Hi Friends,

I wanted you to be among the first to know an important decision: I will not be seeking another term as your representative in Congress.

Over the last five years, it has been my incredible honor to represent you in our nation’s capital. Working in the halls of Congress as an immigrant, a refugee, an Asian woman, and as a proud American has been the great privilege of my life. My journey - from fleeing a violent, communist regime, to being rescued by the U.S. Navy, to working in national security at the Pentagon, and now as the first Vietnamese-American Congresswoman - is a journey that could have only happened here in America. For that, I will always be grateful to you and this nation.

But like any good journey, it is time for me to take another path. This was not an easy decision, but it was the right decision.

These last few years have been some of the most rewarding moments of my life, but also some of the most challenging. Public service is not without personal sacrifice. And as a mom of two young children, my time away from them has been hard. For them. For me. And for our family.

I am incredibly proud of what we accomplished together over these last five years. I am most proud that through it all - whether the Democrats were in charge or the Republicans, whether under President Trump or President Biden - I was consistently named one of the most bipartisan and effective Members of Congress. Because from day one, I have always put people over politics.

On a personal note, thank you for the faith you have placed in me these last three terms. Whether you voted for me, donated money, knocked on doors, made phone calls, put up yard signs, or attended one of our numerous public events over the years, I will be forever grateful for your support. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I will never forget the gracious, steadfast support you gave to my campaign, my family and me.

Several years ago, I departed public service by leaving the Pentagon and moving to Central Florida to start my family. I knew then I wasn’t done with public service, just as I know now I am not done with public service. But my time in the U.S. House of Representatives will come to an end with the completion of this term.

Now I still have a job to do and will work just as hard this next year as I have the last five. And rest assured, after I leave office, I will continue to find ways that I can serve this great nation that has given so much to my family and me.

Thank you again for everything. May God bless our troops, our veterans, and the United States of America.

Respectfully,
Stephanie Murphy

P.S. I am so proud of the work we have done together over the last five years, having passed more than 55 measures into law. Because you played such a pivotal part, I wanted to share just some of our accomplishments, including, but not limited to:

• Repealed the Dickey Amendment. I announced my candidacy two weeks after the Pulse shooting. Since then, I not only led the successful fight to repeal the Dickey Amendment, but I secured millions in federal gun violence research for the first time in decades.


• Secured critical federal dollars for Florida’s schools. We successfully secured millions to support Florida public schools and universities who took in new students from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands following Hurricane Maria.


• Authored and expanded the ERTC to save jobs during the pandemic. As a member of the powerful Ways & Means Committee, I authored and successfully expanded the Employee Retention Tax Credit during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce layoffs and put people back to work. Now, I am currently leading an effort to reinstate this critical, job-saving tax credit.


• Secured Historic Investments in Florida’s Infrastructure. I stood up to my own party to pass a historic bipartisan investment in our nation’s infrastructure, helping to ease traffic congestion, combat climate change, improve water quality, and create good-paying jobs.


• Secured Investments to Protect Florida’s Environment, Waterways, and Marine Life. I spearheaded bipartisan efforts to fund research on harmful algal blooms, preserve and restore the Little Wekiva River, and safeguard marine mammals like manatees. I also secured $3.3 million with Republican Congressman John Rutherford to count the red snapper population in the South Atlantic, hopefully leading to a longer recreational fishing season.


• Helped Ensure a Local Hero was Properly Honored. I worked with Republican Congressman Michael Waltz to pass legislation that led to President Biden posthumously awarding Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe the Medal of Honor - our nation’s highest honor for military service. I also passed a law naming an Oviedo post office in honor of this American hero.


• Passed Several Measures to Support Servicemembers & Veterans. While serving two terms on the House Armed Services Committee, I passed historic reforms to the Transition Assistance Program to help the nearly 250,000 servicemembers who leave the military each year better transition to civilian life and provide for their families. I passed a measure to help disabled military veterans transition to the civilian workforce and passed another measure to help veteran and women entrepreneurs start and grow their small businesses. I also helped secure funds for UCF’s RESTORES Clinic to develop its own virtual reality software to treat active-duty servicemembers and military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).


• Passed Historic Rules Changes to the House of Representatives. As a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, I led the effort to pass historic changes to House rules designed to make it easier for bipartisan bills to get a vote.


• Delivered for Central Florida. My office and I held numerous public events and town halls every term - even holding virtual events during the COVID-19 pandemic - and helped thousands of constituents recover money they were owed by the federal government -- more than $6.3 million to date.


• Helped Improve Capitalism and Defend Democracy. Throughout my term, I worked to protect and improve the two great pillars of our nation: capitalism and democracy. I passed measures to improve access to capital for small business owners and pushed back against attempts from some within my own party to advocate for socialism. At the same time, I cosponsored legislation to strengthen voting rights and strongly condemned far-right attempts to dismantle our democracy, proudly serving on the January 6th Select Committee to protect and preserve our great democracy.