Dear Friend,

Appropriations for the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Transportation and other vital agencies for our community still hang in the balance due to the inaction of the Senate and the White House. The House passed appropriations bills in June but it appears that the White House is angling for a showdown or a shutdown. Yesterday, the House passed a “continuing resolution” that includes a 3.1 percent pay raise for our men and women in uniform and funds the government through December 20, but sets up a possible “bah humbug” for the military, including MacDill Air Force Base and the country if the Senate and White House can’t get their act together.

In my Energy and Commerce Committee, we approved important bills to protect the health of our Tampa neighbors and more. H.R. 4995- the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019 is bipartisan legislation to create and improve upon public health programs to address maternal health, including increased funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Every 12 hours an American woman dies from pregnancy complications, and African American women are 3-4 times more likely to die during or after delivery. The committee also passed H.R. 2339 to ban flavored e-cigarettes and vapes.  The Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act also raises the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products to 21 and empowers the Food and Drug Administration to tackle this public health crisis.

The Committee also passed H.R. 3851- the Brand USA Extension Act: Brand USA is a public-private partnership that helps market the United States, including Florida, to international travelers at no cost to taxpayers. From 2016-2017, 14.4 million individuals visited Florida and injected $108.8 billion into our state’s economy.

The House has scheduled a vote on a bill I have cosponsored, H.R.1309 - Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act. This bill will require the Department of Labor to address workplace violence in the health care and social service sectors, ensuring safety and due process for our Tampa neighbors while they serve some of our most vulnerable neighbors.

Climate Update - The Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will hold a hearing today entitled "Building a 100 Percent Clean Economy: The Challenges Facing Frontline Communities." I am eager to hear recommendations from Craig Fugate, the former Florida emergency management director and FEMA Administrator on ways Congress can help reduce the costs associated with extreme weather events and better protect American families. The federal government can provide critical support in developing climate risk data, resilience standards and technical assistance tools for local communities to boost their resilience and ability to respond to the impacts of the climate crisis. You can watch at 1:30 today.

Impeachment Inquiry -  The witness testimony from Trump Administration officials confirms that Trump endangered our national security by withholding critical military assistance to counter Russian aggression for his personal political gain. Trump betrayed his oath of office and abused his power by withholding military aid and a White House meeting in exchange for an investigation into his political rival — a clear attempt by Trump to gain an advantage in the 2020 election. Jeopardizing America’s national security to help win elections is wrong.  No one is above the law, not even the President. I encourage you to watch the ongoing proceedings and read hearing transcripts. For a full list of those testifying, click here. The American people deserve to know the truth, and it's unacceptable that the president continues to intimidate witnesses. I am proud of the brave public servants who continue to speak truth to power as they appear publicly in front of the House Intelligence Committee.

I look forward to spending next week home in Tampa and wish you a peaceful and Happy Thanksgiving!