Thomas Tiffany

Mr. TIFFANY

Mr. TIFFANY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate all the young athletes from Wisconsin's Seventh District that took home a State championship title this fall sports season. These winners include: Nora Gremban from Northland Pines High School in Eagle River; Autumn Michalski of Chequamegon High School for girls' cross country; the Rhinelander Hodags girls' swim and dive team; the St. Croix Falls Saints girls' volleyball team; and the Edgar, Florence, Stratford, and Rice Lake football teams. Congratulations to each and every one of these State champions. Madam Speaker, let us all wish them the best of luck in their future seasons.

Mr. TIFFANY

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this legislation, which would prohibit the housing of illegal immigrants on Federal lands. I only wish it was not necessary. Unfortunately, thanks to the open borders policies of the Biden administration, America's public lands are now in danger of being converted into public flophouses for foreign migrants. Here we are. In an effort to house the exploding number of foreigners illegally flooding into our country, the Biden administration is already allowing the construction of an encampment at the Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn's Gateway National Recreation Area. They even waived NEPA, the National Environmental Policy Act, to permit it. You do not see any of the environmental groups raising a ruckus like they normally do when productive companies in the United States of America want to do something with natural resources. Where is the Sierra Club? Where is the National Resources Defense Council? Where is the Center For Biological Diversity when NEPA is being flouted once again? What is next? Illegal alien Bidenvilles on The National Mall here right in Washington, D.C.? Makeshift migrant towns on the rim of the Grand Canyon? Maybe they are going to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in my district to build encampments there on Lake Superior. As the President is fond of saying, this is no joke, folks. For decades, we have worked together across party lines to protect our iconic national parks, pristine wildlife refuges, and resource-rich national forests and rangelands. We have done so to conserve these areas for the wise use and future enjoyment of the American people. We can do that again by passing this bill and ensuring that the public lands we all cherish are not transformed into squatting grounds for a never-ending stampede of migrants. I will close with this. On January 20, 2021, the first day that President Biden was in office, he closed down energy independence in America by shutting down the Keystone pipeline, and he opened up the pipeline down to Panama to be able to bring millions of illegal immigrants into America. It is amazing to me to watch my colleagues on the other side of the aisle as they twist themselves into pretzels as we advance bill after bill, including the Floyd Bennett bill here, and they are in complete denial. ``Hey, America, everything is just fine.'' It is not. Mr. Chair, I support this bill, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. TIFFANY

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, my amendment would prevent the enforcement of several arbitrary, self-imposed State Department restrictions that limit communication and cooperation between U.S. officials and their counterparts in Taiwan. This amendment is similar to one that was adopted earlier in the Department of Defense appropriations bill. As I discussed then, these restrictions are not required by any provision of law and have been put in place at the behest of Communist China. They make it difficult for senior U.S. officials to travel to Taiwan and to interact with their Taiwanese counterparts. In essence, these guidelines are designed to prevent and limit high-level, bilateral cooperation. Not only does this make little sense, it is in direct conflict with existing laws that call for expanding such cooperation, such as the Taiwan Travel Act. Mr. Chair, a State Department memorandum should never trump the laws we pass in this body or outsource American foreign policy to the CCP. My amendment will make sure that neither of those things happen by scrapping these restrictive guidelines. I ask for a ``yes'' vote on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, why do we allow the State Department through a bureaucratic memo to impose these unnecessary and counterproductive limits on communication and cooperation with Taiwan? We don't have rules like this in place for the totalitarian rulers of Cuba or Russia, both of whom operate embassies just a few miles away from where we are standing right now. We don't have rules like this for our interaction with Iran. John Kerry has met on several occasions with high-ranking Iranian officials, and the White House just paid a $6 billion hostage ransom to the ayatollah. We don't have rules like this for U.S. interaction with Communist China. Biden administration officials continue to sit down at the table with the same CCP officials who our own Secretary of State has accused of committing genocide. Yet, we continue to enforce these degrading conditions on Taiwan, a longtime friend and fellow democracy. Mr. Chair, as the old Sesame Street song goes, ``One of these things is not like the other.'' It is time to stop treating our friends like enemies and our enemies like friends. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, here is part of the memo that I read last night from the State Department: You should not refer to Taiwan as a country or to the authorities of Taiwan as a government, instead, refer to Taiwan authorities or Taiwan counterparts. That is the kind of thing that is happening in our State Department and it projects weakness to countries across the world, in particular, our adversaries, when we need a foreign policy that is strong, we are not receiving it now. That is why this amendment should be passed. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TIFFANY

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, my amendment would prohibit the Department of Defense from creating, procuring, or displaying any map which depicts Taiwan as part of the territory of the People's Republic of China. This should not be a problem since all of us know that Taiwan is not, nor has it ever been, part of Communist China. Any claims to the contrary are simply false. Since the 1970s, America's so-called One China policy has acknowledged Beijing's bogus claims over Taiwan. This is an antiquated and dishonest policy, and it is one that we should abandon. While my amendment will not end that misguided policy, it will at least require that the maps that we use reflect a simple reality: China is China; Taiwan is Taiwan. Mr. Chair, I ask for a ``yes'' vote on my honest maps amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, I will take the point in good faith from the gentlewoman on the other side. If you have a good instructor, they can clearly explain how China views the world. If you have a good instructor in the Department of Defense, perhaps in the military college, they can explain very clearly how China views the world. This does not preclude that in any way, but when we make a trip like I did recently with the Natural Resources Committee, and we have a map that is put before us that shows Taiwan as part of Communist China, that is just simply not the truth. That is what we were getting at. I think this legislation is going to have strong bipartisan support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, I am stunned. This is the type of appeasement that gets the world in trouble. We have a long history of this, and our country is very familiar with it, going back to probably the most classic example that is taught in our history books from the 1930s, where there isn't this clear demarcation, where you do not have definitive language, like President Reagan when he said, ``Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.'' There are times when you have to be very clear with your adversaries about where you stand. This is one of them in regard to Taiwan because Communist China would like to take over that island nation, an island nation that they never controlled. It was never under their control. We can appease, and we will continue to see dozens, perhaps hundreds, of sorties being flown over Taiwan as aggression comes from that appeasement. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, my amendment would prevent the enforcement of several arbitrary State Department restrictions that limit communication and cooperation between U.S. officials and their counterparts in Taiwan. These restrictions, which are imposed at the behest of Communist China, are not only counterproductive, but they actually conflict with existing U.S. law. They prevent high-ranking officials from traveling to Taiwan, which makes it more difficult for us to coordinate with military planners in Taipei. They police language, warning American officials not to refer to Taiwan as a country or its elected leaders as a government. They even impose degrading restrictions that serve no reasonable purpose, such as a ban on displaying Taiwan's flag and the playing of Taiwan's national anthem at functions held on U.S. Government property. In essence, they are designed to prevent and limit high-level interaction between U.S. and Taiwanese officials. Despite the fact that it has been official U.S. policy since 2018 to encourage and facilitate them, Mr. Chair, these rules do not help the United States and do not help Taiwan. The only country they help is Communist China. These Taiwan rules, like so many elements of our failed One China policy, simply perpetuate Beijing's lies and reward their bad behavior. America does not need a permission slip from Communist China to talk to our friends and allies, and that policy should end today. Mr. Chair, I ask for a ``yes'' vote on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, America has always done best in regard to foreign policy when we are strong and resolute. This is anything but strong and resolute. Let me read to you from an unclassified document from the State Department: You should not refer to Taiwan as a country or to the authorities on Taiwan as a government. Instead, refer to Taiwan authorities or Taiwan counterparts. Please avoid the public display or use of any ROC symbols of sovereignty. Taiwan authorities should not wear their uniforms on U.S. Government premises unless necessary for safety reasons. In other words, in effect, you are almost saying to them we need you to grovel. You are second-class citizens when you are interacting with the United States of America. We should never treat a friend like that, in particular a friend like Taiwan where you see the Communist Chinese Government is working day after day and have been successful in some places, like the Solomon Islands in Central America, where they have undermined support for Taiwan. We should be standing resolutely with Taiwan and send a very clear message. When we send a clear message to Communist China, it is important for them to hear that, but our partners, our allies around the world, also see that clear message and are more likely to be resolute, also. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, if there is a point of order that is being raised here, my amendment does not change any existing law or require any new duty or determination on the part of any employee of the Department of Homeland Security. It simply prohibits the expenditure of funds in contravention of a longstanding existing law, which the Department ought to comply with already. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TIFFANY

Mr. TIFFANY. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. TIFFANY. Madam Chair, my amendment would prevent State and local governments who refuse to cooperate with Federal immigration authorities from being able to obtain Federal funds under this Act. These so-called sanctuary city policies are nothing new. They are also illegal. In fact, they have been illegal since Bill Clinton signed a law making them illegal in the 1990s. As we have seen in recent months, these misguided policies serve as a magnet for illegal aliens--overwhelming schools, hospitals, and other local services. New York Mayor Eric Adams recently conceded that the tidal wave of illegal immigrants flooding into his sanctuary city will cost Big Apple residents a staggering $12 billion. He went on to say the influx will destroy his city. But there is more to this issue than dollars and cents. Because these policies prevent local law enforcement from reporting illegal aliens to ICE, police are often forced to release foreign criminals from custody who, of course, go on to target new victims. That doesn't just put sanctuary cities at risk, it puts every other neighboring community at risk, too. Madam Chair, why are Americans being forced to finance the dangerous and illegal policies of sanctuary cities like New York and Chicago? Why are we being asked to pick up the tab for the problems these jurisdictions are bringing upon themselves? It is time to stop rewarding bad behavior. If you make an affirmative decision to violate Federal law, then you should be prepared to forego Federal funds. Madam Chair, I ask for a ``yes'' vote, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TIFFANY. Madam Chair, I would just conclude by saying, let's take New York City as an example. In the Natural Resources Committee today we had a hearing in regards to a national park in New York that is now being used as an encampment for illegal aliens. What is next? Is it Yosemite next? Is it Yellowstone next? Is it the national seashore that is in my district, the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Where next will they do this? Plus, they ignore the NEPA process, something that the other side talks constantly about--we must follow the NEPA process. They are gutting it. It shows what the goals of the Biden administration are. It is the- ends-that-justify-the-means mentality. They will do anything to continue the invasion of our country. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TIFFANY

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, my bipartisan amendment ensures that none of the funds made available by this bill will go toward funding a rule that will ban flavored milk, like chocolate milk, in schools. This would ensure that all types and flavors of milk are available to schoolchildren. This summer it was reported that the USDA is considering banning chocolate milk from elementary and middle schools. USDA issued a proposed rule in February that would set new nutrition standards for school meals. If implemented, the new standards proposed could limit the amount of flavored milk, like chocolate and strawberry, in high schools while children in elementary and middle schools would be restricted to a variety of unflavored milk. This rule would affect roughly 30 million students who participate in the school meal programs. According to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, removing flavored milk from schools resulted in a 62 to 63 percent reduction in milk consumption by kids in kindergarten through fifth grade, as well as a 50 percent reduction in sixth through eighth grades. Milk is full of rich nutrients that support bone growth and development, and millions of children enjoy drinking it. We should not be funding rules that would limit our children's access to delicious and nutritious products like milk. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bipartisan amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Van Orden), my friend and neighbor in the Third Congressional District.

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chair, in many ways, this may be the least of the amendments that you will hear tonight, but it is actually, I would say, the most of the amendments. Here is the reason why: When you have a Federal Government that believes that they need to regulate the milk that is served in our kids' schools across America, you have a Federal Government that is out of control. We have become a borderless country. When our Federal Government has become perhaps the largest human trafficking operation in the history of the world, when you have a Federal Government that will not take us back to energy independence, where gasoline is now back up to $4 a gallon where I live in northern Wisconsin, where you have a Federal Government that has fueled inflation like we haven't seen for 40 years, what in the world are they doing? What in the world are they doing trying to regulate what milk is served in our kids' schools? That is why we are here tonight and trying to pass these amendments. They get America back to a place of fiscal responsibility but also sanity from what we have seen over the last couple of years with this profligate spending that is going on. Finally, I will say that I come from America's Dairyland, and you are damn right that I am going to fight for milk in our kids' schools. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TIFFANY

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for his support throughout the process in regard to this bill. There is very little that I can add to what the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee has laid out in his opening remarks in regard to the need for the ACRES Act. One of the few things I can add is a picture. The picture to my right here shows the need for this bill. When the amount of acres that are being treated are not counted accurately, we end up with a situation where those acres that should be treated don't get treated. This is the Grizzly Flats fire a couple years ago that wiped out that community. The Forest Service knew that it was time that these treatments needed to be put in place, and they weren't, and a community was destroyed out in the great State of California. This bill will bring transparency to the misleading and inaccurate way hazardous fuels treatments are reported. Decades of mismanagement of our Federal lands have left our forests overstocked and created tinderbox conditions. We have long known the reported pace and scale of forest management has been insufficient to truly address our forest health crisis. There is a better way to manage our public lands, and that starts with holding our Federal land management agencies accountable by requiring accurate reporting on the effectiveness of their work in fuel reduction. According to troubling reports, the situation is even worse than we have been led to believe, as agencies have been overstating their treatments by over 20 percent. Accurate reporting is necessary to broadly track the progress made on our larger wildfire mitigation targets, as well as individual projects. The ACRES Act is a simple solution to hold our Federal agencies accountable to see the actual work they are doing to reduce the enormous risk of wildfire. American taxpayers deserve to know they are getting what they paid for. This bill is one of the steps needed to help ensure that happens. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. TIFFANY

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Alicia Monson of Amery, Wisconsin, on breaking the American record in the 5,000 meters this past weekend. She ran 5,000 meters in 14 minutes and 19.45 seconds, beating the previous record by 4.47 seconds. This is not the only record she has set this year. In February, she broke the North American indoor record in the 3,000 meters, and in March she set a new North American 10,000 meters record. Alicia has been representing Wisconsin's Seventh District since she was in high school running cross country and track. She went on to become one of the top runners for the University of Wisconsin--Madison before becoming an Olympian in 2021. Mr. Speaker, I can't wait to see what record she breaks next. Keep making Wisconsin proud, Alicia.

Mr. TIFFANY

Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Chairman, it is good to join Representative Massie, once again, here tonight in regard to the REINS Act. I want to share with everybody a real-world example of how the REINS Act could be used. I think back to the Boiler MACT issue, which was over a decade ago. That was an administrative rule that was put in place administratively. It was not passed by the United States Congress. If the REINS Act would have been in place, we would have prevented the example I am about to give you. There was a smokestack that had to be built on a paper plant in northern Wisconsin that cost $10-plus million. It was meant to reduce emissions that were coming from that paper plant. Do you know how much it reduced emissions, Mr. Chairman? Zero. No emissions were reduced as a result of them spending $10 million as a result of this administrative rule, Boiler MACT, that was put in place. Think about the ripple effect of that. That company had to spend $10 million of their scarce capital on that. They wanted to do an expansion to be able to build an addition onto their plant that would make an advanced fiber that is being used on modern-day jets, commercial aircraft. As a result of that, they had to go to Oneida County and get a loan in order to do the expansion on their plant. It put the taxpayers of Oneida County on the hook rather than them simply spending their scarce capital and being able to make this addition that created another 40 to 50 jobs. That is the impact that we see as a result of the people's House not voting on something like this. This is really simple. These are the ABCs of good government. The agencies should have to come back to the United States Congress to be able to do something--that is, to institute a rule that is going to cost more than tens of millions of dollars. If this would have happened, if this would have been in effect, we would have not seen something like this previously.