Dear Friend,
 
While I had a great week back in Washington honoring our brave law enforcement officers, I wanted to take a minute to say thank you. Three years ago today, I was sworn into Congress, and although, there is still much work to be done, we have been able to accomplish so much in three years. That wouldn’t have been possible without our Telegram readers, and I hope you enjoy our 3-year anniversary rebrand.
 
As you may know, it was National Police Week – a week to honor, recognize, and pay homage to our brave men and women in law enforcement. While much of their work is seen by few, our police officers are the backbone of our communities. They wake up every day not knowing if they will return home to their families, and regrettably, that has happened too often in Wisconsin this year.
 
I hope you will join me in honoring Officer Peter Jervig, Officer Hunter Scheel, Officer Emily Breidenbach, and Deputy Sheriff Kaitie Leising. These Wisconsin officers dedicated their lives to keeping us safe, and my prayers are with them.
 
Unfortunately, during the last few years, we have seen a steady decline in respect for law enforcement and even a push to defund them. While I had high hopes that this week would be a week for both political parties to show bipartisan support for our law enforcement officers, it unfortunately brought out some members’ true colors.
 
On Wednesday, the House voted on the POLICE Act of 2023. This legislation would require that aliens who assault a police officer must be deported. Astoundingly, 175 Democrats voted against it. You can view that vote total here.
 
We must hold those who seek to harm our law enforcement officers accountable, and anything less than accountability is unacceptable.
 
The House finished National Police Week by voting on a resolution to back the Blue and condemn efforts to defund the police. As a result of the 2020 Defund the Police movement, the men and women who risk their lives to protect our communities have been villainized and attacked. We must not forget the tragic consequences this movement caused as 2021 was the deadliest year in two decades for our law enforcement officers.
 
In 2020, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) said, “Defunding police means defunding police,” and Representative Ilhan Omar (MN-05) said, “Not only do we need to defund, we need to dismantle” police departments.
 
H. Con. Res. 40 gave these lawmakers a chance to reverse course and pledge their support for our police officers, but that did not happen. Instead, 117 Democrats voted no on the resolution to condemn efforts to defund the police.
 
Law enforcement officers deserve our support every single day, and I am eternally grateful for their service to our communities. The Seventh District supports you, thanks you, and prays for your safety.
 
Thanks again for starting your weekend off with us! We will be back in two weeks with our next edition of the Telegram. I hope you enjoy your Memorial Day weekend as we pay tribute to our fallen service members.

Sincerely,





Tom Tiffany
Member of Congress

Celebrating three years in Congress with 30,000 Telegram subscribers. Thank you for tuning in to the Telegram each week.

Federal Fake Bureau of Investigation
What if I told you that the 2016 Trump-Russia Probe was all a made-up hoax, would you believe me? Because that’s the truth. This week, a 306-page report, dubbed the Durham Report, regarding the 2016 Trump-Russia Probe was finally released by U.S. Department of Justice Special Counsel John Durham. Seven years later, it turns out, Joe Biden knew about it being a fake scheme, Hillary Clinton may have helped orchestrate it, the FBI fabricated it, and the mainstream media sold the false narrative that President Donald Trump colluded with Russia in 2016. Here’s how it started. In 2016, the FBI launched “Crossfire Hurricane” after a Trump campaign aid supposedly told an Australian diplomat that the campaign had received an offer from Russia to help with the election. That then sparked media outrage, clouded Trump’s entire presidency, and lead Democrats to call Trump an illegitimate president. However, it was false. As the Durham Report concludes, the FBI "failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law.” They lacked “any actual evidence of collusion.” They had “prejudice against Trump” as well as “confirmation bias.” In fact, the report went as far as detailing that then-President Obama and Vice President Biden had been briefed by CIA Director John Brennan that a credible whistleblower came forward to say this was Hillary Clinton’s plan to create a disinformation campaign about Trump colluding with Russia to take away attention from her own private email server scandal; yet, the FBI ignored the trustworthy source and continued to peddle false lies. A summary of the Durham Report can be found starting on page 19 here. (More on accountability for the FBI below)
 
Are your tax dollars financing illegal immigration?
As shocking as it may sound, the answer is yes. It’s an issue I’ve raised repeatedly, most recently back in March. As Telegram readers may recall, I sent a letter to President Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland pressing him to investigate the Red Cross for potentially violating federal law after the group produced and distributed maps and “how to” guides instructing migrants on the best ways to illegally cross our border. Well, this week, House Oversight and Investigations Committee Chairman Jim Comer (KY-01) announced he was initiating a probe into the issue. In a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Republican members of his panel raised concerns about reports that public funds allocated to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are potentially being used to “facilitate and incentivize illegal immigration to the United States,” rightly labeling it as a “gross misuse of federal taxpayer dollars.” I’m pleased that the committee is digging more deeply into this scandal, and I will continue to do everything I can to highlight and root out this kind of flagrant – and potentially criminal – waste of your money. You can read more about what’s happening here.
 
American bikers aimed toward education
Three years ago today, when I was sworn in to represent the Seventh District, American Bikers Aimed Toward Education (ABATE) was my very first in-person meeting. This week, I got to meet with them again to discuss motorcycle rights and the issues that are affecting riders, like the delay in the re-establishment of the Motorcycle Advisory Council (MAC). It has been 15 months since the Department of Transportation (DOT) was required to establish the MAC, but unfortunately, the DOT has been dragging its feet. The MAC would provide a necessary forum for policymakers, engineers, and motorcyclists to talk about the ways they can better our nation’s roads and infrastructure to ensure the safety of motorcyclists across the country. Thank you for raising awareness of this important issue.

It was great to meet with the ABATE.

Committee Update

Judiciary
FBI Accountability is coming
As I mentioned earlier, this week U.S. Department of Justice Special Counsel John Durham dropped a bombshell report detailing exactly what went on behind the scenes in Washington in an attempt to sway public opinion in the lead-up to the 2016 election. FBI Bureaucrats have shown time and time again that there is a double standard of justice in America, and this should concern every American regardless of political party. If federal intelligence officials can do this to a presidential candidate, they can do it to you, and they already have begun. Whether it has been the FBI going after concerned parents at school board meetings, American churchgoers, or your First Amendment rights on social media, the Fake Bureau of Investigation must be held accountable. The House Judiciary Committee is committed to exposing the truth about our federal intelligence agencies, and I will use the power of the purse in Congress to hold these agencies accountable, as well as the Holman rule to ensure your tax dollars are not going to corrupt bureaucrats.

Click here or on the image above to listen to my radio interview with Sean Hannity discussing the FBI’s rot.

Natural Resources
Tinderbox conditions fuel wildfire crisis
On Tuesday in the Federal Lands Subcommittee, we had a hearing on “Examining the Challenges Facing Forest Management, Wildfire Suppression, and Wildland Firefighters Ahead of the 2023 Wildfire Year.” This was an important hearing since in the last 5 years alone, we have lost over 38 million acres of land to wildfire, a total area that is almost as large as the State of Wisconsin. We need to start actively managing our forests to remove the tinderbox-like conditions that have been created due to years of negligence from the federal government. I am glad that there is a growing consensus that active forest management must be restored to the overgrown and unhealthy forests fueling our catastrophic wildfire crisis, and all the witnesses that testified acknowledged its significance. We must stop putting our brave wildland firefighters into unwinnable situations year after year as they are asked to fight increasingly severe fires, and we are committed to putting forth legislation that will help fix this. We had a markup the next day, that included three bills that would help our wildland firefighters, help restore active management and prevent further devastation from forest fires. We also passed the Superior National Forest Restoration Act, which if you remember from last week’s Telegram, this bill reverses a Biden administration decision and unlocks the Duluth complex so we can take advantage of its immense mineral wealth. It was a very productive week for our committee, and we will keep working on solutions to address these important issues facing our nation. 

Recent Legislation

Putting an end to the double-tax on senior citizens
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. It’s no secret that inflation has made buying gas, groceries, and other household goods painful for many Americans. For those living on a fixed income that burden can be even more difficult to overcome. Sadly, in just one year poverty among older Americans shot up to 10.3% with nearly 6 million senior citizens now living below the poverty level. Taxing cash-strapped seniors twice in order to receive the benefits they already paid for is wrong. That’s why I signed on to the Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act, which will put an end to the practice of double taxing our senior citizens who are already struggling to make ends meet. If you’d like to learn more about our proposal, click here.

District Update

Celebrating the construction industry
This week, I had a great time at the Celebration of Construction on the National Mall. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers set up the event to celebrate modern construction equipment and to show the latest innovative practices of manufacturers, like Caterpillar, Gradall, Link-Belt, and Manitou. Many of these companies have manufacturing factories across the Midwest, and equipment manufacturers support over two million American jobs.

This pink Link-Belt hydraulic excavator is digging for a breast cancer cure.

Weston ribbon cutting ceremony
Last weekend, my staff attended the open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Municipal Center in the Village of Weston. The Weston residents were invited to tour the new Village Hall, which includes all Village offices along with a shop and garage space for the public works department. The new Municipal Center has been in the works for years to meet the villages growing needs, and we were excited to see their hard work become a reality.
 
Photo of the week
As the weather starts to warm up, be sure to send your spring pictures to [email protected] with your name and location to be featured as our next photo of the week. This week, Paulette was able to capture an incredible picture of Lake Superior’s ice melting, signaling spring is here.

“Spring is thaw-some” – Submitted by Paulette while driving by Lake Superior

Resources  

Summer is just around the corner, so don’t wait until the last minute to apply for or renew your passport for your upcoming vacation. The current processing time is 10 to 13 weeks, so we recommend getting this done as soon as possible. For more information, click here.

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. 

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