Representative Kathy Castor

Dear friend,

Our military service members and their families deserve our support, so I’m pleased that Congress was able to pass a pay raise for our troops as part of the FY2024 bipartisan annual defense bill that bolsters America’s national security.

Extreme MAGA Republicans delayed adoption of the bill for months in an effort to force their radical policies (like an abortion ban) on service members. In the end, more Democrats than Republicans voted to support the NDAA as Congress limped out of town with little to show for the year marked by turmoil among the GOP.

DO YOU SUPPORT A 5.2% PAY INCREASE FOR TROOPS?

YES

NO

I DON'T KNOW

VOTES THIS WEEK

Health Care

The House passed a series of bipartisan health bills from my Energy & Commerce Committee, including new transparency requirements to require hospitals to display all standard charges for services and require insurers to make public their negotiated in-network and out-of-network provider rates. Other key bills include:

H.R. 5378, Lower Costs, More Transparency Act - Requires greater price transparency from pharmacy benefit managers so that employers and health plans can negotiate lower prices for employees. The bill also ensures that Community Health Centers, National Health Service Corps, and Teaching Health Centers can continue their important missions to provide high-quality, affordable health care. Tampa Family Health Centers and Evara Health can use these resources to address doctor shortages and deliver care.

H.R.4531, Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act - Reauthorizes key parts of a landmark 2018 law to combat the opioid epidemic with a focus on prevention, treatment, recovery, and the expansion of Medicaid coverage. It includes my bipartisan bill to help foster youth access the Medicaid services.

H.R.3226, PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2023 - Renews our commitment to addressing preterm birth through federal research and data collection while promoting evidence-based best practices aimed at supporting healthy pregnancies and preventing adverse birth outcomes.

National Defense Authorization Act

H.R. 2670, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 - I championed provisions to support MacDill Air Force Base service members and their families, including a pay raise and improvements to on-base housing, health care and child care.

As Co-Chair of the Special Forces Caucus, I strongly pressed for support for our Special Operations Forces global missions through combat development activities, cyberspace operations, and INDOPACOM MISO.

The NDAA will help more military families balance their budgets by expanding eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance, which helps lower grocery and housing costs.

Service members deserve housing that is safe and clean and free of mold and shoddy construction. The NDAA includes significant investments to continue improving military housing and strengthens oversight of the conditions of housing units.

The final NDAA rejected extreme Republican provisions that would have prevented action on climate resilience, and instead promotes energy efficiency and climate resilience.

Read more about the National Defense Authorization Act here.

UN CLIMATE CONFERENCE

I retuned from COP28 buoyed by the unanimous announcement that all countries intend to transition away from fossil fuels to avoid rising costs and avoid catastrophic climate impacts. All countries agreed to triple renewable energy, double energy efficiency and boost the ability of communities to deal with extreme heat and weather events.

The United States is a global leader in the transition to the clean energy economy. Thanks to America’s historic climate and clean energy law, the Inflation Reduction Act, a wave of clean energy savings for consumers and manufacturing projects are on the rise. In Florida alone, the historic climate law is projected to create more than 85,000 high-quality, good-paying jobs by the end of the decade. Representatives from Australia, Germany and other nations relayed their efforts to pursue similar policies aimed at driving clean energy innovation and economy-wide sustainability. Click here to read more about my trip.

ZELENSKYY VISITS CONGRESS

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy met with Congressional leaders to urge support in countering Putin’s unprovoked aggression. Abandoning our democratic allies would be a win for ruthless dictators and a significant loss for our national security, so I am urging Republicans to unite with Democrats and President Biden in supporting America’s national security, democracy and freedom for Ukraine in the next session of Congress. Click here to read my full statement on President Zelenskyy’s visit.

I voted NO on MAGA Republicans’ sham impeachment inquiry as well this week. They want to distract Americans from their lackluster accomplishments and agenda. Time would be better spent on lowering the cost of living, growing the middle class and building safer communities.

As you prepare for the holidays, stay safe and please let me know if we can be helpful in any way. You can call my office at (813) 871-2817 or (727) 369-0201.

I hope to see you soon!

Sincerely,

Kathy Castor
Member of Congress