Dear Friend,

It was a busy week in Washington, and I have much to fill you in on in this week’s Telegram. But first, I want to tell you about the Western Caucus Winter Field Tour and Policy Roundtable I attended this past weekend in Las Vegas.

Just as there are committees in Congress, there are also caucuses that are typically focused on certain issue areas. The Western Caucus, which I am a member of, focuses on rural issues, like natural resources, restoring local control over wildlife management decisions, mining and energy security, sportsmen’s issues, access to public lands, and improving forest health – all issues that are important to Wisconsin.

To help better prepare for how Congress can tackle these issues in the new year, I met with stakeholders and heard from policy experts, including Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04), who will be Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee come January. We discussed several issues, but a highlight from the trip for me was an emphasis on better forest management.

It’s clear that the federal government has failed to properly care for our public lands and forests. Every summer, we turn on the news to see what have become an annual season of wildfires in the West. These wildfires have wiped out nearly 20% of our giant sequoias in recent years – along with people’s property and livelihoods.

While many lawmakers will point to “climate change” and droughts as the reason for these devastating wildfires, that’s not the full truth. For years, the federal government has taken a “hands-off” approach when it comes to cleaning up dead and decaying trees in our forest. In fact, timber harvests have steadily declined since the 1990s – even as many of our forests have become overstocked with dead and diseased timber (see the Forest Service timber harvested graph here).

Making matters worse, land managers often find themselves in a state of “analysis paralysis,” buried in a thicket of red tape, strapped into a strait jacket of complicated and outdated regulatory requirements, and facing time-consuming lawsuits filed by extreme environmental groups that seek only to subject common-sense thinning and restoration plans to death by delay. The results have been tragic: Tinderbox conditions where just a small spark can spread into a raging inferno as the fire continues to catch and grow onto dead trees and an overgrown forest.

Neglecting the health of our forests is not conservation, proper management is. After all, one of the best ways to sequester carbon is through healthy forests.

The good news is that in the new Congress, we can reverse course and allow our Forest Service to use proven, scientific methods to more actively manage our forests and prevent these wildfires from occurring. I look forward to allowing Wisconsin’s forests and paper-making industry to help protect our unique environment by mitigating catastrophic wildfires and maintaining forest health.

Thanks again for starting off your weekend with us, and we hope you enjoy this week's edition of the Telegram. We’ll be back next week with more.

Sincerely,





Tom Tiffany
Member of Congress

Flat Stanley got to spend a day in the House of Representatives this week after Jack from Mrs. Abbiehl’s class sent him all the way from the Lake Holcombe School District to Washington D.C. to learn about the history of the U.S. Capitol. Thank you to all the teachers in WI-07 for keeping this tradition alive and for your dedication to our children.

The clock is ticking on China’s TikTok
This week, I joined my fellow Wisconsin colleague Mike Gallagher (WI-08) in taking aim at the controversial Chinese regime-linked social media app, TikTok. We sent a letter to Governor Evers asking him to join several other states – including Maryland, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Texas – and ban this dangerously un-secure platform from all state government devices. That’s because TikTok has close ties to the ruling Communist Party in China, posing an obvious national security threat. Allowing the use of this notorious app on state government phones and computers could also compromise people’s private data that the state government is holding. It’s long past time for us to run out the clock on this de facto Communist Chinese spyware, and I hope our governor will lead by example and delete his own TikTok account. You can learn more about the issue here and read our letter to Governor Evers here.

Record opioid overdoses…again
Wisconsin set yet another record of opioid overdoses in 2021, totaling over 1,400 opioid deaths with a majority of these being fentanyl related. This number is up 16% from 2020 and a whopping 70% from 2018. We cannot allow this to continue. Just this week, my Republican colleagues and I followed up on a letter we sent to President Biden on October 18th requesting a meeting to discuss the fentanyl crisis that is devastating our nation. This crisis is so severe that fentanyl overdoses have become the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18-45, and despite what the Democrats may tell you, we know it’s their open border policies that are allowing this drug to flood our country. Instead of recognizing this, President Biden has made it clear he believes “there are more important things going on.” By turning a blind eye to what is happening at our southern border and in our communities, Joe Biden is leaving countless families who have lost a child behind as collateral damage.

“Twitter Files” confirm election interference
Last week, Twitter CEO Elon Musk, dropped a truth bomb on the social media platform in what he dubbed the “Twitter Files” exposing internal correspondence and documentation that confirmed the app participated in election interference by censoring and suppressing the New York Post’s bombshell Hunter Biden laptop report in the weeks leading up to the presidential election. The first part of the Twitter Files, which you can read here, revealed Twitter worked hand-in-hand with Biden’s campaign team and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to remove the posts they submitted for removal by the social media platform. While awaiting the release of the Twitter Files second installment, it came to light that an unauthorized Twitter employee, ex-FBI official Jim Baker, had been sifting through the internal documents before allowing them to be examined by journalists. Interestingly, in the weeks before the Post broke the story on Hunter Biden’s laptop the FBI preemptively warned Big Tech companies, including Twitter, to be on the lookout for hack-and-leak operations that involved Hunter Biden. As we now know, the FBI had already taken possession of Hunter’s laptop prior to issuing the warning, which raises concerns about the Department of Justice’s involvement in censorship and election interference. This is extremely concerning. For far too long, Big Tech has been granted too much power to police free speech in America without accountability and now it appears the DOJ may be acting as their partner in crime. Come January, Congress must fully investigate what took place between Big Tech and Big Government and hold those responsible, accountable.

Evers admin follows Biden’s anti-science wolf agenda
As Telegram readers know, I have been fighting tooth and nail to return the gray wolf management back to the states, and I will continue to fight to permanently remove the gray wolf in the lower 48 states from the list of endangered species. Despite ample scientific evidence, including 26 leading scientists, saying that the gray wolf has recovered, Governor Evers’ Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is following the Biden administration’s anti-science agenda by updating the state’s wolf management plan for the first time since 2007. While I had hoped that DNR would side with sportsmen and livestock owners, who have suffered millions of dollars in wolf-related damages since the wolf was first listed, I was wrong. In 1999, the DNR first called for capping the gray wolf population at 350 animals, and as it currently stands, the DNR estimates that the wolf population is at 970 statewide. However, instead of seeing the “science” of an ample recovery of almost 3 times the 1999 target, the DNR is proposing a wolf management plan to eliminate a statewide gray wolf population goal. Just as Joe Biden’s Department of the Interior continues to move goalposts for the gray wolf recovery, the Evers administration is doing the same. If you would like to leave a comment on the DNR’s latest wolf management plan, the comment period is open until January 10th. You can leave a comment here.

Young leaders receive service academy nominations
All high school students admitted into our nation’s military service academies must first receive a nomination from at least one member of their state’s Congressional Delegation, the Vice President, or the President of the United States. It is an incredible honor to receive a service academy nomination, and one that requires outstanding academic achievements, civic involvement, and leadership skills. I would like to congratulate the nine hard-working and dedicated high school students who received my nomination to a United States service academy. Congratulations to Lucas Sydlewski, Bennett Hatfield, Megan DeLeasky, Isaac Anderson, Mark Jarman, Shelby Hennlich, Ingrid Holter, Ryan Buehler, and Hunter Beese. These students are striving to serve something much bigger than themselves, and I cannot wait to see this next generation of young leaders answer the call to defend our nation. For more information on my service academy nominations, please visit my website.

Congratulations to these nine young leaders on receiving a nomination to a United States service academy.

Committee Update

Natural Resources
Going to bat for Wisconsin’s timber industry
This week I joined House Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (AR-04) and Rep. Pete Stauber (MN-08) in leading a letter to congressional appropriators, asking that any funding package we consider prohibit funds for the listing of the northern long-eared bat as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). If this bat gets up-listed, there will be severe consequences and impacts to Wisconsin’s timber industry. This bat has a range of 37 states and 300 million acres of private forest land, and this new listing would result in new restrictions and red tape that would hamper economic activity all over the United States. This wouldn’t just impact the timber industry, it could affect everything from wind energy projects and mining to oil and gas development, agricultural practices and more. Currently, the species is being impacted by white-nose syndrome, which is a fungal disease that affects bats and is the primary reason for the decline in their numbers, not human activity. I hope that our colleagues take our letter to heart and prevent any funding for this up-listing. We should not punish landowners and cause economic harm for something they are not responsible for. You can read the full letter here.

Judiciary
Democrats promise to restore your rights…maybe
This week the House Judiciary Committee considered legislation, which would require the Attorney General to establish and maintain a federal database where individuals may voluntarily place themselves on a list to prohibit them from purchasing or possessing a firearm. While this bill may appear well-intentioned at first glance, it creates enormous opportunities for abuse – not only by agenda-driven bureaucrats, but also by anti-Second Amendment healthcare professionals. Coercion and intimidation by the FBI are also potential areas of concern. Should someone want to subsequently be removed from this database, the Attorney General (and other undefined stakeholders) have the discretion to decide whether or not to allow it. In other words, someone could willingly volunteer to give up their rights temporarily, but it would be up to the government to decide if or when to restore them. Unfortunately, we’ve seen many examples of weaponized agencies going after their opponents in this administration, and sadly, this will likely be no different.

Recent Legislation

Bridging the digital divide in rural America
This week, I introduced H.R. 9445, the ACCESS Rural America Act, to ensure rural telecommunication providers are not hindered by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) registration and reporting requirements. This legislation will allow smaller, locally owned telecommunication providers to expand broadband access in rural areas across the United States without fear of burdening regulations intended for large corporations. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was signed into law in 2002 and established extensive regulations for companies. Due to the broad-brush approach that this law imposed, many smaller, locally owned businesses increasingly find themselves tripped up by enhanced SEC registration and reporting requirements. For example, if a small telecommunications company in Wisconsin is helping deploy networks in rural areas but has 500 or more not-accredited shareholders, then it must comply with the regulations set forth by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and spend substantial amounts of money and resources on these reporting requirements to the SEC every year. H.R. 9445 would increase the number of investors that prompts the SEC public reporting requirements from 500 to 2,000 persons for rural telecommunications companies receiving federal universal service support. This will help alleviate pressure on many of the businesses that are helping bridge the digital divide across America.

District Update

Bayfield Post Office – help is on the way
I know many of you have reached out to us about the long wait times in receiving mail from the Bayfield USPS. While I know this can be frustrating, especially during the holiday season, my office has received word from USPS that the issue will be addressed soon. The Bayfield Post Office has been working short-staffed, having only one clerk since July, but is expecting two new employees in the upcoming weeks. If you, or anyone you know, have any interest in working for the United States Postal Service, there are multiple openings, which can be found by clicking here.

Photo of the week
If you would like to submit a picture to be featured in our photo of the week section, please email it to [email protected] with your name and location. We have received some wonderful submissions, and I am looking forward to seeing more.

“Wisconsin snow is a real TREAT.” – Submitted by pups Maxx and Sady and William on the Kinnickinnic “Kinni” River

Upcoming Events

Free hams for vets and active military
Tomorrow, the Man of Honor Society will be holding its 14th annual ham giveaway for veterans and active military personnel. The giveaway will begin at 9 AM at the midway at Marathon Park, and the East entrance at Garfield Avenue will be the only entrance to the event. You will want to get these early as the hams are expected to go quickly. You must show a DD Form 214, current military ID, or current VA ID card – there will be no exceptions. This is a small, but important, token of appreciation for our veterans and military personnel near the holidays, and I thank the Man of Honor Society for putting on such a wonderful drive-through event. For more information, please click here.

                                  Resources  

The holiday season is here. If you would like to bring the joy of Christmas to less fortunate children, please visit the Toys for Tots website to learn how you can donate or apply for toys. 

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.

The IRS is looking for volunteers to train for the upcoming filing season to provide free tax help in communities across the country. If you would like to volunteer, more information can be found 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. 

Follow Rep. Tiffany