Dear friend,

As your representative and neighbor, I can testify that our community is filled with loving, kind and hardworking people of all political stripes. We are fortunate to live in a free country where we can speak out and express our opinions, and respectfully listen to others with different views. Many of America’s adversaries want to see us divided, and other powerful special interests profit from division and violence.  

Let’s do more to build common ground and engage with people who feel alienated. Policymakers, parents, grandparents and educators can help address the growing impact of social media that is intended to enrage, steal the attention of young people and often steer them towards radicalization. We must recommit to reducing gun violence - a worsening American problem. We cannot become numb to the fact that the leading cause of death of children in America is now death by firearm (higher than any other cause, including car accidents). 

My team and I work for every single one of our neighbors, and I am grateful for your trust.

FY26 National Defense Authorization Act: Military service members, their families and our national defense deserve our support and I was please to see a bipartisan NDAA pass out committee. I successfully offered amendments to the bill to protect access to health care for MacDill Air Force base families at the Sabal Park Clinic, and to boost pay in our high-cost region. The bill that passed the House however was stuffed with unnecessary and extreme amendments that I could not support in the end.

It also was important that my vote reflect my opposition to how the President is using the military. President Trump has long sought to deploy the military at home to target his perceived political opponents. It is wrong and illegal to deploy soldiers domestically to suppress peaceful protests, act as local police forces, and clash unnecessarily with local leaders who oppose his policies. It’s also a colossal waste of money. Authoritarians around the world similarly stoke fear, invoke emergency powers and send in armed troops to force their will on others. We can’t let that become routine in America. Trump and Republicans in Congress have politicized our armed forces in dangerous ways instead of focusing on our national defense. I stand committed to putting people over politics — supporting our troops and their families, strengthening our national security, and protecting American freedoms.

Partisan Immigration Legislation (H.R. 3486) passed with bipartisan opposition that would add costly mandatory minimums and long maximum prison sentences – in some cases, up to life imprisonment – to existing criminal penalties for individuals who unlawfully enter or reenter the U.S. Under current law, entering or attempting to enter the country illegally is already a crime punishable by fine and/or up to six months in prison (or two years with enhancements). Reentry following removal is already a felony punishable by up to two years in prison (or twenty years with enhancements). I’d rather see the Congress spend its time on solutions to reduce growing inflation and the cost of living. 

Every American deserves high-quality health care they can afford, and no one should have to choose between going to the doctor and the ability to buy groceries. Yet, dark clouds are on the horizon for Floridians.

The cost-saving Affordable Care Act tax credits that I championed were ripped away by Trump’s Big Ugly Bill to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. A broad range of advocates and I am doing everything to get them reinstated ASAP.

Congress needs to act now. If Congressional Republicans refuse to reinstate the credits, Floridians can expect their health costs to soar by 18-40%. If our neighbors can’t afford insurance, more uncompensated care in the emergency departments will lead to hospital closures, longer wait times and higher premiums for all of us.

Your voice matters and is the key to our democracy. Thank you for using it.

My office is here to serve you. If you are having issues with Social Security, Medicare, Disaster Assistance, Veterans Affairs, Immigration, or assistance with a passport renewal, contact my offices for help by calling (813) 871-2817 or (727) 369-0201.

Don't forget to RSVP for my annual Academy Day at MacDill Air Force Base! RSVP by September 15th HERE.