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Dear Neighbor,

As we approach the holiday season and the end of another year, I want to take a moment to extend my warmest wishes to you and your family. This is a special time to reflect on the blessings in our lives, celebrate with loved ones, and look forward to a bright new year.  It has been an honor to serve the residents of Florida’s 12th Congressional District, and I am grateful for the opportunity to represent you in Congress. I’m proud to provide a brief recap of my efforts on your behalf last week, including: advancing policies that protect our children, support our Veterans, strengthen our communities, and improve the lives of seniors and families across our nation.  From my family to yours, I wish you peace, joy, and a safe and happy holiday season. Thank you for your continued trust and support as we work to make 2026 a year of opportunity for all.

Protecting Children Online:  I’m proud of the work my Subcommittee and I have done to advance measures that empower parents and better protect children online. Congress must meet the moment on kids’ online safety. Learn more about my efforts here.

Supporting Veterans:  I secured $4 million in federal funding to help make the Pasco County housing project a reality, ensuring Veterans, like Samantha, have access to safe, stable, and affordable housing. Click here to learn more about this wonderful new resource in Pasco County.

Protecting Seniors and People with Disabilities: Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) programs have long been a lifeline for low-income seniors, people with disabilities, and caregivers. Reauthorizing this funding through the Senior Savings Protection Act ensures access to medications and essential care, protecting dignity, health, and financial security. Click here to read more about my legislation to achieve this goal. 

Improving Newborn Screening: I was honored to attend last week’s announcement by Secretary Kennedy about the decision to expand diseases newborns are tested for after birth.  As Co-Chair of the Congressional Rare Disease Caucus, I’ve worked to expand newborn screening so children can receive early diagnoses, better treatments, and hope. I was especially honored to stand with the Beacham family, whose daughter Mattie has faced hardship due to a late diagnosis of her illness.  She is a beautiful and constant reminder of why this work matters.

Enhancing Emergency Communications:  At last week’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing, my colleagues examined two bipartisan bills I coauthored: the Emergency Reporting Act and Kari’s Law Reporting Act. These measures strengthen emergency communications, improve public safety, and ensure lifesaving calls reach first responders without delay.

Protecting Children from Harmful Procedures:  Last week, I voted for two commonsense bills to protect children from dangerous gender mutilation procedures:

✔️ H.R. 498 – Do No Harm in Medicaid Act - does not allow Medicaid to pay for gender surgeries on minors.  
✔️ H.R. 3492 – Protect Children’s Innocence Act - imposes fines and criminal penalties for those who perform gender surgeries on minors. 

Lowering Energy Costs & Strengthening the Grid:  Last week, the House passed three bills aimed at lowering Americans’ energy costs and strengthening our nation’s electric grid. Two of these measures focus on preventing blackouts and ensuring power plants remain operational to meet growing demand.  

The Reliable Power Act addresses the increasing threat of rolling blackouts driven by the Biden-Harris Administration’s overreliance on wind and solar power. It improves federal rulemaking by ensuring that future regulations affecting power generation do not undermine electric reliability. Specifically, the bill amends the Federal Power Act to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to review and provide input on any federal rules that could impact electricity generation during periods of high reliability risk—such as the extreme cold we are already experiencing this winter.  

The Power Plant Reliability Act strengthens existing tools for states and grid operators to challenge the premature closure of power plants in neighboring states when grid reliability is at risk. It also requires power plant operators to provide a five-year notice before retiring facilities. Notably, the states with the highest electricity prices are often those with the most aggressive renewable portfolio standards, and this legislation helps ensure baseload power plants remain online where they are needed most.  

The third measure, the SPEED Act, reforms the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) to streamline the permitting process and agency procedures.    We are working to lower energy costs and establish global energy dominance.  These three measures represent a win for government efficiency, economic growth, national security, transportation infrastructure, and lower energy bills for American families.

Protecting Unaccompanied Children (UAC):  The House also passed the Kayla Hamilton Act, which strengthens protections for UACs by requiring background checks, gang screening, and secure placements, while preventing placement with illegal sponsors.

Lowering Health Care Premiums:  The House passed the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act to reduce costs and expand consumer choice. The bill increases health care options, strengthens oversight of pharmacy benefit managers, protects small business stop-loss insurance, and invests in cost-sharing reductions that lower premiums by about 11 percent.

More than 15 years after the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, many Americans are paying more for fewer choices. Premiums in the individual market have increased by approximately 80 percent, average deductibles now approach $5,000, and out-of-pocket limits exceed $20,000—even as insurance companies have received trillions of dollars in taxpayer support. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Democrats approved temporary subsidy payments to insurers to help offset rising costs for consumers. These subsidies are scheduled to expire at the end of this calendar year.

A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found significant fraud and abuse within this subsidy program. 

• In plan year 2023 alone, more than 29,000 Social Security numbers were used to obtain multiple taxpayer-subsidized health insurance plans. 
• One Social Security number was used to receive the equivalent of more than 71 years of taxpayer-subsidized coverage across over 125 different policies in a single year. 
• In plan year 2024, nearly 66,000 Social Security numbers were improperly used to secure multiple subsidized ACA plans—an increase of 128 percent in just one year.
• The GAO also identified subsidies paid on behalf of deceased individuals: in 2023, more than 58,000 Social Security numbers belonging to deceased individuals received taxpayer-funded ACA subsidies, costing taxpayers over $94 million that year alone.

Health care affordability is a bipartisan concern. While I am deeply concerned about rising health care costs and the impact that expiring subsidies could have on my constituents, I cannot support any proposal that fails to include meaningful safeguards to prevent the fraud and abuse identified by the GAO. In addition to the bill we passed last week, I will continue working toward long-term solutions that make health care more affordable and accountable for all Americans.

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 proud to take part in Wreaths Across America, joining our community to honor and remember our Veterans by placing wreaths at cemeteries throughout the area. It was a meaningful opportunity to pay tribute to those who served our nation with courage and sacrifice, ensuring their legacy is never forgotten.

My team also had the pleasure of attending the December meeting of the Community Service Council. It’s truly inspiring to see so many dedicated volunteers coming together to give back and make a meaningful difference in our community. Their commitment and selflessness are what make our community stronger and more connected.

Additionally, my team had the honor of celebrating the achievements of  graduates from Victory High School in Pasco County. These remarkable students have overcome significant challenges with addiction and shown incredible strength and determination on their personal journeys. We are so proud of their accomplishments and wish them continued success and fulfillment in all their future endeavors.

Constituent Corner

My team recently received this message from a constituent after my team helped secure a VA appointment.

Thank you so much! After waiting 2 months for a time-sensitive eye injection, you were able to get me an appointment in 2 days. For this, I will be forever grateful. 

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.  Also, if you are planning a trip to Washington, DC please let us know 90 days in advance so we can help make the most of your visit.   We are here to serve you!

Sincerely,

Gus Bilirakis
Member of Congress