple bill here.
Trust the Science Act
I recently introduced a bill with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and 19 other lawmakers that would require the Secretary of Interior to permanently remove gray wolf in the lower 48 states from the list of endangered species. The Trust the Science Act would do this by reissuing the 2020 final rule that delisted the gray wolves. We know that the gray wolf has been a success story of the Endangered Species Act. Now that the wolf’s population levels have recovered, it’s time to turn over management to the states without the threat of activist judges keeping species on an endless merry-go-round of delisting and relisting. The bill has support from members all over the United States as well as from a long list of organizations, including the Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association and the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. I spoke to some news outlets about this legislation, and you can read more about it here.
Small Businesses Before Bureaucrats Act
Despite the challenges employers have faced in recent years, the Biden administration continues to impose new barriers to doing business. The latest chapter in this troubling story is their use of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) as a tool to squeeze American small businesses. In 1935, Congress enacted the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) which established the NLRB to serve as a neutral mediator for business disputes. In recent years though, the NLRB has been used against small businesses. The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted a memo by NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo that “strips away” companies’ free speech rights – steamrolling 75 years of legal precedent. That’s why I cosponsored the Small Businesses Before Bureaucrats Act, introduced by Rep. Bob Good (VA-5). This bill would amend the NLRA by increasing the NLRB’s minimal jurisdictional standards. The original standards, set in 1958, allowed the NLRB to assert authority over retail businesses with an annual revenue of $500,000 and non-retail businesses with an annual revenue of $50,000. This bill would increase these thresholds to provide regulatory relief to more small businesses. After all, a lot has changed since 1958. You can read the bill here.
Upcoming Events
Superior Service Academy Day
On Saturday, June 4th, I will be hosting my last Service Academy Day at the Richard I. Bong Veteran’s Center in Superior from 11 AM-2 PM. If you are a high school student with a desire to serve our nation as a military leader, you won’t want to miss the chance to hear from representatives from all five military branches. Admission is free, and parents, teachers, and students at any grade level are welcome to attend.
Resources
As many begin to travel internationally again, the Department of State is available to assist with passport services. We recommend to apply at least six months before planned travel as routine service may take up to about 18 weeks. For more information, please visit travel.state.gov.
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.
If a friend forwarded you this newsletter, and you would like to receive it in the future, you can subscribe here for weekly updates and 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.
Good News from Wisconsin's 7th District
Boy Scout Helps Elderly
Dexter Burnett from Schofield bravely helped an elderly women get to the hospital after she was injured by a fall.
50 Year Anniversary
Waukesha Bearings just celebrated 50 years of business in Antigo – way to go!
Class of 2022
Congratulations to all 2022 graduates on your well-deserved success! Have a great summer and best wishes as you begin your next adventure.