Dear Friend,

This week, Wisconsin has once again been dealing with wildfire smoke drifting into our state from Minnesota and Canada.

Unfortunately, this is becoming a regular part of our summers.

In our neck of the woods, summer is the best time of year to enjoy the outdoors, spend time with family, and create lasting memories. But over the past few summers, wildfire smoke has become an unwelcome part of the season.

For much of this week, an Air Quality Advisory has been in effect across Wisconsin as smoke from wildfires in northern Minnesota and Canada blanketed our state. While dry conditions certainly contribute to these fires, decades of fuel buildup in overgrown forests have made them far more severe.

I have seen this firsthand through my work on the House Natural Resources Committee and as Chairman of the Federal Lands Subcommittee. Too often, in both the United States and Canada, active forest management has been sidelined by green lobby policies that lock up forests, allow dangerous fuel to accumulate, and increase the risk of larger, more destructive wildfires.

While we cannot prevent every wildfire, we can reduce their severity through responsible, science-based forest management. Healthy forests are better for our environment, protect public health, and make our communities more resilient.

Last year, I sent a letter to Canadian officials urging them to take all necessary actions to mitigate wildfire risk. This week, I joined Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) in requesting that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) review all available actions under the U.S.-Canada Air Quality Agreement to help address the ongoing wildfire smoke affecting Wisconsin.

At one point this week, Cable, Wisconsin, recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) above 500 – far worse than readings in cities such as Beijing and Delhi.

Wisconsin has long been a national leader in responsible forest management. We have shown that healthy, actively managed forests are better for our environment and our economy. It's time for our neighbors to follow that example.

Please stay safe and take extra precautions if you have respiratory or other health concerns when wildfire smoke affects our state. Thanks again for starting off your weekend with us! We hope you enjoy this week’s edition of the Tiffany Telegram.

A snapshot of the wildfire smoke in the Northwoods this week. I ask you to keep the firefighters working tirelessly to contain these wildfires in your prayers.

Ending foreign handouts, enhancing American election integrity

This week the House approved legislation putting wasteful and foreign aid programs on a crash diet. The bill we passed gave these agencies a nearly $3 billion haircut from last year, while still funding key national security programs that combat Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence operations and enhance security cooperation with our allies. It also includes my “honest maps” amendment, which continues to prohibit our government from producing, procuring, or displaying Beijing-friendly maps that depict Taiwan as part of Communist China. In addition, the House-passed bill includes key provisions of the Save America Act requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and show ID to cast ballots. While I was disappointed that the House rejected an amendment to cut off all U.S. funding to the scandal-plagued United Nations – something I have long called for – the bill still makes important strides toward getting Americans out of the business of funding wasteful and unaccountable international bureaucracies and overseas handouts. Our efforts this week are particularly important given President Trump’s declassification last night of materials revealing outrageous CCP efforts to influence our elections, and revelations that at least a quarter million foreigners are somehow registered to vote across the United States. You can see how lawmakers voted on the election integrity safeguards here, and on the underlying foreign aid bill here. You can also see how they voted on the amendment to cut off UN funding here.

Here comes the sun

This week, the House passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent year-round in the United States. The bill passed with broad bipartisan support, 308-117. By eliminating the twice-yearly clock change, this legislation would improve quality of life by providing more daylight after work and school, particularly from November through March. It could also provide important economic benefits by encouraging more outdoor recreation and tourism. The legislation gives states the option to opt out if they wish. It now moves to the Senate, where it must pass before reaching the President's desk to be signed into law.

Economic costs of illegal immigration 

Telegram readers by now are well aware of the harmful effects illegal immigration has on our country. Just a few weeks ago, we talked about how violent criminal illegal aliens are being allowed to stay in our country by radical judges and then go on to murder innocent Americans. Another effect of these Democrat policies during the Biden administration is the significant increase in the cost of goods and services. The unprecedented surge of roughly seven million illegal migrants between March 2021 and March 2024, according to the Federal Reserve, accounted for close to 30% of home-price growth and about 20% of rent growth in most major cities. By the end of 2023, it was estimated that the net cost of illegal immigration for the United States was at least $150.7 billion, mostly stemming from education, Medicaid, and other welfare programs. It is not the responsibility of the American people to foot the bill for illegal immigrants who break the law and siphon money away from taxpayers. Over the past year, Republicans have taken significant steps to remove illegal aliens from our country, helping reduce the strain on the housing market and passing into law safeguards for our welfare programs to ensure they remain solvent for Americans, not foreigners.

District Update

Photo of the week

It was great to see everyone's photo submissions from their Fourth of July celebrations. We are so lucky to live in the best state and the greatest nation in the world. If you have a photo of Wisconsin that you would like to share, please send it to [email protected] with your name and location. Your photo could be featured in next week’s Telegram! 

“Fourth of July at the Lake” — submitted by Kurt and Ramona of Florence

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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