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Dear Neighbor,
I hope you and your family had a fantastic New Year's celebration. May 2025 be filled with blessings for you and your family. I was able to spend some quality time with my beautiful granddaughter, Melina Eva Bilirakis, last week.
On Thursday night, I returned to DC. House Republicans are unified and ready to work with President Donald Trump to secure the border, tear up the administrative state, lower taxes, cut spending, and protect traditional American values. We took the first step in delivering upon these promises last week by re-electing Speaker Mike Johnson and adopting House Rules for this Congress that lay a solid foundation to achieve these goals. We have no time to waste and will be ready to fight for you and your family on Day 1 of the new administration. Please continue reading for a brief recap of my work during this shortened holiday week.
Keeping our Communities Safe: Over the past week, we’ve seen multiple examples of violence and domestic terrorism. We must ensure anyone involved is held accountable and ensure a proper investigation to see how future acts of violence can be thwarted. House Republicans are eager to work with President Trump to make America SAFE again.
Fighting for our Nation’s Heroes: The Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act was signed into law last week. This important legislation will help Veterans and their families by modernizing and reshaping the delivery of care and benefits. Specifically, the new law will:
- Expand economic opportunities
- Simplify the disability claims process,
- Reform services for aging Veterans, and
- Open more doors for mental health support
The package also contains an important provision that I have been championing for several years through my VETCARE Act. It creates a pilot program that enables Veterans with chronic health conditions access to dental care. Approximately 9% of all Veterans have access to oral health care through the VA (this benefit is currently limited to those with 100% disability rates, those with a service-connected disability involving the teeth, and certain Veterans enrolled in homeless programs). Scientific data clearly shows that oral health care is an important component of overall wellness and that dental conditions, when left untreated, exacerbate underlying chronic health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. Millions of dollars are also unnecessarily spent each year in the United States on emergency room visits to address untreated oral health conditions that have caused infection.
My provision creates a pilot project to provide oral health treatment to a small group of Veterans with chronic health conditions for which they are currently being treated by the VA. The goal of this legislation is to demonstrate the potential cost savings for the VA that can be attained by providing preventative oral health treatment to Veterans with chronic health conditions. Our Veterans have sacrificed so much on behalf of our country, they deserve access to high quality healthcare, and that includes dental care. This pilot program will get the ball rolling to expand access to dental care for our nation's heroes, and could result in lower overall health care costs for the VA. Not only is this legislation good for Veterans, it is good for the VA as a whole. I’d also like to thank my friend, Dr. Zach Kalarickal, a Veteran dentist in Wesley Chapel, for his tireless efforts to get this important legislation across the finish line. He provided the technical support and foundational research needed to prove that regular dental care helps alleviate certain chronic conditions.
Helping those Struggling to Recover from Hurricanes: Pasco County will receive $585.7 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to aid recovery efforts following Hurricanes Idalia, Helene and Milton. I supported inclusion of these funds in the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2025, which was signed into law on Dec. 21, 2024. Pasco intends to use the federal funding to serve its low and moderate income residents, to include:
- Implementation of strategies for affordable replacement housing and repairs to damaged homes;
- Stormwater improvements and critical infrastructure projects to improve resiliency; and
- Economic development plans for impacted small businesses that employ a majority of low-to moderate-income residents
The state of Florida has also received an allocation of $925,394,000 to support counties and municipalities that did not receive a direct allocation of disaster relief from HUD. I am working directly with state partners to advocate for hurricane victims in Hernando and Citrus counties. The tremendous need in our community as we seek to recover and prevent future loss is undeniable. I’ll never stop fighting on behalf of my constituents.
Protecting Religious Freedom: As Co-Chair of the Congressional International Religious Freedom Caucus, I am disturbed by the violent trend of more Christians being targeted with acts of violence. We have an obligation to speak out against religious persecution around the globe and to advocate for the protection of the fundamental human right to freely worship.
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 celebrated the retirement of Citrus County Clerk of the Court Angela Vick. We wish her all the best in her well deserved retirement and thank her for her many years of dedicated service.
My team also attended the Nature Coast Business Professional's monthly meeting. It is great to see small business owners in our community working together to support one another!
Additionally, my team listened to concerns from leaders of local non-profit organizations who are working to support those in our community who are struggling with mental health issues. They are working together to fill the gaps and address unmet needs.
Constituent Corner
My team recently received this note after helping a problem she was having with the Office of Management and Budget.
Despite leaving multiple messages to discuss a problem with my federal pension benefits, I couldn't get anyone to help me. After calling your office, Angel got me in contact with someone who was able to answer my questions and who sent me the paperwork I needed to fix the error. Thank you so much for you and Angel's help!
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! |
