Dear Friend,

If there is one thing that we can all agree on, it’s that receiving robocalls from scammers is irritating.

I’ve heard from many Wisconsinites about the troubling increase in robocalls, even from those who have added their phone number to the Do Not Call Registry.

These calls are not just annoying, but they are also used to coax folks into giving sensitive information that scammers typically use to steal your hard-earned money.

In 2022, Americans lost a reported $40 billion to phone scams, and it is important to note that these scams typically target our nation's seniors.

While these calls can be hard to recognize, here are a few things to remember:

• If you answer the phone and hear a recorded message, it is a robocall and most likely a scam.
• Do not give any personal information over the phone to people you don’t know.
• When in doubt, hang up and contact the company they claim to be using the contact information provided on their website.
• Remember that Social Security and Medicare will not call or text you to request information.

To help crack down on the increase in robocalls, I cosponsored H.R. 800, the Deter Obnoxious, Nefarious, and Outrageous Telephone Calls (DO NOT Call) Act.

This bipartisan legislation would protect Wisconsinites from scammers by creating harsher penalties for robocalls, including prison time and increased fines for bad actors. You can read more about the DO NOT CALL Act here.

While I am hoping that Congress can get this legislation moved quickly to bring much-needed relief to Wisconsinites, you can click here to learn more about how to recognize and avoid robocalls. You can also register your phone on the Do Not Call Registry for free here.

Thanks again for starting off your weekend with us! We hope you enjoy this week’s edition of the Tiffany Telegram.

Sincerely,





Tom Tiffany
Member of Congress

Standing with Israel

This week Democrats and Republicans worked together to pass a bipartisan assistance package to help the Israel Defense Forces in their fight against Palestinian Hamas terrorists. The cost of this package – unlike so many of the spending bills Congress often approves – was offset by cutting the supercharged budget of the IRS. While most House Democrats still voted against this critically important security measure, 12 of them crossed party lines to join Republicans in standing with our friends in Israel. I was pleased to support this win-win legislation – which will advance the cause of destroying the Iranian-backed Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist networks, while also taking a bite out of the IRS budget and their ability to harass middle-class families. You can see how lawmakers voted here – and read more about the bill we passed here.

Wolf attacks are becoming too common

Recently, I was contacted by a constituent in Boulder Junction whose dog was attacked by two gray wolves. Thankfully, after two surgeries, her terrier mix, Pepper, was able to survive the attack, but stories like this are becoming all too common in Wisconsin. It is clear that the gray wolf has fully recovered and needs to be managed. That’s why I introduced the Trust the Science Act to delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act and return wolf management back to states’ hands. No one knows the gray wolf population better than the folks living amongst them, and it is past time we empower Wisconsinites to control our own wolf population. You can read more about my bill and Pepper’s attack here.

Biden removes another barrier for illegal aliens

Telegram readers are well aware of the crisis taking place at our southern border and the massive tidal wave of illegal aliens that have been pouring into our country since President Biden took office. Chances are you’ve probably also noticed the recent shift in opinion on Biden’s open borders policies amongst some Democrats after border states began relocating illegal aliens to sanctuary cities – with Mayor Eric Adams going as far as to say it will “destroy” New York City if they don’t do something soon. The surge in illegal aliens overwhelmed shelters that were already at max capacity, causing chaos and making an already bad housing crisis even worse. The Biden administration’s solution – making it easier for illegal aliens to get approved for home loans. Last month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) quietly sent a warning to banks telling them to disregard an applicant’s immigration status when making loans. That doesn’t make sense. After all, forcing banks to overlook the fact that an applicant may be deported and unable to repay their loan goes against the principles of responsible lending. But there’s a bigger problem: Providing financial resources to illegal immigrants will just encourage more illegal immigration. That’s why I joined 31 of my colleagues in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and CFPB Director Rohit Chopra questioning this backward directive. You can read that letter here.

10% for the Big Guy

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and this week, House Republicans found the fire. As Telegram readers know, House Republicans launched an impeachment inquiry into President Biden after finding that his family received at least $20 million from shady foreign business deals, and Joe Biden was “the brand” for these deals, sitting in on at least 20 phone calls with Hunter Biden’s business associates to close these deals. This summer after all these allegations came out, Joe Biden teased House Republicans to find the money. Well, we did. The House Oversight Committee released a check of $40,000 in laundered Communist Chinese money directly to Joe Biden. This money came from the same Chinese Communist firm that Hunter Biden sent a text message to a month before the payment stating, “I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled.” Turns out, the payment to the Biden family was received a month after the text was sent with Hunter Biden receiving $400,000, and Joe Biden receiving exactly 10% of that. As House Republicans continue to investigate the Biden family, this payment is the tipping point, and we will continue to lay out all the facts to the American people. 

The House Oversight Committee ties the money trail directly back to Joe Biden.

Recent Legislation

Quasi-amnesty for Palestinians?

Telegram readers know that I recently introduced the GAZA Act, which would halt the issuance of visas to holders of Palestinian Authority passports. It would also stop President Biden from abusing his so-called “parole” authority – the way he did with Afghans – to bring in thousands of people from this dangerous region outside the scope of our immigration laws. I also co-authored legislation that would direct the Biden administration to prioritize the removal of Palestinians who are in the U.S. unlawfully already. This week, I partnered with Rep. Andy Ogles (TN-05) on legislation that would add another layer of security by prohibiting the White House from unilaterally granting “amnesty lite” to Palestinian illegal aliens through what’s known as Temporary Protected Status or “TPS.” The Biden administration has routinely abused this mechanism to allow thousands of illegal aliens to remain in America indefinitely. This bill will help ensure that he can’t use it to provide the same de facto amnesty to Palestinians. You can read more about our bill here.

Protecting the environment

National security threats, fentanyl, and an influx of illegal immigrants aren’t all Joe Biden’s open border brings into America, it also creates environmental damage on our federal borderlands. As Telegram readers may remember, a few weeks ago the House Natural Resources Committee had a hearing on a discussion draft of the TRASHED Border Act. With multiple reports highlighting environmental damage from illegal immigration, I officially introduced the TRASHED Border Act this week to ensure there is greater transparency and increased accountability for illegals who litter on our public lands. The negative impact illegal immigration has on our environment is staggering, with each illegal immigrant discarding between 6 to 8 pounds of trash as they illegally cross our border. This illegal trash dumping, along with the illegal trails created and campfires started along the border, threaten wildlife, destroy habitats, contaminate water, endanger crop production, and attract disease-carrying insects. While the Biden administration turns a blind eye to the environmental consequences of the border crisis they created, this bill will hold them accountable and help us better understand the true toll that illegal immigration is taking on our natural environment. You can read more about my bill here.

Having seen the litter of trash, clothes, and human waste on our federal borderlands firsthand, I introduced legislation to limit the environmental damage from illegal aliens.

District Update

Getting answers on refugee resettlement

Some of you may have heard about a quiet effort to “resettle” refugees around the Chippewa Valley for the first time this week. And that’s a big part of the problem. Like many of you, I was surprised to learn that many members of our community had no idea that this effort was underway. Instead of being asked for their opinion up front, it appears residents were simply told after the fact that this controversial plan was a done deal. That's why I reached out to the city of Eau Claire asking them to conduct more public outreach and provide answers to some of the serious questions that a lot of folks have raised. You can read the letter I sent here. I’m planning to keep a close eye on this situation – and I hope that you will remain vigilant in your own communities when it comes to this issue. The Biden administration’s disastrous record when it comes to border security, immigration enforcement, and lax vetting are well known. It has made every state in America a border state – and affects every American neighborhood. That makes it even more important to insist on full disclosure and transparency from state and local officials when it comes to plans like this one.

Photo of the week

Fall sure is in full swing in Wisconsin, and we even got some snow this week. If you take a picture of Wisconsin’s landscape or wildlife, I would love to use it for my photo of the week section of the Telegram. Please submit your photo to [email protected] with your name and location.

“Field of Color” – submitted by Terry near Grantsburg

Resources  

Vacation is meant to be relaxing, so don’t let renewing or applying for your passport stress you out. 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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