Dear Friend,
 
In December 2019, health officials in Taiwan alerted the World Health Organization (WHO) about the risk of human-to-human transmission of a deadly disease spreading in Wuhan, China.
 
Unfortunately, the WHO ignored the warnings and their own guidelines to investigate any potential public health emergencies to prevent the chance of a pandemic, which were put in place in 2003 after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) failed to alert the world about a SARS outbreak triggering a pandemic.

Covid-19 began spreading from country to country in January, but the WHO continued to downplay the severity by parroting Communist China’s talking points including that, “Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese Authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus identified in Wuhan.”
 
Three months, 118,000 cases, 4,291 deaths, and 114 affected countries later the WHO finally declared Covid-19 a global pandemic. Had the WHO heeded Taiwan’s early warnings instead of cozying up to the CCP it could have saved thousands of people from getting the deadly disease.
 
President Trump cut off US support for the WHO in the wake of the pandemic mismanagement and out of concern that it had been co-opted by the CCP. Despite all of this, however, President Biden decided to “re-engage” with the WHO shortly after taking office and is now considering giving the WHO even greater control over US health policies.
 
The WHO, along with our federal health agencies, failed miserably in their response to Covid-19. This failure should not be rewarded with a new international treaty that would increase the WHO's power at the expense of American sovereignty.
 
That’s why this week Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) and I introduced legislation that would hold the WHO accountable for its failures. It would require any convention or agreement that comes out of the WHO pandemic treaty process to be considered a treaty – requiring the consent of a supermajority of the Senate.
 
Our bill will increase Congressional oversight and ensure that America’s sovereignty remains intact.
 
But that’s not all.
 
Today, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill to declassify the information on the origin of Covid-19. So that the American people have access to the same information that led to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Department of Energy’s determination that Covid-19 most likely originated as a result of a lab leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.  

We’ve come a long way since the early days of the pandemic, and it's time to get to the bottom of what really happened so that we can make sure those same mistakes are never repeated.
 
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

Click here or on the image above to watch my interview with Newsmax on my bill to hold the WHO accountable and protect American sovereignty.

Good grief…
Charlie Brown’s classic expression is one all Americans can probably relate to after news broke about the Biden administration running a program to provide “ecogrief” counseling for government workers. Now, you might be asking yourself what exactly “ecogrief” is. Well, one recent news report described it as a “sense of trauma or loss” due to “a changing environment.” The report went on to explain that these new-age sensitivity trainings are designed to help Interior Department employees “examine their emotional reactions and [provide] tools to grapple with those feelings.” By the way, did we mention that these sessions are reportedly costing you $4,000 a pop? That’s something that should leave every taxpayer feeling some grief. Let’s be honest. This program – like so many of the things the Biden administration is frittering away your hard-earned money on – is a colossal waste of time and resources. The Interior Department ought to be focusing less on promoting fringe environmental fanaticism in the workplace, and more on things like better land management practices and lowering prices at the pump. You can read more about the issue, and what I had to say about it here.
 
Lac Du Flambeau update
I wanted to follow up on the ongoing situation in Lac Du Flambeau. Telegram readers might remember that last week, Senator Ron Johnson and I sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland requesting answers regarding how much federal funding has been poured into the maintenance and construction of the four roads the Lac Du Flambeau Tribe has blocked. We’ve also asked that appraisals of these rights-of-way be made public. We gave the Biden administration a week to provide answers to help resolve this dispute, but my office has still not received a response. And unfortunately, their lack of responsiveness has become a pattern. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has also stonewalled my office for 29 days on information we requested that would help get to the bottom of this dispute, and which would encourage both sides to come to the table in a fair and good-faith negotiation. The longer this dispute drags on with no action by the Biden administration or the Tribal Council, the more dangerous things become for the health and safety of the residents that remain trapped behind barriers – many of whom must walk across a frozen lake to get their parked cars that are not allowed past the roadblocks. We need to solve this like neighbors and holding people hostage in their homes and restricting access to residents’ schools, jobs, and grocery stores does the exact opposite. The Biden administration needs to provide the transparency we’ve asked for instead of allowing this situation to escalate.

Click here or on the image above to watch my interview with Fox News regarding the ongoing Lac Du Flambeau situation.

Keeping Washington out of Wisconsin water
On Thursday, the House passed a joint resolution of disapproval of the Biden Administration’s disastrous “Waters of the U.S.” or “WOTUS” rule. As a cosponsor of this legislation, I was very happy to see it clear congress with bipartisan support. The reason why this measure is so important is that if enacted, it will terminate this dangerous bureaucratic regulation, which would take us back to the unpopular Obama-era rule, which provides uncertainty for farmers and expands federal control – essentially turning puddles into federally regulated waters. In other words, this rule would expand the reach of the D.C. bureaucracy into the backyards of hardworking Americans. I also joined 195 Republicans back in January sending a letter to the administration, urging them to rescind this rule. My hope is that the Senate follows our lead and passes our measure without delay.

Not sure if there is a better time to preside as Speaker Pro Temp than as the House passed legislation to protect farmers and rural communities.

Committee Update

Natural Resources
Tapping into America’s energy potential
On Thursday, the Natural Resources Committee had our first markup of this Congress. The bill we passed through the Committee is the "Transparency, Accountability, Permitting, and Production of American Resources Act" or the "TAPP American Resources Act." This bill would go a long way toward alleviating the energy crisis we face by restarting common-sense leasing for oil, natural gas, and coal. It would also modernize the permitting process for energy development, including minerals, on federal lands and even reform the decades-old, burdensome “NEPA” process. Energy is a top priority for House Republicans as we continue working to lower costs for the American people. In fact, it is such a high priority for us that the bill we marked up was included in a larger energy package that is now H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act. This is the first step to reversing some of the Biden Administration’s disastrous actions and ending their war on American energy. You can watch some of my remarks from the hearing here.
 
Federal Lands Subcommittee
First hearing as Chairman in the books
This week I had the opportunity to preside over our first hearing in the Subcommittee on Federal Lands this Congress. As Chairman, it was an honor to welcome witnesses to the hearing and hear their insightful testimony on “Promoting Conservation with a Purpose on America’s Federal Lands and Forests”. We got to hear from witnesses from Wyoming, Utah, and Washington about how we can better manage our federal lands, promote access, and protect the environment. Sadly, the “hands-off” approach to federal land management has resulted in a laundry list of negative outcomes – including declining forest health, catastrophic wildfires and a growing deferred maintenance backlog. This hearing was a great opportunity to examine the land conservation issues we face and to discuss solutions we can offer to address them. I look forward to continuing our work on the Subcommittee and delivering results for the American people and the lands we treasure so much.

Recent Legislation

Ending unfair discrimination
Racial set-asides, quotas, and other forms of officially sanctioned racial discrimination have no place in American law, American government, American workplaces, or American classrooms. That’s why it is so disappointing to see the Biden administration’s continued insistence on engaging in these kinds of outrageous and unfair practices. It is wrong to pit Americans against one another by labeling some as “oppressors” and others as “victims” based solely on the color of their skin. That’s why this week, I introduced the “Fairness, Anti-discrimination and Individual Rights Act” or “FAIR Act” with Reps. Burgess Owens (UT-04), Michelle Steel (CA-45) and Byron Donalds (FL-19) – to end these discriminatory policies once and for all. Our bill would explicitly prohibit the Biden administration, federal contractors, or any other recipient of federal funds from intentionally discriminating against or granting a preference to any person based on race, color, or national origin. If we are serious about ending racial discrimination in America, the first step is for the government to stop doing the discriminating. You can read more about our bill here.

District Update

Expanding Wisconsin’s biohealth industry
I had a great time meeting with members of Wisconsin’s biohealth industry, which is continuing to grow across our great state due to our wonderful universities, talented workforce, and reliable infrastructure. Thanks to hardworking Wisconsinites, we host a number of medical imaging companies and groundbreaking medical imaging research, including BioForward Wisconsin and Exact Sciences. Many of Wisconsin’s leading biohealth industry leaders depend on manufacturing suppliers in the Seventh District for their products, and I look forward to supporting the growth of this industry.

I had a great time meeting with Bioforward Wisconsin and Exact Sciences to discuss the economic impact and job growth of Wisconsin’s biohealth industry. 

State-of-the-art communication facility
On Tuesday, members of my district staff attended the ribbon cutting for Northcentral Technical College’s new state-of-the-art communication technology facility. The Center for Excellence in Communication Technologies will help students build their skills in careers centered around graphic communication technologies, printing, marketing, web design, digital marketing, and video production programs. The new studio is in memory of Dick Dudley, who founded Wausau’s NewsChannel 7, and as Channel 7 describes, “It’s the only one of its kind in central Wisconsin.”

Slam the scam
Although reports of Social Security-related scams have decreased in recent years, scammers are still working tirelessly to steal your personal and financial data. As part of the FTC’s Consumer Protection Week, the Social Security Administration has provided guidelines on how to recognize scams and protect your information. Be on the lookout for calls, texts, emails, and other messages from individuals claiming to represent a government agency. Scammers will often pressure you to provide personal data or threaten you with legal action. Always remain skeptical of unexpected calls or messages and avoid clicking on attachments from unknown sources. Unlike scammers, the SSA will never ask for payment via money wire, prepaid debit cards, or cash. If you believe you are a victim of a scam, hang up the phone or ignore the message. You can file an SSA scam report by filling out this form here. For up-to-date information on Social Security-related scams, follow the SSA on social media or visit the website of the Inspector General. 

Supporting our veterans
Earlier this week I met with Michele Rathke and Ron Ramos from the Wisconsin VFW to discuss improving veterans’ services in rural areas like Wisconsin’s 7th District. It is my duty in Congress to ensure our nation's veterans are receiving the care and benefits they have earned. We were also able to discuss important legislation that I am a cosponsor of, such as the Major Richard Star Act. This bill would distinguish retirement pay from service-connected disability compensation, expanding benefits to over 50,000 combat-injured veterans nationwide. Thank you to the Wisconsin VFW for coming all the way to Washington to advocate for these important issues, to all those who have served, and to the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our great nation.

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 amazing submissions, and I am looking forward to seeing more.

"Northern Lights" - Submitted by Jeanne in St. Germain

                                  Resources  

The Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private nonprofit organizations in Florence, Forest, Marinette, and Vilas County are eligible to apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) due to losses from drought from April 28 through October 15, 2022. More information can be found 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.

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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