url,title,date,year,month,party,chamber,state,member_name,bioguide_id,domain,scraper,source,date_source,text,has_text,collected_at,updated_at http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=056031B1-6AE8-49D6-8CB9-35A076D14F4F,VIDEO: Rubio to Build off 2019 Victories for Florida in New Year,2019-12-31,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Miami, FL U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a short video touching on some of his major accomplishments of 2019. A detailed report on Rubio's 2019 accomplishments will be released in early 2020.Broadcast quality video can be found here.In 2018, Rubio released a report called Fighting for Florida detailing his legislative accomplishments during the 115th Congress. GovTrack's non-partisan analysis ranked Rubio 4th out of 100 Senators in both 2017 and 2018 for the number of bills he authored that became law.Video Highlights: May 30, 2019: The Congressional Management Foundation recognized Senator Rubio as a national leader in constituent services and a winner for the 2019 Democracy Awards. In 2019 Rubio's casework team helped nearly 9,000 Floridians with casework issues. December 19, 2019: Rubio secured $200 million for Everglades restoration and a dedicated New Start for the Central Everglades Planning Project. Rubio also secured report language for reef restoration through the NOAA Coral Reef Program that provides $29.5 million, which is $2 million above the previous year's funding level; Report language on harmful algal blooms (HAB) that provides $19 million for HAB research and $1 million to establish a new regional pilot for HAB monitoring and detection; and, A $1.64 million increase for planning and monitoring activities associated with the Everglades and Florida Keys Coral Reef ecosystems, the second straight year of significant funding increases. November 27, 2019: Rubio's Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump. The Senate unanimously passed the bill on November 19th, with the House following on November 20th by a vote of 417 to 1, sending the bill directly to President Trump. December 19, 2019: Rubio's Venezuela Emergency Relief, Democracy Assistance, and Development (VERDAD) Act of 2019 was passed by Congress. The legislation included $400 million in humanitarian aid to support Venezuelan refugees and codified crucial sanctions against the corrupt Maduro regime. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Senator Rubio named 25 Florida-based small businesses as U.S. Senate Small Business of the Week. Oceana Coffee of Tequesta Indian Pass Raw Bar of Port St. Joe Bailey's General Store of Sanibel Island Caroll Bradford Incorporated of Orlando Haynes Security of Miami JL Marine Systems, Inc. of Tampa Magellan Transport Logistics of Jacksonville Hog Technologies of Stuart Miami Tour Company of Miami Southern Craft Creamery of Marianna Sunshine Peanut Company of Jacksonville The Big Cheese of Miami Rising Tide Car Wash of Parkland GT AirInject of Jacksonville Royal Furniture and Design of The Keys Two Peas Caf of La Belle Capital Shoe Fixery of Tallahassee Levatas of Palm Beach Gardens Rethreaded of Jacksonville Melao Bakery of Kissimmee Mother Kombucha of St. Petersburg Amelia Island Kayak Excursions of Fernandina Beach Misha's Cupcakes of Coral Springs Tomato Express of Kissimmee Granny Cantrell's Restaurant of Panama City",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=7F2612F5-E31A-4B8E-93B9-9FAFAB396A90,Rubio Statement on Florida District Court Nominee,2019-12-23,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Miami, FL U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued the following statement regarding the nomination of John L. Badalamenti to serve as a federal district court judge for the Middle District of Florida:I am pleased the president nominated Judge Badalamenti to serve as a federal district court judge for the Middle District of Florida, Rubio said. Judge Badalamenti, who currently serves on the Florida Second District Court of Appeal, is a highly qualified nominee who was identified and recommended by our Judicial Nominating Commission in 2017. I look forward to his confirmation as Senate Republicans continue to fill judicial vacancies by confirming well-qualified judges to the federal bench.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=0A02CEFA-B2E6-489C-973C-23C6A48570A9,Rubio Urges Trump to Recognize Brazil as Vital Strategic Partner in the Western Hemisphere,2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Miami, FL U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) urged President Donald Trump to support Brazil's accession to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Brazil's inclusion in NATO partnership programs.In the letter Rubio wrote, The U.S. and Brazil have too much in common as nations to succumb to political and trade disagreements that will only benefit authoritarian adversaries like China and Russia.Brazil is an important ally, as well as a trade and security partner, and has much to offer the U.S. in the areas of naval, counternarcotics, and counterterrorism cooperation, Rubio continued. To advance these objectives, the U.S. should recognize Brazil as a vital strategic partner in the Western Hemisphere and force multiplier for trade and mutual security. Now is the time to strengthen our bilateral security, military, and economic relationship. To that end, I respectfully urge your administration to reiterate its support and advocate for Brazil's accession to the OECD and Brazil's inclusion in NATO partnership programs.Rubio is Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues.The full text of the letter is below.Dear Mr. President:As the United States seeks to rebalance our trade and security priorities around the world, it is essential that we leverage the strong partnerships we have with nations in the Western Hemisphere to advance our shared objectives. This is especially true of Brazil. We currently have a unique opportunity to work with a friendly government to pursue shared economic prosperity and counter China's growing influence in the region. Therefore, I urge you to increase U.S. engagement with Brazil, including by supporting and advocating for Brazil's accession to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Brazil's inclusion in NATO partnership programs.As you know, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his administration are eager to work closer with the U.S. China is seeking to create a strategic partnership with Brazil by leveraging Brazil's reliance on China for export of agricultural commodities at the expense of an improved relationship with the U.S. This is not in our national interest. The U.S. and Brazil have too much in common as nations to succumb to political and trade disagreements that will only benefit authoritarian adversaries like China and Russia. The Chinese government's use of telecommunications sales and other economic incentives further expands its influence in the region and subverts U.S. interests. The U.S. cannot allow unfettered expansion of Chinese telecommunication equipment in our hemisphere, or provide an opening for China or Russia to enhance their security relationship with Brazil.Brazil is an important ally, as well as a trade and security partner, and has much to offer the U.S. in the areas of naval, counternarcotics, and counterterrorism cooperation. To advance these objectives, the U.S. should recognize Brazil as a vital strategic partner in the Western Hemisphere and force multiplier for trade and mutual security. Now is the time to strengthen our bilateral security, military, and economic relationship. To that end, I respectfully urge your administration to reiterate its support and advocate for Brazil's accession to the OECD and Brazil's inclusion in NATO partnership programs.Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. I look forward to working with you to cement a strong and lasting relationship with Brazil.Sincerely,",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=1B5076DF-8B0C-4897-9A1E-E02A85E3C309,"English/ Espaol: Rubio, Menendez Applaud Passage of VERDAD Act to Address Maduro's Humanitarian Crisis in Venezuela and Advance International Efforts",2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Miami, FL U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) issued the following statements following of the VERDAD Act, which was included in the FY20 appropriations bill and awaits the president's signature. The VERDAD Act seeks to address the political, economic,and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. I am proud to have led this push for the VERDAD Act, a comprehensive legislative effort that strengthens our nation's response to Venezuela's man-made humanitarian crisis and the coordinated international effort for a post-Maduro Venezuela, Rubio said. As usurper-in-chief Nicols Maduro continues his illegitimate grip on power, the U.S. is reaffirming its unwavering support for interim President Juan Guaid and the democratically elected National Assembly. By granting $400,000,000 in humanitarian assistance for Venezuelan migrants and hosting neighboring communities, the United States is once again reiterating its support to the people of Venezuela and our regional allies who have made a tremendous effort in welcoming the migrants. I am incredibly proud to have led the effort to pass the VERDAD Act, the single largest legislative package of U.S. support to Venezuela and a sign of our unwavering commitment to the Venezuelan people, Menendez said. The VERDAD Act greatly expands the U.S response to Venezuela's tragic humanitarian crisis and its impact on our closest partners in the region. It maintains strategic pressure on the Maduro regime and advances efforts to address the vast amount of resources stolen from the Venezuelan people by regime officials. Our legislation also sends a clear message to sanctioned regime officials: if you're not involved in human rights abuses and support the return of democracy in Venezuela, including new presidential elections, the sanctions can go away. The VERDAD Act was also cosponsored by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ben Cardin (D-MD), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Michael Bennet (D-CO), John Barasso (R-WY), Chris Coons (D-DE), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tom Carper (D-DE), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and John Kennedy (R-LA). Key provisions of the legislation $400 million in humanitarian assistance for Venezuela and neighboring countries. $17 million in support for democratic actors and civil society in Venezuela. Strengthens U.S. support for Interim-President Juan Guaid, Venezuela's democratically-elected National Assembly, and a negotiated solution to the Venezuelan crisis. Establishes a waiver to lift targeted sanctions on individuals that take steps to restore democracy in Venezuela. Requires the State Department to report on the Maduro regime's complicity in crimes against humanity. Restricts entrance into the U.S. for family members of sanctioned individuals/ Prohibits visas for the families of sanctioned Maduro regime officials. Requires new efforts to freeze and recover assets stolen from the Venezuelan people by the Maduro regime. Rubio is Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues. SENADO APRUEBA LEGISLACIN LIDERADA POR RUBIO Y MENNDEZ PARA ATENDER CRISIS HUMANITARIA CAUSADA POR MADURO EN VENEZUELA Y AMPLIAR ESFUERZOS INTERNACIONALES Miami, FL El senador estadounidense Marco Rubio (R-FL) y Bob Menndez (D-NJ) emitieron las siguientes declaraciones despus que el Senado aprobara su proyecto de ley Venezuela Emergency Relief, Democracy Assistance and Development Act (VERDAD), el esfuerzo ms robusto hasta la fecha para enfrentar la crisis en Venezuela. Me enorgullece el haber sido coautor del VERDAD Act, un esfuerzo legislativo que fortalece la respuesta de nuestra nacin a la crisis humanitaria en Venezuela y el esfuerzo internacional para una Venezuela post-Maduro, Rubio dijo. Mientras el usurpador Nicols Maduro contina su mandato ilegtimo, los Estados Unidos est reafirmando su apoyo inquebrantable al presidente interino Juan Guaid y a la Asamblea Nacional, cuerpo electo democrticamente. Al otorgar $400,000,000 de dlares en asistencia humanitaria para los migrantes venezolanos y a las comunidades vecinas quienes han acogido a los migrantes, EE.UU. reitera una vez ms su apoyo al pueblo venezolano y a nuestros aliados regionales que han hecho un gran esfuerzo recibiendo a los migrantes "". Estoy increblemente orgulloso de haber liderado los esfuerzos para aprobar el Proyecto de ley VERDAD, el paquete legislativo ms grande de apoyo de Estados Unidos a Venezuela y una seal incuestionable a nuestro compromiso total con el pueblo venezolano, Menndez dijo. Esta propuesta ampla enormemente la respuesta estadounidense a la trgica crisis humanitaria de Venezuela y su impacto sobre nuestros aliados ms cercanos en la regin. Ms all, esta propuesta tambin mantiene una presin estratgica sobre el rgimen de Maduro y avanza esfuerzos para lidiar con la gran cantidad de recursos robados al pueblo venezolano por los funcionarios del rgimen Madurista. Por ltimo, el Proyecto de ley VERDAD tambin le enva un mensaje muy claro a los funcionarios del rgimen sancionados: Si no est involucrado en abusos de los derechos humanos de los venezolanos y apoya el retorno a un camino democrtico en Venezuela, incluyendo nuevas elecciones presidenciales justas, las sanciones individuales en su contra pueden ser impedidas. Principales provisiones de la ley VERDAD: Eleva a $400 millones la suma para nueva ayuda humanitaria para Venezuela $17 millones en apoyo a actores democrticos y sociedad civil en Venezuela Fortalece el apoyo de Estados Unidos al presidente interino, Juan Guaid, la Asamblea Nacional elegida democrticamente por Venezuela, y una solucin negociada a la crisis venezolana. Establece una exencin para levantar las sanciones especficas a las personas que toman medidas para restaurar la democracia en Venezuela. Requiere que el Departamento de Estado informe sobre la complicidad del rgimen de Maduro en crmenes contra la humanidad. Restringe la entrada a los Estados Unidos a familiares de personas sancionadas Prohbe visas para las familias de funcionarios sancionados del rgimen de Maduro. Requiere nuevos esfuerzos para congelar y recuperar los activos robados al pueblo venezolano por el rgimen de Maduro. Codifica una prohibicin de venta de armas al rgimen Maduro. Prohbe visas para personas que trabajan con el gobierno ruso para socavar la gobernabilidad democrtica en Venezuela. Rubio es el presidente del Subcomit de Relaciones Exteriores para el Hemisferio Occidental, Delincuencia Transnacional, Seguridad Civil, Democracia, Derechos Humanos y Asuntos Globales de la Mujer.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=3C8F67E5-B49C-4A52-AFBE-1E62E09F22EE,ICYMI: Can Rubionomics Succeed? Boris Johnson Will Soon Find Out,2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Can Rubionomics Succeed? Boris Johnson Will Soon Find OutBy Joseph C. SternburgDecember 19, 2019Wall Street JournalParallels between British and American politics abound after last week's U.K. election. Prime Minister Boris Johnson won by copying Donald Trump's brand of conservative, nationalist populism, we're told. The Labour Party's historic defeat is a warning to Democrats pursuing similarly implausible left-wing fantasies.All true, but the U.S. politician who should be paying closest attention to what happens in Britain now is Sen. Marco Rubio....The link between Johnsonism and Rubionomics is easy to miss because the similarities between Mr. Johnson and Mr. Trump are so strong....Once Mr. Johnson has executed Brexit, he'll need to give those voters some other reason to support the Tories. His economic theory is that by aping the left-wing policies those voters have always supported but implementing them more competently, his party can bring those voters permanently into the fold.Similarly, Mr. Rubio, seeing how Mr. Trump has activated new segments of the electorate for Republicans, is trying to devise some policy platform to retain those voters once Mr. Trump is no longer on the ballot. The solution is to copy much of the language and some of the policy views of the left so as to avoid alienating those new voters.The most telling manifestation of this, from both Mr. Johnson and Mr. Rubio, is their approach to productivity and investment. One of their insights is entirely traditional-conservative: Only by boosting productivity can an economy deliver employment and wage growth.The Rubionomics version is the senator's fixation on the evils of Wall Street, whether it's alleged investor short-termism or supposedly rampant share buybacks sapping productive business investment. He couples this with staunch support for tax handouts such as expanded child credits, which take on a Keynesian tinge for their focus on boosting short-term consumption over productive investment.So far this program has been an electoral winner for Mr. Johnson Mr. Rubio has the benefit of watching that experiment play out across the pond before he tries to launch his own version.Read the rest here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=7F59F1BD-022D-431D-80D0-237AECA9EEFB,"ICYMI: Rubio: On impeachment, Pelosi improperly playing games and threatening partisan stunt",2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases On impeachment, Pelosi improperly playing games and threatening partisan stuntBy U.S. Senator Marco RubioDecember 19, 2019Fox News For the past several months, House Democrats have carried out a partisan process with the singular goal of impeaching President Trump. In fact, many congressional Democrats began plotting the impeachment even before Donald Trump was inaugurated.Now House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is playing games by threatening to delay the transmission to the Senate of the two articles of impeachment approved by House Democrats and not a single Republican Wednesday night.This partisan stunt will further undermine the credibility of the process carried out by House Democrats, but it will not impede the Senate from carrying out its constitutional obligations.While our founders cautioned against partisan impeachments, they wisely gave the Senate the incredible responsibility to decide whether a duly elected president should be removed from office.As we prepare to play that role, it is important to understand that no senator is neutral senators cannot be impartial jurors in the traditional sense of a jury trial in court. All 100 of us have a preexisting opinion of the president. Seven Democratic senators are currently running or were running to replace him, and many more probably wish they could.While the talking heads attack the Senate process before it even begins, they conveniently ignore lawmakers like presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who announced she would vote to convict President Trump before the House even revealed the articles of impeachment.We are required by the Constitution to conduct a trial to reach a judgment, and we must conduct that trial fully. But the Constitution provides no guidelines for how senators should arrive at their decisions.As I have repeatedly stated, my decision will be guided by two factors. First, an understanding that a conviction carries a mandatory and extraordinary minimum sentence: removal from office a punishment without precedent in American history. The second factor is that there is an alternative remedy available for those who want President Trump out of the White House: the 2020 election.We are less than a year away from a presidential election where voters will be allowed to take all information about President Trump into account and render judgment. I would be very cautious, no matter who resides in the White House, about substituting our wisdom for that of the American electorate.Therefore my decision will be based on a two-pronged test:Did the president commit treason, bribery, and/or a high crime or misdemeanor as meant by Constitution; and does the president's conduct rise to a level warranting his removal, or is it best left for voters to decide in 11 months?This was not the approach taken by House Democrats, who hastily wielded the most serious tool afforded to Congress in the Constitution with blatant partisanship.But Speaker Pelosi's last-ditch charade will not prevent senators from fulfilling our constitutional duty to hold a trial.After this latest partisan ploy is over, I am hopeful that Congress can then move on to continue the important work the American people sent us to Washington to do.Read the rest here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=F2EF4393-EBFB-4BFD-8B15-BAA2EF53246C,"Rubio, Menendez Applaud Passage of Bill Reshaping U.S. Policy in Eastern Mediterranean",2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Miami, FL U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) issued the following statements after Congress last night approved their Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019, which was included in the appropriations bill to fund the government through Fiscal Year 2020. The legislation is a comprehensive recalibration of American diplomatic, military, and economic policy towards the Eastern Mediterranean and a strong and prosperous alliance between the United States, Greece, Israel, and Cyprus.The Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019 authorizes new security assistance for Cyprus and Greece and lifts the U.S. arms embargo on Cyprus. It also authorizes the establishment of a United States-Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center to facilitate energy cooperation among the U.S., Israel, Greece, and Cyprus.I am proud to have co-authored a bill that enhances our engagement in the Eastern Mediterranean, a region that is strategically important to the U.S. and our allies, Rubio said. The inclusion of the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Partnership Act of 2019 in the appropriations bill for fiscal year 2020 reaffirms our nation's commitment to strengthening and expanding our energy and security cooperation with our key allies and partners in the region.This legislation marks the dawn of a new day for the United States' engagement in the Eastern Mediterranean. By including this legislation in the government funding package, the United States Congress has prioritized our significant national security interests in the region, Menendez said. Bolstered by strong and expanding relationships with Greece, Israel, and Cyprus, this commonsense legislation will significantly strengthen our joint efforts to promote peace, prosperity, and security.The Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019: Lifts the prohibition on arms sales to the Republic of Cyprus; Authorizes the establishment of a United States-Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center to facilitate energy cooperation between the U.S., Israel, Greece, and Cyprus; Authorizes Foreign Military Financing (FMF) assistance for Greece; Authorizes International Military Education and Training (IMET) assistance for Greece and Cyprus; and Requires the Administration to submit to Congress a strategy on enhanced security and energy cooperation with countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as reports on malign activities by Russia and other countries in the region.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://gaetz.house.gov/media/in-the-news/gaetz-democrats-are-trying-cut-and-run-their-own-impeachment-because-they-see-it,Gaetz: Democrats Are Trying to Cut and Run on Their Own Impeachment Because They See That It Is a Failure,2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Matt Gaetz,G000578,gaetz.house.gov,,,legacy,"Thursday, during an appearance on Fox News Channel's The Ingraham Angle, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), an outspoken critic of the House Democrat impeachment effort, said Democrats were now attempting to distance themselves from impeachment given it has not had the traction they had hoped it would. [F]irst, they had to hide the evidence in the bunker of the basement, then they had to release selected excerpts out of context of the transcripts, then when they actually have live witnesses before the American people, the polling immediately inverted on impeachment, he said. Independents started turning against it. They lost intensity even among Democrats, and Republicans certainly saw the sham that it was. So now, facing a real trial where a full complement of witnesses would be called, Democrats are trying to cut and run on their own impeachment because they see that it is a failure.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://mariodiazbalart.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/d-az-balart-colegas-bipartidistas-presentan-una-resoluci-n-que-exige-la,"Daz-Balart, colegas bipartidistas presentan una resolucin que exige la liberacin inmediata de Jos Daniel Ferrer",2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Mario Diaz-Balart,D000600,mariodiazbalart.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Los Representantes Mario Daz-Balart (R-FL-25), Albio Sires (D-NJ-13), Michael McCaul (R-TX-10), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23), Francis Rooney (R-FL-19) y Chris Smith (R-NJ-4) presentaron una resolucin bipartidista que exige la liberacin inmediata del lder de la Unin Patritica de Cuba (UNPACU), Jos Daniel Ferrer, y todos los otros presos polticos en Cuba. Ferrer fue encarcelado durante la famosa ""Primavera Negra"" de 2003, y con valenta ha seguido abogando por los derechos humanos y la libertad del pueblo cubano. Estoy profundamente preocupado por el bienestar de Ferrer, que languidece en prisin en condiciones abominables. Su esposa afirma que ha sufrido abuso, tortura y negacin de atencin mdica esencial. El rgimen en Cuba tiene la sangre de inocentes en sus manos, y aquellos que cometen estos abusos atroces deben rendir cuentas por sus crmenes. Agradezco a mis colegas por acompaarme en la presentacin de esta importante resolucin para exigir la liberacin inmediata e incondicional del hroe cubano Jos Daniel Ferrer "". ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://mariodiazbalart.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/diaz-balart-bipartisan-colleagues-introduce-resolution-demanding-jose,"Diaz-Balart, Bipartisan Colleagues Introduce Resolution Demanding Jose Daniel Ferrers Immediate Release",2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Mario Diaz-Balart,D000600,mariodiazbalart.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25), Albio Sires (D-NJ-13), Michael McCaul (R-TX-10), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23), Francis Rooney (R-FL-19), and Chris Smith (R-NJ-4) introduced a bipartisan resolution demanding the immediate release of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) leader Jose Daniel Ferrerand all other political prisoners in Cuba. Ferrer was imprisoned during the notorious Black Spring of 2003 and courageously has continued to advocate for human rights and freedom for the Cuban people. I am profoundly concerned for the welfare of Ferrer, who languishes in prison in abhorrent conditions. His wife asserts that he has suffered abuse, torture, and denial of essential medical care. The regime in Cuba has the blood of innocents on its hands, and those who commit these egregious abuses must be held accountable for their crimes. I thank my colleagues for joining me in introducing this important resolution to demand the immediate, unconditional release of Cuban hero Jose Daniel Ferrer. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=15C58945-A050-4511-BEC5-1E571B7F88E1,"Rubio Joins Hawley, Colleagues in Urging UN to Raise Issue of China's Human Rights Violations",2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and their Senate colleagues in a letter to Secretary-General of the United Nations Antnio Guterres urging him to raise the issue of China's violations of human rights and its destruction of its documentary record in both his discussions with member states and at the U.N. Human Rights Council and the U.N. Security Council.The letter comes on the anniversary of the December 19, 1984 signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration a bilateral agreement that was registered at the U.N. which defined the terms of the one country, two systems principle that would protect Hong Kong's autonomy as it transferred from British to Chinese authority. In the letter the Senators wrote, ""China's actions in Hong Kong are consistent with its actions in other parts of the region and its treatment of those within its borders who may hold different beliefs from those of the Communist Party of China. Its detention camps in Xinjiang holding nearly a million Uyghur Muslims reflect China's true ambitions. Joining Senators Rubio and Hawley in sending the letter were U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Rick Scott (R-FL), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Todd Young (R-IN). The full text of the letter is below. Dear Mr. Secretary-General: Thirty-five years ago today the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China signed the Joint Declaration - a bilateral agreement that was registered at the United Nations which defined the terms of the one country, two systems principle that would protect Hong Kong's autonomy as it transferred from British to Chinese authority in 1997. In the decades since, and in particular during both the Umbrella movement in 2014, the unraveling of the Legislative Council elections in 2016, and over the last six months, Beijing has systematically violated core aspects of Hong Kong's autonomy, from violently silencing demonstrators to interfering in local elections to imposing on Hong Kong's judicial independence. Simply put, China has repeatedly demonstrated cavalier disregard for its treaty commitments, including those registered at the United Nations. China's actions in Hong Kong are consistent with its actions in other parts of the region and its treatment of those within its borders who may hold different beliefs from those of the Communist Party of China. Its detention camps in Xinjiang holding nearly a million Uyghur Muslims reflect China's true ambitions. Last month, over 400 pages of leaked internal documents published in The New York Times revealed harrowing examples of how Chinese officials issued guidance for surveillance and population control, including requiring that Chinese bureaucrats threaten that students' behavior could impact their relatives' detention, and that their parents' faith is a virus' in their thinking which requires that authorities show absolutely no mercy. This week, in response to The New York Times report about these documents, Chinese authorities reportedly began a campaign to systematically destroy all documentation related to its internment camps in Xinjiang. According to The Associated Press, Chinese officials were reportedly instructed to burn paper forms containing sensitive personal details on residents in their area, such as their detention status, and for various state offices to throw away computers, tighten management of classified information, and ensure all information related to the camps is now stored on databases disconnected from the internet in special, restricted access rooms to bar hackers. Mr. Secretary-General, when asked about the detention camps in Xinjiang earlier this year you rightfully insisted that it is necessary for human rights to be respected, and that it is very important to act in a way that each community feels that their identity is respected and that they belong, at the same time, to the society as a whole. The United States and twenty-two countries at the United Nations came together to push for holding China accountable for its actions in Xinjiang. Mr. Secretary-General, as representatives of the U.N.'s principal founding member and largest contributor, we the undersigned urge actions by the United Nations to hold China accountable for its human rights violations. Specifically, we ask that you work with both member states and with the U.N. Human Rights Council and the U.N. Security Council to take meaningful steps to condemn China's operation of its detention camps in Xinjiang and to protect the documentary record of what is taking place in Xinjiang. Your actions on this matter will be a testament to the United Nations' important mandate of protecting human rights wherever they are threatened. If you take these actions we stand ready to work with you to ensure China's ruthless disregard for international norms and basic liberties will have consequences. Sincerely,",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=30D24AC7-5190-4C3D-B3A0-C111E4871843,"Rubio, Klobuchar Applaud Senate Passage of Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act",2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Washington, D.C. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) applauded the Senate passage of their bipartisan Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act (S.153), which would assist veterans re-entering the workforce by directing the National Science Foundation to encourage veterans to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.The future of work in the 21st century will be dominated by STEM roles, and the United States should prioritize policies that utilize our well-qualified veterans to fill this future workforce, Rubio said. I thank my Senate colleagues for unanimously approving this important and bipartisan bill to ensure our nation's veterans have the skills and opportunities to succeed in STEM careers. I look forward to working with our colleagues in the House to get this bill to the President. We owe it to our nation's heroes to ensure this bipartisan bill gets across the finish line.""Our veterans aren't just heroes on the battlefieldthey are the scientists, teachers, inventors, and engineers who will lead us to a brighter future. The passage of the Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act through the Senate brings us one step closer to bringing veterans the benefits of well-paying jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math, and helping employers better meet their hiring needs. By supporting veterans in their transition to civilian life through STEM career training, we not only help them to succeed, but also strengthen our economy and our nation, Klobuchar said.The Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act would also require the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish an interagency working group to improve veteran and spouse equity and representation in STEM fields and to develop a strategic plan to address the barriers that veterans face when reentering the workforce. The bill is supported by The Manufacturing Institute, Samsung, TechNet, Verizon, and the Consumer Technology Association.Related:",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=C5ACFC7A-6CFF-4E98-8788-B99CB9B54F32,Rubio Applauds Senate Confirmation of Raag Singhal to be U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Florida,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) applauded the Senate confirmation of Anuraag Raag Singhal to serve as a federal district court judge for the Southern District of Florida. Rubio also submitted a statement for the record at Judge Singhal's confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which took place on September 11, 2019.Today's confirmation of Judge Singhal is further proof that that the Senate is committed to filling judicial vacancies with President Trump's well-qualified nominees, Rubio said. Judge Singhal has lived and worked in Florida for 30 years, and he has extensive experience in the courtroom as both an attorney and a judge. He is committed to honoring professionalism, honesty, integrity, and ethics in his work and in the community, and I am confident he will exhibit and exercise those qualities on the federal bench.In 2019, the Senate has confirmed eight district court nominees for Florida, as well as two nominees to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which handles federal cases in the states of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.In the 115th Congress, Rubio and Senator Nelson (D-FL) organized and led the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) to identify and recommend highly qualified individuals for consideration to become U.S. district judges in each of the three judicial districts in Florida. The JNC recommended 18 names for 9 vacancies, and since 2017, the Senate has filled those vacancies by confirming nine Florida district court judges recommended: Raag Singhal, Bill Jung, Roy Altman, Rudy Ruiz, Rodney Smith, Wendy Berger, Tom Barber, Kent Wetherell, and Allen Winsor.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=E0A2D701-DFB7-420A-B8F6-6137DFC942E0,Rubio Secures Critical Funding for Florida & U.S. National Security Interests in Appropriations Bills,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, applauded the Senate passage of the Consolidated National Security Bill (H.R. 1158) and the Consolidated Domestic and International Assistance Bill (H.R. 1865). The two appropriations bills include a number of critical priorities advanced by Rubio and will fund the federal government through Fiscal Year (FY) 2020.Whether it's the full $200 million for Everglades restoration, $2.4 billion to rebuild Tyndall Air Force Base, or $125 million for the STOP School Violence Act, I am proud to have secured a significant number of priorities for Florida in these two spending packages, Rubio said. Importantly, these packages also include the Disaster Tax Relief Act, a bill I was proud to support that will enact tax relief for families, businesses, and communities across our state who are still recovering from recent natural disasters, including Northwest Florida communities that were devastated by Hurricane Michael.These bills also fund priorities that are critical to our national security interest and regional partners. I was proud to co-author both the VERDAD Act, which provides $400 million to help restore democracy in Venezuela, and the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Partnership Act of 2019, which enhances our engagement in the Eastern Mediterranean region, Rubio continued. Whether it be my unwavering support of religious freedom, fighting for human rights and democracy, or combating China, this bill makes it clear that the United States continues to be the biggest champion of freedom and democratic principles across the globe.Florida FirstEverglades and Environment: $200 million for Everglades restoration and a dedicated New Start for the Central Everglades Planning Project. Senate report language included in Investigations related to the Central Everglades Planning Project and strongly urges the Corps to design and construct PPA New Water and the Everglades Agricultural Area as quickly as possible. Provides additional funding for Harmful Algal Blooms in Aquatic Nuisance Control Research in the Operations & Maintenance account. $100 million for Environmental Infrastructure in Construction (Monroe County wastewater projects). Includes report language for reef restoration through the NOAA Coral Reef Program and provides $29.5 million, $2 million above FY19. Includes report language on harmful algal blooms (HAB); provides $19 million for HAB research and $1 million to establish new regional pilot for HAB monitoring and detection. South Florida Geographic Program: $1.64 million increase for planning and monitoring activities associated with the Everglades and Florida Keys Coral Reef ecosystems, the second straight year of significant funding increases. Includes explicit funding and report language on coral reef health, invasive species, and PFAS, climate adaptation science centers through USGS. Homeland Security: $90 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Bill language and funding for 452 new Customs and Border Protection officers. National Flood Insurance Program: Extends the National Flood Insurance Program to September 30, 2020. Panhandle: $2.42 billion for rebuilding Tyndall Air Force Base. Additionally, the bill provides $173.2 million for Military Construction projects in Florida. $312 million for the Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter, being built at Eastern Shipbuilding in Panama City. Disaster tax relief that enacts tax relief for victims of federally declared natural disasters from 2018 and 2019, including reduced taxes on the use of retirement funds for recovery, employee retention by businesses, increased deductions for charitable giving and casualty loss, and flexibility for calculating the earned income tax credit and child tax credit. Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program at $500 million. $440 million for Legal Services Corporation, an increase of $25 million. School Safety: $125 million for the STOP School Violence Act. Includes report language that directs the Department of Education to brief Congress on the progress made towards establishing a clearinghouse with effective evidence-based approaches for school safety and positive learning environments, including improving and expanding access to mental health for students. $105 million for Safe Schools National Activities, an increase of $10 million, which supports evidence-based activities to improve school safety, prevent violence, and improve school climates. Includes report language that encourages the Department of Education to partner with outside experts and other Federal agencies to develop best-practices to improve school safety and school climate. Includes report language that encourages the Department of Education to better coordinate with states on school safety and school climate efforts. Education: $1.3 billion for Career and Technical Education (CTE) State Grants, an increase of $20 million, and report language. Increases the maximum Pell Grant award by $150, an increase of 2.2 percent, from $6,195 to $6,345 for the 2020-21 school year. $325 million for Strengthening HBCUs, an increase of $42 million. $787 million for English Language Acquisition, an increase of $50 million. $175 million to expand opportunities through federally registered apprenticeships, an increase of $15 million. The Family First Transition Act, which extends funding certainty for child welfare demonstration projects and supports implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act by creating a new funding stream for waiver states like Florida. Healthcare and Veterans: $2.82 billion for Alzheimer's disease research, a $350 million increase. $6.4 billion for the National Cancer Institute, an increase of $299.4 million. $500 million for the NIH Brain Initiative. Prevents $4 billion in Medicaid cuts to hospitals. Repealed three Obamacare taxes the Cadillac tax on employer health care, the Health Insurance tax on health insurance plans and the Medical Device Tax $3.9 billion for mental health programs. $3.8 billion to combat the opioid crisis. Inclusion of the CREATES Act to end PhRMA's practices that prevent generic manufacturers from developing lower cost alternatives to drugs. $9.4 billion for Veteran Mental Health Services. $153.6 million for the implementation of the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act. $311 million for the Veterans' Employment and Training Service, an increase of $11 million. $135 million for the SBA's Small Business Development Centers, $4 million above the FY2019 enacted level. Housing Maintains reforms that require the timely remediation of health and safety conditions, creates new maintenance standards, and establishes oversight of inspection process at Section 8 project-based assistance housing facilities. Language on the use of tenant surveys. $23.9 billion for Section 8 Tenant Based Rental Assistance. $21.5 billion for Section 8 Voucher renewals. $410 million for Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA). $25 million for Family Unification Vouchers to provide housing for at-risk foster youth transitioning out of foster care at the age of 17. $3.4 million for technology research partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Space Coast: Funding for Venture Class Launch Service Tactically Responsive Launch Operations, a $22 million increase. $2.586 billion for the Space Launch System (SLS). $1.4 billion for the Orion crewed spacecraft to continue development of NASA's next deep space crewed capsule. Puerto Rico: Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico. Extends funding to the U.S. territories for FY2020 and FY2021; includes important program integrity improvements for Puerto Rico's Medicaid program. This funding will be available at a Federal Match rate of 76 percent for Puerto Rico and 83 percent for the other territories. Language supporting Army Corps construction of the Cao Martin Pea environmental restoration and flood control project in San Juan. Small Business: $135 million for the SBA's Small Business Development Centers. $14 million for veterans outreach programs. Fully funds the disaster loans program at $177 million. Adopts language for SBA on Office of Credit Risk Management for appropriate lender oversight. Adopts language on SBA disaster loan duplication of assistance, ensuring disaster victims will not be penalized unfairly. Adopts language on Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) concentration to expand the number of small businesses who have access to venture capital funding. Advancing Democracy, Human Rights, and Religious Freedom GloballyWestern Hemisphere: The Venezuela Emergency Relief, Democracy Assistance and Development (VERDAD) Act of 2019, co-authored by Senator Rubio, strengthens the U.S response to Venezuela's growing humanitarian crisis and its impact on neighboring countries. It includes $400 million for Venezuelan migrants and host communities who have fled their homeland. It restricts entrance into the U.S. for family members of sanctioned individuals, advances the coordinated international effort for a post-Maduro Venezuela, and requests a report on crimes against humanity committed by the Maduro regime. The VERDAD Act also includes text that extends the expiration date of the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 (Public Law 113278) to December 31, 2023. $21 million Office of Cuba Broadcasting. $448 million for programs for Colombia. $519 million for Central America assistance for Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama including through the Central America Regional Security Strategy. $20 million for Central American Women and Children. Promoting Democracy: $2.4 billion for Democracy Programs. $300 million for the National Endowment for Democracy. $20 million for Cuba Democracy Programs. $30 million for Venezuela Democracy Programs. Supporting U.S. Allies: $3.3 billion for Foreign Military Financing (FMF) security assistance for Israel. The Eastern Mediterranean Security and Partnership Act of 2019, co-authored by Senator Rubio, deepens U.S. security and energy relationships in the Eastern Mediterranean region, especially with Israel, Cyprus and Greece. The bill authorizes security assistance for Cyprus and Greece and would lift arms restrictions on Cyprus. It also authorizes the establishment of a United States-Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center to facilitate energy cooperation among the U.S., Israel, Greece, and Cyprus. Combating China: Retains report language requiring the Department of Health and Human Service's Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to disclose the Russian and Chinese labs that may be receiving federal payments to process Americans' genomic data. Report language on prohibition of Chinese Rail cars. $300 million for a new fund to combat malign Chinese influence activities and increase transparency and accountability associated with the Belt and Road Initiative. Advancing International Religious Freedom: Authorizes the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for three years to continue the vital work of highlighting religious freedom violations and advancing religious liberty worldwide. It also includes provisions to enhance USCIRF's credibility and transparency. Strengthening Global Health: $6.3 billion for HIV/AIDS assistance, including $1.56 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS/Tuberculosis, and Malaria. $61 million for polio eradication efforts. $102 million to combat Neglected Tropical Diseases.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://francisrooney.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2554,Congressman Rooney Votes in Favor of USMCA Trade Agreement to Boost America’s Economy,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Francis Rooney,R000607,francisrooney.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Today, Congressman Rooney voted in favor of boosting America's economic prosperity by supporting the passage of the United States Mexico Trade Agreement (USMCA).Congressman Rooney stated, Since its introduction, I have consistently urged my colleagues in Congress to support the USMCA as an important framework for increasing economic prosperity, trade and security in the western hemisphere. Strengthening trade relationships with our neighbors, Canada and Mexico, has collateral benefits like increased cooperation on regional security challenges, dealing with the movement of illegal drugs and guns, and working to curb human trafficking. The United States has more immediately at stake with Mexico than any other country in the world. We are their largest trading partner and they are our third largest. Over 70 percent of Mexico's total imports come from the United States, $265 billion worth of U.S. goods in 2018, and another $34 billion in services. Moreover, 70 percent of the parts in a typical Mexican product originate in the United States. If Mexico succeeds, the U.S. economy benefits. Ratifying this agreement ensures that we can build on the gains we have made with Mexico in the last 25 years, since NAFTA was enacted. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://gaetz.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-matt-gaetz-issues-statement-following-house-passage-usmca,Congressman Matt Gaetz Issues Statement Following House Passage of the USMCA,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Matt Gaetz,G000578,gaetz.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Today, US Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01) issued the following statement in response to the US House of Representatives'passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA): ""President Trump's resolve to protect the American worker and invigorate the US economy was realized today by a bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives. The passage of the USMCA is a monumental achievement for the American people that has been spearheaded by President Trump since his first day in office. This trade deal advances the America First agenda on the world stage and secures a successful future for our nation's economy, job growth, and trade. I'm proud to have voted for this historic bill today and thank President Trump for his unwavering commitment to the American worker,""Congressman Gaetz said. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://rutherford.house.gov/media/press-releases/rutherford-introduces-bill-close-pensacola-loophole,Rutherford Introduces Bill to Close the Pensacola Loophole,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,John H. Rutherford,R000609,rutherford.house.gov,rutherford,https://rutherford.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives John Rutherford (R-FL), Charlie Crist (D-FL), and Val B. Demings (D-FL) introduced the Foreign National Firearms Background Check Enhancement Act. On December 6, 2019, three servicemembers were killed and eight were injured in a shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola. The shooter, who was a Saudi Arabian national, used a hunting license to legally purchase a handgun. Today's legislation would prohibit foreign nationals from purchasing a firearm in the United States, unless that individual receives a waiver from the U.S. Attorney General certifying that, both here and abroad, they meet the same background check standards as a U.S. citizen. ""Following the tragedy at Naval Air Station Pensacola, it is clear that Congress must act to close a loophole in federal gun laws that allowed a foreign visitor to legally purchase a firearm and kill three Americans,"" said Rep. Rutherford. ""As the former Sheriff of Duval County and a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, I believe that all foreigners seeking to purchase a firearm must be vetted both here in the U.S. and in their country of origin. This bipartisan bill is crucial to strengthening our national security and keeping communities safe. Thank you to Representatives Crist and Demings for their bipartisan work on this legislation."" ""As communities in Florida, Georgia and Alabama mourn the loss of three of our best and brightest young airmen, Congress has a responsibility to step in and close the loophole that made this tragedy possible,"" said Rep. Crist. ""Foreign nationals should not be able to buy a firearm through the purchase of a hunting license. We need tougher vetting than that, and requiring them to petition the Attorney General directly would provide greater scrutiny and security for the American people."" Under current law, non-immigrant visa holders are permitted to purchase a firearm in the event they: 1) Have a hunting license or are present for lawful hunting; 2) Are a foreign law enforcement officer on official duty; or 3) Are an official representative of a foreign government on official duties. The Foreign National Firearms Background Check Enhancement Act would end those exceptions, and would only allow a non-immigrant visa holder to purchase a firearm after first receiving a waiver from the U.S. Attorney General. Before issuing a waiver, the Attorney General must receive a written statement from the visa holder's country of origin consulate certifying that the individual is in compliance with all National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) requirements in the U.S. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://spano.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2352,Shalala and Spano Introduce NCAA Commission Bill to Fully Examine the State of Intercollegiate Athletics,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Ross Spano,S001210,spano.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, Reps. Donna Shalala (D-FL) and Ross Spano (R-FL) introduced the Congressional Advisory Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics (CACIA) Act, bipartisan legislation that creates a Blue-ribbon Congressional Commission to identify and examine issues of national concern related to the conduct of intercollegiate athletics and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). College sports, as overseen by the NCAA, have undergone a massive transformation in recent years. As profits, compensation for coaches, and spending on luxurious athletic facilities have ballooned, the association has repeatedly failed to address systemic problems with respect to the health and well-being of student athletes. The demands of year-round training, sacrificing study time and sleep to clock more hours at the gym, and pushing through exhaustion have taken a toll athletes' physical and mental health, said Rep. Shalala. Our higher education institutions receive a substantial amount of federal student support funding. There is little oversight, and as a result, we have little insight into how the funding is being spent and if the students' best interests are being prioritized. This commission would fill that gap. College students deserve to have the best possible education, especially considering the cost. I'm excited to join Rep. Shalala in her effort to ensure that our students are being put first, said Rep. Spano. A Congressional commission is needed to examine the complicated relationship of higher education and intercollegiate athletics in the 21st century. It is past time for an outside entity to do a top to bottom review of intercollegiate athletics to assess academic integrity, athlete safety, budgeting and spending, athletes' rights and anti-trust issues just to name a few points a commission will consider and potentially issue recommendations and future legislation, said David Ridpath, President of the Drake Group. The CACIA Act will empower an independent commission to fully review, analyze and report back to Congress on the state of the NCAA and the athletic programs participating in intercollegiate sports. This legislation examines the interaction between athletics and academics, the financing of college sports, recruitment policies and retention practices for student athletes. Additionally, the bill further examines the NCAA's policies on institutional oversight and governance, compensation, the health and safety protections for college athletes, due process and equal enforcement of rules. Shalala continued, We must address the extent to which higher education institutions, which are currently receiving over $130 billion in federal student support, are subsidizing athletic programs with little or no financial controls. It is time for Congress to intercede in order to protect college athletes and maintain the integrity of college sports once and for all. Read the full text of the CACIA Act HERE. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://spano.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2353,Spano Supports USMCA as Huge Economic Victory,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Ross Spano,S001210,spano.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Ross Spano (Florida-15) released the following statement regarding H.R. 5430, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Implementation Act. Today, I voted in favor of the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Deal, which will modernize our trading relationship with Mexico and Canada for the first time in 24 years. This trade agreement is a huge win for our economy as it has the potential to create over 170,000 new jobs and produce over $60 billion in new economic activity. While this agreement lacked a specific provision that I fought for to protect our strawberry growers, I am confident the Administration will join me to support this industry in the future. I will continue to work with the U.S. Trade Representative to ensure our farmers can compete on a level playing field with growers abroad. Florida's year-round warm weather allows its farmers to be the nation's principal produce suppliers during the winter while northern and western growers are active during warmer seasons. Mexico, however, subsidizes their own winter growers, allowing them to import vast quantities of below-cost produce into the United States and drive American farmers out of business. Across the country, farms are reducing or ceasing production, while Florida's tomato, bell pepper, blueberry, and strawberry industries have all been severely impacted. If this continues, the majority, if not all, of Plant City's strawberry production will be wiped out. USMCA has been a priority issue for Rep. Spano from the moment he took office. Negotiations began in earnest in March when he hosted U.S. Chief Agricultural Ambassador Gregg Doud during the 2019 Plant City Strawberry Festival. Rep. Spano has since been heavily engaged with the Florida Congressional Delegation, Sen. Marco Rubio, and the U.S. Trade Representative on behalf of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, the Florida Farm Bureau, and District 15 growers. USMCA is just the first step, said Rep. Spano. My constituents and Florida's strawberry farmers come first. They've provided for us year-round and I will continue to fight for them year-round. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://steube.house.gov/media/press-releases/steube-statement-house-passage-usmca,Steube Statement on House Passage of USMCA,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Greg Steube,S001214,steube.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Today, Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17) released the following statement after the House of Representatives' vote on the United States Mexico Canada Agreement: ""Today, I voted in favor of the United States Mexico Canada Agreement. Florida relies on trade with Canada and Mexico to survive and thrive. From transportation equipment to machinery, to agricultural products, in 2017 alone, Florida exported $6.7 billion in goods to Canada and Mexico and we aren't alone. Canada was the leading market for U.S. goods exported followed closely by Mexico in 2017. These allies account for 34 percent of U.S. exports and 35 percent of U.S. imports. They are our strategic partners and an important part of our successful economy. Continuing the long history of our successful trade relationship is essential to bringing the U.S. economy into the 21st century. By implementing the USMCA, we will be creating 176,000 additional American jobs and continuing to grow our economy by over $68 billion. American dairy producers alone will grow their access to up to 3.59 percent of the Canadian Dairy Market. This deal is a good deal for Florida and America. Now that this deal has passed, I am confident that Ambassador Lighthizer and agricultural leaders will continue to work toward a solution to address the issues facing specialty crops in Florida.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://steube.house.gov/press-releases/steube-statement-on-house-impeachment-vote-0/,Steube Statement on House Impeachment Vote,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,W. Gregory Steube,S001214,steube.house.gov,steube,https://steube.house.gov/category/press-releases/page/,scraper,"Steube Statement on House Impeachment Vote WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Congressman Greg Steube (R-Fla.) released the following statement after the House of Representatives’ vote on the Articles of Impeachment for President Donald J. Trump: “Tonight, I voted no on the Articles of Impeachment for President Donald J. Trump. This impeachment charade was riddled with procedural failures, denials of due process, and partisan games. The facts are clear, the president has not committed an impeachable offense, and certainly not a high crime or misdemeanor as the Democrats allege. I urge the Senate to quickly evaluate the lack of evidence and acquit the president, so we can all focus on improving the lives of Americans instead of further dividing our nation.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://steube.house.gov/press-releases/steube-statement-on-house-passage-of-usmca/,Steube Statement on House Passage of USMCA,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,W. Gregory Steube,S001214,steube.house.gov,steube,https://steube.house.gov/category/press-releases/page/,scraper,"Steube Statement on House Passage of USMCA WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Congressman Greg Steube (R-Fla.) released the following statement after the House of Representatives’ vote on the United States Mexico Canada Agreement: “Today, I voted in favor of the United States Mexico Canada Agreement. Florida relies on trade with Canada and Mexico to survive and thrive. From transportation equipment to machinery, to agricultural products, in 2017 alone, Florida exported $6.7 billion in goods to Canada and Mexico and we aren’t alone. Canada was the leading market for U.S. goods exported followed closely by Mexico in 2017. These allies account for 34 percent of U.S. exports and 35 percent of U.S. imports. They are our strategic partners and an important part of our successful economy. Continuing the long history of our successful trade relationship is essential to bringing the U.S. economy into the 21st century. By implementing the USMCA, we will be creating 176,000 additional American jobs and continuing to grow our economy by over $68 billion. American dairy producers alone will grow their access to up to 3.59 percent of the Canadian Dairy Market. This deal is a good deal for Florida and America. Now that this deal has passed, I am confident that Ambassador Lighthizer and agricultural leaders will continue to work toward a solution to address the issues facing specialty crops in Florida.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://waltz.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=131,Waltz Statement On Passage Of USMCA Trade Agreement,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Michael Waltz,W000823,waltz.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) voted in favor of ratifying the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement, a replacement of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). After more than a year of waiting on House Democrats to bring this trade agreement to the floor, we've finally voted and ratified the USMCA, Waltz said. This trade deal will open up our job market and help our already on-fire economy continue to thrive. On Nov. 30, 2018, U.S., Mexican and Canadian leaders signed the USMCA, which requires approval by each nation's legislature to go into effect. Both Mexico and Canada ratified the agreement earlier this year. Florida largely stands to benefit from the ratification of the USMCA. Trade with Mexico and Canada is a $12 billion industry in Florida, supporting more than 700,000 jobs in the Sunshine State. International trade supports nearly 2.4 million jobs in Florida more than one in five jobs statewide. Thank you to President Trump for negotiating this 21st-century trade deal and to my colleagues for supporting it, Waltz said. I'm proud to vote in favor of the USMCA for the sake of more than 175,000 jobs and nearly $68 billion economic growth nationwide. While there is still work to be done to assist Florida's growers with trade cases involving seasonal and perishable produce, I am confident that the Administration will work with the delegation and our growers in good faith.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://webster.house.gov/press-releases?ID=0365E859-E8CC-4E7F-930A-89C42D9DE530,Webster on USMCA: A Win for American Workers,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Daniel Webster,W000806,webster.house.gov,webster,https://webster.house.gov/press-releases,scraper,"Washington, DC – Florida Congressman Daniel Webster released the below statement following his vote to ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada-Agreement (USMCA). “Canada and Mexico accounted for more than $7 billion of Florida’s global exports in 2018. Today’s vote is critical for allowing more Sunshine State businesses to sell more of what they make to consumers around the world. “Replacing the outdated NAFTA, USMCA lays a solid foundation for the future of North American trade. It includes new, cutting-edge rules on digital trade that will help American businesses & innovators continue to thrive in the modern economy. It also contains many significant wins for American ranchers, businesses and workers. Under this agreement, hardworking Americans will have the opportunity to achieve more growth, more exports, more jobs and rising wages. “While the USMCA text does not currently provide the relief and trade remedies we sought for our seasonal producers, I am committed to working with my colleagues, Ambassador Lighthizer and others to ensure these producers are able to access trade remedies that are available to other U.S. producers.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/sen-rick-scott-merry-christmas-heres-how-congress-about-waste-your-money,"Sen. Rick Scott: Merry Christmas, Heres How Congress is About to Waste Your Money",2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Rick Scott,S001217,www.rickscott.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. In case you missed it, Senator Rick Scott wrote an op-ed for National Review about the $1.4 trillion, 2,313 page-long spending package that Congress is voting on this week. In the op-ed, Senator Rick Scott wrote, This week, Congress is set to vote on a giant spending package 2,313 pages long that was just released, was negotiated in secret, spends $1.4 trillion, and is chock full of member projects and special-interest giveaways. To put that number in context: Without any opportunity to read the bill, Congress will vote to spend more than $4,200 for every man, woman, and child in America. That's on top of the $23 trillion in debt we've already accumulated, not to mention that the federal government is already running a trillion-dollar deficit, every year. And let's not forget. This bill spends $1.4 trillion, with no cuts or reforms. This is not how Washington is supposed to work. But one simple idea that we can get done right now is No Budget, No Pay. If Congress can't pass a budget and appropriations bills in a timely and orderly fashion, members of Congress shouldn't get a paycheck. You don't get paid if you don't do your job. Why should Congress? It's time to stop the madness. How many more trillions of dollars do we need to spend before we wake up to the danger of our national debt? We need to reform the way Washington works, and we need to do it now. Read the full op-ed in the National Review HERE. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/senator-rick-scott-response-house-impeachment,Senator Rick Scott Response to House Impeachment,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Rick Scott,S001217,www.rickscott.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Senator Rick Scott released the following statement after the House vote on impeachment. Senator Rick Scott said, The House Democrats just spent a month confirming that the President did nothing wrong and that this impeachment circus is nothing but partisan politics. Today's vote solidifies how little the Democrats care about what's really important to the American people. It's clear all they care about are political games. This is sad and embarrassing, but I came to Washington to get something done for the American people. I look forward to getting back to working on all the things that aren't getting done, like passing No Budget, No Pay, securing the border, and lowering drug prices for American families. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/senators-rick-scott-and-josh-hawley-nbc-stand-human-rights-refuse-air-olympics-hosted-communist,Senators Rick Scott and Josh Hawley to NBC: Stand Up for Human Rights; Refuse to Air Olympics Hosted in Communist China,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Rick Scott,S001217,www.rickscott.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Senators Rick Scott and Josh Hawley wrote a letter to the Chief Executive Officer of NBC Universal and the President of NBC Olympics urging them to put human rights over profits by requesting that the International Olympic Committee re-bid the 2022 Olympics, which is being hosted in Communist China, or refuse to air the 2022 games. Read the letter HERE or below. December 19, 2019 Mr. Stephen Burke Chief Executive Officer NBC Universal 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10112 Mr. Gary Zenkel President NBC Olympics One Blachey Road Stamford, CT 06902 Dear Mr. Burke and Mr. Zenkel: As the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing approach, we write to you with grave concern about the decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow a Communist regime with an abysmal record on human rights to host a global sporting event that attracts athletes and spectators from all across the world. By doing so, you are placing profits over principles, and ensuring that China can be accepted into the international system even as it violates its basic rules and tenets. Communist China is one of the great human rights abusers in the world, and it presents a threat to the safety and security of every athlete and tourist who will travel to Beijing. General Secretary Xi has set up a surveillance infrastructure in Beijing that tracks every person's location and internet activity. Communist China uses millions of cameras, powered by facial recognition technology, to spy on and persecute those who criticize the regime. The 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing will provide the Chinese government access to a global array of dignitaries, athletes, corporations, and government entities, a risk that should be avoided at all costs. On top of the concerns about Chinese surveillance, in November, documents obtained by the New York Times revealed the lengths to which Communist China uses this technology to track and oppress Uyghurs, a Muslim ethnic group in the province in Xianjing. The documents showed how the Communist regime weaponizes military surveillance to spy on civilians and treat them as military threats, instead of human beings endowed with personal dignity. And they confirmed, as had previously been reported, that more than a million Uyghurs are in prison and re-education camps, simply because of their religion. Many of us have shared similar concerns directly with the IOC. Unfortunately, in one response the IOC claimed that it must remain strictly politically neutral with regard to Communist China and would take no action. We find that response to be woefully lacking. We hope you, unlike the IOC, understand that this is not about politics, but about human rights and the security of athletes and international visitors. We also hope you know Communist China did not abide by the Host City Contract in the 2008 Beijing Winter Olympics, and its long history of breaking promises shows that it is not a country that can be trusted. NBC Universal is faced with an important decision. As a media organization, it also has a moral responsibility to inform the public. By overlooking China's human rights record, you betray your viewers in misleading them about the most important threat facing our values and our way of life. Please pick human rights over profits. If Communist China continues to persecute religious minorities, forcibly harvest organs of innocent civilians, oppress the people of Hong Kong, spy on civilians, and imprison political dissidents, they should forfeit their rights to host an event that is supposed to bring the world together. We urge NBC to stand with us and request that the IOC re-bid the 2022 Olympics or refuse to air the 2022 games. We look forward to hearing your decision on this important matter. Sincerely, Rick Scott United States Senator Josh Hawley United States Senator ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://yoho.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/usmca-leaves-florida-producers-out-in-the-cold,USMCA Leaves Florida Producers Out in the Cold,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Ted Yoho,Y000065,yoho.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington D.C. - Congressman Ted S. Yoho (R-FL), member of the House Agriculture Committee, released the following statement after voting no' on the shortfalls of the USMCA agreement for Florida farmers. NAFTA was originally created to remove traditional trade barriers and facilitate economic growth amongst the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Our great state of Florida is one of the biggest agriculture partners in the world, and our district benefits tremendously from free trade opportunities with other countries. However, international trade should not come at the expense of American farmers and workers. I commend President Trump and his administration for renegotiating a much-needed trade deal between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. However, this agreement will not solve the failures of NAFTA with regards to the seasonal competition of agricultural produce that caused our fruit and vegetable farmers to lose a large share of the U.S. market to Mexican producers. Absent proper trade enforcement tools, we are maintaining the status quo that will continue to harm Florida producers. USMCA favors Mexican producers over the hardworking Southeastern farmers. Remedies, after that fact are too late to address our farmers needs now. Without the inclusion of trade remedies in USMCA for Florida's produce farmers, I cannot, in good conscience, support this agreement. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://posey.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=396737,Rep. Posey's Statement Opposing Impeachment,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Bill Posey,P000599,posey.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Posey's Statement Opposing Impeachment Washington, December 18, 2019- Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) issueD the following statement about tonight's vote to impeach President Trump: ""The two articles of impeachment in the resolution are broad and cite no specific crimes that the President committed. The House Democrats are basing the entire impeachment on hearsay testimonies grounded on absolutely no evidence of a crime. Sadly, this impeachment is the worst case of partisan politics in the history of our Republic.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=0140A8F8-5726-4C90-8C81-4B2108E2F94A,Rubio Statement on Committee Approval of SBA Administrator Nomination,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, issued the following statement after the committee approved Jovita Carranza's nomination to be Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The nomination now moves to the full Senate for consideration.I congratulate Ms. Carranza on being favorably reported to the Senate floor. If confirmed, I look forward to working collaboratively with her to modernize the SBA, optimize the agency's programs, and increase interagency coordination, Chairman Rubio said. As Chairman, I recognize the vital role the Administrator plays in ensuring the efficacy of the agency, and am eager for the role of SBA Administrator to be filled. This will better allow the Committee to fulfill our oversight responsibilities and further our efforts to reauthorize the Small Business Act. During her confirmation hearing, Chairman Rubio asked Ms. Carranza to agree to a number of commitments that require immediate action at the SBA. Ms. Carranza's commitments to Chairman Rubio include: Addressing the management challenges at the Office of Investment and Innovation; Testifying before the committee in 90 days for an oversight hearing on progress addressing those challenges; Communicating with Congress on the subsidy models and incorporated calculations for all federal credit programs at SBA; Ensuring the backlog of staff needed by the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) teams are filled in her first 100 days; Ensuring that, moving forward, federal grant money is not used to repay previous misspent funds identified by the SBA's Office of Inspector General (OIG); Working to modernize the Disaster Loan program and institute internal controls recommended by the OIG to stop waste, fraud, and abuse; Expeditiously working on implementing a women-owned certification program; and, Expeditiously providing information to Congress on how SBA plans to help small businesses protect themselves from cyber-attacks. Related:",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=116AE492-E0AA-4A38-B402-97943E613141,"Rubio, Scott, Daz-Balart Urge Miami Int'l Airport to Protect American Aviation and Security Networks from China",2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Washington D.C. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) and U.S. Representative Mario Daz-Balart (R-FL) raised concerns with Aviation Director and CEO of Miami International Airport Lester Sola regarding offers from firms, like CIMC-Tiiana, a Chinese state-backed enterprise, that may seek to undermine American aviation security and industrial competitiveness.In the letter the members note that, CIMC-Tianda has already been found guilty of industrial espionage by a U.S. Federal District court in Houston, TX. The decision ruled that CIMC-Tianda misled a company into a transfer of its business and design information as it relates to passenger boarding bridges. This information was later used by CIMC-Tianda to compete in the market with stolen intellectual property, at a significantly lower bid.The full text of the letter is below.Dear Mr. Sola:It has recently come to our attention that Miami International Airport is considering awarding contracts for passenger boarding bridges to CIMC-Tianda, a Chinese firm and state-backed enterprise. As you evaluate bids to supply passenger boarding bridges and other components to the airport, we urge you to consider rejecting offers from firms that may seek to infiltrate and exploit American aviation and security networks.As you are aware, aviation is a critical sector of our nation's infrastructure, with airports in particular emerging as a high priority target for sabotage and espionage by our adversaries. The increasing digitalization of aircraft systems and airport security procedures places the sensitive and personal information of American travelers at an increased exposure risk and creates new vulnerabilities for malign actors, like the Chinese regime, to exploit. It is vital to fully consider all security and privacy risks when considering whether to allow firms with ties to the Chinese regime to embed themselves within U.S. airports. Further, language included in the report for the Senate's funding bill for the Department of Transportation (S. 2520) specifically raises concerns over boarding bridges manufactured by foreign state-owned enterprises.Additionally, CIMC-Tianda has already been found guilty of industrial espionage by a U.S. Federal District court in Houston, TX. The decision ruled that CIMC-Tianda misled a company into a transfer of its business and design information as it relates to passenger boarding bridges. This information was later used by CIMC-Tianda to compete in the market with stolen intellectual property, at a significantly lower bid.While equipment, such as passenger boarding bridges, from Chinese state-backed enterprises may boast attractive price tags, the associated security drawbacks are too serious to ignore. The Chinese regime, using state-funded and state-directed companies, has already targeted U.S. transit networks in an attempt to undermine American industrial capacity and national security. Congress has responded to this by approving language in the Conference Report for the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1790/H.R. 2500) which bars federal funding from being used by local transit agencies to contract with Chinese state-sponsored entities for the procurement of rolling stock.We thank you for your commitment to modernizing Miami International Airport and upgrading systems to ensure the safety, security, and comfort of travelers. As you do so, it is critical to identify technology and infrastructure components from untrusted and high-risk vendors, such as CIMC-Tianda. Thank you for your consideration of our concerns and we look forward to continuing this discussion.Sincerely,",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=3256F9E9-B28D-44AC-862D-95C7E3FD0B27,"Rubio, Klobuchar Applaud Senate Passage of Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act",2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Washington, D.C. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) applauded the Senate passage of their bipartisan Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act (S.153), which would assist veterans re-entering the workforce by directing the National Science Foundation to encourage veterans to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.The future of work in the 21st century will be dominated by STEM roles, and the United States should prioritize policies that utilize our well-qualified veterans to fill this future workforce, Rubio said. I thank my Senate colleagues for unanimously approving this important and bipartisan bill to ensure our nation's veterans have the skills and opportunities to succeed in STEM careers. I look forward to working with our colleagues in the House to get this bill to the President. We owe it to our nation's heroes to ensure this bipartisan bill gets across the finish line.""Our veterans aren't just heroes on the battlefieldthey are the scientists, teachers, inventors, and engineers who will lead us to a brighter future. The passage of the Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act through the Senate brings us one step closer to bringing veterans the benefits of well-paying jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math, and helping employers better meet their hiring needs. By supporting veterans in their transition to civilian life through STEM career training, we not only help them to succeed, but also strengthen our economy and our nation, Klobuchar said.The Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act would also require the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish an interagency working group to improve veteran and spouse equity and representation in STEM fields and to develop a strategic plan to address the barriers that veterans face when reentering the workforce. The bill is supported by The Manufacturing Institute, Samsung, TechNet, Verizon, and the Consumer Technology Association.Related:",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=A55408C1-DAB1-4F3B-B374-793D42496ABF,"Rubio, Scott Joined by Colleagues in Honoring Victims of NAS Pensacola Tragedy",2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Washington, D.C. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) were joined by Senators David Perdue (R-GA), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Richard Shelby (R-AL), and Doug Jones (D-AL) in passing a resolution honoring the victims of the tragic shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola on December 6, 2019. Shortly after the Senate passed the resolution, Senator Rubio honored the victims in a speech on the Senate floor.Rubio's remarks as prepared are below. Broadcast quality video can be found here.Rubio: Ensign Joshua Kaleb Watson.Airman Mohammed Sameh Haitham.Airman Apprentice Cameron Walters.Those are the names of our nation's heroes who lost their lives the morning of Friday, December 6th, when a horrific event took place at Naval Air Station Pensacola in my home state of Florida.In only fifteen minutes, this act of senseless terrorism killed three and wounded eight people.Pensacola is one of Florida's hidden gems. The Navy and Marines are part of the identity, fabric, and culture of the city.This terrorist attack was not just an attack on the Naval Air Station, it was an attack on the very heart and soul of Pensacola.I visited Naval Air Station Pensacola in the aftermath of the attack. When I arrived, I was deeply saddened by the loss of life and impact this loss had left in the community.But I was also in awe of the bravery of so many, including the first responders who made their way to harm's way.The stories of heroism in the face of evil remind us that those who volunteer to serve our country personify the very ideals of what makes this the greatest nation on earth.23 year-old Ensign Joshua Kaleb Watson of Alabama. Son of Benjamin Watson and Shelia Wilemon Watson.Ensign Watson dreamed of becoming a Navy pilot and reported to Pensacola for flight training the week of Veterans Day. He was the officer on deck at the time of the shooting.When faced with danger, Ensign Watson did what so few do -- he ran towards it. Watson yelled out for people to get out, proceeded to tackle the shooter, and fought him in an attempt to disarm him -- all while being shot at least five times.Even though he was heavily wounded, Ensign Watson made his way out to flag down first responders and gave an accurate description of the shooter.19 year-old Airman Mohammed Sameh Haitham's family moved to St. Petersburg, Florida from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.Haitham's Lakewood High school assistant principal, where he graduated from last year, called him the Perfect One' because he was a good student, a star track runner and basketball player.According to the Assistant Principal, he would walk into any room and it would light up. He had this magnetic personality big smile, always happy. And people would alwaysgravitate toward him.'Airman Haitham's commanding officer told his father that his son had also bravely attempted to take down the gunman.For those who knew 21 year-old Cameron Walters of Georgia, he was an amazing guy, he always had something good to say to everybody, and was always smiling.'The morning of the shooting, Walters was randomly assigned to watch duty in Building 633, which is where the shooting unfolded. The airman apprentice had only been stationed in Pensacola for two weeks before the deadly attack.Let us never forget the heroes who sacrificed their lives protecting their fellow Navy members as this tragedy unfolded at Naval Air Station Pensacola.There is no action we can take to bring these heroes back, but what we can do is commit ourselves to serving our country honorably and to ensure that reforms are put in place to prevent an attack like this from happening in the future.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=A78ED4F5-ABF3-41D3-85F3-CD5B39AA6E6E,"Rubio Joins Blackburn, Scott, Cornyn, Cotton to Urge Response to National Security Threats Posed by Chinese Drones",2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Rick Scott (R-FL), John Cornyn (R-TX) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) in writing to Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao and Administrator Stephen Dickson of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to express concerns regarding the national security threats posed by Chinese drones.Weurge you to immediately restrict the use of this equipment and technology that has the potential to jeopardize the security of critical information and infrastructure gained through this and other FAA programs, the Senators wrote. American taxpayer dollars should not fund state-controlled or state-owned firms that seek to undermine American national security and economic competitiveness.The full text of the letter is below.Dear Secretary Chao and Administrator Dickson:We write to express concern regarding the national security threats posed by Chinese drones and urge the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ensure that the use of such drones is excluded from its programs and partnerships.Given the information presented in several government directives regarding the use of Chinese-manufactured drones, we were dismayed to learn that on December 3, 2019, one of the ten lead participants of DOT and FAA's Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP) announced its decision to partner with Da Jiang Innovations (DJI) Inc., a Chinese drone company, and use DJI drones for aircraft inspections, delivery of aircraft parts, airport perimeter security, and various airport safety inspections.On August 2, 2017, the Department of the Army released a memorandum ordering a halt on the use of DJI applications and products, citing an increased awareness of cyber vulnerabilities associated with DJI products. Subsequently, on August 9, 2017, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released an unclassified bulletin which specifically warned against DJI for targeting critical infrastructure and law enforcement and providing U.S. data to the Chinese government. The bulletin states with high confidence that the company [DJI] is selectively targeting government and privately owned entities within these sectors to expand its ability to collect and exploit sensitive U.S. data. The bulletin also warns that DJI-created apps, when used in conjunction with their UAS hardware, collect GPS locations and photographs taken by the device, register facial recognition data even when the system is off, and automatically upload information to cloud storage to which the Chinese government most likely has access. The bulletin continues, [a] foreign government with access to this information could easily coordinate physical or cyber attacks against critical sites.On May 20, 2019, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an industry alert of the potential risks to an organization's information posed by Chinese-made drones and DJI in particular. The alert states that the products contain components that can compromise data and share information on a server accessed beyond the company itself.More recently, on October 30, 2019, the Department of Interior announced that it was grounding its fleet of more than 800 non-emergency drones purchased from China until a security review is completed. Further, Section 848 of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act specifically prohibits the Department of Defense from operating or procuring UAS manufactured in the China.We commend the goal of the UAS IPP to partner federal, state, local, and tribal governments with the FAA to evaluate and integrate new technologies into airspace operations. We, however, urge you to immediately restrict the use of this equipment and technology that has the potential to jeopardize the security of critical information and infrastructure gained through this and other FAA programs. American taxpayer dollars should not fund state-controlled or state-owned firms that seek to undermine American national security and economic competitiveness. We therefore request the following information: Have the DOT and FAA reviewed the reports by ICE, CISA, the Army, and any other agencies to appropriately grasp the magnitude of the threat posed by the use of DJI hardware and software, and if so, what conclusions were drawn? Have the DOT and FAA conveyed their concerns with regard to data protection to the relevant state, local, and tribal partners in the IPP and any other program that may involve the use of drones? What, if any, security efforts have the DOT and FAA worked to implement with state, local, and tribal officials to ensure critical infrastructure data does not fall into the hands of the Chinese government? Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your prompt response.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://bilirakis.house.gov/media/press-releases/23-bilirakis-priorities-included-appropriations-package,23 Bilirakis Priorities Included in Appropriations Package,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Gus M. Bilirakis,B001257,bilirakis.house.gov,bilirakis,https://bilirakis.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"Press Release: December 18, 2019 Contact: Summer Robertson 727-232-2921 23 Bilirakis Priorities Included in Appropriations Package Yesterday, the House passed two Appropriations Bills (H.R. 1158, H.R. 1865) which continue to fund operation of the federal government. In addition to restoring the nation's military readiness, providing $1.3 billion for a wall on the nation's southern border and funding the largest pay increase in nearly a decade for active duty military personnel, Congressman Gus Bilirakis successfully negotiated the inclusion of 23 provisions that he either sponsored or co-sponsored. Reauthorizes the BRAND USA Program- This 7-year extension is the longest ever reauthorization of this vital tourism program. Provides approximately $6 million in funding for Congenital Health Research Implements funding for the Jason Simcaoski PROMISE Act, which I authored and was signed into law in 2016. This legislation ensures the use of best prescribing practices within the VA, and funds access for alternative and complementary treatments through the VA Offers a total of $402 million in opioid abuse treatment and prevention at VA Includes language encouraging the reunification of Cyprus Appropriates nearly $9 billion for VA MISSION Act implementation Provides $125 million more than requested for Blue Water Navy implementation Allocates $9.43 billion for VA mental health, including $221.8 million for suicide prevention outreach Reauthorizes National Flood Insurance program through September 2020 Offers $263 million for FEMA Flood Mapping Includes three years of funding for International Military Education and Training assistance for Greece and for Cyprus Extends critical funding for community health centers through May 22, 2020. More than 25 million Americans receive their primary care, dental, mental and substance abuse services through community health centers. Repeals the medical device tax, health insurance tax, and Cadillac tax Streamlines the transition of biological products to allow certain medications deemed as a biologic and ensures they get to market sooner Includes funding for the Laboratory Access for Beneficiaries Act, a bipartisan bill I co-authored that will ensure seniors have access to diagnostic lab tests Offers $1.85 billion for the homeless veterans assistance program, which has been a priority of mine Provides funding for implementation of the PACT Act (HR 2498) which will help patients with rare diseases Extends funding for vital Medicaid programs in Puerto Rico and other U.S. Territories Improves school safety by including $235 million for COPS Hiring program Includes $16 million for research for Parkinson's Neurotoxin Exposure Treatment Prohibits delivery of F-35 aircraft to Turkey, except under NDAA conditions Maintains major Hyde protections for our Pro-Life community Helps continue to address opioid crisis by allocating $378 million in opioid abuse reduction activities through the Department of Justice",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://buchanan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/buchanan-statement-impeachment-0,Buchanan Statement on Impeachment,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Vern Buchanan,B001260,buchanan.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON Congressman Vern Buchanan spoke on the House floor Wednesday against the impeachment of President Donald Trump. MadamSpeaker, I will vote today against both articles of impeachment because they are without merit and set a dangerous precedent for our country. This political vendetta is an abuse of the impeachment process and would subvert the votes of 63 million Americans. Just because the President's opponents are afraid he will win reelection is no excuse for weaponizing impeachment. No president in history has ever been impeached 10 months before an election. Elections are the heart of our democracy. Our founding fathers devised a simple way to remove a president that you disagree with it's called an election and we have one coming up in less than a year. Let the people decide.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://francisrooney.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2553,Congressman Rooney to vote NO on impeachment of the President,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Francis Rooney,R000607,francisrooney.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Francis Rooney will vote against the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Congressman Rooney stated, ""The impeachment of a President is among the most somber votes that any Member of Congress can take. The process should not be rushed or based on an artificial timeline, nor should it be partisan or incomplete. It should be thorough and convincing. I repeatedly urged the leaders of the process to stay these proceedings until all executive privilege claims and refusals to deliver documents could be adjudicated by the courts, and all relevant primary sources of testimony could be heard under oath, as was the case in both the Clinton and Nixon impeachment hearings.Additionally, having asked numerous ex-White House Counsels and well-known government attorneys, there can be no obstruction of Congress (or of justice) while the person refusing to comply is relying on a claim of executive privilege. Only after losing in court, and still refusing to comply with a subpoena, would a claimant be obstructing. Based on the limited evidence provided to the House of Representatives, the President's behavior, while inappropriate, was neither criminal, nor does it rise to the level of justifying impeachment. ""It is now time to get back to the business of passing the USMCA, securing our borders, fixing our immigration system, protecting our environment, and working to reduce our unconscionable national debt."" ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://gaetz.house.gov/media/in-the-news/rep-matt-gaetz-war-room-impeachment-setup-dems,Rep. Matt Gaetz to 'War Room': Impeachment a 'Setup' by Dems,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Matt Gaetz,G000578,gaetz.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., told ""War Room: Impeachment"" live on Newsmax TV on Tuesday that the House impeachment probe was ""a setup orchestrated to distract the country from the lies that the Democrats told us about Russia."" ""It was a straight-up setup,"" Gaetz, in his second term, told hosts Steve Bannon and Jason Miller. ""The Democrats have failed to meet their own standard. ""The evidence wasn't good,"" he added. ""It wasn't direct evidence."" The House is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the articles of impeachment, obstruction of Congress and abuse of power, against President Donald Trump. If approved, the articles will be sent to the Senate for adjudication in a trial overseen by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Senators would then vote to acquit or convict, removing Trump from office. Gaetz also asked Bannon and Miller for advice on how Republicans should approach the Senate action. Bannon told Gaetz that the ""jury"" was instead ""the American people and a global audience,"" including America's enemies: Iran, China, North Korea, and Russia. Bannon, the former White House chief strategist, called for ""a detailed trial"" with House Republicans like Gaetz ""who go after these witnesses. ""An unconditional acquittal is still not as good as exoneration and vindication,"" Bannon said, because Democrats will try other tactics to remove Trump. ""They're not going to stop the fight until we drive the stake in the heart of it.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://gaetz.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-matt-gaetz-votes-no-impeachment,Congressman Matt Gaetz Votes No on Impeachment,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Matt Gaetz,G000578,gaetz.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C.Today, U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01) voted no on both articles of impeachment filed against President Donald Trump in the United States House of Representatives. Prior to the vote, Rep. Gaetz delivered a speech on the House floor, admonishing the Democrats for their partisan impeachment process, and giving his reasons for voting against impeachment. The video of Rep. Gaetz speaking on the House floor, and remarks as prepared for delivery, can be found below. CLICK HERE TO WATCH REP. GAETZ'S REMARKS REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY: This isn't about Ukraine. It's about power. Donald Trump has it and the Democrats want it. With no crime, no victim, no evidence, no proof, and no agenda for America, this impeachment charade has followed no rules, and adheres to no sense of honor. The American people aren't fooled by dirty tricks. Americans will never forget that Democrats have been triggered into impeaching the President simply because they don't like himand they don't like us. Those who vote yes on today's articles of impeachment must carry the heavy burden of shame and guilt, for as long as they serve in Congress which won't be long, because Americans will remember in November. Democrats would rather trip the President, just to see him stumble, than see America succeed. Democrats would rather impeach the President than work together for the common good of our country and our citizens. They have been pushing for Donald Trump's impeachment since before his inauguration. Today's vote is more about Democrats' hatred of Donald Trump than love of the Constitution. Democrats may have won the House in 2018, but they haven't forgiven Donald Trump for having the audacity to win the Presidency and they haven't forgiven you for voting for him. The day before she was sworn into Congress, one member of this body said that she promised to impeach the mother******. She's not alone. Trump's impeachment was plotted and planned before the ink was dry on his election certificate and possibly before some Democrats could even find Ukraine on a map. In seeking the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee, the gentleman from New York said that he was the strongest member to lead a potential impeachment. Democrats may not have known why they wanted to impeach the President, but they knew it was inevitable facts be damned. This impeachment is a slap in the face to the millions of Americans who voted for President Trump the same Americans that Democrats in Washington DC have mocked for years as smelly Wal-Mart shoppers and deplorables. This impeachment is below the dignity of the House. I will be voting no on this national disgrace, and encourage my colleagues to do the same. ### For updates, subscribe to Congressman Gaetz's newsletterhere.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://mariodiazbalart.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/diaz-balart-rubio-scott-urge-miami-int-l-airport-to-protect-american,"Diaz-Balart, Rubio, Scott, Urge Miami Intl Airport to Protect American Aviation and Security Networks from China",2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Mario Diaz-Balart,D000600,mariodiazbalart.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25) and U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) raised concerns with Aviation Director and CEO of Miami International Airport Lester Sola regarding offers from firms, like CIMC-Tiiana, a Chinese state-backed enterprise, that may seek to undermine American aviation security and industrial competitiveness. In the letter, the members note that CIMC-Tianda has already been found guilty of industrial espionage by a U.S. Federal District Court in Houston, TX. The decision ruled that CIMC-Tianda misled a company into a transfer of its business and design information as it relates to passenger boarding bridges. This information was later used by CIMC-Tianda to compete in the market with stolen intellectual property, at a significantly lower bid. The full text of the letter is below. Dear Mr. Sola: It has recently come to our attention that Miami International Airport is considering awarding contracts for passenger boarding bridges to CIMC-Tianda, a Chinese firm and state-backed enterprise. As you evaluate bids to supply passenger boarding bridges and other components to the airport, we urge you to consider rejecting offers from firms that may seek to infiltrate and exploit American aviation and security networks. As you are aware, aviation is a critical sector of our nation's infrastructure, with airports in particular emerging as a high priority target for sabotage and espionage by our adversaries. The increasing digitalization of aircraft systems and airport security procedures places the sensitive and personal information of American travelers at an increased exposure risk and creates new vulnerabilities for malign actors, like the Chinese regime, to exploit. It is vital to fully consider all security and privacy risks when considering whether to allow firms with ties to the Chinese regime to embed themselves within U.S. airports. Further, language included in the report for the Senate's funding bill for the Department of Transportation (S. 2520) specifically raises concerns over boarding bridges manufactured by foreign state-owned enterprises. Additionally, CIMC-Tianda has already been found guilty of industrial espionage by a U.S. Federal District court in Houston, TX. The decision ruled that CIMC-Tianda misled a company into a transfer of its business and design information as it relates to passenger boarding bridges. This information was later used by CIMC-Tianda to compete in the market with stolen intellectual property, at a significantly lower bid. While equipment, such as passenger boarding bridges, from Chinese state-backed enterprises may boast attractive price tags, the associated security drawbacks are too serious to ignore. The Chinese regime, using state-funded and state-directed companies, has already targeted U.S. transit networks in an attempt to undermine American industrial capacity and national security. Congress has responded to this by approving language in the Conference Report for the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1790/H.R. 2500) which bars federal funding from being used by local transit agencies to contract with Chinese state-sponsored entities for the procurement of rolling stock. We thank you for your commitment to modernizing Miami International Airport and upgrading systems to ensure the safety, security, and comfort of travelers. As you do so, it is critical to identify technology and infrastructure components from untrusted and high-risk vendors, such as CIMC-Tianda. Thank you for your consideration of our concerns and we look forward to continuing this discussion. Sincerely, ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://mariodiazbalart.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/diaz-balart-this-impeachment-has-no-merit,Diaz-Balart: This Impeachment Has No Merit,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Mario Diaz-Balart,D000600,mariodiazbalart.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart released the following statement regarding the passage of H. Res. 755 - Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. The United States Constitution grants Congress the power to impeach a president for high crimes and misdemeanors.' Before tonight, only two presidents had been impeached by Congress; President Andrew Johnson, for violating the Tenure of Office Act, in 1868, and William J. Clinton, for committing Perjury, in 1998. Both were impeached for clear violations of law. As history illustrates, impeachment is a remarkably divisive tool that should only be utilized in the most extreme cases, and after careful consideration and debate. There should not be any doubt about the high crimes and misdemeanors' that form the basis of an impeachment. As the facts demonstrate in this case, there were no violations of law, and therefore, this impeachment has no merit. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://mast.house.gov/press-releases?ID=724FA96E-A551-46D5-A58C-33DE1167AF21,Mast Statement On President Trump Impeachment,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Brian Mast,M001199,mast.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) today released the following statement ahead of the House of Representatives voting to impeach President Donald Trump: From the start, this has not been about justice. It has been a pursuit of injustice, rooted in hatred of the President and disdain for the voters who elected him. From the very first minute that President Trump was sworn into office, Nancy Pelosi and her allies in Congress were so determined to override the results of the election that they would have impeached President Trump for leaving the toilet seat up. This is a disgraceful day for our country, and I couldn't be more opposed to this shameful attempt to circumvent the will of the American people. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://spano.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2351,Spano Opposes Latest Effort to Remove President Without Cause,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Ross Spano,S001210,spano.house.gov,,,legacy,"Spano Opposes Latest Effort to Remove President Without Cause Washington, December 18, 2019 Representative Ross Spano (Florida-15) released the following statement regarding his decision to vote no on H. Res. 755, a resolution to remove President Donald Trump from office. Today, I voted against the impeachment of President Trump because it isclear that this impeachment isfueledbyhearsay andpartisan motive, not fact.The transcript of the call showed no conditions were placed on U.S aid to Ukraine, Presidents Trump andZelenskyhave said there was no pressure, and Ukraine received theiraid without taking any actions.Thearticles of impeachment allege President Trump abused the power of his office and obstructed Congress, butthe only abuse of power I've seen is from theHouseMajority. The Majority has failed to deliver for the American people. They failed to pass a budget on time, failed to pass the spending bills on time, and have failed to deliver bipartisan policies that will help improve the lives of Americans. Instead, they have spent the past 12 months fishing for something, anything, to undo the 2016 Presidential Election. It's time for this nightmare to end and for us to move forward. We are here to serve the American people, and we need to get back to putting them first. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://steube.house.gov/media/press-releases/steube-statement-house-impeachment-vote-0,Steube Statement on House Impeachment Vote,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Greg Steube,S001214,steube.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Today, Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17) released the following statement after the House of Representatives' vote on the Articles of Impeachment for President Donald J. Trump: ""Tonight, I voted no on the Articles of Impeachment for President Donald J. Trump. This impeachment charade was riddled with procedural failures, denials of due process, and partisan games. The facts are clear, the president has not committed an impeachable offense, and certainly not a high crime or misdemeanor as the Democrats allege. I urge the Senate to quickly evaluate the lack of evidence and acquit the president, so we can all focus on improving the lives of Americans instead of further dividing our nation.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://waltz.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=133,Rep. Waltz on Impeachment: Nothing in President Trumps Call Rises to Level of High Crimes and Misdemeanors,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Michael Waltz,W000823,waltz.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Waltz on Impeachment: Nothing in President Trump's Call Rises to Level of High Crimes and Misdemeanors Washington, December 18, 2019 WASHINGTON, D.C. On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) addressed the U.S. House of Representatives to discuss his opposition to the impeachment of President Donald J. Trump. I'm a Green Beret and a proud veteran but this process does not make me proud. I've fought all over the world from Africa to Afghanistan and seen fairer and more transparent processes than this. Since Democrats lost the election in 2016, they've been focused on impeaching this President. Meanwhile, we have not solved the problems America entrusted us to solve, [like] immigration, healthcare [and] infrastructure. Nothing in President Trump's call rises to the levels of high crimes and misdemeanors. For that reason, I'll be voting against impeachment today. Click below to watch Rep. Waltz's remarks:",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://waltz.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=134,Waltz Statement Opposing Impeachment,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Michael Waltz,W000823,waltz.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) issued the following statement on his decision to vote against the impeachment of President Donald J. Trump: It's a shame that impeaching President Trump has been Democrats' number one priority since they lost the election in 2016, well before the current charges regarding Ukraine. For the past three months, Speaker Pelosi has rushed through a secretive, unfair, partisan and incredibly divisive impeachment process. We should all be working together to keep our economy the strongest it's ever been, keep Americans safe from our enemies overseas and make the American Dream real. While Democrats have been distracted and moving full-speed ahead with impeachment, they waited nearly a year to vote on the USMCA trade deal and have yet to tackle major issues in a serious way, like our growing federal debt, fixing our broken immigration system, protecting Social Security and Medicare, reforming our healthcare system and modernizing our infrastructure. I will vote against impeachment today because I believe we need to focus on our jobs in Congress rather than taking this President out of office. Let the American people decide our next President in the 2020 election.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://webster.house.gov/press-releases?ID=ADBBFBBE-A529-4BA1-BCEB-22D8BBFF9126,Webster: A Paucity of Evidence,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Daniel Webster,W000806,webster.house.gov,webster,https://webster.house.gov/press-releases,scraper,"Washington, DC – Florida Congressman Daniel Webster, R-Clermont, released the following statement on the sham-impeachment of President Trump. “To quote Professor Jonathan Turley, ‘a paucity of evidence, but an abundance of anger’ has driven this impeachment against President Trump. None of the witnesses or evidence confirmed Democrats’ allegations of quid pro quo, bribery, or extortion. The Articles of Impeachment exposes the bad faith of House Democrats. Blinded by their hatred of a duly-elected President, House Democrats are ignoring the facts and the role of the judicial branch in Article III of the U.S. Constitution. The constitution specifically empowers our federal courts to serve as the umpire in disputes between the legislative and executive branches. This impeachment and today’s vote are not about facts or the constitution, it is about overturning and blocking the will of American voters.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/sen-rick-scott-government-misfires-funding-arts,Sen. Rick Scott: Government Misfires in Funding the Arts,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Rick Scott,S001217,www.rickscott.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Senator Rick Scott released an episode of his series in partnership with the Heritage Foundation: How Washington Wastes Your Money. See previous Washington Waste Wednesday features HERE. Today's episode focuses on what happens when Washington gets involved in the arts waste and misuse of taxpayer dollars. We all can support research and appreciate the arts, but the federal government spends $300 million a year on arts and humanities, including funding expensive projects that don't provide any return on investment for taxpayers. For example, this year's spending bills include $25 million for the operation, maintenance and security of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and a $7.25 million increase in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, the largest increase in a decade. These spending increases might be nice to have, but with $23 trillion in national debt, Congress needs to make some tough choices. See more in the video HERE or below. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/sen-rick-scott-passes-resolution-honoring-victims-naval-air-station-pensacola-shooting,Sen. Rick Scott Passes Resolution Honoring Victims of Naval Air Station Pensacola Shooting,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Rick Scott,S001217,www.rickscott.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Senator Rick Scott joined Senators Marco Rubio, David Perdue, Johnny Isakson, Richard Shelby and Doug Jones to pass a resolution honoring the victims of the tragic shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola on December 6th, 2019. Senator Scott also honored the victims in a speech on the Senate floor. Watch Senator Scott's speech and read his full remarks as prepared for delivery below. Today, we come together to honor the courage of our brave men and women in uniform our heroes and to remember the victims of the tragic terrorist attack that took place at Naval Air Station Pensacola on the morning of Friday, December 6th. I'd like to thank my colleagues, Senators Rubio, Perdue, Isakson, Shelby, and Jones for standing with me today as we honor the sacrifice and memory of the 3 victims and their families: Airman Mohammed Sameh Haitham, known to friends and family as Mo, just 19-years-old from St. Petersburg, Florida, a great athlete who loved to make others laugh. Ensign Joshua Kaleb Watson of Enterprise, Alabama, a 23-year-old natural born leader and selfless volunteer who lifted others up. Joshua died a hero after giving first responders information on the shooter's location while he was mortally wounded. And Airman Apprentice Cameron Scott Walters of Richmond Hill, Georgia, just 21-years-old with a contagious smile whose dream was to serve his country. Our sailors and law enforcement officials showed heroism and bravery in the face of evil as they ran towards the shooter that day, saving lives. And our first responders, who came to the swift aid of those in need: thank you. Today, the state of Florida stands united around the community of Pensacola and the families of the victims as we pray for healing. And I join my colleagues as we do everything we can to prevent future terrorist attacks. Thank you. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/senator-rick-scott-applauds-moffitt-cancer-center-taking-decisive-action-end-chinese-influence,Senator Rick Scott Applauds Moffitt Cancer Center for Taking Decisive Action to End Chinese Influence,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Rick Scott,S001217,www.rickscott.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Senator Rick Scott released the following statement after the Moffitt Cancer Center announced that several members of its leadership team resigned after connections were discovered with Communist China's Thousand Talents Program. This investigation was the direct result of a letter Senator Scott sent this month to Florida university presidents urging them to protect national security by safeguarding U.S. research from Communist China. Senator Rick Scott said, I applaud Lee Moffitt and the board of directors of Florida's H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute for their proactive leadership in taking swift and decisive action against these individuals, who had an improper and undisclosed relationship with the Communist Chinese government. According to the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee, the Thousand Talents Program incentivizes individuals engaged in research and development in the United States to transmit the knowledge and research they gain here to China in exchange for salaries, research funding, lab space, and other incentives.' We should all be very concerned about the threat of Communist China and its attempts to steal U.S. research and intellectual property. We have to remain vigilant and proactive, and I will to continue to work with universities, hospitals and businesses to make sure they are protected. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://yoho.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/yoho-votes-no-on-articles-of-impeachment,Yoho Votes No on Articles of Impeachment,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Ted Yoho,Y000065,yoho.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Congressman Ted S. Yoho (R-FL) released the following statement after voting against both articles of impeachment. In March of this year, Speaker Pelosi said the following, Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there's something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don't think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. The past three months have been anything but bipartisan. Speaker Pelosi and her Democrats have pushed through a flawed, partisan crusade to remove President Trump from office. In truth, the efforts to remove the President began in January 2017. So tonight, we are faced with a vote to impeach- eleven months before the American people decided for themselves who the next president will be. Forget about facts and fairness, the efforts of House Democrats on the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees already had their minds made up as they rushed the process. After the Mueller report came up blank, there was a need to find something, anything, to pin on the President. Or, as Rep. Al Green said on May 6, 2019, I'm concerned that if we don't impeach this president, he will get re-elected. This whole process has felt predetermined. ""The impeachment of a sitting president for high crimes and misdemeanors' is something we should take very seriously. President George Washington warned the Republic over 200 years ago about political parties using impeachment for political gain by saying, However, political parties, may now and then answer popular ends,[but] they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government. ""I agree that no one is above the law. However, under the articles of impeachment that were laid before us tonight, I feel there was no evidence to impeach President Trump. Today is a day that will live in infamy as a stain on our Republic. Speaker Pelosi along with rank and file Democrats divided our nation over partisan hatred of a duly elected President. Today is a regrettable day. Now, the Senate will decide. May God guide our Republic. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=B7778106-2D95-4C30-9B32-F0A13C478327,"Rubio Applauds Senate Passage of FY20 NDAA, Securing Critical Provisions for Florida",2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) applauded the Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference report, which includes the Fiscal Year 2020 Intelligence Authorization Act and critical provisions for Florida. The Senate's action sends the final conference report to President Trump for signature.Today, the Senate passed the NDAA conference report, ensuring the brave men and women serving in our nation's armed forces and intelligence community have access to critical resources and authorities needed for our national security. It also grants our service men and women their largest pay raise in a decade, Rubio said. Florida continues to be a priority in this NDAA, with funding for military construction projects across the state, including the recovery of Tyndall Air Force Base. The legislation also included the Intelligence Authorization Act, which includes provisions to strengthen our Intelligence Community, safeguard our elections, and better position our country to defend against Chinese, Russian, and other foreign threats.The FY20 NDAA supports a total of $738 billion in funding for our national defense, provides for a 3.1 percent pay raise the largest in a decade for uniformed service members, prioritizes investments in research and engineering, invests the necessary resources to achieve the goals in the most recent National Defense Strategy, and authorizes more than $1.5 billion in funding for Tyndall Air Force Base to continue reconstruction following Hurricane Michael's devastation. The bill also includes several provisions aimed at addressing the military housing situation, including the creation of a Military Tenant Bill of Rights, increased oversight, and a fair dispute resolution process for military tenants. The FY20 NDAA also includes a three-year phased repeal of the requirement that Survivor Benefit Plan payments be reduced by Dependency and Indemnity Compensation payments.Rubio supported provisions in the FY20 NDAA:Disaster Recovery The bill authorizes over $1.5 billion for the reconstruction of Tyndall Air Force Base and includes a Sense of Congress calling for the restoration of the base using innovative construction methods, materials, designs, and technologies in order to achieve efficiencies, cost savings, resiliency, and capability. This reconstruction is allowed to open architecture design to evolve with the national defense strategy and efficient ergonomic enterprise for members of the Air Force in the 21st century. Military Construction The FY20 NDAA supports $192 million in funding for Military Construction projects across Florida in additional to disaster-related funding. Pay Raise The Conference report pays particular attention to family support, including providing for a 3.1 percent pay raise (the largest increase in a decade), extending special pay and bonuses for service members. Paid Family Leave The conference agreement provides 12 weeks of paid parental leave to all federal civilian employees. Military Family Housing The NDAA implements the most substantial overhaul of the Privatized Military Housing Initiative since its creation in 1996. These reforms address the considerable gaps in oversight and accountability seen at all levels of housing management from ineffective housing offices, to substandard property management, to under-engaged military leadership. The conference report requires the Pentagon to establish a Tenant Bill of Rights that sets minimum acceptable livability standards, requires better communication, creates greater transparency, addresses establishment of a formal dispute resolution process, bans the use of non-disclosure agreements as a condition of moving out of military housing, and enhances protections against reprisal. Specifically, the conference report: Requires the Department to establish a standardized assessment tool to be used in evaluating military housing for certain risks, including lead and mold; Directs each military service to develop guidelines for a dispute resolution process to include the ability to withhold Basic Allowance for Housing until the dispute is resolved; Increases transparency for families by requiring disclosure of major repairs/remediation prior to lease signing; Reinforces the need for the Government Housing Office to be present as the advocate for military families; Requires new quality control measures and increases health and hazard inspections; Authorizes additional funding to ensure installation housing offices are properly staffed; Provides for a temporary direct hiring authority for government housing personnel to increase oversight of private contractors; and Suspends the Resident Energy Conservation Program until the Secretary of Defense can certify that homes are accurately metered. Made in Florida The FY20 NDAA authorizes the following programs which are operated, produced in or supported in some form in Florida: Supports the budget request for 73 UH-60M Blackhawks, 48 AH-64 Apaches, 9 MH-47G Chinooks, 6 CH-53K King Stallions, 12 HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopters, and 6 MQ-1 Gray Eagles; Includes an additional $28 million for the CH-47 Block II program and preserves the option for the Army to buy this helicopter in future years; Prohibits the retirement of RC-135 and KC-10 aircraft; Expands maritime patrol by adding three additional P-8 Poseidon and one E-2D Hawkeye aircraft; Increases intertheater airlift by adding four additional C-130 Hercules aircraft; Fully supports the Air Force UH-1N utility helicopter replacement program; Supports the Army budget request for 131 Armored Multipurpose Vehicles, 152 Stryker Combat Vehicles, and 165 Abrams Tanks; and Provides for additional funding for Army medium and heavy tactical trucks. Authorizes an additional $1 billion for 12 additional F-35A aircraft to address an identified Air Force unfunded requirement and accelerate delivery of needed 5th generation capability and $440 million for the purchase of additional F-35s originally ordered by Turkey; Provides the necessary authority for buying F-35 long lead spare parts in bulk to help achieve better cost savings for the F-35 program and authorizes buy-to-budget authority to capitalize on lower unit cost savings; Supports the budget request for 10 F-35B and 20 F-35C 5th generation strike fighters to help address Navy and Marine Corps strike fighter shortfalls; Supports the budget request for 24 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to help address Navy strike fighter shortfalls; Supports full funding for the B-21 long-range strike aircraft development; Supports the budget request for 8 F-15EX aircraft to begin replacing aging aircraft while also enhancing congressional oversight of the program; Supports nearly $1 billion for the Air Force Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Program ensuring U.S. air superiority for our future; Authorizes an additional $249.2 million for the Stryker combat vehicle medium caliber weapon system, an identified Army unfunded requirement. Feres Doctrine While the NDAA does not repeal the Feres doctrine, it authorizes the Secretary of Defense to allow, settle, and pay an administrative claim against the United States for personal injury or death of a member of the uniformed services that was the result of medical malpractice caused by a Department of Defense health care provider. Industrial Base The FY20 NDAA enables the DoD to assess and mitigate risks to its supply chain posed by advanced intelligence services like China and Russia that seek to exploit vulnerabilities to erode our military advantage. The NDAA: Modernizes risk assessment and mitigation across DOD's contracting processes to strengthen decision-making about which suppliers to use; Strengthens reporting to Congress on key industrial base vulnerabilities and plans to address them, including with partners and allies. Improves insight to and mitigation of risks posed by foreign ownership, control and influence of defense contractors; Improves insight to contractors' adherence to law and regulation pertaining to human rights and human trafficking, workplace safety, labor standards, sexual harassment, and fraud; Reduces reliance on foreign sources of rare earth minerals; Repairs microelectronics supply chain security; and Enhances manufacturing and small business innovation. Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility The FY20 NDAA prohibits transferring GTMO detainees to the U.S., transferring GTMO detainees to certain other countries, constructing or modifying new detention centers in the United States, or on closing or relinquishing control of GTMO. The NDAA also establishes a Chief Medical Officer to oversee the medical care provided to individuals detained at Guantanamo Bay, reporting directly to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. Counternarcotics The FY20 NDAA provides $945 million for drug interdiction and counter-drug activities. It also requires an assessment of the impact of any planned or proposed border wall construction would have on the volume of illegal narcotics entering the United States. Finally, it adopts the Fentanyl Sanctions Act, which implements a number of economic and financial sanctions to cripple the operations of foreign traffickers of opioids. Intelligence Authorization The FY20 NDAA includes three years of Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA), which authorizes critical intelligence and intelligence-related activities for Fiscal Year 2018, 2019, and 2020 to ensure the Intelligence Community is postured to effectively address the growing array of threats to our national security. Further, the IAA seeks to deter Russian and other foreign influence in our U.S. elections by requiring assessments of foreign intelligence threats to Federal elections and a strategy for countering Russian cyber threats to U.S. elections. The IAA also addresses challenges to the Intelligence Community's supply chain by requiring an Intelligence Community-led task force to protect against counterintelligence threats from countries such as Russia and China and requires accountability for foreign threats to our infrastructure before entering into foreign intelligence sharing agreements. The bill also focuses on the security of the homeland by requiring relevant intelligence agencies to conduct a strategic intelligence assessment of domestic terrorism threats PFAS/PFOA The NDAA prohibits the use of firefighting foam containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) after October 1, 2024, with an exception for shipboard use, and immediately prohibits the uncontrolled release of fluorinated aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) and the use of AFFF in training exercises at military installations. The conference agreement encourages the Secretary of Defense to finalize cooperative agreements with states to address contamination by these substances and authorizes the National Guard to access Defense Environmental Remediation Account funds for the limited purpose of addressing PFOS and PFOA exposure and contamination resulting from National Guard activities in and around National Guard bases. Deterring Foreign Influence in Elections Counters aggression from Russia and other foreign actors by increasing capabilities to detect Russian activities, including active measures campaigns and illicit financial transactions; Secures elections from foreign meddling by requiring assessments of Russian cyber threats and influence campaigns, and facilitating information sharing between state, local, and Federal officials; Supports the IC's role in countering Russian propaganda by creating an independent Social Media Data and Threat Analysis Center; Requires the DNI to designate a national counterintelligence (CI) officer within the National Counterintelligence Security Center (NCSC) to lead election security-related CI matters; and Expresses Congress's view that WikiLeaks resembles a non-state hostile intelligence service. Increased Oversight of Russian and Chinese Activities Requires ongoing notifications of travel by certain Russian Federation personnel in the U.S. and any potential active measures campaigns conducted by those individuals; Requires reporting on foreign surveillance of U.S. telecommunications networks; and Requires reporting on Chinese influence campaigns directed at Taiwan, including United States actions to disrupt such operations, as well as reporting on surveillance technologies. Protection of IC Supply Chain from Foreign Counterintelligence Threats Requires a DNI-created task force to protect IC supply chains from foreign CI risks from Russia, China, and other adversaries; Requires the IC to account for foreign threats to our infrastructure before entering into foreign intelligence sharing agreements; and Requires reporting on national security risks from foreign investments.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://buchanan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/buchanan-proposal-sanction-china-deadly-fentanyl-exports-heads-president,Buchanan Proposal to Sanction China for Deadly Fentanyl Exports Heads to Presidents Desk,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Vern Buchanan,B001260,buchanan.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON Congressman Vern Buchanan's legislation punishing China for failing to curb the flow of deadly synthetic opioids into the United States passed the U.S. Senate Tuesday as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill passed the U.S. House last week and now goes to the President's desk for his signature. Buchanan introduced the Fentanyl Sanctions Act (H.R. 2226) with Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) in April. The bill, which closely mirrors language included in the NDAA, would impose economic penalties on China-based drug manufacturers that knowingly send synthetic opioids to drug traffickers and criminal operations. For too long, fentanyl and other opioids have continued to wreak havoc on communities in Florida and across the country, Buchanan said. We need to hold Beijing accountable for any lack of progress controlling the fentanyl freely flowing out of their country. With drug overdoses on the rise, last month Buchanan urged the chairmen of the U.S. House and Senate Armed Services Committees to include his bill in the final version of the NDAA. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug deaths nationwide involving fentanyl or other synthetic opioids skyrocketed by more than 1000 percent in the past six years. In Manatee County, there have been601 overdoses and 61 deaths through October of this year morethan twice as many deaths as reported during the same period last year, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's office.In Sarasota County, there have been 78 overdoses and ten deaths through October a 20 percent increase in overdoses over the number during the same period last year, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's office. This is a frightening development considering that just a few years ago the number of overdoses was declining, Buchanan said. Congressman Buchanan has been an active leader in addressing the opioid crisis in Florida. Buchanan's bill to create a national database on the best ways for patients to manage pain and avoid opioid addiction, the Centralized Opioid Guidance Act, was signed into law last year. Two other Buchanan-backed bills were also signed into law during the last session of Congress, the INTERDICT Act to help stem the flow of illicit opioids and the STOP Act to toughen screening of overseas shipments of deadly synthetic drugs coming into the United States.In 2017, Buchanan was successful insecuring millions of dollarsin funding for our area of Southwest Florida to confront the opioid epidemic. He has consistently pushed to raise awareness of the Suncoast's drug problems including chairing a hearing examining the impact of addiction on families and children. Buchanan also hosted a roundtable in Bradenton with local police officers, medical professionals, and stakeholders and led a meeting of the bipartisan 29-member Florida congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. where members heard testimony from anti-drug experts.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://buchanan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/us-house-passes-buchanan-bill-help-americans-save-retirement,U.S. House Passes Buchanan Bill to Help Americans Save for Retirement,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Vern Buchanan,B001260,buchanan.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON The U.S. House Tuesday passed Congressman Vern Buchanan's bipartisan legislation making it easier for workers to save for retirement. The Retirement Security for Workers Act, included in a broad government funding bill, would make it less costly for small businesses to set up retirement plans for their employees. The bill is expected to be approved by the Senate later this week and sent to President Trump for his signature. Today's House passage brings us one step closer to helping millions of hardworking Americans who enter retirement without adequate savings, Buchanan said. We should be doing all we can to help people invest in their future and achieve financial security. Previously introduced by Buchanan in the114thand115thCongresses, Buchanan'sRetirement Security for American Workers Act(H.R. 1907) allows businesses to join together in multiple employer plans (MEPs) to share the administrative burden and costs of offering a retirement plan. Buchanan noted that up to 35 percent of private-sector workers over the age of 22 work for a company that doesn't offer a retirement plan, while over 40 percent of millennials don't have access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. Millions of American employees stand to benefit from expanding the availability of workplace retirement plans. In fact, the AARP has found that workers are 15 times more likely to save when they have access to a retirement plan. AARP endorsed Buchanan's legislation, noting that it will make it easier for smaller employers to offer automatic savings through a pooled plan that offers low cost investment savings to workers and their families. The American Retirement Association also backed Buchanan's billstating, We hereby express our strong support for the Setting Every Community up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019 and the inclusion of the Retirement Security for American Workers Act in the SECURE Act Pooling unrelated employers together into one plan creates an economy of scale that lowers both employer and plan participant cost. According to USA Today, the average American has less than $4,000 in savings while nearly 60 percent of adults have less than $1,000 to their names. Earlier this month, the House Ways and Means Committee passed another Buchanan bill to help Americans plan for retirement. The Know Your Social Security Act helps Americans plan for retirement by making it easier to access critical information about their Social Security earnings, contributions and future benefits. Buchanan represents over 220,000 Social Security recipients in the nation's seventh-oldest congressional district.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://buchanan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/us-house-passes-buchanan-bill-protect-endangered-wildlife,U.S. House Passes Buchanan Bill to Protect Endangered Wildlife,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Vern Buchanan,B001260,buchanan.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON The U.S. House Tuesday passed Congressman Vern Buchanan's legislation aimed at cracking down on wildlife poaching and the illicit trafficking of endangered species. The Rescuing Animals With Rewards (RAWR) Act, included in a broad government funding bill,allows the State Department to offer rewards for information leading to the arrest or conviction of wildlife traffickers around the globe. The bill is expected to be approved by the Senate later this week and sent to President Trump for his signature. Wildlife trafficking is a grave and persistent threat to endangered animals across the world,said Buchanan, a leader in protecting animals and promoting wildlife conservation. The RAWR Act would provide another tool to crack down on the billions of dollars generated by this illegal industry. The RAWR Act would explicitly add wildlife trafficking to the list of criminal activities the State Department can target with financial rewards for whistleblowers. The RAWR Act (H.R. 97) previously passed the U.S. House as a standalone bill back in July. Endangered animals are subjected to some of the most horrifying acts of abject cruelty due to wildlife trafficking. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has stated that thousands of wildlife species are threatened by trafficking. Elephants, rhinos, giraffes, lions and other animals are targeted by poachers across the globe. In the past few years some of the gains of conservation of rhinos have been halted due to a surge in poaching, as the rhino horn is used in traditional medicine.Hundreds of lions are killed and mutilated for their claws and teeth each year. According to one report by National Geographic in 2018, four young lions were found with their faces and paws hacked off. ""The slaughter of wildlife for their parts is one of the greatest threats to rare species across the world,"" said Penny Eastman, deputy director of federal legislation for Animal Wellness Action. ""Rep. Buchanan has stepped up again with this anti-wildlife trafficking measure to combat the merciless killing of the planet's wildlife."" Crimes related to illicit wildlife trafficking generates billions of dollars every year, much of which is funneled to terrorist groups. It is estimated that a kilogram of raw ivory can fetch as much as $2,100, while a kilogram of rhino horn is worth $65,000. It is critical that we get this bill to the president's desk as soon as possible,Buchanan continued. We need to incentivize whistleblowing that will protect global wildlife and deny terrorist groups funding derived from this nefarious industry. Terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram, use poaching as a main funding source to finance their other activities. Boko Haram alone has killed 25,000 elephants in a ten year period. With the passage of the RAWR Act in the congressional spending bill, the State Department will be able to further crack down on the destructive and highly lucrative wildlife trafficking industry which is decimating iconic species like elephants and lions--and must be stopped, said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. This is another significant, bipartisan victory for Rep. Buchanan and Rep. Titus in their unparalleled fight to protect our world's most imperiled species. Buchanan co-chairs the Animal Protection Caucus in Congress and received a perfect score from the Humane Society for his leadership and votes in 2019. He is also a past winner of the Humane Society's prestigious Legislator of the Year award. Last month Buchanan's bill making animal abuse a federal offense was signed into law.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://dunn.house.gov/2019/12/dunn-applauds-house-passage-of-disaster-tax-relief,Dunn Applauds House Passage of Disaster Tax Relief,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Neal Dunn,D000628,dunn.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC Today, Congressman Neal Dunn (FL-02) applauded the House passage of tax extenders and disaster tax relief as part of the compromised government funding bill. Dr. Dunn has been fighting for routine disaster tax relief since Hurricane Michael hit the Panhandle in October 2018. The passage of these crucial tax extenders is a big win for Hurricane Michael victims who are still picking up the pieces more than a year later. We finally got routine disaster tax relief across the finish line. This important legislation allows disaster victims to access money they have saved over the years without facing penalties and temporarily suspends limitations on charitable contributions to our area that are associated with hurricane relief, said Dr. Dunn. We still have a lot of rebuilding to do in the Panhandle, but the passage of this tax relief is an important part of the process. After Hurricane Michael devastated the Panhandle, Congressman Dunn introduced The Hurricane Michael Tax Relief Act. This legislation would allow individuals affected by the Category-5 storm penalty-free early access to their retirement savings and helps employers and businesses within the disaster area. Specifically, the bill would allow for penalty free withdrawals from retirement plans, make it easier to qualify for personal casualty loss deductions, provide tax relief to help businesses retain employees, temporarily suspends limitations on charitable contributions associated with hurricane relief, and grants taxpayers the option to refer to earned income from the previous year for determining the Earned Income Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits. While the filing for the 2018 tax year has passed, individuals have the option to amend their 2018 tax returns. Talk to your tax professional about filing an amended return if you had storm related losses.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://dunn.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=314,Dunn Applauds House Passage of Disaster Tax Relief,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Neal P. Dunn,D000628,dunn.house.gov,dunn,https://dunn.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27,scraper,"Today, Congressman Neal Dunn (FL-02) applauded the House passage of tax extenders and disaster tax relief as part of the compromised government funding bill. Dr. Dunn has been fighting for routine disaster tax relief since Hurricane Michael hit the Panhandle in October 2018. “The passage of these crucial tax extenders is a big win for Hurricane Michael victims who are still picking up the pieces more than a year later. We finally got routine disaster tax relief across the finish line. This important legislation allows disaster victims to access money they have saved over the years without facing penalties and temporarily suspends limitations on charitable contributions to our area that are associated with hurricane relief,” said Dr. Dunn. “We still have a lot of rebuilding to do in the Panhandle, but the passage of this tax relief is an important part of the process.” After Hurricane Michael devastated the Panhandle, Congressman Dunn introduced The Hurricane Michael Tax Relief Act. This legislation would allow individuals affected by the Category-5 storm penalty-free early access to their retirement savings and helps employers and businesses within the disaster area. Specifically, the bill would allow for penalty free withdrawals from retirement plans, make it easier to qualify for personal casualty loss deductions, provide tax relief to help businesses retain employees, temporarily suspends limitations on charitable contributions associated with hurricane relief, and grants taxpayers the option to refer to earned income from the previous year for determining the Earned Income Tax Credits and Child Tax Credits. While the filing for the 2018 tax year has passed, individuals have the option to amend their 2018 tax returns. Talk to your tax professional about filing an amended return if you had storm related losses.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://mariodiazbalart.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/diaz-balart-supports-funding-for-our-nation-s-priorities,Diaz-Balart Supports Funding for our Nations Priorities,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Mario Diaz-Balart,D000600,mariodiazbalart.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), Ranking Member of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement after the passage of FY2020 funding bills, H.R. 1158 and H.R. 1865. As former Chairman, and now Ranking Member of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, funding the priorities of the American people has always been the matter of greatest importance to me. The funding bills passed by the House today are big wins for our nation and for Florida. These bills prioritize funding for enhancing our infrastructure, supporting our military and strengthening our national security, and bolstering school safety initiatives. In addition, critical housing programs such as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Homeless Assistance Grants are prioritized. We have already seen Florida capitalize on the programs these bills fund, and with its passage today our state will continue to benefit from them moving forward. I am proud of this legislation, which not only keeps our government runningbut also funds critical initiatives that directly and positively impact my constituents. I congratulate Ranking Member Kay Granger and Chairwoman Nita Lowey for their bipartisan, determined work on this legislation. It's an honor to work alongside them and our colleagues in the Appropriations Committee. Congressman Diaz-Balart, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, was successful in including the following items in the 2020 appropriations minibuses: Continues the investments into our nation's infrastructure $2.6B for highway grants $1.9B for Capital Investment Grants $1B for the Department of Transportation's BUILD grant program $910M for investments into our airports and transit systems $225M for seaports, the second year in a row I have been able to secure this funding Provides housing opportunities to our most vulnerable populations $23.87B in public housing vouchers $3.425 for Community Development Block Grants $2.77B for Homeless Assistance Grants $1.35B for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program $1.4B for housing for persons living with HIV/AIDS, the elderly, and persons with disabilities $159M for Neighborworks, helping local communities' partner with the public and private sector to provide housing $25M for a Mobility Demonstration Program under HUD Ensures the protection of our environment $200M for continued Everglades Restoration $185M in additional funding for Army Corps construction projects, for which environmental restoration projects can compete $29.8M for the National Estuary Program, which the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve will directly benefit from $19M for NOAA's Harmful Algal Blooms research program $4.8M for the South Florida Geographic Program, which monitors coral health and enhances water quality Bolsters our Defense capabilities and provides for our servicemen and women $693.3B in funding for the Department of Defense $560.5M for SOUTHCOM and counter-narcotics activity Local businesses in FL-25 with proven products are expected to compete for: $10M in Army procurement for the Enhanced Ballistic Armor Protection System $5M increase in Army research for the Advanced Helicopter Seating System $2M increase in Army research for Helicopter Emergency Oil Systems $210M for Light Attack Aircraft, which is built in Florida Provides funding needed to continue to rebuild the military after years of neglect by the Obama Administration Funds a 3.1% military pay raise, continues to restore readiness, and provides our warfighters the housing, health care, and resources they need to defend our country Ensures the safety of our schools $342.3 million through programs administered by the DOJ Of this, $125 million for the STOP School Violence Act grant program which includes a carveout of $50 million for school hardening measures administered by the Community Oriented Policing Services $270.2 million through various grant programs under HHS $105 million for School Safety National Activities through the Department of Education Language allowing Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) and State Homeland Security Grants to be used for school safety Supports democracy abroad and our closest allies, and counters Russian and Chinese aggression $2.4B for democracy programs, including no less than $50M for Cuba and Venezuela Fully funds the U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding by providing $500M for Israeli Cooperative Programs, including Iron Dome An additional $3.3B for Israel, for foreign military financing $1.52M for Jordan, for foreign military financing and economic support $520M for Central America, including funds to combat drug trafficking $448.3M for Colombia, including assistance to communities impacted by the refugee crisis $300M for the National Endowment for Democracy $300M for the Countering Chinese Influence Fund $290M for the Countering Russian Influence Fund Provides for our farmers and growers $81M for citrus greening activities and multi-agency coordination efforts $38B in loans for rural housing, rural utilities, and rural businesses $3.6B for rural development programs which assists in building sustainable rural infrastructure $1.2B to support those affected by hurricanes, floods, drought, and other natural disasters $1B for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Research and Education account $41.7B for the National Institute of Health to ensure America continues to lead in basic science research and advance biomedical research $1.5B for Opioid Response Grants $85M for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Infectious Diseases Rapid Response Reserve Fund, an account I have long supported and fought for $500M for the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program, of which Collier county is the largest recipient in the state of Florida $285M for High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, which includes Miami-Dade and Collier counties $4.9B in net funding for the TSA, allowing the agency to hire 1,090 more checkpoint personnel, 50 additional canine teams, and 320 new CT machines Provides $22.5M for Pell Grants, and increases the maximum award to $5,285 Language directing $5M to support the establishment of partnerships between VA hospitals and NCI-designated facilities, such as Moffitt Cancer Center, that allow for Veterans to access cancer clinical trials at VA health centers Language urging the Department of Defense to collaborate with existing research universities with federally designated testing facilities, such as Florida International University, to accelerate investments to asses DOD installation vulnerabilities at home and abroad $312M for the Coast Guard's revised Offshore Patrol Cutter timeline $2.9M for FEMA grant programs to help states and localities prepare for, mitigate, and respond to disasters $193M for Floodplain Management and Mapping under FEMA Maintains ALL pro-life protections Legislative Priorities I have long supported included in this legislation An extension of the National Flood Insurance Program to September 30, 2020 A seven-year authorization of the Export-Import Bank, along with needed reforms Our district is home to the largest number of small businesses utilizing the Ex-Im Bank in the state of Florida The VERDAD Act, which strengthens the U.S. response to Venezuela's humanitarian crisis The Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act, which deepens the U.S. security and energy relationship with countries such as Israel, Cyprus, and Greece A three-year authorization of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom The European Energy Security and Diversification Act, which authorizes financing to catalyze public and private sector investment in strategically important energy projects as a tool to counter Russia's predatory energy policies A provision authorizing the Department of State to provide U.S. Government personnel with brain injuries and cognitive issues stemming from health incidents that occurred during their service in Cuba and China with additional benefits The SECURE Act, which expands access to retirement plans for millions of workers and increases retirement security for both savers and employers Amends the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act to provide American victims of international terrorism with additional legal grounds on which to pursue justice in U.S. courts Repeals the 2.3% excise tax on medical devices, the sales tax on health insurance, and the excise tax on employer-provided health insurance plans Extends Medicaid funding to U.S. territories for Fiscal Year 2020 and 2021 Delays the reduction in the allotments for Medicaid disproportionate share hospitals Extends the Community Health Centers Fund and National Health Service Corps Fund Extends the Special Diabetes Program, which supports research on the prevention and cure for Type 1 diabetes, and includes provisions to incentivize more competition in the insulin market ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://mast.house.gov/press-releases?ID=1D7E6E48-5F70-4B86-9215-1EFC4F9655C0,"At Mast’s Urging, Congress Delivers Huge Everglades Restoration Funding Increase",2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Brian Mast,M001199,mast.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. At the urging of U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18), the U.S. House of Representatives today passed a critical increase in funding for Everglades restoration. The appropriations package will nearly triple funding for South Florida Ecosystem Restoration, which funds the Everglades Agricultural Area Southern Storage Reservoir Project, from $67.5 million in FY 2019 to $200 million for FY 2020. After a year of fighting tooth and nail, today Congress finally stopped kicking the can down the road and came together to triple funding for Everglades restoration projects, including the southern storage reservoir, Rep. Mast said. This is a huge victory for the Everglades and our fight to stop harmful discharges. In addition to funding Everglades restoration, Rep. Mast also fought for and secured additional water quality funding, including: $100 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's Environmental Restoration or Compliance programs, which can be used for Everglades restoration projects. $100 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's Environmental Infrastructure programs, which can be used for additional restoration programs in Florida. $10 million for U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration programs, which can be used for additional restoration programs in Florida. $29.8 million for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Estuary Program. $4.8 million for the EPA's South Florida Geographic Program. $10 million for the National Parks Service operations of Everglades National Park restoration initiatives. $8.3 million for the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct research into Everglades restoration. $50.1 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shore protection projects. $19 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Coastal Science and Assessment Program. $14 million for NOAA's Integrated Ocean Acidification Program. Timeline of Events At the beginning of this year, Rep. Mast urged the White House to include $200 million in Everglades Restoration funding in their budget request. In mid-March, the White House released a budget that included less than $70 million in Everglades Restoration funding. Rep. Mast joined Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Rick Scott and Congressman Francis Rooney (FL-19) in speaking out against that decision. Later in March, President Trump visited Lake Okeechobee where Rep. Mast made the pitch to the President to increase Everglades restoration funding, specifically citing the need to prevent harmful algal blooms. While continuing to work behind the scenes to convince the Administration to amend their budget request, at the beginning of April, Rep. Mastas well as Representatives Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26), Francis Rooney (FL-19) and Alcee Hastings (FL-20)urged the Appropriations Committee to fully fund Everglades restoration. Rep. Mast also testified before the Appropriations Committee about the importance of this funding in April. On May 14, 2019, at the urging of Rep. Mast and other members of the Congressional delegation, the President amended his budget request to include $200 million in Everglades restoration. The day after the budget was amended, the Appropriations Committee Energy and Water Subcommittee nonetheless passed an appropriations bill that included less than $70 million in Everglades restoration funding. On May 20, 2019, after nearly a week of lobbying the committee to increase this funding amount, Reps. Mast, Mucarsel-Powell, Rooney and Hastings led a bipartisan group of Florida Members in formally urging the committee to meet the President's amended budget request. On May 21, 2019, at their urging, the committee amended and passed the FY2020 Appropriations bill with $200 million in funding for Everglades Restoration. On September 19, 2019, after failing to reach an agreement on appropriations bills, House Democrats voted to pass a two month Continuing Resolution that locked in lower funding levels for Everglades restoration. Rep. Mast opposed this bill because of the lower funding levels for Everglades restoration. On November 18, 2019, House Democrats again passed a four week Continuing Resolution to maintain lower funding levels for Everglades restoration. Rep. Mast opposed this bill because of the lower funding levels for Everglades restoration. At Rep. Mast's urging, on December 17, 2019, the House passed the FY2020 Appropriations bill with $200 million in funding for Everglades Restoration. This appropriations bill is expected to be passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Donald Trump in the coming days. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://rutherford.house.gov/media/press-releases/rutherford-secures-major-funding-northeast-florida,Rutherford Secures Major Funding for Northeast Florida,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,John H. Rutherford,R000609,rutherford.house.gov,rutherford,https://rutherford.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman John Rutherford (FL-04) applauds passage of the Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations bills, which include major wins for Northeast Florida. ""As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I am proud to announce that the Fiscal Year 2020 bills fund critical programs for our Northeast Florida community,"" said Rutherford. ""Included in this bipartisan agreement is continued support for NAS Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport, JAXPORT, and the Port of Fernandina. It also strengthens veteran care and suicide prevention throughout the First Coast, continues the fight against diseases like Alzheimer's, and safeguards our kids in schools through continued funding of my STOP School Violence Act of 2018. Important to our coastal communities, this bill also extends authorization for the National Flood Insurance Program. In an often-divisive Washington, I am proud of our bipartisan collaboration on the Appropriations Committee to smartly and efficiently fund our nation's priorities. I look forward to continuing to fight for our community in Congress."" Major wins for Northeast Florida: $32.4 million for NAS Jacksonville's Targeting and Surveillance System Support Facility. $18.7 million for a new police station at Blount Island Command. $1.5 million to improve data collection for stock assessments of red snapper in the South Atlantic, which may lead to longer red snapper seasons. $125 million for Rutherford's STOP School Violence Act. $225 million for the Port Infrastructure Development Program to invest in growing our nation's seaports, including JAXPORT and Port of Fernandina $9.8 million for the Department of Transportation Short Sea Transportation Program (Marine Highways), which benefits the Port of Fernandina. $210 million increase in Air Force procurement for Light Attack aircraft. Nine P-8A Poseidon, including an additional $541.2 million for 3 P-8As to replace aircraft for NAS Jacksonville's VP-62. $346.5 million for two additional E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes, which are manufactured in St. Augustine. 98 new F-35s for the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy. $2.8 billion for Alzheimer's research at the National Institute on Aging. $41.7 billion for the National Institutes of Health, which funds research for cures to rare diseases and cancers. $222 million for VA Suicide Prevention Outreach programs. Fully funds VA MISSION Act. Extension of National Flood Insurance Program. Extension of tax relief for brewers and distillers.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://spano.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2350,Rep. Spano Puts Concern for National Debt Ahead of $1.4 Trillion in Appropriations,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Ross Spano,S001210,spano.house.gov,,,legacy,"Representative Ross Spano (Florida-15) released the following statement regarding H.R. 1158 and H.R. 1865, collectively known as the Consolidated Appropriations Package. Today, I voted no' on both H.R. 1158 and H.R. 1865. While there are worthwhile aspects of both bills, such as maintaining pro-life protections, border wall funding, and Second Amendment protections, I find the overall price tag troubling. The national debt exceeded $23 trillion this fall, and it is irresponsible to vote in favor of a $1.4 trillion spending package with less than 24 hours to review. I have said this before, and will say it again: I did not come to Washington to be a rubber stamp. We cannot in good conscience ask the American people to be responsible with their personal finances, while their government is on an out-of-control spending spree. H.R. 1158 includes provisions for Defense; Commerce, Justice, Science, Financial Services and General Government, and Homeland Security. H.R. 1865 includes provisions for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, Agriculture, Energy and Water, Interior, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, State and Foreign Operations, and Transportation and Housing. Both bills now await Senate approval. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://steube.house.gov/media/press-releases/steube-statement-house-representatives-vote-fy2020-consolidated-appropriations,Steube Statement on the House of Representatives' Vote on the FY2020 Consolidated Appropriations,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Greg Steube,S001214,steube.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Today, Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17) released the following statement after theHouse of Representatives' vote on the FY2020 Consolidated Appropriations: ""For one year, the House has focused on a sham impeachment in lieu of going through with a normal budget process. The Democrats prioritized politics over policy and now we are rushing to fund the government. I could not in good conscience support these spending bills that do nothing to address our growing national debt.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://steube.house.gov/press-releases/steube-statement-on-the-house-of-representatives-vote-on-the-fy2020-consolidated-appropriations/,Steube Statement on the House of Representatives’ Vote on the FY2020 Consolidated Appropriations,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,W. Gregory Steube,S001214,steube.house.gov,steube,https://steube.house.gov/category/press-releases/page/,scraper,"Steube Statement on the House of Representatives’ Vote on the FY2020 Consolidated Appropriations WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Congressman Greg Steube (R-Fla.) released the following statement after the House of Representatives’ vote on the FY2020 Consolidated Appropriations: “For one year, the House has focused on a sham impeachment in lieu of going through with a normal budget process. The Democrats prioritized politics over policy and now we are rushing to fund the government. I could not in good conscience support these spending bills that do nothing to address our growing national debt.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://waltz.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=135,Waltz Statement Supporting 2020 National Security Funding Package,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Michael Waltz,W000823,waltz.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) issued the following statement on his vote in favor of the Fiscal Year 2020 national security package which funds the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Justice and related agencies. Providing resources for national security departments and NASA is a positive ending to a year which has left Floridians frustrated with partisan gridlock in Washington, Waltz said. From defending our assets with a Space Force, to launching the first woman to deep space from Florida's coast, investing in modern defense systems, keeping our promises to our ally Israel and strengthening border security, this package puts Americans first. Waltz-supported highlights of the package include: $1.7 billion in disaster aid for military bases, including bases in Florida impacted by hurricanes $600 million for NASA to make necessary investments to put the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024 $500 million to fully fund security assistance to Israel $346 million for two additional E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes, $210 million for light attack aircraft, $2.9 million for sonobuoys, all of which are produced in Florida $70 million for U.S. Space Command $40 million for the U.S. Space Force While I am glad I could support funding for our national security departments, I want to be clear that I voted against the behemoth package to fund the remaining federal departments because it was introduced fewer than 24 hours before the vote and significantly increased spending from last year, Waltz said.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://webster.house.gov/press-releases?ID=F7436718-EA91-49CE-8FE8-00ECC6FC08AA,Rep. Webster on the Budget,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Daniel Webster,W000806,webster.house.gov,webster,https://webster.house.gov/press-releases,scraper,"Webster Statement on Budget Washington, DC – Florida Congressman Daniel Webster, R-Clermont, today released the following statement on the FY 2020 federal spending bills. “This summer, I voted against the budget deal because it massively expanded spending. Despite my opposition, the bill passed. I am frustrated Congress continuously embraces the Washington presumption that nothing in the budget can be cut in order to fund priorities without increasing the deficit. “Today I voted for H.R. 1158 because it provides dollars for our national defense policies and servicemembers as outlined in the NDAA. The U.S. Constitution states that providing for the ‘common defense’ is one of our fundamental responsibilities. This bill also provides funding for a wall along our southwest border; more resources for immigration judges and immigration enforcement; funding for local law enforcement grant programs; invests in NASA, keeping our space program strong; and continues protections for our most vulnerable by ensuring taxpayer dollars are not funding abortions. “I applaud my House and Senate Republican colleagues for rejecting Democrats’ attempts to spend taxpayer dollars on liberal-progressive policies and programs. However, I could not vote for H.R. 1865 due to excessive spending on non-critical domestic programs and policies. While it provides funds for priorities and programs I strongly support, other spending levels in the bill package were extreme and we must be willing to make tough spending decisions to reduce government debt and deficits. “Borrowing trillions to spend today, is effectively a tax on our children and grandchildren tomorrow. I remain committed to working hard on behalf of Florida’s hardworking taxpayers and families to advance common-sense reforms and principled policy and budgets that get our fiscal house in order.” Background H.R. 1158 provides funding for national security operations. H.R. 1865 funds domestic, non-defense programs and policies. The Democrats losses include amendments that would: Strip life-protections Block the border wall Undermine the Second Amendment Limit low income students’ access to school choice options in DC Burden the truckers and haulers with regulations and riders that would harm the economy ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/sen-rick-scott-applauds-final-passage-national-defense-authorization,Sen. Rick Scott Applauds Final Passage of National Defense Authorization,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Rick Scott,S001217,www.rickscott.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Senator Rick Scott applauded the Senate's final passage of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes: Nearly $750 billion in defense spending; A 3.1% pay raise for military members; Senator Scott's amendment to cut off funds to the Maduro regime; Senator Scott's amendment to hold China accountable; More than $1.5 billion to rebuild Tyndall Air Force Base following Hurricane Michael; and A ban on the purchase or use of foreign-made drones by the Department of Defense. Senator Rick Scott said, I'm glad Congress made our men and women in uniform a priority by finally passing the NDAA, which includes nearly $750 billion to fund our military and gives them the resources they need to defend our nation. I fought to include more than $1.5 billion in funding to rebuild Tyndall Air Force Base and a pay raise for military members, as well as my proposals to hold China accountable and prohibit the DOD from doing business with anyone that supports the oppressive Maduroregime. I'm incredibly proud these priorities were included in the final NDAA, and I will always do everything I can to support our military and its mission to protect our nation, support our allies and stand up for freedom across the globe. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/sen-rick-scott-military-officers-should-be-allowed-carry-firearms-us-military-bases,Sen. Rick Scott: Military Officers Should Be Allowed to Carry Firearms on U.S. Military Bases,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Rick Scott,S001217,www.rickscott.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. In the wake of the tragic terrorist attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola, andcalls from Navy pilotsto change current policy, Senator Rick Scott released the following statement. Senator Rick Scott said, It defies logic that our men and women in uniform, who we train to operate multi-million dollar pieces of military equipment and trust to keep our country safe, are not allowed to carry firearms on U.S. military bases. It's time for this policy to change. The terrorist attack at NAS Pensacola shows that it's more important than ever for our men and women in uniform to be in a position to defend themselves. I will work with the leadership of the Armed Services Committees and the Department of Defense to see what needs to be done to change this policy and allow military officers to carry firearms on U.S. military bases. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/sen-rick-scott-releases-letter-editor-chinese-controlled-global-times,Sen. Rick Scott Releases Letter to the Editor of Chinese-Controlled Global Times,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Rick Scott,S001217,www.rickscott.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Senator Rick Scott released the following letter to the editor in response to The Global Times' recent editorial attacking him for defending freedom and democracy in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Senator Scott submitted the letter to the editor of The Global Times, a news outlets under the control of the Communist Party of China, but has so far not heard back. We're not holding our breath. Read Senator Scott's response to US intimidation in Taiwan Straits scares no one HERE or below: For months, I have called on Communist China to stop abusing human rights and live up to its commitment to respect Hong Kong's autonomy that it was promised during the handover in 1997. I was the first Senator to travel to Hong Kong since the protests began, and witnessed firsthand the atrocities committed by Communist China in their ongoing effort to suppress freedom. I met with protesters and heard their stories horrible and frightening stories of police brutality, threats against individuals and their families and mysterious disappearances. All of this is happening because General Secretary Xi a human-rights violator with no respect for individual freedom. Communist China believes that in order for them to be stronger, America and other freedom-loving countries must be weaker. The Global Times, in their editorial, laid out, clear as day, Communist China's plan to crack down on Taiwan, saying, if the US and Taiwan promote military and other exchanges, the mainland is bound to increase military pressure to make the Taiwan authority pay the price. Let's remember: Taiwan has been a self-governing entity since 1949. It has never been a part of the Communist Party regime in Beijing. It has armed itself in its alliance with the United States for decades, and is a formidable power in the region. Taiwan has the ability to inflict serious damage on any aggressor, but Communist China wants to portray Taiwan as a rebellious province that is ignoring the damage to Chinese national sovereignty. Communist China should be very careful not to engage in veiled threats against U.S. allies. This is a threat not only to the people of Taiwan, but to the United States and our allies around the globe. Thankfully, our nation was built on freedom and the United States won't back down in the face of tyranny. We never have and we never will. Communist China is framing the quest for freedom as U.S. intimidation. That's laughable, but I hope they are intimidated. Communist China's neighbors will have no choice but to treat them as a serious threat that uses military force against a peaceful democratic power. This could all end if Communist China and General Secretary Xi start respecting human rights, stop punishing people for their religion, stop stealing our technology and intellectual property, stop supporting ruthless dictators like Maduro, and stop militarizing the South China Sea. Until then, I'm interested to see how news outlets under the control of the Communist Party of China, like the Global Times, will keep trying to spin the fight for freedom as intimidation. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://yoho.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/yoho-votes-against-bloated-budget-bill,Yoho Votes Against Bloated Budget Bill,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Ted Yoho,Y000065,yoho.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Congressman Ted S. Yoho (R-FL) voted against a $1.4 trillion spending package that was released to Members of Congress less than 24 hours ago. Congressman Yoho released the following statement. To quote Yogi Berra, it's like dj vu all over again. Here we are, waiting till the last minute to pass appropriations bills to fund the government. House Democrats brought all 12 appropriations bills to the floor to keep the federal government's lights on through the fiscal year 2020. Members of Congress had less than 24 hours to review a 2000 plus page spending bill that promised everything to everyone. Not one person in Congress read this bill, not one. Members on both sides of the aisle will claim victory for averting a shutdown and for securing money for district projects. While I could say, there was money I fought for, governing the country this way is terrible. People don't want to acknowledge our out of control national debt, and this spending bill completely ignores that 800-pound gorilla in the room. I could not in good conscience vote for this reckless spending bill. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=3E9C0B3E-91A4-4551-B2CA-511D271AA58C,"Rubio Joins Cramer, Manchin, Colleagues in Praising Senate Passage of Resolution Commemorating 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge",2019-12-16,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) in commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. The resolution honors the valiant efforts of the Allied Forces in December 1944, as well as those who made the ultimate sacrifice in this last major German offensive in Western Europe during World War II. There were 89,000 American casualties in this 38-day battle, and 19,000 American soldiers lost their lives. The Allied victory in this battle helped make possible the final defeat and surrender of Germany in May 1945.The full text of the resolution can be found here.Joining Rubio, Cramer, and Manchin in cosponsoring the resolution were Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Steve Daines (R-MT), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Shelley Moore Capito (D-WV), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Pat Roberts (R-KS), John Hoeven (R-ND), Susan Collins (R-ME), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Jim Risch (R-ID), Todd Young (R-IN), John Boozman (R-AR), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Kennedy (R-LA), John Barasso (R-WY), Rick Scott (R-FL), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Doug Jones (D-AL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jon Tester (D-MT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Benjamin Cardin (D-MD).",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://rutherford.house.gov/media/press-releases/rutherford-bustos-introduce-boosting-america-s-exports-act,"Rutherford, Bustos Introduce Boosting America’s Exports Act",2019-12-16,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,John H. Rutherford,R000609,rutherford.house.gov,rutherford,https://rutherford.house.gov/media/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives John Rutherford (FL-04) and Cheri Bustos (IL-17) introduced the bipartisan Boosting America's Exports Act. This legislation would improve resources for non-exporting small and growing businesses to help them sell goods overseas. ""Small and emerging businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy,"" said Rep. Rutherford. ""In an ever-growing global marketplace, we must ensure that American small businesses have the resources they need to stay competitive. That's why I joined Representative Bustos to introduce the bipartisan Boosting America's Exports Act. This bill would give small and medium-sized companies that are not currently exporting their goods the assistance they need to sell ‘Made in America' products around the world."" ""Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and create two out of every three new jobs,"" said Rep. Bustos. ""That's why I'm introducing the Boosting America's Exports Act to help small businesses and startup entrepreneurs reach their full potential by identifying opportunities to export American-made products to consumers around the world. As the middle class continues to grow globally, we want to make sure that this emerging market is buying American-made products while boosting our small businesses' ability to compete globally. By building an economic environment that helps businesses succeed, we'll strengthen working families in communities across Illinois."" The Boosting America's Export Act would: 1) Direct the U.S. Commercial Service to design metrics and set goals relating to new-to-exporting firms served by the agency's programs; 2) Bolster outreach to non-exporting firms, enhance collaboration with state and local export promotion programs, and hire additional trade specialists and administrative staff as needed; and 3) Instruct the Undersecretary of International Trade to conduct an assessment of whether U.S. Export Assistance Centers are optimally located in order to reach small- and medium-sized businesses and present a plan to Congress on how to optimize strategic locations.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/case-you-missed-it-senator-rick-scott-leads-colleagues-urging-congressional-leadership-pass-no,"IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Senator Rick Scott Leads Colleagues in Urging Congressional Leadership to Pass No Budget, No Pay",2019-12-16,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Rick Scott,S001217,www.rickscott.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. In case you missed it, Senator Rick Scott and Senator Kyrsten Sinema led a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Congressional leadership urging them to pass No Budget, No Pay to prevent members of Congress from getting paid if they don't pass a budget. Read more in the Fox Business article, Lawmakers from both parties rally around 'no budget no pay' ahead of deadline: Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are once again rallying around the idea of no budget, no pay' before a stopgapspendingbill expires on Friday. Scott urged his fellow lawmakers to pass ""No Budget, No Pay"" legislationin a Fox Newsop-edwritten with Republican Sens. Steve Daines, of Montana, and Mike Braun, of Indiana, last week. ""'If Congress can't do its most basic task, then members of Congress shouldn't get a paycheck,' they wrote. Not only is this common sense, it's moving through Congress with bipartisan support. It was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee in June, and is included as part of the End Government Shutdowns Act' Read the full article in Fox Business HERE. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/photo-release-sen-rick-scott-commemorates-75th-anniversary-battle-bulge-belgium-and-luxembourg,PHOTO RELEASE Sen. Rick Scott Commemorates 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium and Luxembourg,2019-12-16,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Rick Scott,S001217,www.rickscott.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. This weekend, Senator Rick Scott joined a bipartisan Senate delegation to Belgium and Luxembourg to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. On Monday, the Senators joined members of the House of Representatives at an official ceremony at the Mardasson Memorial near Bastogne, Belgium to mark the occasion. Senator Scott also joined his colleagues in introducing a resolution honoring the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, which passed the Senate last week. Senator Rick Scott said, Seventy-five years ago, American soldiers including my father joined our Allies to fight evil and free Europe from the yoke of tyranny.It was an honor to join my colleagues in Belgium and Luxembourg tohonor the sacrifices made by so many freedom-loving people in support of this cause.We will never forget their sacrifice, and the United States will always stand up for freedom and democracy. Senators John Boozman, John Barrasso, Deb Fischer, Maggie Hassan, Shelley Moore Capito, Jacky Rosen and Thom Tillis also attended the trip. Senator John Boozman said, In the Battle of the Bulge, American soldiers demonstrated the commitment, courage and resilience that helped define a generation. To this day, we take immense pride in the unwavering bravery and valor of the Allied Forces in their decisive defeat of the German attack, ultimately leading to the end of the Nazi regime. It is fitting that we recognize the 75th Anniversary of a battle that both shaped the future of combat and ushered in a new era of comity between Europe and the United States. Senator John Barrasso said, On this 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, we honor the heroic efforts of the valiant Allied Forces who saved the free world. My father, John, was one of these heroes. He and his fellow soldiers succeeded in slowing the German advance during this brutal, historic battle of World War II. It is an incredible honor to join veterans and world leaders at the commemoration ceremony in Belgium. We remember those who served and those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our freedom. Senator Maggie Hassan said, As the daughter of a veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, I was moved and humbled to stand on the very battlefields where so many American soldiers fought to defeat the Nazis and keep our country safe, secure, and free. It is that mission that we have the responsibility of carrying forth to this day. I was honored to stand united with Democrats and Republicans alike in representing our nation in commemorating this historic battle and in meeting some of the veterans who served in those pivotal days. Senator Shelley Moore Capito said, As the daughter of a WWII veteran, this trip was a personal one for me. 75 years ago, many Americans lost their lives fending off the German offensive during the Battle of the Bulge, and these efforts ultimately paved a way to end the war five months later. Having the chance to visit this historical location was a powerful reminder of the heroic actions of the Allied Forces that protected our democracy. Senator Deb Fischer said, I am deeply grateful to have joined a bipartisan Senate delegation in Belgium for the 75thanniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. We honored the U.S. veterans and all Allied Forces of the Greatest Generation who fought in what was the bloodiest and largest battle in the history of U.S. forces. These brave fighters include people such as my uncle, David Buckner, who participated in the Battle of the Bulge as part of the 117thInfantry Regiment, 30thInfantry Division. Our nation will be forever indebted to the courage, service, and sacrifice of those who contributed to this critical German defeat that helped end fascism and Nazi menace. Senator Jacky Rosen said, Seventy-five years ago, half a million Americans, including my great uncle, participated in what became one of the largest battles in U.S. military history. Throughout those six brutal weeks, the strength, grit, and courage of our men in uniform were tested, but our love of freedom and democracy prevailed.I was honored to join my colleagues in commemorating the Battle of the Bulge and meet with U.S. WWII veterans who fought to end tyranny and to protect our liberties and our American way of life. Senator Thom Tillis said, The Battle of the Bulge was a historic turning point in World War II that led to the surrender of Nazi Germany. I am honored to be on this delegation to commemorate the 75th anniversary and pay tribute to the brave soldiers who were outnumbered and faced impossible conditions. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://yoho.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/nadler-still-refusing-to-grant-house-judiciary-republicans-a-minority,Nadler Still Refusing to Grant House Judiciary Republicans a Minority Hearing,2019-12-16,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Ted Yoho,Y000065,yoho.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Congressman Ted S. Yoho (R-FL), member of the House Freedom Caucus and signatory to a letter to House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, requesting a minority hearing under House rules, released the following statement : Last week, December 10th, the House Freedom Caucus wrote to Chairman Nadler to express our desire to have minority hearing in compliance with House rules - Clause2(j)(1) of Rule XI. There has been no response from Chairman Nadler. His silence and denial of a minority hearing under the rules is a blatant effort to shut the minority party out of the impeachment process. House Republicans are well within their right to call for this hearing. Chairman Nadler and his Democrat colleagues have pushed through the impeachment of a duly elected president at lighting speed. Under House rules, Republicans have the right to an unbiased hearing, especially when we are dealing with the impeachment of a sitting president.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=57C6BC01-3829-47DE-BB57-14B1685278D8,"Rubio, Menendez, Colleagues Introduce Resolution Calling for Immediate Release of Leading Cuban Opposition Leader Jos Daniel Ferrer",2019-12-13,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Miami, FL U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, were joined by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) in introducing a bipartisan Senate resolution calling for the immediate release of Cuban pro-democracy and human rights activist Jos Daniel Ferrer and other members of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU). The resolution also commends efforts by Mr. Ferrer and members of UNPACU to promote democratic principles and fundamental freedoms in Cuba.Rubio is the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues.I'm proud to co-lead this resolution that highlights the egregious violation of human rights and torture led by the Castro and Daz-Canel regime against Jos Daniel Ferrer, leader of the opposition group UNPACU, Rubio said. The United States Senate is sending a strong message of condemnation following Ferrer's illegitimate five-month arrest. We will continue to raise our voices against the dictatorship's abuses against members of the opposition and independent press.For over two months, Jos Daniel Ferrer has been jailed under inhuman conditions, beaten, tortured, and denied access to medical care by the Cuban regime, all for dedicating his life to promoting democracy and human rights in his homeland, Menendez said. I am proud to be joined by such a strong bipartisan group of Senate colleagues in introducing this Resolution to bring international attention to the ongoing repression of dissent in Cuba and the plight of political prisoners and democracy fighters on the island. The world must continue speaking out against this gross violation of human rights, and Jos Daniel must be freed immediately and without condition.Human rights protections and freedoms of speech, press, and assembly are foundational to any democracy. Activist Jos Daniel Ferrer has been a leading voice for implementing these democratic principles despite continuous abuse and imprisonment by the Cuban government, Durbin said. If Cuba hopes to ever join the global community of democracies, President Daz-Canel must immediately release Mr. Ferrer from his arbitrary, cruel imprisonment, cease jailing peaceful opposition voices, and account for the suspicious death of Mr. Ferrer's colleague Oswaldo Pay.The Castro tyranny is corrupt, murderous, and evil. And there is nothing that Ral Castro and Miguel Daz-Canel fear more than the light of truth, Cruz said. I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan resolution calling upon the Cuban communist regime to immediately release democracy activist Jos Daniel Ferrer. One day the world will see a free Cuba, and it is through the courage of dissidents like Mr. Ferrer that we will see freedom restored to Cuba.Cuba must release activist Jos Daniel Ferrer from this latest unjust detention. The repeated arrests of political dissidents are unacceptable and the government of Cuba must do more to improve human rights for the island, Cardin said. Congress will continue to press Cuba to end such political arrests and urge steps toward genuine freedoms and political pluralism for the Cuban people, which are long overdue.Jos Daniel Ferrer is a committed and outspoken advocate for democracy who has repeatedly risked his liberty and his life in order to promote freedom for his fellow Cubans, Collins said. His arbitrary imprisonment and mistreatment at the hands of Cuban authorities are egregious violations of human rights and must cease immediately. Our bipartisan resolution expresses the Senate's solidarity with Mr. Ferrer's courageous fight for democratic principles, condemns the unjust actions of Cuban authorities, and calls for Mr. Ferrer's prompt release.Human rights activist Jos Daniel Ferrer was wrongly jailed by the Cuban regime, Kaine said. This bipartisan resolution sends a strong message to the Cuban government that the world will not ignore the regime's abuses against its own citizens. Ferrer's detainment is unconscionable and he should be released immediately.Jos Daniel Ferrer was arbitrarily imprisoned on October 1, 2019. Mr. Ferrer has been a lifelong activist for democracy and human rights in Cuba. He was jailed in 2003 for his work with the Christian Liberation Movement and Oswaldo Pay, whose suspicious death has never been fully investigated. Mr. Ferrer was declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International in 2004 and finally released from jail in 2011. He founded the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) in 2011. Mr. Ferrer and UNPACU members have faced a consistent campaign of harassment, intimidation, surveillance, and arbitrary imprisonment since the organization's founding.The text of the Senators' resolution can be found here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://dunn.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=313,Congressman Dunn Comments on Florida vs. Georgia Special Masters Recommendation,2019-12-13,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Neal P. Dunn,D000628,dunn.house.gov,dunn,https://dunn.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27,scraper,"Congressman Neal Dunn (FL-02) released the following statement after U.S. Circuit Judge Paul Kelly Jr. of New Mexico issued his findings in the Florida vs. Georgia water wars case, siding with Georgia: “Judge Kelly’s recommendation is very disappointing and completely ignores the decades of damage that Georgia’s water use has had on families and the ecosystem in Florida. Last year, the Supreme Court recognized that Florida has been harmed as a result of decreased water flow to the ACF River Basin. They established that Georgia’s unchecked and excessive water usage has harmed Florida and cost us jobs, particularly in our oyster industry. I trust that the Supreme Court will stand by their previous acknowledgment and ensure Florida gets its fair share of water.” Judge Kelly recommended that the Supreme Court reject Florida’s request to impose water usage limits on Georgia through 2050. The case will now head back to the Supreme Court for a decision. Congressman Dunn has been working from his first days in Congress to seek an equitable solution for the communities along the Apalachicola River and Bay. In February of 2017, Dr. Dunn questioned the Corps of Engineers about the ACF River Basin. He also led a letter, signed by the entire Florida House delegation, to the Corps calling for it to halt implementation of the Water Control Manual immediately and meet with stakeholders. In July of 2017, Dr. Dunn led a letter, signed by the entire Florida House delegation, urging President Trump to ensure the Corps takes a neutral role and refrains from intervening in Florida v. Georgia. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://gaetz.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-matt-gaetz-secures-124-million-northwest-florida-military,Congressman Matt Gaetz Secures $124 million for Northwest Florida Military Construction in 2020 NDAA,2019-12-13,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Matt Gaetz,G000578,gaetz.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01) applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) this week. Congressman Gaetz secured numerous provisions for Florida's First Congressional district in the NDAA, including $124 million in military construction and also an amendment posthumously promoting Lt. Colonel Dick Cole of the Doolittle Raiders to Colonel. Following final passage of the NDAA, $124 million will be authorized to Special Operations military construction in the First Congressional District. This authorization will enhance development projects at both Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field. Active duty military members and military members' families will also benefit from provisions secured in the NDAA. Servicemembers will be receiving a 3.1% pay raise, the largest raise in compensation in over two decades. Additionally, a benefit offset known as the widow's tax was repealed in this year's version. Congressman Gaetz has called for a repeal of the widow's tax since his election to Congress, and its repeal allows families of fallen servicemembers to receive full benefits from both the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans' Affairs. In response to the House's passage of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, Congressman Gaetz issued the following statement: Northwest Florida's dynamic military mission is strengthened with the passage of this year's National Defense Authorization Act. Our military members and families constitute the heartbeat of Northwest Florida, and this bill strengthens our military's initiatives and hardens our readiness. I look forward to the Senate's passage of the National Defense Authorization Act and thank President Trump and his administration for their dedication to our military readiness in Florida's First District, Congressman Matt Gaetz said. Lt. General Bradley Heithold (retired USAF) of Northwest Florida further praised the NDAA's passage and Congressman Gaetz's efforts, saying: Another resounding military construction win secured by our Congressman Gaetz! Rep. Gaetz consistently comes through in successfully advocating for the AFSOC mission in Northwest Florida. Following Senate passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, the bill will be sent to the President's desk for his signature. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://steube.house.gov/media/press-releases/office-congressman-greg-steube-hosts-army-corps-commander-colonel-andrew-kelly,The Office of Congressman Greg Steube Hosts Army Corps Commander Colonel Andrew Kelly,2019-12-13,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Greg Steube,S001214,steube.house.gov,,,legacy,"VENICE, FLToday, the Office of Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17) hosted an event with United States Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) Jacksonville District Commander Colonel Andrew Kelly and representatives from Sarasota and Charlotte counties on Manasota Key to discuss important federal projects for Florida's 17th Congressional District. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend today's event on Manasota Key that had been planned for weeks, due to the Democrats' partisan impeachment charade, scheduling a vote for today at 10:00 AM at 11:30 PM last night, with no notice to Republican members, said Congressman Steube. I am pleased that Colonel Kelly was able to meet with members of my staff and representatives from Sarasota and Charlotte counties to discuss beach erosion and shoreline protection, continued Steube. My commitment to the preservation projects on Manasota Key is steadfast and I look forward to continuing to work closely with the counties and the Army Corps to ensure the funding needed to protect these beaches is secured. Congressman Steube was scheduled to host a roundtable and beach tour with local leaders, as well as ACOE Jacksonville District Commander Colonel Andrew Kelly, but due to the decision of Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) to postpose a vote on Articles of Impeachment in the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Steube was unable to attend the event. I regret that a 5-minute vote on partisan Articles of Impeachment kept me away from such an important local event, but I remain committed to this project and look forward to visiting Manasota Key in the near future, concluded Steube.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://steube.house.gov/press-releases/steube-statement-on-house-judiciary-committee-vote-on-articles-of-impeachment-for-president-donald-j-trump/,Steube Statement on House Judiciary Committee Vote on Articles of Impeachment for President Donald J. Trump,2019-12-13,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,W. Gregory Steube,S001214,steube.house.gov,steube,https://steube.house.gov/category/press-releases/page/,scraper,"WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Congressman Greg Steube (R-Fla.) released the following statement after a vote in the House Judiciary Committee against both Articles of Impeachment for President Donald J. Trump. “What we witnessed here today will be remembered in American history for generations to come and unfortunately, history will not look kindly on what this committee has done tonight, or in the weeks leading up to this vote,” said Congressman Steube following the committee vote. “This impeachment inquiry was a partisan attack against a duly elected president, attempting to nullify the votes of 63 million Americans. Many who have served in Congress much longer than I have warned against such a partisan approach to impeachment, including Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Nadler.” Speaker Pelosi said, “impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. And he’s just not worth it.” Chairman Nadler said, “there must never be a narrowly voted impeachment or an impeachment substantially supported by one of our major political parties and largely opposed by the other.” “Yet today’s vote was completely partisan, riddled with inconsistencies and a lack any facts supporting a constitutional basis for impeachment,” said Steube. “The Democrats have systematically denied President Trump any opportunity to present a defense or cross examine fact witnesses and denied the minority the ability to call fact witnesses.” “Unlike Presidents Nixon and Clinton who were impeached for actual crimes, President Trump is being impeached based on theories concocted by the Democrats,” continued Steube. “Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress are not listed anywhere in the Constitution when discussing impeachment and now, for the first time in history, we have voted in a congressional committee to impeach a president based on a non-criminal Abuse of Power allegation.” “This sets a dangerous precedent for future American presidents,” explained Steube. “With this vote, we have set the precedent that at any time in the future, whenever a majority party in the House doesn’t like what’s happening in the White House, they can impeach the President for Abuse of Power.” “No collusion, no obstruction, no quid pro quo, no treason, no bribery, and no high crimes and misdemeanors,” concluded Steube. “And the only Abuse of Power that I see committed, is the Abuse of Power of this Democrat-led Congress in their attempt to overturn the 2016 election and the will of 63 million American voters.” ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://steube.house.gov/press-releases/the-office-of-congressman-greg-steube-hosts-army-corps-commander-colonel-andrew-kelly/,The Office of Congressman Greg Steube Hosts Army Corps Commander Colonel Andrew Kelly,2019-12-13,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,W. Gregory Steube,S001214,steube.house.gov,steube,https://steube.house.gov/category/press-releases/page/,scraper,"The Office of Congressman Greg Steube Hosts Army Corps Commander Colonel Andrew Kelly VENICE, FL—Today, the Office of Congressman Greg Steube (R-Fla.) hosted an event with United States Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) Jacksonville District Commander Colonel Andrew Kelly and representatives from Sarasota and Charlotte counties on Manasota Key to discuss important federal projects for Florida’s 17th Congressional District. “Unfortunately, I was unable to attend today’s event on Manasota Key that had been planned for weeks, due to the Democrats’ partisan impeachment charade, scheduling a vote for today at 10:00 AM at 11:30 PM last night, with no notice to Republican members,” said Congressman Steube. “I am pleased that Colonel Kelly was able to meet with members of my staff and representatives from Sarasota and Charlotte counties to discuss beach erosion and shoreline protection,” continued Steube. “My commitment to the preservation projects on Manasota Key is steadfast and I look forward to continuing to work closely with the counties and the Army Corps to ensure the funding needed to protect these beaches is secured.” Congressman Steube was scheduled to host a roundtable and beach tour with local leaders, as well as ACOE Jacksonville District Commander Colonel Andrew Kelly, but due to the decision of Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) to postpose a vote on Articles of Impeachment in the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Steube was unable to attend the event. “I regret that a 5-minute vote on partisan Articles of Impeachment kept me away from such an important local event, but I remain committed to this project and look forward to visiting Manasota Key in the near future,” concluded Steube. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/senator-rick-scott-leads-colleagues-urging-congressional-leadership-pass-his-no-budget-no-pay,"Senator Rick Scott Leads Colleagues in Urging Congressional Leadership to Pass His No Budget, No Pay Proposal",2019-12-13,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Rick Scott,S001217,www.rickscott.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Senator Rick Scott, Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Representative Jack Bergman and Representative Gil Cisneros led a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Congressional leadership urging them to pass No Budget, No Pay to prevent members of Congress from getting paid if they don't pass a budget. Read the full letter HERE or below. December 13, 2019 The Honorable Mitch McConnell Majority Leader United States Senate The Honorable Charles Schumer Minority Leader United States Senate The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House United States House of Representatives The Honorable Kevin McCarthy Republican Leader United States House of Representatives Dear Congressional Leadership: As we wrap up the year and finalize the negotiations on Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations, we urge you to include No Budget, No Pay as part of any end-of-year spending package. Appropriating funds is the most basic duty of Congress, but for the past 40 years, Congress has cut corners by passing short-term spending bills Continuing Resolutions that just keep government funded at existing levels. When Congress fails to pass appropriations, American people are hurt. Just this year, American families suffered under the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Air traffic controllers, members of the Coast Guard, and fire safety officials worked without pay, while Members of Congress continued to receive their paychecks. That is wrong, and we're urging you to move forward with No Budget, No Pay before the end of the year. The concept is simple: Members of Congress should not be paid if they don't pass appropriations. If Congress can't do its most basic task, then Members of Congress shouldn't get a paycheck. This proposal has bipartisan support and is already moving through Congress. It was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in June, and is included as part of the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act (S. 1877). Withholding paychecks from Members of Congress who fail to pass appropriations is an important step to prevent government shutdowns, which hurt the economy and millions of everyday Americans. But it's also an important step to promote fiscal responsibility. We are elected to represent the citizens of our states and districts. When they don't do their job, there are consequences, and that same standard should apply to Congress. We look forward to continuing to work with you to make important reforms so Washington works better for all Americans. Sincerely, Rick Scott United States Senator Kyrsten Sinema United States Senator Jack Bergman Member of Congress Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. Member of Congress David Perdue United States Senator Cory Gardner United States Senator Steve Daines United States Senator Joni K. Ernst United States Senator Martha McSally United States Senator Mike Gallagher Member of Congress Brian Fitzpatrick Member of Congress Rob Wittman Member of Congress Andy Biggs Member of Congress Vern Buchanan Member of Congress Ross Spano Member of Congress Ralph Norman Member of Congress Ron Wright Member of Congress Abigail D. Spanberger Member of Congress Scott Tipton Member of Congress Greg Gianforte Member of Congress Robert E. Latta Member of Congress ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=3C2B6B6D-FDB7-4990-A3CD-D3772A22AC1D,"Rubio, McGovern Lead 48 Lawmakers in Urging Trump Administration to Expand Sanctions in Response to China's Mass Internment of Uyghurs",2019-12-12,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and U.S. Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA), the Co-Chair and Chairman of the Congressional Executive Committee on China (CECC), led a bipartisan and bicameral group of 48 lawmakers in a letter urging Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to respond strongly and decisively to the Chinese government and Communist Party's ongoing mass internment and forced labor of ethnic Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). In the letter, the 48 lawmakers write: The United States must lead the free world in addressing what may be crimes against humanity being committed in the XUAR. If never again' is to mean anything in the 21st century, then we must respond to one of the greatest ongoing tragedies of our time. If the U.S. and American companies refuse or fail to act, it will be a stain on our history.28 Senators, including Senator Rubio, signed the letter: John Cornyn (R-TX), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Angus King (I-ME), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Steve Daines (R-MT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), John Boozman (R-AR), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Todd Young (R-IN), Mark Warner (D-VA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Bob Casey (D-PA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Ben Cardin (D-MD).In the House, 20 Members, including Congressman McGovern, signed the letter: Eliot Engel (D-NY), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Ted Yoho (R-FL), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Mark Meadows (R-NC), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Don Beyer (D-VA), Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), and Jennifer Wexton (D-VA).The full text of the letter is below.Dear Secretaries Pompeo, Mnuchin, and Ross:We write today regarding the ongoing mass internment and forced labor of ethnic Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Congress has urged the Administration to respond strongly and decisively, and in light of recent reports, we are renewing that call. On November 16, 2019, The New York Times published leaked Chinese government documents that shed new light on the role of the Chinese Communist Party, including its General Secretary Xi Jinping, in the ongoing human rights abuses in the XUAR. While we were pleased to see the Administration announce the imposition of sanctions against Chinese individuals and entities on October 7-8, 2019, these measures were a first step that do not go far enough in ensuring accountability for China's government and Communist Party.We urge you to publicly impose Global Magnitsky Act sanctions against Chen Quanguo, the XUAR Community Communist Party Secretary, as well as other senior party leaders who have had a role in setting and implementing China's ethnic and religious policies, including those in the Central Committee and XUAR united front work departments, political-legal commissions, and state security commissions. The continued inaction on Global Magnitsky Act sanctions in light of the voluminous evidence showing Chen, in particular, to be a key architect of the current system of internment camps is simply inexcusable. The Treasury Department should move to approve and implement these sanctions immediately.Since a bipartisan group of Members sent a letter on this issue in April 2019, journalists and researchers have revealed that senior officials in the PRC, from Xi Jinping down, are ordering and coordinating the mass internment and forced labor policies we are witnessing in the XUAR. The leaked documents acquired by The New York Times include previously undisclosed speeches by General Secretary Xi and reveal the dehumanizing terms used to justify the crimes against Uyghurs and other religious groups. These documents show that the Party views these groups as possessing a virus in their thought that must be eliminated, using, in Xi's words, the organs of dictatorship and showing absolutely no mercy. Moreover, the system of forced labor that accompanies mass internment in the XUAR has effectively turned the region into a massive labor camp that cruelly exploits ethnic minority labor as part of a program of political indoctrination.We urge you to expand the scope of the sanctions and Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List designations already applied to Chinese government departments and companies responsible for this tragic situation. Since each of you plays a role on the End-User Review Committee on Entity List Decisions, we ask that you expand the Entity List to ensure that U.S. companies are not contributing to, directly or indirectly, the gross human rights violations in the XUAR.The list's expansion should include all Chinese companies involved in the pairing assistance program in XUAR, which subsidizes the establishment of manufacturing facilities in Xinjiang, and any company otherwise benefiting from the system of forced labor in the XUAR. The PRC government reportedly has begun to employ large numbers of Uyghurs, including many former detainees, in these enterprises, particularly labor-intensive textile and apparel factories, where they are strictly supervised. Uyghurs who refuse to accept such employment may be threatened with detention. Oppressive surveillance in the XUAR coupled with the government's policies of forced labor prevent companies from conducting meaningful due diligence to ensure their supply chains are free from forced labor.We ask that expansion of the Entity List supplement the efforts of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to investigate and block U.S. imports of goods made with forced labor from the XUAR, pursuant to Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930. In October, the CBP placed a Withhold Release Order (WRO) on garments produced by XUAR-based Hetian Taida Apparel Company, Ltd. based on the fact that those garments are being produced with prison or forced labor. Members of Congress recently encouraged the CBP to issue additional WROs on Chinese companies using forced labor, particularly in the textile industry. Because forced labor is part of a larger Chinese government policy of social control, it is time for the Administration to take aggressive action to enforce U.S. law and eliminate illegal imports of goods made with forced labor and assembled or manufactured in the XUAR. A copy of the Congressional letter to Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan is included for your reference.We also believe the United States should establish stronger disclosure requirements to alert American investors about the presence in U.S. capital markets of Hikvision, Dahua Technology, and other Chinese enterprises complicit in human rights abuses. Such disclosure requirements should also include American and foreign companies listed on U.S. exchanges that source their products from or have a presence in the XUAR. The failure to disclose their business in the XUAR poses material, asymmetric risks to corporate reputation and shareholder valueespecially now that the U.S. government has shown it is prepared to use the Entity List to sanction companies contributing to human rights abuses.Chinese authorities have detained dozens of family members of U.S. government employees and U.S. citizens and permanent residents in a bid to thwart any effort to expose the details of human rights abuses occurring in the XUAR. In particular, we encourage you to actively seek the release of the family memberssuch as Gulshan Abbas and Kaisar Keyumof Radio Free Asia (RFA) Uyghur language service journalists and prominent Uyghur rights activists Rushan Abbas and Rebiya Kadeer. Efforts to intimidate U.S. residents through detention of their family members is unacceptable and requires a strong response from the Administration.The United States must lead the free world in addressing what may be crimes against humanity being committed in the XUAR. If never again is to mean anything in the 21st century, then we must respond to one of the greatest ongoing tragedies of our time. If the U.S. and American companies refuse or fail to act, it will be a stain on our history.We look forward to working with you on these timely and important issues.Sincerely,",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=493AAFAA-E7BA-4550-AB91-6D270234048A,Next Week: Rubio Staff Hosts Mobile Office Hours,2019-12-12,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Washington, D.C. The office of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) will host Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their communities. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to regional offices a more convenient way to receive federal casework assistance. Monday, December 16, 2019Madison County10:00am 12:00pm ESTThe Board of County Commissioners Meeting RoomMadison County Courthouse Annex229 SW Pinckney St.Madison, FL 32340Hamilton County2:30pm 4:30pm ESTJasper Public Library311 Hatley St.Jasper, FL 32052Tuesday, December 17, 2019Brevard County9:00am 11:00am ESTBrevard Veterans Memorial Center400 S. Sykes Creek Pkwy.Merritt Island, FL 32952Jefferson County9:00am 11:00am ESTR.J. Bailar Public Library375 S. Water St.Monticello, FL 32344Leon County2:30pm 4:30pm ESTWoodville Branch Library8000 Old Woodville Rd.Tallahassee, FL 32305Wednesday, December 18, 2019Calhoun County9:00am 11:00am CSTCalhoun County Public Library17731 NE Pear St.Blountstown, FL 32424Sumter County9:30am 11:30am ESTLaurel Manor Recreation Center1985 Laurel Manor Dr.The Villages, FL 32162Franklin County2:30pm 4:00pm ESTApalachicola Margaret Key Library80 12th St.Apalachicola, FL 32320Thursday, December 19, 2019Orange County10:00am 12:00pm ESTBithlo/Christmas Neighborhood Center for Families18510 Madison Ave.Orlando, FL 32820",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=B79B2C0E-3E97-4FD5-8A9B-354A857D5A4A,"Rubio, Grassley, Cotton Introduce Bill to Clamp Down on World Bank Lending to China and Russia",2019-12-12,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Tom Cotton (R-AR) in introducingS. 3108 to instruct the U.S. representatives at the World Bank to vote against and use their best efforts to deny any loan or extension to countries like China and Russia that exceed the graduation thresholds or that are designated as a country of concern for religious freedom.""This bill will provide the U.S. Governor of the World Bank with the necessary guidance to uphold U.S. interests and to focus on the bank's development mission,"" Rubio said. For too long, countries like China and Russia have been allowed to exploit the World Bank's limited resources even after they should no longer qualify for assistance. I'm proud to co-sponsor this bill, which will also reaffirm our nation's continued commitment to international religious freedom worldwide.""China has been lending development money outside its borders to extend its influence for years while taking in U.S. taxpayer dollars via World Bank loans. It's confounding that these loans still continue and they ought to stop, Grassley said. What's worse is that these loans might have helped free up resources used to violate human rights and force Uighurs into internment camps. Our bills provide a short-term and longer-term means to take away the status that allows China to receive loans and halt loans to any country like China that exceeds the World Bank graduation thresholds or poses a risk to religious freedom.The World Bank is sending development aid meant for poor countries to China, the second largest economy in the world with access to plenty of capital, Cotton said. The ruling Chinese Communist Party uses these loans to fund its repression of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities. The United States must urge the World Bank to end these loans, which are contrary to its own guidelines and the demands of justice. Every dollar loaned to China is a dollar spent on strengthening the CCP's grip over the Chinese people.The programs of the World Bank Group's International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is designed to provide loans for economic-development purposes to middle-income developing countries. The threshold for graduation from the IBRD program currently stands at a gross national income per capita level of $6,975, which China has exceeded since 2016. China currently has a World Bank calculated gross national income per capita of level of $9,470. The Accountability for World Bank Loans to China Act codifies Congress' support for Administration efforts to graduate China from IBRD lending in a vote at the World Bank.Related:",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=FE228740-BB95-4483-8A2E-650068E6FC46,Rubio Applauds U.S. Army's Move to Fund Construction of Rare Earths Processing Facilities,2019-12-12,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases Home Newsroom Press Releases Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) applauded the U.S. Army's plans to fund the construction of rare earths processing facilities. Earlier this year, Rubio introduced the RE-Coop 21st Century Manufacturing Act (S. 2093) to combat China's rare earth monopoly and boost U.S. advanced manufacturing. In a speech yesterday at the National Defense University on American Industrial Policy and the Rise of China, Rubio outlined the threat that China's global monopoly on the rare earth supply chain poses to U.S. national security, and the need for policymakers to act to increase our domestic capacity to mine and process rare-earth minerals.I applaud the U.S. Army's move to fund the construction of rare earths processing facilities to better secure a domestic supply of critical materials that are vital to our national defense and technology industry, Rubio said. However, the United States must do more to develop a clear, comprehensive strategy from mining and refining through manufacturing to counter China's monopoly on the global rare earths market, including removing regulatory barriers for mining and processing activities. My RE-Coop 21st Century Manufacturing Act would help to create a fully integrated domestic rare earth value chain to serve U.S. national security interests and restore American competitiveness of critical advanced manufacturing industries.Related:",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://buchanan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/buchanan-s-bill-help-americans-plan-retirement-passes-key-committee,Buchanans Bill to Help Americans Plan For Retirement Passes Key Committee,2019-12-12,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Vern Buchanan,B001260,buchanan.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON The House Ways and Means Committee Wednesday passed Congressman Vern Buchanan's Know Your Social Security Act, which helps Americans plan for retirement by making it easier to access critical information about their Social Security earnings, contributions and future benefits. U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and John Larson (D-CT) introduced HR 5306 last week. The bill is now ready to be considered by the full House, which is expected for a vote in the near future. Too many hardworking Americans enter retirement without enough savings, Buchanan said. Because Social Security is the primary source of income for a majority of seniors, it is imperative they have a full understanding of their benefits as they plan for retirement. The Know Your Social Security Act requires the Social Security Administration (SSA) to resume mailing annual earnings statements to the 178 million Americans workers -- between the ages of 25 and 60 years old -- currently paying into Social Security, making it easier for them to keep track of their finances and plan accordingly. Despite a requirement in law to do so, the Social Security Administration abruptly suspended mailing these statements to the vast majority of working Americans in 2010. Specifically, Social Security's annual mailed statements will include the following information: How much a worker has earned in a given year A worker's contributions to both Social Security and Medicare An estimate of the worker's Social Security benefit at full retirement age The Social Security benefit a worker's family receives when they pass away AARP endorsed the bill saying it would once again place vital, paper Social Security statements in the hands of millions of Americans, to help them more effectively plan for retirement, identify fraud and correct earnings records, and better understand their stake in Social Security. While the SSA is supposed to be mailing these statements to nearly 180 million Americans, it is only mailing them to the 14.6 million aged 60 and older not currently receiving benefits. Instead, SSA has urged the remainder of that population to access their information through the creation of an online portal, but unfortunately is only being utilized by a mere 16.7 million people. According to Pew Research Center, a staggering 33 million Americans are still living without internet access and many are concerned about sharing sensitive information, such as their social security number online. Congressman Larson, chairman of the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee said, Social Security is our nation's foundation to a solid retirement. Americans who contribute to Social Security should receive an update every year so they know what benefits they are earning and can plan for their retirements. No matter what happens in the stock market, Social Security will always be there for them. According to the Coalition for Paper Options, which has endorsed Buchanan's bill, these statements are viewed by many as the single most important financial planning tool that most Americans will ever receive. In 2018, Congressman Buchanan wrote a letter to the Social Security Inspector General, expressing his concerns about the SSA's decision to suspend mailing annual statements to workers between the ages of 25 and 60. Earlier this year, the House passed Buchanan's Retirement Security for American Workers Act, which makes it easier for small businesses to offer retirement plans for workers. The bill is currently pending in the Senate. According to USA Today, the average American has less than $4,000 in savings while nearly 60 percent of adults have less than $1,000 to their names. Buchanan represents over 220,000 Social Security recipients in the nation's seventh-oldest congressional district.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://buchanan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passes-buchanan-proposal-punish-china-stem-flow-deadly-opioids,"House Passes Buchanan Proposal to Punish China, Stem Flow of Deadly Opioids",2019-12-12,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Vern Buchanan,B001260,buchanan.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON Congressman Vern Buchanan's proposal punishing China for failing to curb the flow of deadly synthetic opioids into the United States, which was included in the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed the U.S. House Wednesday. Buchanan introduced the Fentanyl Sanctions Act (H.R. 2226) in April with Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), which closely mirrors language included in the NDAA.This bill would impose economic penalties on China-based drug manufacturers that knowingly send synthetic opioids to drug traffickers and criminal operations. For too long, fentanyl and other opioids have continued to wreak havoc on communities in Florida and across the country, Buchanan said. We need to hold Beijing accountable for any lack of progress controlling the fentanyl freely flowing out of their country. With drug overdoses on the rise, last month Buchanan urged the chairmen of the U.S. House and Senate Armed Services Committees to include his bill in the final version of the NDAA. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug deaths nationwide involving fentanyl or other synthetic opioids skyrocketed by more than 1000 percent in the past six years. In Manatee County, there have been601 overdoses and 61 deaths through October of this year morethan twice as many deaths as reported during the same period last year, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's office.In Sarasota County, there have been 78 overdoses and ten deaths through October a 20 percent increase in overdoses over the number during the same period last year, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's office. This is a frightening development considering that just a few years ago the number of overdoses was declining, Buchanan said. Congressman Buchanan has been an active leader in addressing the opioid crisis in Florida. Buchanan's bill to create a national database on the best ways for patients to manage pain and avoid opioid addiction, the Centralized Opioid Guidance Act, was signed into law last year. Two other Buchanan-backed bills were also signed into law during the last session of Congress, the INTERDICT Act to help stem the flow of illicit opioids and the STOP Act to toughen screening of overseas shipments of deadly synthetic drugs coming into the United States.In 2017, Buchanan was successful insecuring millions of dollarsin funding for our area of Southwest Florida to confront the opioid epidemic. He has consistently pushed to raise awareness of the Suncoast's drug problems including chairing a hearing examining the impact of addiction on families and children. Buchanan also hosted a roundtable in Bradenton with local police officers, medical professionals, and stakeholders and led a meeting of the bipartisan 29-member Florida congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. where members heard testimony from anti-drug experts.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://dunn.house.gov/2019/12/congressman-dunn-comments-on-florida-vs-georgia-special-master-s-recommendation,Congressman Dunn Comments on Florida vs. Georgia Special Masters Recommendation,2019-12-12,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Neal Dunn,D000628,dunn.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC Congressman Neal Dunn (FL-02) released the following statement after U.S. Circuit Judge Paul Kelly Jr. of New Mexico issued his findings in the Florida vs. Georgia water wars case, siding with Georgia: Judge Kelly's recommendation is very disappointing and completely ignores the decades of damage that Georgia's water use has had on families and the ecosystem in Florida. Last year, the Supreme Court recognized that Florida has been harmed as a result of decreased water flow to the ACF River Basin. They established that Georgia's unchecked and excessive water usage has harmed Florida and cost us jobs, particularly in our oyster industry. I trust that the Supreme Court will stand by their previous acknowledgment and ensure Florida gets its fair share of water. Judge Kelly recommended that the Supreme Court reject Florida's request to impose water usage limits on Georgia through 2050. The case will now head back to the Supreme Court for a decision. Congressman Dunn has been working from his first days in Congress to seek an equitable solution for the communities along the Apalachicola River and Bay. In February of 2017, Dr. Dunn questioned the Corps of Engineers about the ACF River Basin. He also led a letter, signed by the entire Florida House delegation, to the Corps calling for it to halt implementation of the Water Control Manual immediately and meet with stakeholders. In July of 2017, Dr. Dunn led a letter, signed by the entire Florida House delegation, urging President Trump to ensure the Corps takes a neutral role and refrains from intervening in Florida v. Georgia. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://spano.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2344,Rep. Spano Supports Lower Prescription Drug Costs No one should worry about the cost of getting well,2019-12-12,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Ross Spano,S001210,spano.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Representative Ross Spano (Florida-15) announced his co-sponsorship of H.R. 19, theLower Costs, More Cures Act, that would make bipartisan reforms to reduce out of pocket spending, protect access to new medicines and cures, strengthen transparency, and to champion competition. Hard working Americans pay too much for the prescriptions they need, and it's time they get some relief.We need more transparency, more generic drugs, and more competition.H.R. 19 will not only lower drug costs, but will also encourage market competition so that we have opportunity to get the best medication possible at affordable prices. Lowering medical costs has been a priority since I first took office, and I will keep fighting for real change.No one should worry about the cost of getting well. H.R. 19 is a bipartisan solution that encourages innovation, caps seniors' out-of-pocket drug costs, makes insulin more affordable, cuts the cost of drug administration for Medicare beneficiaries, and stops subsidizing other developed countries' health care through stronger trade agreements. Rep. Spano has also introduced H.R. 4223, theProtecting Patients from Surprise Medical Bills Act, and he has co-sponsored H.R. 692, thePre-existing Conditions Protection Act of 2019.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://steube.house.gov/media/press-releases/steube-statement-house-judiciary-committee-vote-articles-impeachment-president,Steube Statement on House Judiciary Committee Vote on Articles of Impeachment for President Donald J. Trump,2019-12-12,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Greg Steube,S001214,steube.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C.Today, Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17) released the following statement after a vote in the House Judiciary Committee against both Articles of Impeachment for President Donald J. Trump. What we witnessed here today will be remembered in American history for generations to come and unfortunately, history will not look kindly on what this committee has done tonight, or in the weeks leading up to this vote, said Congressman Steube following the committee vote. This impeachment inquiry was a partisan attack against a duly elected president, attempting to nullify the votes of 63 million Americans. Many who have served in Congress much longer than I have warned against such a partisan approach to impeachment, including Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Nadler. Speaker Pelosi said, impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there's something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don't think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. And he's just not worth it. Chairman Nadler said, there must never be a narrowly voted impeachment or an impeachment substantially supported by one of our major political parties and largely opposed by the other. Yet today's vote was completely partisan, riddled with inconsistencies and a lack any facts supporting a constitutional basis for impeachment, said Steube. The Democrats have systematically denied President Trump any opportunity to present a defense or cross examine fact witnesses and denied the minority the ability to call fact witnesses. Unlike Presidents Nixon and Clinton who were impeached for actual crimes, President Trump is being impeached based on theories concocted by the Democrats, continued Steube. Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress are not listed anywhere in the Constitution when discussing impeachment and now, for the first time in history, we have voted in a congressional committee to impeach a president based on a non-criminal Abuse of Power allegation. This sets a dangerous precedent for future American presidents, explained Steube. With this vote, we have set the precedent that at any time in the future, whenever a majority party in the House doesn't like what's happening in the White House, they can impeach the President for Abuse of Power. No collusion, no obstruction, no quid pro quo, no treason, no bribery, and no high crimes and misdemeanors, concluded Steube. And the only Abuse of Power that I see committed, is the Abuse of Power of this Democrat-led Congress in their attempt to overturn the 2016 election and the will of 63 million American voters.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://waltz.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=137,ICYMI: Waltz on Trumps Military Pardons: We Need to be Careful in Equating Mistakes with War Crimes,2019-12-12,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Michael Waltz,W000823,waltz.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz questioned Department of Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley about President Donald Trump's pardons of Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance and Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, cautioning against quickly categorizing mistakes in combat as war crimes. We need to be very careful in equating mistakes, perhaps bad judgement calls, calls that may even get you relieved of command, with a war crime, Waltz said. I, too, have received many texts and a lot of outreach since these pardons were announced and the majority said that could have been me.'these split-second decisions in the heat of combat, making a mistake does not equate to a war crime. On Nov. 15, President Trump announced he would be granting a pardon to Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, who was serving a 19-year sentence for ordering soldiers to fire on Afghan civilians after the civilians sped towards American soldiers on motorcycles. Waltz personally requested President Trump look into Lorance's case earlier this year. We have to be careful with the signals we send and in this case, a very chilling signal that if you make a bad call, that you could go to jail for 20 years. And I would ask both of you to consider that going forward, Waltz said. Waltz also discussed the continued fight against ISIS terrorism and extremist ideology. Would you agree that we are dealing with a multi-generational war against extremism against an ideology much like the war we fought against the ideology of communism and that we need a whole of government strategyto undermine that ideology[which] frankly, has been lacking over the last 20 years? Waltz asked. Absolutely, I do, Milley responded. You have to get to the root causes to delegitimize the ideology. A video of the full exchange is available here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/senator-rick-scott-calls-hearing-inadequacies-vetting-foreign-nationals,Senator Rick Scott Calls for Hearing on Inadequacies in Vetting of Foreign Nationals,2019-12-12,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Rick Scott,S001217,www.rickscott.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Senator Rick Scott called for a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, with a classified session if necessary, with U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies, as well as military leaders, to examine the failures in the vetting of foreign nationals training on U.S. military bases. Senator Rick Scott said, The terrorist attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola was entirely preventable. It's clear that there were failures in the vetting of this individual. What's not clear is how the vetting process works, who does the vetting, and how much we're able to monitor foreign nationals training in the U.S. We need to seriously reconsider the value of training foreign nationals on U.S. military bases, but in the meantime, it's important that we get to the bottom of what went wrong so we can figure out how to improve the vetting process. Senator Scott is requesting a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing with leaders from the FBI, Departments of State and Defense, and U.S. intelligence agencies in attendance to answer the following questions: There are many agencies involved in this program; who is ultimately responsible for ensuring the safety and security of our men and women in uniform? Do U.S. law enforcement or intelligence agencies perform the vetting of foreign nationals training on U.S. military bases, or do we outsource that to the home country? What process was used to vet the terrorist who committed this attack at NAS Pensacola? What countries participate in this program and what is the strategic significance of these relationships? Do participants of this program have to provide fingerprints, and are they interviewed/ background checked during the visa process? What is the rate of visa denial/approval for participants of this program? Is there any reason why the training of foreign nationals can't occur in their home country? Are U.S. law enforcement or intelligence agencies allowed to track the social media accounts of foreign nationals training, or seeking to train, on U.S. military bases? Did this individual go through a standard background check before purchasing a handgun? Once a foreign national arrives in the U.S., do American intelligence agencies continue to monitor their activities? ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.rubio.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=27813073-87F4-4C8E-819B-5CACB1F04081,NOW: Rubio Chairs Hearing on the Nomination of Jovita Carranza to be SBA Administrator,2019-12-11,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Marco Rubio,R000595,www.rubio.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, convened a hearing to consider the nomination of Jovita Carranza to be Administrator of the Small Business Administration. A live-stream of the hearing can be found on the committee's website here. Chairman Rubio's opening remarks as prepared can be found below. Chairman Rubio: I would like to thank everyone for joining us as we consider the nomination of Jovita Carranza to serve as Administrator of the Small Business Administration. Welcome to the Committee, Ms. Carranza. The Small Business Administration, or SBA, was established in 1953 when the Small Business Act was first signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The SBA has since provided entrepreneurs with vital access to capital, technical assistance, and entrepreneurial resources; ensuring that American small businesses can start, scale, and succeed. However, the needs of entrepreneurs and small business owners have changed in the more than six decades since the SBA was created. Today, there are over 30 million small businesses in the United States, employing nearly 60 million individuals. These firms operate in a new economic climate in which small business dynamism is vital and innovation drives growth. In order to continue to serve small businesses effectively, the SBA must also become dynamic and innovative. Agency modernization is imperative to ensure programs not only meet the needs of America's entrepreneurs, but also help them compete in today's global environment. With China's continued economic aggression and manipulation, small businesses must be better positioned to support U.S. competition on an international scale. The SBA ought to provide tailored and accessible resources to support American competitiveness. This means the agency must expand beyond the traditional offerings, and incorporate creative programming to spur investment, support advanced manufacturing, promote innovation, and expand export opportunities. The Committee is actively working toward these outcomes through a comprehensive reauthorization and modernization of the Small Business Act and Small Business Investment Act. Together, we must create the SBA of tomorrow, not languish in the agency of decades past. Because, ultimately, the status quo is simply no longer good enough. American national competitiveness requires successful small businesses and so do our communities. Roughly 1.8 million, or more than 60 percent, of all new jobs are created by small businesses. In my home state of Florida alone, small businesses employ over 3.4 million individuals. Successful small businesses mean increased access to dignified work; improved local GDP; a healthier economy; and stronger communities. Today's hearing is focused on the leadership of the SBA, namely the role of Administrator, who will be our partner in addressing these issues and working with us to ensure the success of small businesses that propel American competitiveness and stronger communities. I am eager to have a productive conversation and look forward to considering the qualifications of Ms. Jovita Carranza and her vision for a modernized SBA.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://dunn.house.gov/2019/12/dunn-supports-final-passage-of-national-defense-authorization-act,Dunn Supports Final Passage of National Defense Authorization Act,2019-12-11,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Neal Dunn,D000628,dunn.house.gov,,,legacy,"Press Releases WASHINGTON, DC Today, Congressman Neal Dunn (FL-02) supported final passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which continues to rebuild and strengthen our military. The bipartisan legislation is the military's annual policy bill that authorizes funding levels for our nations National Security and Defense programs. While the passage of this vital legislation to support our military is long overdue, I am pleased that we could get this done before Christmas. It also gives certainty to the Panhandle that Tyndall Air Force Base will be fully rebuilt and includes my legislation requiring the Secretary of Defense to provide a report to Congress on the future of Artificial Intelligence in DoD,"" said Dr. Dunn. Our men and women in uniform repeatedly suffer the consequences of a divided Congress and are forced to keep us safe with outdated equipment and technology. This important legislation works to reverse years of underfunding. The Conference Report to Accompany S.1790 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 includes a 3.1% pay raise for troops, improves military readiness, and modernizes outdated equipment. It authorizes an additional $5.3 billion in emergency funding for military installations damaged by natural disasters, additional aircraft, ships, and systems for our warfighters, as well as establishes the United States Space Force as the sixth branch of the military. It authorizes $1.5 billion for the rebuild of Tyndall Air Force Base to a 21st Century Base. The Conference report also adopts Rep. Dunn's bill which instructs the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to Congress regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Defense. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://dunn.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=229,Dunn Supports Final Passage of National Defense Authorization Act,2019-12-11,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Neal P. Dunn,D000628,dunn.house.gov,dunn,https://dunn.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27,scraper,"Today, Congressman Neal Dunn (FL-02) supported final passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which continues to rebuild and strengthen our military. The bipartisan legislation is the military’s annual policy bill that authorizes funding levels for our nations National Security and Defense programs. “While the passage of this vital legislation to support our military is long overdue, I am pleased that we could get this done before Christmas. It also gives certainty to the Panhandle that Tyndall Air Force Base will be fully rebuilt and includes my legislation requiring the Secretary of Defense to provide a report to Congress on the future of Artificial Intelligence in DoD,"" said Dr. Dunn. “Our men and women in uniform repeatedly suffer the consequences of a divided Congress and are forced to keep us safe with outdated equipment and technology. This important legislation works to reverse years of underfunding.” The Conference Report to Accompany S.1790 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 includes a 3.1% pay raise for troops, improves military readiness, and modernizes outdated equipment. It authorizes an additional $5.3 billion in emergency funding for military installations damaged by natural disasters, additional aircraft, ships, and systems for our warfighters, as well as establishes the United States Space Force as the sixth branch of the military. It authorizes $1.5 billion for the rebuild of Tyndall Air Force Base to a 21st Century Base. The Conference report also adopts Rep. Dunn’s bill which instructs the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to Congress regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Defense. ###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://gaetz.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-matt-gaetz-questions-secretary-defense-mark-esper-military-response,Congressman Matt Gaetz Questions Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Military Response to NAS Pensacola Shooting,2019-12-11,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Matt Gaetz,G000578,gaetz.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C.Today, in a House Armed Services Committee hearing, U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01) questioned Secretary of Defense Mark Esper about the current status of the flight program training Saudi Arabian students in the United States and what steps the Department of Defense is taking to address Saudi Arabian students currently at NAS Pensacola. Rep. Gaetz asked The Secretary whether the U.S. military is currently accepting new students into the program and urged Secretary Esper to make a public statement today with information regarding the status of the program and if the application process has been halted. Rep Gaetz released the following statement after the hearing: After last week's deadly shooting, the people of Northwest Florida want answers about Saudi student participation in the flight training program at NAS Pensacola. I have asked Secretary Esper to make a public statement today, and answer whether we are currently receiving new Saudi students while the program is under review, if the program has been paused, and who has access to the Saudis currently at NAS Pensacola. My constituents and I eagerly await his response, said Congressman Gaetz. A video of Rep. Gaetz speaking in the House Armed Services Committee hearing, and a rough transcript, can be found below. CLICK HERE TO WATCH REP. GAETZ'S REMARKS TRANSCRIPT Rep. Gaetz: Mr. Secretary, I want to thank you and I want to thank the president for instituting a review of the Saudi program. I also wish I had more time to reflect on the heroism of the sailors who ran toward gunfire and who also informed on the location of the shooter during this terrorist attack. During this review that you are conducting, is the program paused? Are we going to be taking in new Saudi students? Sec. Esper: First of all, my condolences to your constituents. You're right -0 there was a lot of heroism on the ground that day. A very tragic day for everybody. So yes, we have directed, if you will, a stand-down that would limit Saudi participation in our US-based training to classroom training only until we can do expedited vetting of all Saudi students here in the United States. I spoke to their deputy defense minister yesterday, by the way, a graduate of Pensacola Naval Air Training, he agreed, he fully supports this, they are going to do parallel vetting a well to make sure they understand Rep. Gaetz: During that time, new incoming students or not new incoming students. Sec. Esper: I can't answer that affirmatively I'd have to get back to you on that. Rep. Gaetz: Mr. Secretary, this is an issue of great importance to my constituents. Sec. Esper: It's a very fair question. Rep. Gaetz: I would hope that very soon, perhaps within the day, you would be able to make a public statement as to whether or not we are taking news students while you are undergoing that vetting process. Sec. Esper: I think I know the answer, but I want to be affirmative in what I tell you. I think that's a very reasonable thing to do. Rep. Gaetz: There are a number of Saudis that are currently with us on your base, NAS Pensacola who currently has access to those people during the investigation? Sec. Esper: Of the dozen or so that were immediate friends, acquaintances, etc. of the alleged killer, the FBI. Department of Justice has control of them on the base. Rep. Gaetz: So who has access to those people? I specifically want to know like, are the embassy personnel, clerics, others, speaking with, talking to, perhaps providing communication with these people we're holding for questioning? Sec. Esper: I don't know exactly I want to say a Navy Muslim chaplain may have access to them, certainly the FBI and DOJ does, Rep. Gaetz: Do any other Saudis have access? Sec. Esper: I think the Saudi commander has access to them he's the one that's keeping them restricted onto that site. Rep. Gaetz: How about Saudi embassy personnel? Sec. Esper: I don't know. Rep. Gaetz: That's also really important because to me, this is Sec. Esper: I can assure you somebody knows, I just don't know right here as I sit. We'll get back to you on that too. Rep. Gaetz: I appreciate your prompt attention to this because again that deeply informs on what we can do as policymakers to try to improve this relationship with the kingdom because, at some point, there's only so much of this that we're going to be able to take where the Kingdom tells us there's some quirky part of the Royal Family that's off doing some different thing. These Saudi students they're connected folks when they end up in Pensacola. I appreciate your great efforts and I look forward to those answers. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://gaetz.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-matt-gaetz-slams-democrats-his-opening-statement-prior-judiciary,Congressman Matt Gaetz Slams Democrats in His Opening Statement Prior to Judiciary Committee Impeachment Markup,2019-12-11,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Matt Gaetz,G000578,gaetz.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C.Today, in the House Judiciary Committee's opening statements on Articles of Impeachment Against President Donald J. Trump, U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01) outlined the Democrats' evolution of impeachable offenses, from Russia collusion to bribery. Rep. Gaetz pointed out that even the Democrats' top witnesses couldn't prove a crime: Even their seemingly most anti-Trump witness, Lt. Col. Vindman, said I was never involved in anything that I would consider bribery or extortion.' In the midst of the impeachment process, House Democrats have forgotten about Americans. Now with no crime and no victim, House Democrats impeach because they have no agenda for America. Congressman Gaetz said. The video of Rep. Gaetz speaking at the House Judiciary Committee mark-up on articles of impeachment and a rough transcript can be found below. CLICK HERE TO WATCH REP. GAETZ'S REMARKS TRANSCRIPT ""This is the fastest, weakest, thinnest, most partisan, impeachment in American Presidential history. For all the radical left's accusations against the President's honestytheir lies fuel this incendiary, scorched-earth impeachment strategy. When a member of this committee said that President Trump was an agent of the Russian government, engaged in a criminal conspiracy with the Russianshe lied. Needing a new way to undermine our President, the Democrats said he obstructed justicebut they couldn't make the case, they didn't have the facts, and there are no obstruction of justice articles in this impeachment. Needing another new distraction, Chairman Schiff announced a whistleblower. He said we'd hear from this person about bad Presidential conduct. Some in the media reported on the whistleblower, raising serious questions about political bias, improper motivationand scandalous coordination of a political hit job with the operatives of none other than Chairman Adam Schiff. With public opinion turning against impeachment, Democrats scurried to assemble focus groups and commission polls. They learned that accusing the President of bribery would be good politics. While Democrat House members are willing to follow the pundits and consultantsthe evidence and witnesses were not. Even their seemingly most anti-Trump witness, Lt. Col. Vindman, said I was never involved in anything that I would consider bribery or extortion. Lo and behold, there are now no bribery allegations in the Articles. Another lie. But the biggest lie of all was that House Democrats wouldn't put our beautiful nation through a partisan impeachment. Speaker Pelosi said impeachment must be compelling and bipartisan. Chairman Nadler said impeachment should not be partisan. Tonight they stubbornly defy the standard they once setfor themselves. Not only has this weak case failed to convince the President's supporters to abandon him they can't even convince the President's congressional critics to go along with this sham. Democrats Jeff Van Drew and Collin Peterson don't support the President. And they don't support this hot garbage impeachment either. Congressman Will Hurd is a critic of the President. He told you the truth: this isn't impeachable. After years of pointless and endless investigations against President Trump, this witch hunt is no longer simply troublesome, it has become deeply and excruciatingly tiresome. It's time to move on. The American People hate this.and its making some of them hate us. This is nothing more than the sloppy, straight-to-dvd Ukrainian sequel to the failed Russia Hoax. If it seems like you've seen this movie before, it's because you have. And we all know how the cycle goes. Last night's promised smoking gun is today's disappointing nothing-burger. It's like democrats forgot that they're impeaching President Trump for delivering military aid that President Obama withheld. Now with no crime and no victim, House Democrats impeach because they have no agendafor you. Impeachment has become reflexive for Democrats. It's what they've wanted all along. Impeachment is their passion, their drug, their all-consuming ambition and obsession. It has been since the moment they stopped crying at Hillary Clinton's election night sob-fest. They say President Trump abused his powera sad placeholder for an actual impeachable offense. President Trump's true crime in their eyes was winning the 2016 election, against all odds and against the establishment of both parties. The only relevant QPQ is the American People's decision to send President Trump to the White House, in exchange for Trump's commitment to support our workers, restore our economy, defend our troops, and drain the swamp. How dare they accuse President Trump of abusing hispower when they have released the phone records of journalists and congressmen, contrived a kangaroo court, and subjected this Administration to more harassment than any other in American History. They are the sorest of sore losers. The second article accuses President Trump of obstructingCongress? If *obstruction* in Congress is an impeachable offensemaybe we best impeach ourselves. For it is this fact-free impeachment that has obstructed progress on a budgeton border securityon an infrastructure planand on economic reforms to put America first. The American People know what this is really about. It's not Ukraine. It's not Russia. It's not House Democrats' nosiness into executive decision-making. It is about the election. They've seen enough of their candidates to know that none can win. Even Michael Bloomberg said Trump is getting stronger by the day and will eat alive the current field. Their problem isn't only with President Trump. They look down on those of us who voted for him. We know it. You know it. And they know it. But we face this illegitimate impeachment with our heads high, our facts straight and our commitment to our unyielding president deeply intensified."" ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://mariodiazbalart.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/bipartisan-farm-workforce-modernization-act-passes-the-house-of,Bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act Passes the House of Representatives,2019-12-11,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Mario Diaz-Balart,D000600,mariodiazbalart.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a bipartisan bill spearheaded by Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19), Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04) and bipartisan members, passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The bipartisan effort was negotiated over eight months with input from agricultural stakeholders and labor organizations and was introduced with the support of 26 Democrats and 23 Republicans. Today, the House took a significant and necessary step for the American agriculture industry and our farmers who have long-needed a legal, reliable workforce, said Rep. Diaz-Balart. It's critical that we continue to grow and produce our food here in the United States. The moment we hand that power to another country, we put our national security at risk, along with millions of American jobs. This legislation would allow us to have the necessary workforce to continue to provide for our citizens, while giving permanence to our agricultural workers who have devoted their lives to the industry. I am proud to be an original sponsor of this bill, and I thank my colleagues who have worked tirelessly on this issue. I encourage the Senate to work with us so this bill can be signed into law-- It's time to modernize our agriculture industry and reinforce our economy. The men and women who work America's farms feed the nation. But, farmworkers across the country are living and working with uncertainty and fear, contributing to the destabilization of farms across the nation, said Rep. Zoe Lofgren. Our bill offers stability for American farms by providing a path to legal status for farmworkers. In addition, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act addresses the nation's future labor needs by modernizing an outdated system for temporary workers, while ensuring fair wages and workplace conditions. I urge the Senate to follow the House's lead and swiftly pass the first-of-its-kind bipartisan immigration compromise in decades that improves America's agricultural labor programs and laws. Creating a legal and reliable workforce for American agriculture has been one of my highest priorities since coming to Congress, said Rep. Dan Newhouse. Our farmers and ranchers facing a labor crisis need relief, and the men and women who contribute to our nation's agriculture industry need certainty. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act is the first step. This bill is our opportunity to finally provide stability to America's farms and a significant improvement over the status quo. I am grateful to Representative Lofgren, our bipartisan coalition, and all of the agriculture and labor groups who helped draft the bill, and I encourage input from my colleagues as we continue working to improve this legislation in the Senate. I am thrilled to see the Farm Workforce Modernization Act pass the House with a strong bipartisan vote, said Rep. Mike Simpson. Idaho farmers and ranchers have been asking me for years to address their labor needs and this bill takes an important step towards solving this issue. I would like to thank my colleagues Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, and Representatives Dan Newhouse, Mario Diaz-Balart, Doug LaMalfa, and Jimmy Panetta for their months of tireless efforts spent listening to farmers and workers alike to help craft this solution. It isn't a perfect solution but compromise rarely is. The bill balances strong immigration enforcement with common sense reforms that allow our farmers to access a legal workforce without granting any special pathways. I hope the Senate can move similar legislation so we can sign a solution into law. I'm happy to see a good commonsense bi-partisan bill pass the House that is fair to farmers, farmworkers, and to U.S. citizens. In California, and across the U.S., farmers have been calling for a reliable and legally documented workforce for years. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act addresses these issues in a constructive manner that provides much-needed certainty for workers and farmers, said Rep. Doug LaMalfa. Today's strong vote in the House should help ensure the Senate will continue the effort we started. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act is a critical, bipartisan step forward for both our farmers and farmworkers, Rep. Jimmy Panetta said. I am thankful that the House advanced this effort to protect our existing farmworkers and promote an enduring workforce for agriculture. I look forward to working with our colleagues in the Senate to get this bill passed into law. The bill has garnered the wide-spread support of more than 300 agriculture groups and labor organizations. The full list of cosponsors includes: Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV-02); Rep. James Baird (R-IN- 04); Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37); Rep. Anthony Brindisi(D-NY-22); Rep. Susan W. Brooks (R-IN-05); Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24); Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA-29); Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA-27); Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK-04); Rep. Luis J. Correa (D-CA-46); Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA-16); Rep. TJ Cox (D-CA-21); Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN-02); Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO-6); Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28); Rep. John Curtis (R-UT-03); Rep. David Scott (D-GA-13); Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL-13); Rep. Antonio Delgado (D-NY-19); Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25); Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16); Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1); Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH-11); Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA-3); Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29); Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH-07); Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA-10); Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI-3); Rep. Peter King (R-NY-2); Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-01); Rep. Al Lawson (D-FL-05); Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-05); Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-MI-10); Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10); Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04); Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA-22); Rep. Tom O'Halleran (D-AZ-1); Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20); Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA-52); Rep. Collin C. Peterson (D-MN-07); Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1); Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY-23); Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA-36); Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA-38); Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR-05); Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA-08) ; Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID-02); Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI-08); Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA-11); Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07); Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19); Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21); Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT-2); Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH-15); Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-NY-3); Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA-5); Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO-3); Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA-35); Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM-02); Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI-06); Rep. Filemon Vela (D-TX-34); Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR-02); and Rep. Don Young (R-AK- At Large). ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://mast.house.gov/press-releases?ID=6CED27B0-A10B-45E3-A164-09285E6C3A93,Mast Legislation To Eliminate Military Statute of Limitations For Harming Children To Become Law,2019-12-11,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Brian Mast,M001199,mast.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the final version of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included four of U.S. Congressman Brian Mast's (FL-18) priorities to help those who have dedicated their lives to serving our country. It takes a special kind of person to put on the uniform and dedicate their life to serving our country, Rep. Mast said. Our brothers and sisters in arms should be able to serve knowing that we have their backs on and off the battlefield. The following priorities of Rep. Mast were included in the NDAA: The bill is expected to pass the Senate and be signed into law by President Donald Trump in the coming days. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://mast.house.gov/press-releases?ID=AF448518-4295-4D49-867D-4E648BE8849A,Mast Statement On West Palm Beach VA Corruption Charges,2019-12-11,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,FL,Brian Mast,M001199,mast.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) today released the following statement after the Department of Justice announced corruption charges against several employees of the Miami and West Palm Beach Department of Veterans Affairs facilities: It is beyond reprehensible that staff at the VA would line their own pockets with dollars intended to help veterans, and I am grateful to both the VA Inspector General and the Department of Justice for taking action. Although I know there are many amazing and talented people at the VA who cherish the opportunity to serve our veteran community selflessly, unfortunately, this is yet another example of the VA limping from scandal to scandal, and it's exactly why the VA should be begging for increased oversight. But instead, at the end of this year, the VA will be evicting Members of Congress from their facilitieslimiting the resources available to uncover issues exactly like this one. With this news, I am again calling on VA Secretary Robert Wilkie to reverse his decision so that we can work together to make the VA a more effective, transparent and accountable organization. If he refuses, I hope all 435 Members of Congress will join me in passing the Improving Veterans Access To Congressional Services Act so that Congress can help implement the culture change that the VA has been either unwilling or unable to accomplish. Following this news, Rep. Mast also sent a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie calling on him to reverse his eviction decision. That letter is attached. BACKGROUND Rep. Mast opened the first-ever Congressional office inside a VA facility in 2017, and the office has met with more than 500 veterans at the West Palm Beach VA since then. The office provides services to veterans, such as helping them with disability claims and benefits appeals. Earlier this year, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it would be evicting Members of Congress from their offices inside VA facilities. Unless the Department of Veterans Affairs reverses their decision, the office will be forced to close by the end of the year. Rep. Mast has also authored a bill, called the Improving Veterans Access To Congressional Services Act, to mandate the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide this space to Members of Congress so that they can assist veterans when and where they need the help. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z