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In recent years, the amount of robocalls has spiraled out of control. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reported that Americans received an estimated 47.8 billion robocalls in 2018, a 57 percent increase over 2017. And 2019 is on track to be even higher. It's unfortunate that innocent Wisconsinites like yourself are being burdened by robocalls in increasingly harmful ways, from scams to defraud consumers to disrupting our health care system.
In order to reduce the overall frequency of robocalls, Senator John Thune (R-SD) introduced S.151, the TRACED Act, on January 16, 2019. The TRACED Act would improve enforcement policies by criminalizing illegal robocalling and increasing the civil penalty to $10,000 per call. Additionally, major phone carriers such as Verizon and AT&T would be required to implement technology improvements to identify and authenticate the source of calls, so consumers will know who is calling them before they fall into a trap. The TRACED Act passed the Senate on May 23, 2019.
I am a proud cosponsor of the TRACED Act's House companion bill, H.R. 2015. This week, the TRACED Act reached the House floor for a vote. I am pleased to inform you that, with my support, the TRACED Act passed the House by a large, bipartisan 417-3 margin.
I, like you, look forward to once again living in freedom from the danger and harassment of robocalls.
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| Supporting Legal Immigration |
In the midst of the crisis at our Southern border, House Democrats continue to spend taxpayer dollars and Congressional resources on an impeachment inquiry that has bipartisan opposition within Congress. Rather than channeling our energy into countless hours of testimony and reports on a phone call made by President Trump, for which we have the transcript, Congress needs to turn its focus toward immigration policy and protecting our Southern border.
I have been told by Department of Homeland Security officials that in May 2019, approximately 100,000 illegal immigrants who crossed our Southern border were released into the U.S. During this time, they were released into the United States on a system that is like being on parole. They would check in with an immigration officer, either in person or by phone, but otherwise were free to live and work in the U.S. As you can imagine, having already broken our law by illegally crossing the border, many of these people failed to show up to their immigration hearing and chose to stay in our country as fugitives.
In September 2019, I'm told, this number dropped to less than 1,000. This is due to President Trump's leadership on the issue. When someone crosses our border illegally now, they are sent back to Mexico, regardless of their country of origin, to stay until the date of their trial in the U.S. This not only decreases the burden on our border patrol agents, but it also discourages immigrants to come to our country illegally in the first place, because they know if they cross illegally they will not be released into the U.S.
In order to reinforce President Trump's actions, I believe that Congress must move past the distraction of impeachment and instead focus on important issues that affect everyday Americans, like illegal immigration. I hope that my colleagues will stand by my side and finally begin to tackle the tough issues.
I should also mention that I, President Trump and Republicans in general have not suggested nor want to reduce legal immigration. The United States has sworn in 833,000 new citizens in 2019. By comparison, the 28 countries making up the European Union swore in 825,400 in 2017. I want to keep bringing the world's best and brightest into America, I would even like it if more immigrants came to our country legally. But that is the operative word, legally. This is an important distinction because legal immigration is both good and safe for the individual immigrants and the United States, while illegal immigration is dangerous for our country and the people crossing the border illegally.
I was glad to have the opportunity to speak on the House floor to provide important immigration updates as well as the work that is left to be done. Please click here or on the picture below to view my speech.
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| Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Anniversary |
The two-year anniversary of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is Friday, December 20, 2019. This legislation overhauled America's tax code by lowering taxes for the vast majority of Americans, eliminating special-interest loopholes, consolidating deductions, doubling the Child Tax Credit and offering a historic 20 percent tax deduction for the first portion of income earned by small and family-owned businesses.
Since being signed into law, 90 percent of Americans have received tax cuts. That number is likely higher in Wisconsin, as those who did not receive tax relief largely reside in states with higher state taxes, like New York, New Jersey and California. The unemployment rate has also fell to historic lows as more employees are being hired than ever before.
Here's a long list of positive tax reform news in Wisconsin due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
This upcoming tax season, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is encouraging taxpayers to use their Tax Withholding Estimator to ensure that they have the correct amount of tax being withheld from their pay. If you would like to take advantage of the Tax Withholding Estimator to help you file your taxes, please click here. In regards to receiving tax refunds, please note that refund payments may be affected by temporary jobs, holiday pay, year-end bonuses and past-due debt. Lastly, it is important to highlight that filing your tax returns electronically and receiving tax refunds by direct deposit is the fastest way to receive your refund.
If you are facing any issues with the IRS, please do not hesitate to reach out to my Fond du Lac office for assistance at 920-907-0624.
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I joined American Red Cross at their Holiday Mail for Heroes event. These cards will be sent to the brave service members protecting our country. Thank you all for your service!
December 3 was Giving Tuesday. This day highlights the great work of charities all over the world and just how important it is to donate to them so they can continue their mission of helping. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you will see that I'm at charity events, fundraisers for local organizations and churches nearly every weekend.
I spoke at the Consumer Federation of America's 32nd Annual Financial Services Conference about the importance of personal financial responsibility and my bipartisan bill, the Veterans and Consumers Fair Credit Act, that aims to protect Americans from harmful predatory lenders.
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As your Congressman, I’m here to serve you. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to my offices in Fond du Lac and Washington. If you enjoyed this newsletter be sure to forward it to your family and friends so they can stay informed on what I’m doing in Washington and the Sixth District.
You can also stay up-to-the-minute by following me on Facebook (Congressman Glenn Grothman), Twitter (@RepGrothman) and Instagram (@RepGlennGrothman).
Sincerely,
Member of Congress |
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