We are grateful to every American who volunteers to serve our country at home or abroad. Service can take many different forms. For thousands of Floridians, membership in the Florida National Guard is their patriotic contribution to their communities and to our country. As Members of Congress from Florida — of both political parties — who sit on the House Armed Services Committee, it is our duty to ensure these brave citizen-soldiers and citizen-airmen have the resources they need to complete their...
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As a member of Congress from Florida who used to work at the Pentagon, there is no shortage of national security threats that keep me up at night. China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, the failed state of Venezuela, nuclear weapons, and terrorism all disturb peaceful slumber. But the most pressing global challenges I see are pandemic disease and climate change. While they may not be considered “national security threats” in the narrowest sense of the term, they pose a clear and present danger...
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In the last four months, over three million Florida workers lost their jobs and filed for unemployment, victims of the economic crisis created by COVID-19. Most struggled — and many still struggle — to obtain the benefits they are owed, victims of an unemployment system that successive leaders in Tallahassee allowed to atrophy through a combination of indifference, incompetence, and ideology. Nevertheless, when benefits are finally paid, they are a lifeline for unemployed...
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The fight against coronavirus is unlike any our nation has waged in modern history. But this is not the first time we have been tested in such a sudden and devastating fashion — and Congress should draw lessons from our past experience. On Dec. 7, 1941, Imperial Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, killing over 2,000 Americans, crippling the Navy’s Pacific Fleet and drawing us into World War II. On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners,...
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As Covid-19 sweeps across the United States like wildfire, my fellow members of Congress and I are working to douse the flames. We need to use far more water -- a fact some of my colleagues haven't come to terms with yet. When the virus first emerged, it caused me to reflect on my experience at the Pentagon during the administration of President George W. Bush. In 2005, I was part of an interagency team that prepared for the potential arrival of another virus, H5N1, commonly known as the bird flu,...
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Like other immigrants and refugees to this country, I know how fortunate I am to call America home. When I was a baby, my family fled Vietnam because our lives were threatened by a communist government that exercised ruthless power unchecked by the rule of law. We were rescued at sea by the U.S. Navy after our boat ran out of fuel and then offered safe haven in the United States. My parents instilled in me a deep love and appreciation for America. They taught me this is an exceptional country. It’s...
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In May, other members of Florida’s congressional delegation and I were briefed for 90 minutes in the U.S. Capitol by officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security regarding Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. I sought the briefing after then-special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s report showed Russia had probed and even pierced election networks in Florida, among the most closely contested states in U.S. politics. Although our briefers supplied new details, much remained...
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I’m a Democrat in the House of Representatives who recently became a minor cause celebre in conservative media circles after I publicly pronounced myself a “proud capitalist” distressed by the increasing use of the term “socialism” in our national discourse. While this term has come to mean different things to different people, it signals disenchantment with — and a desire to discard — the capitalist model that the United States has embraced since its founding. I didn’t expect my comments to be...
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In 2017, as a freshman member of Congress, I visited Israel. While one can read about the threats Israel faces from countries like Iran and terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas, there is no substitute for being on the ground, hearing from Israelis themselves, and seeing how close and complex the threats are. You realize this is a place where the past permeates the present — a highly-advanced nation that has not lost its sense of vulnerability, one both focused on the future and gripped...
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There are two major holidays when we honor the men and women of our armed forces. On Memorial Day, we pay tribute to military personnel who died in the line of duty. And on Veterans Day, we express gratitude to all those who honorably served, both living and departed. Every day — and especially on Veterans Day — we should take time to thank the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who wore our nation’s uniform. We should let the veterans in our life know we appreciate the sacrifices they made...
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