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Dear Neighbor,
Like all decent Americans, I was horrified by the outrageous violence that took place in Pennsylvania yesterday and am incredibly grateful that President Trump survived this disgusting assassination attempt. I know the President and those of us who support him are fueled with an even stronger resolve to restore an America-First agenda and take back our country. My thoughts and prayers are with President Trump and his family as he recovers, as well as the innocent bystanders at the rally who were killed and remain in critical condition. While I am grateful to the Secret Service Agents who bravely risked their life to rush President Trump to safety, I have questions about the security protocols that enabled this travesty to unfold and look forward to a thorough investigation that answers those questions. There is no place in our society for political violence and we must do more to ensure the safety of those engaged in the political arena.
While I will be heading to Milwaukee this week for the Republican National Convention, I do want to provide a brief recap of my work on your behalf last week. Please continue reading to learn more.
Ensuring Election Integrity: The House passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which I've cosponsored. It protects and preserves the right of American citizens to vote by requiring states to obtain proof of citizenship—in person—when registering an individual to vote. It also requires states to remove non-citizens from existing voter rolls.
Nearly 80% of voters oppose illegal migrants voting in any U.S. election. But, did you know that over 500 non-citizens are registered to vote in local elections in Washington, D.C.? Other states are moving toward similar measures. This cannot be allowed to happen nationwide. While, it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections, it is also against the law to illegally cross the border and evade Border Patrol. Yet, more than 7 million people have done so under Biden’s watch. Of further concern, most states permit illegal aliens to receive driver’s licenses, allowing them to access voter registration materials. This highlights the need for the SAVE Act, and I urge my Senate colleagues to take action on this commonsense measure.
Securing Our Border: Despite recent claims to the contrary, Americans are acutely aware of the crisis that exists because of President Biden’s utter failure to secure our border. I’ll never stop fighting to protect Americans by addressing this urgent national security crisis.
Protecting Consumers: During last week’s Communications & Technology Subcommittee hearing, I probed the FCC panelists about how the agency’s proposed rule against bundled billing will negatively hurt constituents in my district, including the more than 100 residents of Timber Pines who wrote to me earlier this year to help block this egregious example of government overreach. Click here to listen.
Last week, we also passed two bills that will protect affordability, quality and choice for residential refrigerators and dishwashers by prohibiting the Biden Administration from continuing its efforts to enforce new efficiency standards that are not technologically feasible and/or economically justified. The Department of Energy’s analysis finds that proposed efficiency mandates could increase the upfront costs by 25% and it could take consumers 10 years to payback the increased costs for a product that may only last 14-15 years.
Reining in Executive Overreach: The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) mission is to ensure that it enhances consumer welfare without imposing undue burdens on business. We have been very clear over the last few years via hearings, letters, and legislation when we have seen a departure from that mission. After much delay, the FTC finally has five commissioners in place, after the last two Republican Commissioners resigned in protest to Chairwoman Khan’s procedures and policies. In our hearing last week, we demanded answers from FTC Chairwoman Khan and the other four Commissioners on how they intend to make sure the Commission stays focused on its mission of protecting the American people from actual harms and not getting distracted by ambiguous aims and theoretical goals that are actually hurting consumers and innovation.Click here to listen.
In another egregious example of government overreach, the U.S. Department of Education has finalized a rule that would dismantle Title IX which provides important protections for women and girls’ athletics.
Fighting for Florida’s Family Farmers: Local farmers are at the forefront of the fight to keep America’s families fed with fresh, affordable food. I’ll keep fighting to support them and I look forward to my local forum to get direct feedback about the challenges they face!
Providing Hope for Patients – I’m proud to be fighting on behalf of the millions of Americans impacted by Parkinson’s disease. By increasing collaboration, we can make progress toward finding better treatments and a cure! Click here to learn more.
Accepting Applications: My team is currently accepting applications for Fall 2024 interns. Limited opportunities are available in district and in DC for college students. Also, my Senior Citizen Internship Program is available to residents in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties. This initiative offers a chance for more seasoned members of our community to share their life experience while learning about constituent service and government operations. Call 727-232-2921 to learn more or to apply.
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 accepted an award on my behalf from the Veteran's HEAT program in Hernando County in recognition of my work to advocate for our nation's heroes.
My team also joined a group of officials from Hernando County who are working on developing solutions to address the increase in homelessness. The group visited the Pinellas Hope project to get ideas and suggestions for what worked best in their community.
Additionally, my team enjoyed attending this month's meeting of the Nature Coast Manufacturing Association to learn more about these local small business owners' needs.
Constituent Corner
My team recently received this note after helping a constituent with a ChampVA case.
"You will not believe what came in the mail today. My wife received a package with all of her pending medications. Please tell Kristen thank you from the bottom of my heart and pass it up and around to the whole team. I am very impressed and so grateful for all of your help. This wouldn't have happened without your congressional interest and efficiency."
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! |
