Dear Friend,

This week, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on fraud and the theft of taxpayer dollars. We heard expert testimony from Nick Shirley, who helped uncover Minnesota’s massive fraud scandal, and Jennifer Larson, CEO of the Holland Autism Center, who delivered real services to children with autism after her own son’s diagnosis.

But in heartbreaking and infuriating fashion because Minnesota leaders like Tim Walz refused to crack down on fraudsters, legitimate clinics like hers have had their Medicaid payments paused. You can watch my exchange with Mrs. Larson here.

The crooks cashed in, and the kids got kicked aside.

I bring this up not just because the situation is a disgrace to the hardworking Americans who followed the rules and are running legitimate businesses, but because this fraud didn’t just drain Minnesota. It hit all of us. They didn’t just steal state dollars… they also stole federal tax dollars.

In the hearing, we also heard from Scott Dexter, a former fraud investigator with Minnesota’s Department of Human Services from 2013-2019. Mr. Dexter uncovered overbilling, missing attendance records, and fraudulent claims in the Child Care Assistance Program, much of it concentrated in Somali-run operations.

When he tried to report what he found in his investigation, he was smeared as “racially biased,” even though every lead he followed came directly from funding data. You can watch him explain this to me here and read his testimony here.

Instead of cracking down on fraudsters, the “leadership” in Minnesota cracked down on the investigators, pushing Dexter to retire in 2019. Everyone involved in this cover-up, including state leaders, must be held accountable.

This was a criminal enterprise. Fraudsters opened fake centers, billed for children who did not exist, stole the tax dollars meant for hungry children, autism services, housing, and daycares, and then blew the money on lavish vacations and luxury cars. They even financed foreign terrorism, with funds reportedly ending up in the coffers of Al-Shabaab.

Minnesota wasn’t just asleep at the wheel… they handed the wheel to the fraudsters. And the warnings don’t stop at the state line.

A former fraud investigator testified that Governor Evers “allows fraud to occur” here in Wisconsin by blocking Food Stamp and Medicaid audits. As I’ve highlighted in past Telegrams, Evers vetoed four additional state auditor positions, and on top of that, Wisconsin’s Democrat Attorney General Josh Kaul is suing – using your tax dollars – to block reviews of our Food Stamp, Medicaid, and voter rolls.

When I asked Nick Shirley what lesson we should “learn,” or better yet, “LEAR,” in honor of the now-shuttered fraudulent Somali daycare, he made one clear point. This isn’t just happening in Minnesota; it is happening everywhere. You can watch that clip here.

With all these warnings, it’s outrageous that Governor Evers refuses to open the books. You deserve transparency for your tax dollars, and I will keep fighting until every Wisconsin taxpayer knows exactly how their money is being spent.

We cannot allow Wisconsin to turn into fraud-filled Minnesota, where the people who truly need help are pushed aside because foreign fraudsters drained the system dry. 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

A former Minnesota fraud investigator says Governor Evers “allows fraud to occur” by blocking audits of our Food Stamp and Medicaid programs. You can watch that clip here.

The “omnibus” stops here

For years, the story in Washington when it comes to spending has been a lot like the hit 1990s Bill Murray classic, Groundhog Day. It goes something like this: Politicians hungry for more runaway spending push the government to the brink of a shutdown. Then at the last minute, they use the crisis to force through a last-minute, catch-all “omnibus” spending bill that lawmakers rarely have time to review. Then, only after it has been signed into law, watchdogs uncover a slew of wasteful pork and ridiculous pet projects. Well, this week the Republican House of Representatives finally broke that profligate cycle by approving the last of the current fiscal year’s annual appropriations bills for the departments of Homeland Security, Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development. They now head to the Senate for final passage. Clearly, there remains much work to do when it comes to budget reform, but this small step toward ending business as usual in our Nation’s capital made important progress – saving taxpayers billions through reductions in spending on things like foreign aid while making key investments in border security, our world class military, and a pay raise for our men and women in uniform. You can read more about that here, and see how lawmakers voted on this week’s bipartisan measures here and here.

Real results for veterans

This week, President Donald J. Trump signed three pieces of legislation to improve housing, benefits, and job training for veterans. Signed into law, the Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act closes a loophole that counted service-connected disability compensation as income. This made it harder for some veterans to qualify for housing assistance despite earning those benefits through service. Next, the VA Budget Shortfall Accountability Act requires reviews and reports on VA funding so Congress and veterans can see where funding fell short. The President also signed the FAST VETS Act, which increases flexibility in the VA’s vocational rehabilitation program by requiring the review and redevelopment of a veteran’s plan when goals are no longer achievable, a veteran’s disability changes, or a different plan would better support rehabilitation and employment outcomes. These reforms come as the VA continues to make improvements for our veterans. The benefits backlog under President Trump has been reduced by about 60 percent since January 2025, after increasing during the previous administration. Also, 25 new health care clinics have opened nationwide, and the backlog of veteran families waiting for VA health care has been eliminated. In fiscal year 2025 alone, the VA permanently housed nearly 52,000 homeless veterans, invested $800 million in facility improvements, and redirected millions away from union contracts back to veterans. This is what real leadership looks like for the men and women who served our nation.

Committee Update

Natural Resources

Time to EXPLORE  

On Wednesday, the Federal Lands Subcommittee held an oversight hearing of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act. Last year, the EXPLORE Act, one of the most significant bipartisan recreation bills in a generation, was signed into law. As the Federal Lands Subcommittee chair, I am tasked with overseeing how federal agencies are putting it to work. Focusing on its implementation is crucial because the enormous benefits of the EXPLORE Act cannot be realized without aggressive action and attention from our federal land managers. Fortunately, the early signs are encouraging. And that’s due to the steadfast leadership of President Trump, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who have been ensuring the legislation meets every one of these benchmarks. Agencies are digitizing passes, modernizing permits, expanding access for veterans and service members, identifying accessible trails, deploying Good Neighbor Authority to accelerate facility improvements, strengthening gateway community partnerships, and beginning work on expanded shooting ranges. The multitude of reforms in the EXPLORE Act matter for rural America. They support jobs, gateway communities, and small businesses that outfit, guide, feed, and house visitors and will define how we experience America250. In this subcommittee, we will work to continue reducing barriers so more Americans can enjoy their public lands.

Judiciary

Exposing the truth behind Jack Smith 

Regular readers of the Telegram probably remember that back in 2022, the Biden-Harris Department of Justice appointed former prosecutor Jack Smith to investigate their chief political rival, President Trump. As Special Counsel, Jack Smith repeatedly violated the law, wasted close to $35 million of taxpayer funds on a fruitless investigation, and attempted to keep President Trump from being re-elected – which clearly failed. The House Judiciary Committee brought Jack Smith in this week to fully uncover the extent of his fraudulent investigation. I highlighted during the hearing that while Democrats are citing Smith as the “gold standard” of prosecutors, he has a troubling past riddled with partisan failure and mistrials. From 2010 to 2015, Smith led the Obama DOJ’s Public Integrity Section, worked with the Obama IRS to target conservative groups – including Second Amendment organizations – and had three high-profile cases that were either unanimously overturned by the Supreme Court or ultimately end in a mistrial. That sure doesn’t sound like the “gold standard” to me. Unfortunately, the bottom line appears to be that Jack Smith was more of a partisan operative than an objective investigator who was motivated by one goal: Get Trump.

You can watch my questioning with Jack Smith here.

District Update

Photo of the week

Wisconsin is experiencing wind chills as low as 40 below, and I want to make sure you’re prepared. Click here for tips on preparing for the cold weather. Be sure to stay safe, stay warm, and stay inside if possible. If you have a photo of Wisconsin you would like to share, send it to [email protected] with your name and location. We have received some great submissions over the last few weeks, and your photo could be featured next.

“Snowy Branches“ – submitted by Cindra of Range

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 4 to 6 weeks, so we recommend getting this done as soon as possible. For more information, click here.

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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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