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Dear Friend,
As we wrap up 2022 with the last Telegram of the year, I want to take time to recap an incredible year.
Many times, I am asked what I am most proud of from my work in Congress, and it’s always an easy answer.
It’s helping you.
I am lucky to have such a great team that has helped hundreds of constituents this year with their casework requests. From getting timely responses about Social Security or Medicare benefits to helping with IRS refunds and passports to receiving information on VA claims, my office is always here to help you. If you are having trouble with a federal agency, do not hesitate to give us a call today at (715) 298-9344.
I was also able to hold 15 in-person listening sessions and telephone town halls this past year. These forums are a great opportunity for me to hear from you, share updates about what’s going on in Congress and Wisconsin, and answer your questions directly. If you would like to make sure you receive a call from my office for our next telephone town hall, be sure to sign up here and stay tuned for more listening sessions in the new year.
On the legislative front, I have been working to protect our family farms for future generations, combat the rise in violent crime, expand broadband access, ensure the timely processing of energy permits, and more. I will continue to fight to restore an America that is strong, safe, and free. While there are many issues Republicans in the House of Representatives must tackle in the new year, some priorities must be getting Washington back to fiscal responsibility, securing our southern border, combating China’s aggression, and unleashing American energy. If you have not taken my end-of-year survey yet, please be sure to do so here.
As 2022 winds down, I want to thank you for making Wisconsin’s Seventh District one of the best places to live, work, and raise a family. You make up the fabric of our communities, and my team and I are ready to get to work for you in 2023.
I wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy Hanukkah, and I hope 2023 is filled with good health, happiness, and prosperity for you and your family. We will be back next year with our next edition of the Tiffany Telegram.
Sincerely,
Tom Tiffany
Member of Congress
That’s a wrap!
Remember our Veterans this holiday season
As the holiday season quickly approaches, most of us will be engaged in holiday shopping, planning to host family and friends, or traveling. It’s a great time of year to rekindle friendships and reconnect with family. However, the holidays can also be very difficult for current military members and veterans. As we make our preparations, please take a moment to remember and thank our veterans who have selflessly served our country, and have missed many holidays, birthdays, and special occasions. Sadly, many of our warriors this holiday season will be without family, friends, or a place to call home. Many will still be dealing with invisible battle scars, that they will carry for a lifetime. The latest data available for Veteran Suicide Data (2020) reveals that we still need to do more to prevent these unfortunate and untimely deaths. Our country, our communities, and our families suffer every time we lose one of our national treasures. If you are concerned about a veteran in need of assistance, please direct them to dial 988 to speak with someone from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or to the VA website, to contact a Suicide Prevention Coordinator. Veterans need all of us to stay in the fight, just like they’ve done for us in the past. From my family and staff, thank you to our veterans, service members, and first responders, for your service to our great nation.
Joe Biden’s blue Christmas
As Telegram readers know, ever since the Democrats' one-party rule in Washington began, they’ve gone on one spending spree after another and sent inflation snowballing to the tune of 13.8% since President Biden took office. And with Christmas right around the corner, Americans should prepare themselves for a significant increase in holiday costs. This season Americans will be paying more for Christmas trees, presents, travel, and dinner than any other year. But don’t get your tinsel in a tangle – here are a few suggestions to help save on your holiday shopping: develop a gift-giving philosophy, create a budget, track your spending, rein in other spending, or split the cost by going in on group gifts.
Skyrocketing energy bills are snow joke
Wisconsinites have already seen a lot of snow and cold days this year, and with the upcoming forecast, many are wondering how they are going to be able to afford to heat their homes. It’s no secret that homeowners see their energy bills skyrocket in the colder months, but according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration residents could end up spending 28% more to heat their homes this year. With record-high inflation and rising gas prices, their budgets are already stretched thin. One way to efficiently lower your energy bill is to weatherstrip your doors and windows. Doing this can help you keep the heat in and cold air out throughout the winter; you can see more on how to do this here. There are many ways to heat your home without spending a fortune, but in case you need more ideas on how to save some extra money, here is a helpful link. Stay warm and stay safe!
Nightmare before Christmas
More than a decade ago, when lawmakers were debating Obamacare, critics warned that the controversial plan would result in Americans losing their health care plans and pave the way for taxpayer-funded handouts to illegal aliens. Some of you may recall the moment when President Obama assured Americans that this would never happen. “There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false,” President Obama said at the time, prompting Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-02) to shout “You lie!” in response. We now know that Rep. Wilson was the one telling the truth. This week, the Biden administration quietly approved a dangerous plan in the state of Washington that will extend Obamacare coverage to – you guessed it – illegal aliens. Now, you may be wondering why taxpayers in Wisconsin should care about something that happens in Washington state. Well, the reason is that Medicaid, a safety net program for vulnerable Americans that is administered in the states and connected to Obamacare, is funded by both state and federal tax dollars – making these intermixed dollars somewhat fungible. In other words, all American taxpayers are indirectly on the hook for misguided initiatives like the one President Biden recently green-lighted. More broadly, programs like this one add to the incentives that are fueling the tidal wave of illegal migrants flooding into every part of our country, a crisis that is looking more and more like an invasion with each passing day.
Biden’s Border Crisis: The “Claus” and effect
As Telegram readers might remember, last year, I traveled down to the Darien Gap in Panama to witness firsthand the “Claus” of President Joe Biden’s intentional border invasion. For context, the Darien Gap is a dangerous jungle between Columbia and Panama that serves as a smuggling pipeline for many migrants who have been incentivized by Joe Biden’s open border policies to make the treacherous trek to the United States. The effect of not enforcing our immigration laws, reimplementing the failed Obama-era policy of catch-and-release, and allowing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to facilitate this invasion has been catastrophic. Not only has Joe Biden set the record for most migrant deaths under any president, but he has allowed illegal aliens, many who we know nothing about, along with illicit drugs to invade our nation. And this isn’t just impacting border states. The Heritage Foundation has been able to track migrants who have made their way to our 7th District neighborhoods (see picture below). The Biden administration must be held responsible, but so must the NGOs who are helping facilitate this invasion and, in many instances, using U.S. taxpayer dollars to bankroll this nightmare. That’s why this week I joined Representative Lance Gooden (TX-05) in calling on three NGOs that have been helping illegal immigrants get to our southern border and into the interior of our nation to preserve documents and communications for a future congressional investigation into their role in this disaster. You can read more about that letter here.
Every state is a border state.
Committee Update
Natural Resources
Forget the figgy pudding, I want cranberries
This week I signed on to a bipartisan letter in support of Wisconsin’s cranberry growers. The FDA has put out a proposed rule that redefines “healthy” for dried fruits as having zero added sugars. This would directly impact dried cranberries and classify them as “unhealthy” without taking into account the various health benefits they provide. This would put them at a disadvantage in the marketplace and harm cranberry farmers in our district. Even though dried cranberries have close to if not lower sugar content than similar products like raisins, because the sugar in the product does not occur naturally, they won’t be considered healthy. As we said in our letter “Dried cranberries and dried tart cherries should not be made to seem less healthy than similar products based on added sugars when they can be part of a healthy diet and promote the objectives of the new healthy rule.” I will continue to advocate for our cranberry farmers and other important industries within our district and I hope the FDA takes up this common sense fix to its definition of healthy. You can read the full letter here.
Judiciary
Justice for murder victims
Neighborhoods across the Nation have been experiencing a spike in violent crime in recent years. In 2020 murder rates increased by 30% and continued climbing in 2021, which is why it is important to update our laws to ensure that criminals are being held accountable. This week I introduced H.R. 9601 the Justice for Murder Victims Act, along with my House Judiciary colleague, Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04). Our bipartisan proposal will eliminate the 13th-century “year-and-a-day” rule that prohibits homicide prosecutions if the victim succumbs to their injuries more than a year and a day from the assault. Allowing murderers to evade punishment thanks to the power of modern medicine serve as a disgrace to murder victims and their loved ones. It is long past time to close this 13th-century loophole that allows murderers to walk on a technicality while denying murder victims the justice they deserve.
District Update
Look on the “light” side
One of the best parts of Christmas is looking at the light displays and decorations that people put up. If you are looking to get into the holiday spirit but don’t know where to go, don’t worry because there are many places in Wisconsin that offer light shows and pictures with Santa. If you or someone you know has gone all out this year and wants to show off their display, they can submit photos to be featured on NewsChannel 7 at this link. I have seen some incredible submissions and can’t wait to see how you all have decorated your houses.
How to avoid holiday Grinches
It’s the holiday season and many people are looking for ways that they can give back. Unfortunately, there are some Grinches out there looking to scam you out of your holiday cheer. To avoid being scammed the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) are warning people not to make charitable donations over the phone. You should only write checks to organizations, not individual solicitors, and do not click on links offered in emails, social media posts, or text messages. You can also verify that an organization is registered with the DFI at this link. For more ways to avoid scammers click here.
Photo of the Week: Christmas edition
Since we are taking a two-week holiday break from the Telegram and because you guys have submitted so many wonderful pictures over the last few weeks, I wanted to include two photo of the week submissions this 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.
 “All spruced up” - submitted by Joyce just northwest of Roberts at their small Christmas tree farm
“Snow on and snow forth” - submitted by Bonnie in Danbury
There’s Snow Time Like the Present
Holiday events near you
There are multiple events in our community this Christmas that helps those in need, can entertain the kids, or be an adult’s night out. While the following are just a few examples, be sure to check your local newspaper’s upcoming events for the month of December. If you or someone you know may be alone on Christmas, many organizations in our communities are hosting free Christmas dinners. The Superior Douglas County YMCA will be hosting its free drive-thru food distribution event tomorrow from 10 AM-noon. In the Wausau area, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ’s Annual Christmas Dinner will be held on December 24th starting at 3:30 PM, and in Rhinelander, the Lions Club is hosting their Community Christmas Dinner on the 25th starting at 11:30 AM. All are welcome, and these are great events to make sure that all in our community have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with a warm meal.
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.
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