WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) called for a congressional hearing with experts on the Zika virus as soon as possible in a letter to the chairs and ranking members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee and its Subcommittees on Health and Oversight and Investigations. U.S. Rep. Castor serves on both subcommittees. U.S. Rep. Castor is pressing for the most up-to-date information from public health experts on Zika's current and potential impact in the United States, especially in Gulf states like Florida, which has been designated as an area of year-round risk. Read more »
U.S. Rep Kathy Castor (FL14) took to the floor of the U.S. House today to oppose a House Republican bill that takes financial cops off the beat and shields big banks and financial institutions from fraud investigations. She criticized a system rigged in favor of Wall Street at the expense of hardworking Americans. U.S. Rep. Castor supports giving more tools to law enforcement and U.S. Attorneys to hold white-collar criminals accountable for any financial misdeeds that have harmed neighbors, veterans, working families and so many all across the country. At the end of last week, U.S. Rep. Castor met with the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida to discuss fraud and white-collar crime prosecutions. Read more »
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor expressed concerns regarding the merger of Charter, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, and urged the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a robust public interest review. Castor emphasized the importance of maintaining a high-level of customer service for cable and broadband service in the Tampa Bay region, supporting our local, diverse workforce, and protecting local programming and local philanthropic and educational initiatives, such as Bright House Pitch 6, a Shark Tank style competition to help startups expand and create jobs, held just this past weekend. Read more »
Following the landmark ruling today on America's clean energy future by the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor filed a bipartisan jobs and energy bill to spur investment and research in widespread distributed energy technology, such as rooftop solar. Often the cheapest, most reliable and efficient energy source, distributed energy creates electricity at or near the customer, as opposed to centralized generation at large power plants that often requires electricity to be transmitted long distances to consumers. Combined with incentives to reduce demand for electricity that were affirmed today by the U.S. Supreme Court, America must chart a modern course for powering our communities that includes localized sources. Read more »
MacDill Air Force Base is on a short list of bases to be considered for the next base selection round of next generation of air refueling tankers, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) announced today. If selected, MacDill could become home to 36 new KC-46 tankers in the spring of 2020. A final basing decision could come as early as the end of 2016. Read more »
Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) demanded that the VA implement drastic improvements to better serve veterans. A recent Inspector General report and other reports have pointed out failures that continue to persist at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Read more »
Congress today came together to pass an important omnibus appropriations bill that funds medical research, education and clean energy initiatives that will boost jobs across the Tampa Bay area and America. Democrats successfully beat back scores of harmful Republican policy ‘riders’ on Planned Parenthood, Cuba, environmental protection and other topics. Read more »
On the eve of the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s historic announcement to re-establish U.S./Cuba diplomatic relations, today U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14-Tampa Bay) announced that she will help breathe life into a bipartisan task force to press for congressional action that will build on the progress. Read more »
The long-overdue, bipartisan education reform bill, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), received final passage today in Congress and is now headed to President Obama’s desk for signature. Read more »
