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Dear Neighbor,
I enjoyed spending last week in the district. In addition to celebrating the grand opening of my new offices and having my first office hours of the new year, I was able to attend several events in the community and talk with many of our neighbors about the issues facing our country.
On several occasions, I was asked about the issue of raising the debt ceiling. The Treasury Department is currently engaged in administrative procedures that allow Congress additional time to work on this issue. With the national debt hovering over $31 trillion, it is clear that the federal government has a serious spending problem. As is the case with personal or business finances, running a country on credit is a sign of instability rather than strength. Democrats’ recent out-of-control spending sprees to advance their liberal agenda have only worsened the situation, caused inflation to soar, and hurt families across the country! My Republican colleagues and I promised to create an economy that is strong. We can deliver on that promise by using the pending debt limit legislation as a catalyst for strategically addressing our spending problem instead of continuing to kick the can down the road. If not, we risk becoming the first generation to leave our country worse off for our children and grandchildren. I supported a provision in the recently adopted rules package that prevents bills from increasing spending within a five or ten year budget period.
Defaulting on our fiscal obligations at a time when Americans are already grappling with record inflation and an economic recession would be devastating; however, we will not squander this opportunity to enact the spending reforms desperately needed. While I am open to discussions on what those cuts will look like, I remain committed to prioritizing critical programs that support our seniors and Veterans, including Medicare and Social Security. Ensuring the long-term solvency of these programs will be my priority as we make difficult decisions about how to rein in future spending and prevent the need for future debt ceiling raises. Please continue reading to learn more about my efforts on your behalf last week!
Hearing from You
I had a wonderful time last week with new constituents in Citrus and Hernando counties. If you were not able to join us, please feel free to stop by either of my new offices to meet my wonderful team. We are eager to serve you! As is referenced in this local editorial, I am committed to ensuring all of my constituents receive the high quality representation they deserve!
Last week, I also held my first monthly office hours of the new year. Pictured below is just one of the small groups of constituents I met with throughout the week. It is always great to hear directly from constituents about the issues that matter most to them. To reserve an appointment, please visit my website.
Tomorrow, January 23, 2023, at noon I will be hosting my first tele-townhall of the new year. I welcome all of my constituents to participate by calling 1-833-946-1563 at the time of the call. I look forward to speaking with you as I truly believe the best ideas come from those we serve!
Investing in the Future
It was wonderful to join other community leaders for the Groundbreaking of Moffit’s new Cancer Research Facility in Pasco County last week. This important public health and economic development project will bring many high skill/high wage jobs to our community which is one reason why I was proud to secure $3 million in federal funds for its construction. The transformational research that will take place at this center will revolutionize the way we prevent, detect and treat cancer!
I also enjoyed attending the Pasco Economic Development Council’s annual economic forecast last week. There was positive news about Florida's relatively resilient position, however inflation continues to be a serious problem. At the federal level, we will make the spending reforms desperately needed to restore the fiscal credibility of the U.S. at home and in the global market.
Ensuring You Receive Your Fair Share
As noted in this article, I recently secured more than $22 million in federal funding to address local priorities throughout my district and help my constituents. I will always fight to ensure my constituents get their fair share of federal funding that is being allocated.
Restoring American Energy Independence
As discussed in this column, canceling the pipeline is just one of the many ways that the Biden Administration has hurt Americans and driven up energy costs. We need to hold this Administration accountable for its failures and provide the relief all Americans deserve by restoring American energy independence. The bill we passed last week to prohibit Biden’s abuse of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is also a step in the right direction.
Holding this Administration Accountable
Instead of fixing the issues that are hurting our nation, this Administration is fixated on finding new ways to restrict freedom and control the individual choices of American citizens. Enough is Enough! Americans want a future that is free, an economy that is strong and a government that is accountable. As mentioned in this article, the Republican-led House is committed to delivering on these promises.
Fighting for Veterans
One injustice that I am passionate about rectifying is the issue of concurrent receipt. The brave men and women who return from serving our country should be able to receive the benefits promised to them. Military retirement pay and service-connected disability compensation are two completely different benefits. One does not diminish the merits of the other. Last Congress, in addition to filing HR 303 which would fix concurrent receipt for all Veterans, I filed the Major Richard Star Act which would fix the issue for 50,000 medically retired Veterans and get us one step closer to my goal of addressing this issue for everyone. My bill garnered bipartisan co-sponsorship from 335 Members of the House. Despite overwhelming bipartisan support, former Speaker Pelosi refused to allow a vote on the House Floor. I will be refiling the bill again soon and have already garnered more than 100 original co-sponsors. I am hopeful we will finally be able to get it across the finish line. I will not stop fighting until the injustice of concurrent receipt is rectified for all Veterans.
As you may have read about recently, we secured $15.3 million in federal funding as part of the PACT Act for a new Citrus County VA Outpatient Clinic. While I have no authority in determining where the facility will be housed inside Citrus County, I am committed to ensuring that local Veterans have a voice in the process to share their input on where the facility should be located and the type of services that should be provided within the community. Therefore, I am hosting a townhall meeting in Inverness with senior VA officials to hear directly from my constituents about these and other VA related issues. All local Veterans and their families are welcome to attend.
 Additionally, yesterday I proudly cut the ribbon on the new James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital bed tower alongside Tampa Bay Veterans and other community leaders. This important milestone comes after more than a decade of advocacy to ensure my Veteran-constituents receive the highest quality health care available. The state-of-the-art hospital is a significant upgrade to medical care and amenities for Tampa Bay’s large Veteran population. Tampa’s James A. Haley Veterans Hospital is one of the busiest Veterans’ hospitals in the nation, serving over 90,000 veterans, including those who reside in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties. I worked tirelessly to secure $148 million for the construction of a new bed tower addition with modern amenities and to remove bureaucratic roadblocks that threatened to jeopardize the project. The new facility will feature approximately 100 new single patient rooms and 40 intensive care unit beds.
It has been my privilege to champion the needs of our Veteran community. It truly represents a win-win for the local Veteran community that has waited patiently for these well-deserved improvements and for American taxpayers. This project is the culmination of many years of tireless advocacy and tenacious efforts by myself and my colleagues, which originally began in 2008. Due to bureaucratic processes in Washington, the original plan was to renovate the existing James A Haley hospital facility first built in 1971--even though doing so cost nearly half a billion dollars more than building a brand new bed tower. This made absolutely no sense to me or my colleagues. We were determined to cut through the red-tape and ensure that commonsense prevailed. After a lengthy battle, legislation was finally signed into law in 2015 authorizing the construction of the beautiful new facility. My goal was always to make sure Veterans received the quality care they deserved while ensuring taxpayer dollars were used as efficiently as possible. We ran into a few delays, but I am thrilled that we were finally able to open the doors of this fantastic state-of-the art facility. Our Veterans are our true American heroes, and they absolutely deserve the very best care available.
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 enjoyed last week's meeting of the Brooksville Rotary. Rotarians do a tremendous job working to identify and meet outstanding needs in the community.
My team also attended the Nature Coast Business Professionals event last week. It is important for small business owners to have a forum to discuss concerns and share ideas about how to grow.
There are several Veterans on my team, and they are making their way to each of the local Veteran Service Organizations and other Veteran advocacy groups in the new part of my district to learn more about the challenges facing local Veterans and how we may be able to help. Last week, my team attended the Citrus Veterans' Council.
Additionally, my team attended a Celebration of Life for Robin Napier, the Hernando County Health Department Director, who passed away unexpectedly last month. Robin was a bright and passionate public health expert who made immeasurable contributions to our community. She will be dearly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends, especially her husband, Mike Napier.
Constituent Corner
My office recently received this email from a constituent in Pasco County.
I would like to thank you, and specifically, Joanne Papanikas for her efforts helping to obtain my father's medals related to his Air Force
service. After almost two years without a reply or update of status, your team was able to obtain my late father's service medals. On behalf of Major Frederick C Mueller and his family, job well done! We now have the final pieces to complete his memorial along with his flag.
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! |
