U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) sent the attached letter to James A. Haley VA Hospital regarding recent media reports of rodents and pests in the hospital’s food service areas. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) joined top military commanders in criticizing the Republican budget gimmick that leaves the Pentagon unsure about future funding and takes the country down a fiscally irresponsible path. Despite the warnings, House Republicans today passed a $579 billion defense spending bill -- above the ceiling of $523 billion set by the 2011 Murray Ryan Budget Control Act. The bill also drew criticism because in addition to busting the caps, $88 billion of the total $579 billion represents Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funds – unstable funds with limited uses. The bill passed by a vote of 278-149. Read more »

By U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, published in The Tampa Tribune on May 25, 2015. Every generation of American service men and women defines the courage and determination of our nation. Salutes to the Greatest Generation are especially poignant this year as we recognize the 70th anniversary of World War II Victory in Europe (V-E) Day and the 70th anniversary of Victory in Japan (V-J) Day. The… Read more »

Just a week after U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter called the bill a “road to nowhere,” House Republicans are poised to bust the federal budget caps in the annual defense bill and thereby delay implementation of the nation’s defense requirements. Read more »

Today, U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor (D-FL14) and David Jolly (R-FL13) met with wing commanders at MacDill Air Force Base for a strategy session on base requirements, such as infrastructure updates needed for the new KC-135 tanker aircraft scheduled to arrive at MacDill in FY18, expanded base housing and relocated Army Reserve helicopter units “A year ago, the Tampa Bay community learned that… Read more »

The defense spending bill passed by the House of Representatives today authorizes a 10 percent budget increase for U.S. Special Operations Command, extended authority for it to carry out its missions and more money to keep its troops healthy. But it also includes reductions in benefits for troops and their families. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor announced that the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed the U.S. House of Representatives today, includes a pay increase for servicemembers, important new investments for special operations, authorizes replacement of the Air Force’s KC-135 tankers with new KC-46 aerial refueling tankers, and provides significant polices for MacDill Air Force… Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) released the following statement on President Obama’s address to the nation: Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor hosted a bipartisan meeting today to continue discussions about what the future will bring for MacDill Air Force Base with members of the Tampa Bay delegation and Kathleen Ferguson, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics and related Department of Defense officials. Read more »

Ray Dever’s father, Ray Dever Senior, passed away when he was in high school and he said father his didn’t talk much about his military service. Read more »