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Dear Neighbor,
Last week was another busy one in Washington as we strive to get as much accomplished as possible before the August District Work Period. In addition to the highlights included below regarding priority legislation and committee investigation, I thoroughly enjoyed participating in a Joint Address to Congress by His Excellency, Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel. During these turbulent times, it is more important than ever to remain steadfast in support of our nation’s closest ally. We must also continue to push back against the rise in anti-Semitic language and behavior that we've seen around the globe. Please be assured I will continue to work on these important issues. Continue reading to learn more about my efforts on your behalf last week!
Making Washington Work For You
Enhancing Air Travel: The Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, which passed the House last week, will improve the efficiency and operations of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It will also help grow the aviation workforce, which supports 11 million jobs, invest in airport infrastructure throughout the country, uphold America’s gold standard in safety, encourage innovation, and enhance passenger experience for more than 850 million passengers who fly annually. I was glad it included legislation I co-led to provide more transparency at the FAA when they determine how to prioritize traffic control tower replacements.
Safeguarding our Critical Infrastructure: In last week’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing, we examined emerging threats to our nation’s energy infrastructure and the steps we need to take to address this national security concern. Click here to watch my explanation with the panelists.
Improving our Healthcare: In last week’s Health Subcommittee hearing, we discussed how Innovation in healthcare saves lives. We examined the need to enhance Medicare coverage pathways for innovative drugs, medical devices and technology. I discussed legislation I've authored to achieve this important goal. Click here to watch my comments during the hearing.
Also, in last week’s Energy and Commerce Committee Mark-up, four provisions I've authored to improve healthcare came one step closer to becoming law. These measures include: the Find Fentanyl Act, the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, and the Ensuring Medicaid Continuity for Children in Foster Care Act of 2023. The next stop for all four of these measures is the House Floor.
Protecting Children: I was proud to vote in favor of the Schools, Not Shelters Act last week because housing illegal migrants in our nation’s schools directs resources away from American students who are still struggling to recover from COVID closures, drains taxpayer funded budgets and perpetuates President Biden’s irresponsible border policies. Additionally, given that the criminal histories of these illegal migrants are unknown, they should not be placed in regular contact with children for obvious safety reasons.
Additionally, it was great to meet with Florida State Senator Ileana Garcia who chairs the Florida Senate Committee on Children and Families. We discussed the needs of Florida’s foster care children and my work to ensure their continued access to Medicaid.
Getting Serious About Balancing the Budget and Strengthening our Economy:
The federal government has borrowed $2 trillion over the past 12 months. That’s $63,000 per second. We have to get serious about reining in our spending and living within our means!
If we don’t take urgent action, federal interest payment on our national debt will become the largest taxpayer funded expense within the next 30 years. We will be paying more on our debt payments than we do for Social Security, Medicare, and national defense. We cannot keep kicking the can down the road to future generations.
Another way we can help improve our economic situation is by encouraging safe foreign investment. During last week’s Floor debate, I led the charge to increase our global competitiveness by attracting foreign domestic investment from Europe while enhancing protections from investment by China and other adversaries. Click here to listen.
Fighting for our Four-Legged Friends: As a huge animal lover, I was proud to lead the charge on the House Floor last week to improve animal welfare, strengthen food safety standards, and streamline processes to bring new animal medications to market. Click here to watch.
Demanding Accountability: After the Supreme Court recently ruled against his student loan giveaway scheme, President Biden announced that he is pursuing an administrative rule change to continue pursuing his loan forgiveness give-away. Time and again, Biden puts his liberal agenda ahead of the urgent needs of hardworking American families and our Constitution. Americans deserve accountability for his reckless behavior.
Recognizing Florida’s Success: New studies show that Florida leads the nation for having the most small businesses. This isn’t surprising as our state’s leadership continues to embrace freedom. However, we have to do more to ensure small businesses are not hampered by overregulation, unnecessary bureaucracy and record high inflation.
Also, this article outlines how Florida has led the way in strengthening our university system by ditching affirmative action. I was proud to support Governor Bush’s One Florida Initiative in 1999 when I served in the Florida Legislature. It has helped strengthen Florida’s University system by evaluating all students on the basis of merit, rather than race. The recent Supreme Court ruling will help expand this premise throughout the country, and just as we’ve proven in Florida, our nation’s secondary education system will be better because of it.
Community Connection
I am fortunate to have a team of dedicated staff who regularly attend events throughout our community, especially when I am required to be in Washington, DC. Through their collective efforts, I am better able to stay connected to the issues that matter most to my constituents. As part of my commitment to developing a better understanding of the issues facing constituents in Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties members of my team attended several events last week. Here are a few highlights.
My team was honored to help recognize the life and service of Clint Heim, a constituent of mine who served in the Army in Germany during WWII. He turned 98 last week!
Also, Robert Moll, who served in the United State Army as an Airman during WWII and lives in Citrus County turned 100 last week.
Happy Birthday to Clint and Robert. On behalf of a nation that will forever be grateful, thank you for your service to our country!
My team also enjoyed participating in the birthday festivities of Bea Walters of San Antonio, Florida who recently reached her 100th birthday!
Constituent Corner
My office recently received this email after my team helped him expedite her passport renewal.
I must convey my deepest thanks and appreciation to you and your staff. Several weeks ago, I contacted your office regarding a passport problem that a family friend was having. Our family, including the friend, was scheduled to depart on June 2 for a trip to Italy and Greece. I want to say "thank you" for your help. As a result of your offices work, the passport was issued on May 31 and overnighted; it was received on June 1. We were able to leave on June 2, and we had a great time. If it had not been for your offices intervention, our family trip would have been cancelled.
This is just one example of the work we do each day. Constituent services are a critical element of our congressional office. The federal government is a massive operation, and my office is available if you ever need assistance in navigating the bureaucracy or cutting through red tape. We are here to serve you!
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