WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Florida, issued the following statement on July 22: U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) hailed House passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, one of Congress' most significant investments in environmental conservation in a generation. * * * "Since the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LCWF) was established by the Congress in 1965, America has preserved its most unique and beautiful lands and waters. I'm thrilled as a cosponsor of this landmark Act to   more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Florida, issued the following statement after the passage of the bipartisan fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act in the House: "Even in the midst of a global pandemic, our men and women in uniform at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa and across the globe are bravely defending our nation and keeping us safe. MacDill and our service members are central to the economic well-being of the Tampa Bay area, and this year's NDAA ensures that our servic  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Florida, issued the following statement: U.S. Representative Charlie Crist (D-St. Petersburg) released the following statement on three amendments he successfully included in the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA). * * * The NDAA, which passed the House today by a vote of 295-125, authorizes $732 billion in discretionary funding for our national defense, while making key investments in our ser  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Florida, issued the following news release: U.S. Representative Charlie Crist (D-St. Petersburg) hailed passage of the Great American Outdoors Act (H.R. 1957), legislation making the most significant federal investment in environmental conservation in a generation, through protecting public lands, preserving outdoor recreational opportunities, and conserving wildlife habitats. "The Great American Outdoors Act protects our environment and quality of   more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Florida, issued the following statement after the House approval of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2021: "This afternoon, I voted yes on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA). As a veteran and representative of a district with a large military presence, taking care of our troops is a top priority. "This bill is consistent with President Trump's topline defense budget request and includes a 3% pay increase  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Florida, issued the following news release: Representative Lois Frankel (FL-21) voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, a strong, bipartisan bill that honors America's values, strengthens our security, and advances America's leadership in the world. The bill includes a Frankel provision to advance women's participation in national security forces both in the U.S. and globally. The provision would require an a  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Brian Mast, R-Florida, issued the following news release: U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) helped pass the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act - which he cosponsored - to make funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) permanent, as well as support the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund. This legislation would also support the nearly $22 billion backlog of deferred maintenance projects on federal lands. "Each year, our economy   more

MIAMI, Florida, July 22 -- Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Florida, issued the following news release: U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26), a leading member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced $10,664,360 in grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for repairs related to Hurricane Irma. Funds will go towards repairs for roads, bridges, wastewater treatment plants, a pumping station, and 30 parks damaged in Hurricane Irma. "Three years after Hurri  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Florida, issued the following news release: Congresswoman Donna Shalala (D-FL) joined with her colleagues in passing the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a bill that will focus on improving America's defenses as our nation grapples with a once-in-a-generation health crisis and social upheaval against the backdrop of sustained systemic discrimination. "This year's NDAA will not only improve America's long-term defens  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. W. Greg Steube, R-Florida, issued the following statement after voting against the final passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 6395) for fiscal 2021: "Funding for our national defense should not be used by the Democrats as an opportunity to further their partisan, progressive wish list, such as renaming military bases, and restricting funding for the border wall, all while forcing components of the Green New Deal on our military. "The legislation   more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. W. Greg Steube, R-Florida, issued the following news release: U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) joined colleagues in sending a bicameral letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requesting an investigation into the amount of taxpayer dollars local officials used to encourage, sustain, bolster, supply or repair the damage in anarchist "autonomous zones." "Taxpayer dollars should not be used to fuel anarchy," Steube said. "Rather than stopping the vi  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Florida, issued the following statement after the House passed the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act by a vote of 295-125: "As a Green Beret and combat veteran, I know firsthand the importance of a well-equipped, well-prepared military force. Although this bill isn't perfect, it still represents Congress' ability to cut across partisan lines to fulfill one of its primary duties: providing for the common defense," Waltz said. "Our country still   more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida, issued the following joint statement with Reps. Alcee L. Hastings, D-Florida, Ted Deutch, D-Florida and Frederica Wilson, D-Florida, in response to social media posts by Broward County Clerk of Courts Brenda Foreman: "Broward County Clerk of Courts Brenda Forman owes our entire community an apology for why she re-posted what she represented to be the words and image of Adolf Hitler. "Using Hitler to convey any point of view or me  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Florida, issued the following statement after voting to pass the William Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2021: "The U.S. Constitution states that providing for the 'common defense' is one of our fundamental responsibilities. After last year's partisan bill, I'm pleased to see the House returned to tradition of developing this bill with input from Republican and Democrat members. This is a step forward in properly providing f  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Florida, issued the following news release: Florida Congressman Daniel Webster, R-Clermont, joined Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and members of the Florida congressional delegation in urging U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to include Florida's commercial fishermen in the lobster relief program announced by President Trump on June 24, 2020. The program addresses harm to the United States lobster industry caused by steep tariffs imp  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Florida, issued the following news release on July 22: Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 6395, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, which includes two bipartisan amendments jointly offered by Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (R-PR) and Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) to support military veterans in Puerto Rico, who are not always treated equally compared to veterans residing in th  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, issued the following transcript on Fox Business' Mornings with Maria: U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined Mornings with Maria on Fox Business to discuss the U.S. closing the Chinese consulate in Houston overnight, China's efforts to dominate the 21st century economy, the importance of domestic industrial capacity, and passing additional federal relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. See below for highlights and watch the full interv  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, issued the following news release: On the eighth anniversary of the violent death of Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya by the Castro regime in Cuba, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) in reintroducing legislation to rename the street outside of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C. as "Oswaldo Paya Way." An early critic of the Castro regime, Paya founded the Christian Libera  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) led members of the Florida congressional delegation in urging U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to include Florida's commercial fishermen in the lobster relief program announced by President Trump on June 24, 2020. The program addresses harm to the United States lobster industry caused by steep tariffs imposed by the Chinese government. More information ca  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, chairman of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, named Sergio's Family Restaurant of Miami, FL as the U.S. Senate Small Business of the Week. Rubio released the following video message (https://twitter.com/SmallBizCmte/status/1285982789398134786) to congratulate Sergio's Restaurant a  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, named Sergio's Family Restaurant of Miami, FL as the U.S. Senate Small Business of the Week. Rubio released the following video message to congratulate Sergio's Restaurant as the Senate Small Business of the Week. A broadcast quality version can be found here https://lfts.senate.gov/seos/1000/mpd/ui06082  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, issued the following news release: During a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Nominations Hearing, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) questioned Carlos Trujillo, current U.S. Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS), to be the next Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere and Marshall Billingslea, nominee to be the next Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. Video of   more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, issued the following news release: Senator Rick Scott released the below statement applauding the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's unanimous passage of his and Senator Josh Hawley's bill to ban all federal employees from using TikTok on government devices. Several government agencies have already banned TikTok on federal government devices due to cybersecurity concerns and possible spying by the Communist Chinese go  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, issued the following news release: Senator Rick Scott wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper following reports that the Secretary is considering visiting Communist China. In the letter, Senator Scott requested that the Secretary outline his plan to hold Communist China accountable for its blatant human rights abuses and its role in the spread of the coronavirus. * * * July 22, 2020 The Honorable Mark T. Esper, Secretary of Defense  more

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, issued the following statement as Congress considers additional coronavirus relief measures: "For months, I have been fighting to make sure Congress doesn't bail out states for their poor fiscal decisions. I have worked aggressively to stop bills that would backfill states' lost revenue or give poorly-run, liberal states like New York and Illinois a blank check to pay for their years of fiscal mismanagement. Every time a Senator tried to allow   more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, issued the following news release: Senators Rick Scott and Ron Johnson asked their Senate colleagues to urge their respective states to immediately provide information about how they have allocated billions of dollars received from the CARES Act and other federal coronavirus response measures. This information is critical as Congress considers additional relief measures. The Senators also wrote a letter to the National Governors Association req  more