Dear Friend,
Many of you have heard about the waste, fraud, and abuse being revealed inside our federal government. With our national debt skyrocketing past $36 trillion, President Trump tasked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to sniff out questionable spending – and what they’ve found is astonishing.
Just this week, they discovered that $330 million in Small Business Administration (SBA) loans went to children under 11 years old – with the youngest being a 9-month-old baby who received a $100,000 loan. Either this baby is the youngest entrepreneur in history, or someone committed blatant fraud.
And that’s just the beginning.
The Veterans Administration (VA) awarded a $56,000 contract to water 8 plants for 5 years. This is $1,400 a plant per year. Thankfully, DOGE canceled the contract and is going to water the plants themselves – free of charge.
On the way out, the Biden administration’s FEMA also paid a luxury hotel in New York City over $59 million to house illegal aliens. Does that sound like disaster relief for Americans to you?
While I wish I could say it stops there, it doesn’t.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was caught spending your tax dollars on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) tomato seed packaging. Yes, you read that correctly – DEI tomato seed packaging. You can watch that video here.
DOGE is doing excellent work in policing these ridiculous expenditures of your tax dollars. But this initiative isn’t new. In fact, presidents from Bill Clinton to Barack Obama have also undertaken efforts like this in the past. So, why are so many Democrats suddenly against the push to right-size the federal government and reduce waste?
During my short time in Congress, I have constantly voted against blowout spending omnibuses that waste your tax dollars, and now with DOGE pushing many of these eyebrow-raising boondoggles into public view, I hope it lights a fire under the rest of my colleagues in Congress to take DOGE’s recommendations seriously and cut wasteful spending.
For a deeper dive into DOGE’s findings, I encourage you to watch this interview with Bret Baier, where the team breaks down their work. You can click here to watch the full interview.
They also discuss their mission to protect critical safety net programs, like Social Security, starting with eliminating the fraud that threatens these very benefits our seniors depend on. This interview is straight from the DOGE team, not the liberal media.
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
Watch two minutes of Barack Obama and Bill Clinton bragging about cutting waste and right-sizing the federal government.
First step to delist the gray wolf
This week in the Natural Resources Committee, we took the first step to get the gray wolf removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species. Telegram readers know I have been pushing Congress to get this done, and while my legislation passed the House last Congress, it stalled in the Democrat-led Senate. But we are back, and already getting movement on the bill this Congress. Our hearing on Tuesday was a step in the right direction to getting the Pet and Livestock Protection Act signed into law. Specifically, the legislation requires the Secretary of Interior to reissue the 2020 final rule that delisted gray wolves in the lower 48 United States and would preclude any future “relisting” by activist judges. It is well known that the wolf has recovered. It is time to return management authority to the states, where it belongs. The original federal recovery goal was 100 wolves in Wisconsin and Michigan – currently, there are well over 1,000 – yet they remain listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In the hearing, we heard from Dr. Nathan Roberts, who provided expert testimony on the science behind species recovery, management of wolf populations, and how keeping the wolf listed weakens the integrity of the ESA. His background as a wildlife biologist and knowledge on this issue is incredibly valuable in articulating why wolf recovery is an ESA success story. You can watch my line of questioning here.
What’s in a name?
If you’ve ever watched an international sporting event – from the Olympic Games to the Little League World Series – you’ve probably heard the name “Chinese Taipei,” an odd moniker used to refer to the democratic nation of Taiwan. Maybe you’ve wondered why. Unfortunately, it is a label the country often must use as a condition of its participation on the global stage – thanks in large part due to bullying from Communist China, which irrationally and dishonestly claims Taiwan as part of its own territory. It’s an issue I’ve often talked about, and one I’ve called out the International Olympic Committee for in the past. But it isn’t just international organizations that engage in this petty Beijing-driven coercion. Even the United States has occasionally fallen into the trap. That’s why I joined Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19) in introducing legislation to end the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) “name game” by directing U.S. government agencies to simply refer to Taiwan as “Taiwan.” Why? Because there’s no good reason to let the CCP exert control over America’s vocabulary, especially when it comes to our relationship with our friends and allies. You can read more about our bill here.
Winter season state champs
Congratulations to all the high school athletes from the Seventh District who competed in the state championships this winter sports season. In the individual state wrestling tournament, eight wrestlers from Hudson, Amery, Wabeno, Marathon, Glenwood City, Auburndale, and Stratford returned home with the state title. Meanwhile, the St. Croix Falls boys’ team secured the championship at the team state wrestling tournament. In hockey, the Tomahawk boys’ team claimed their school’s first-ever state title. During the gymnastics state meet, Chippewa Falls Co-op won D1 team state, Rice Lake High School won D2 team state, and Avery Ash of Rice Lake took home first place in the individual balance beam event. Finally, the Osceola High School fishing team went up against 87 schools and took home the title at the state ice fishing tournament. Congratulations to each one of these state champs as well as their coaches!
Click here or on the image above to watch me congratulate these state champions on the House floor.
Committee Update
Judiciary
Protecting our communities and law enforcement
This week, the House Judiciary Committee held a markup on a variety of law enforcement and Second Amendment legislation vital to public safety, the protection of law enforcement officers, and upholding our constitutional right to keep and bear arms. One of these bills, which I cosponsored, is the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Reform Act, or LEOSA Reform Act, by Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02). According to data from the FBI, in 2022, there was a 4.5% increase in violent crimes, and in 2023, a 10-year high in assaults on police officers – with 79,000 officers attacked on duty. The LEOSA Reform Act will assist in reducing these attacks and improve public safety by allowing qualified active and retired federal law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms in “gun-free” school zones, national parks, and other public federal facilities. Our brave officers put their lives on the line each and every day, and we must make sure that we provide them with every tool necessary to protect both themselves and our communities.
Natural Resources
Democrats need to drop the act
I mentioned that the Natural Resources Committee held a hearing earlier this week on the gray wolf, but we also covered renaming the Gulf of America to its rightful name. The Gulf of America Act by Rep. Greene (GA-14) would codify President Trump’s executive order to change the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.” Following the executive order, Google Maps, Apple Maps, and government agencies adopted the name change to the Gulf of America. Unfortunately, many Democrats are up in arms about the renaming. That’s why this week in the hearing I brought up the fact that over the last four years, Democrats tore down statues and renamed military bases. Heck, even Governor Tony Evers tried to change mother to “inseminated person” in Wisconsin’s state budget. So, please spare us all the phony outrage. You can watch the clip of me highlighting this here.
District Update
Photo of the week
As a dairy farm kid, I saw some of the most breathtaking sunsets. However, most of the ones I remember were the classic salmon hues. This week’s photo captures a blue horizon near Spencer – showing that Seventh District sunsets always impress. If you have a favorite photo of Wisconsin that you’d like to share, email it to [email protected] with your name and location. You could be featured in next week’s Telegram.
“On The Farm” – Submitted by Mary in Clark County
Resources
Leading up to the April 15th filing deadline, the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program is offering in-person and online tax assistance to anyone – free of charge. to find the nearest in-person AARP Foundation Tax-Aide location or get started with your free online tax assistance . Taxpayers can also visit IRS.gov to get answers on any tax questions they may have. The tool is the quickest, most convenient way for taxpayers to have their questions answered.
Vacation is meant to be relaxing, so don’t let renewing or applying for your passport stress you out. The current processing time is 4 to 6 weeks, so we recommend getting this done as soon as possible. For more information, click here.
Additionally, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) are available in Wisconsin due to economic losses during the wet spring that occurred in April. Click here to see if you are eligible to apply.
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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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