Dear Friend,
 
This week the Bureau of Economic Affairs confirmed what Americans have been feeling for quite some time – the United States is officially in a recession.
 
The report released on Thursday morning showed that we had negative economic growth for the second quarter in a row, which should come as no surprise to Telegram readers as we’ve been warning you about the possibility of a recession due to Biden’s terrible economic policies for months now.

Apparently, it wasn’t a surprise to the President either as his new crack team of economic spin doctors attempted to change the definition of recession just days before the report was released.

Because in this administration, if you don’t like something – you just change the definition.

From “infrastructure” and vaccination to “recession”  and “court packing,” it’s clear the left would rather just rewrite the dictionary to justify their poor policy choices rather than changing their policies that got us into this mess.
 
Given the amount of economic damage and pain they’ve inflicted on the American people, you would think President Biden and Congressional Democrats would at least start to pump the brakes and think twice before doubling down on those same failed policies. 
 
Unfortunately, you would be wrong.
 
This week it was full steam ahead as the Democrats revived their Build Back Broke bill, which would spend another $433 billion and includes one of the largest tax hikes in years. But their spending spree didn’t stop there. They snuck in yet another spending bill this week to the tune of $280 billion. 
 
Over the past year, Nancy Pelosi has tried to add $7 trillion worth of new spending to the taxpayers' tab. Enough is enough. It’s time for Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi to quit passing the buck, reverse course, and stop leaving Americans to foot the bill for their poor decisions.

Thanks again for starting off your weekend with us! We hope you enjoy this week’s edition of the Tiffany Telegram – we’ll be back in two weeks with our next edition.

Sincerely,





Tom Tiffany
Member of Congress

Illegal alien “BIDEN-tification” cards?
If you’ve been reading the Telegram, then you know that President Biden has been working around the clock to encourage a record-setting tidal wave of illegal immigration into our country by adopting a policy of almost total non-enforcement shortly after taking office. This week, they went even further when they unveiled a plan to issue legal ID documents – “Bidentification Cards” – to illegal aliens. You might be wondering why they would do something like this. Well, to make it easier for illegal migrants to do things like board flights, move freely around the country, and access benefits and services, of course. Creating new incentives that make it easier for unknown, unvetted illegal migrants to disappear into American neighborhoods is exactly what we should not be doing. That’s why I joined several of my colleagues in sending a letter to the Biden administration outlining our concerns with this dangerous policy, and demanding answers. You can read more about that here.
 
Turning up the heat on drug cartels
Speaking of President Biden’s border crisis, I took to the House floor this week to talk about the full-scale attack foreign drug cartels have launched against American communities – including many right here in the Badger State. For too long, these cartels have shipped poison into our communities with impunity, killing Americans and destroying families while Mexico’s leaders have simply looked the other way. That needs to end. That’s why I joined my colleague Rep. Warren Davidson (OH-08) in introducing legislation that would fight back against these ultra-violent organizations. The bill would impose targeted new sanctions against these transnational criminal gangs – along with anyone who provides them with assistance or support. It will also hold Mexico’s corrupt government accountable for failing to crack down on these killers by cutting off foreign aid if they refuse to get serious about the problem. You can read more about our bill here.
 
Biden teaming up with Communist China on Taiwan?
Like many of you, I was stunned this week when President Biden teamed up with Communist China this week to pressure House Speaker Nancy Pelosi not to make a planned visit to Taiwan. Speaker Pelosi and I don’t agree on much – but she doesn’t need to ask a foreign dictatorship or Joe Biden for permission to talk to America’s friends and allies. That’s why Rep. Scott Perry (PA-10) and I sent a letter to the Speaker last Friday encouraging her to reject these scare tactics and make the trip. Leaders from both political parties have since joined me in voicing support for the visit, helping to underscore growing bipartisan support for a change to America’s outdated and nonsensical “One China Policy.” You can read our letter here.

Getting answers on PFAS
This week I supported H.R. 7289, the Federal PFAS Research Evaluation Act, which will allow the federal government to conduct two separate studies to effectively research the impact of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). I believe we need to conduct more federal research so we can better understand the impact of these chemicals as we consider how best to regulate them. This is a step in the right direction, and this study will help provide a risk assessment for states, like Wisconsin, to follow.

Joe Biden: The bully that steals school lunch money?
A few weeks ago, I told Telegram readers about the Biden administration’s latest target - low-income school students. To recap, in May, the Biden administration announced new guidance that would make student-lunch funds contingent on if school districts will adopt their gender-identity agenda that would allow biological males to use girls’ bathrooms. This means that if school districts do not adopt the White House’s radical pro-transgender interpretation of Title IX, the Biden administration can blackmail them by withholding federal funds for school lunches. Thankfully, twenty-two states are suing the Biden administration's latest executive overreach. I am also a cosponsor of Rep. Glenn Grothman’s (WI-06) Stop W.O.K.E. Meals Act to prevent the federal bureaucracy from withholding school lunch money. It’s disgraceful to use kids’ lunch money as a blackmail tool.

Yesterday was National Intern Day, and I want to thank our current summer interns, Maddie and John, for their dedication to our team. I wish you both the best of luck as you return to school in the fall!

                          Committee Update

Natural Resources
Higher energy prices for all?
This week in the Natural Resources Committee, we had another markup. The legislation we considered was titled the “Environmental Justice for All Act,” but unfortunately this bill would not deliver any justice – just more government regulation and higher energy prices for Americans. I tried to improve this bad bill by offering an amendment to postpone its implementation unless the Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Energy certify that it will not result in an increase in imports of foreign oil, natural gas, or heating oil. I proposed this measure because increasing imports would result in supporting countries where environmental regulations are non-existent. That would hardly be “environmentally friendly.” We produce energy here in America cleaner than anywhere else in the world, so making sure we do not increase our dependence on energy coming from bad actors is extremely important. Unfortunately, none of my Democratic committee colleagues agreed. Even so, I remain committed to restoring American energy dominance, and will continue to put forward common-sense solutions to responsibly tap into our abundant and affordable energy resources.

Judiciary
Re-importing convicted criminals?
This week the House Judiciary Committee Democrats advanced
H.R. 7946, a bill that would weaken our immigration rules under the guise of supporting veterans. As some of you know, Legal Permanent Residents (LPR’s) can join our military, and in return, the government streamlines their path to naturalization. When these servicemembers avail themselves of this streamlined process, they are expected to fulfill their contract with America – those that do not, are removable. That’s not my opinion – it’s the law. With this legislation, however, Democrats seek to rewrite that contract. Not only would their bill stop future removal proceedings against those who have been convicted of crimes, it would even bring back those who have already been deported. At a time when drugs are flooding our streets, crime is skyrocketing, and illegal immigrants are overwhelming local economies and shelters, we should be focusing on tightening our borders and enforcing our laws – not dreaming up new ways to “re-import” convicted criminals into American neighborhoods.

                          Recent Legislation

Supporting America’s small businesses
Many of you who own and operate businesses know that the landmark tax reform legislation adopted a few years ago contained a provision that allowed entrepreneurs and small business owners to fully and immediately expense their investments in capital assets and equipment. Before this provision, employers were required to navigate a confusing process to calculate the cost of their purchases over several tax years. This discouraged owners from investing in their businesses and greatly restricted industry growth and job creation. Without legislation making this provision permanent, small businesses across the country will have to return to the burdensome expensing process when the provision phases out. That’s why I cosponsored the Accelerate Long-Term Investment Growth Now (ALIGN) Act, authored by Rep. Jodey Arrington (TX-19). This bill would make permanent the full and immediate expensing provision so our job creators have the certainty to continue investing in their businesses, the economy, and our workers. You can read the bill here.

Reining in bureaucratic rulemaking
For years, unelected bureaucrats have ignored limits on their authority and implemented major policy decisions without the approval of Congress. According to a Congressional Research Service report, the 1,565 bureaucratic rules that were passed between 1997-2018 had a $100 million effect on the economy. Not only have these major rules cost taxpayers millions of dollars, but as we have seen in recent years, they can greatly impact the daily lives of all Americans. To ensure that we have effective checks and balances over federal agency rulemaking, I cosponsored the Sunset Act of 2022. This bill, introduced by Rep. Tom Emmer (MN-6), would require that major rules enacted by federal agencies would terminate in 10 years unless they are approved by both the House and Senate under a joint resolution. This common-sense bill holds bureaucrats accountable, gives power back to the American people, and returns the role of lawmaking to Congress.

                            District Update

Seventh District represented at ICAST
Last week I had a great time at ICAST 2022 learning about the latest technology in the sportfishing community. I may be biased, but Wisconsin’s Seventh District was represented well by our very own, St. Croix Rods, CS Coatings, and AMPED Outdoors. It was great to stop by their booths to learn about their latest state-of-the-art fishing gear, and how they are leading innovators in the industry. Sportfishing is about opportunity and conservation, and here in Northern and Western Wisconsin, we are blessed to have some of the best fishing in the world. I will always support Wisconsin’s hunters and anglers and work to preserve Wisconsin’s lakes and outdoor spaces for generations to come.

It was great hearing from representatives from St. Croix Rods and CS Coatings.

                                  Resources  

As many families struggle to find baby formula, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has compiled resources to help. For resources on where to locate baby formula in our community and for tips from HHS, click here. They also have a social media toolkit in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Haitian Creole here.

While many begin to travel internationally again, the Department of State is available to assist with passport services. We recommend to apply at least six months before planned travel as routine service may take up to about 18 weeks. For more information, please visit travel.state.gov.

Since phone and in-person taxpayer scams continue to increase, it is important you have the resources available to you to keep your identity and finances safe. I encourage everyone to check out the tips from the IRS on how to spot and avoid these schemes 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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