Issues

When it comes to accountability, Members of Congress must lead by example. I have worked to earn the trust of Space Coast and Treasure Coast citizens by being an example of accountability in government.

Since being sworn into Congress in 2009, making Washington more accountable and transparent has been my top priority. This builds on the similar steps I took as a member of the Florida Legislature, where I kept my office under budget, fought for transparency, and held state agencies accountable by literally writing the book on government accountability with my Activity Based Total Accountability plan (ABTA). ABTA requires state agencies to tell the taxpayers exactly what was accomplished with their tax dollars and became model legislation for accountability across other states. (Read more about ABTA here.)

Other reform and accountability initiatives include:

• Blocking Congressional pay raises every year since coming to Congress
• Returning the annual pay raise put in place by Speaker Pelosi every year of his service
• Passed the “3 Day Rule” to give the public and Members of Congress time to read legislation before it is voted on.
• Passed the Congressional “Posey Rule” to make legislation more transparent and easier to read to spotlight any last-minute legislative changes
• Introduced and cosponsored legislation to require single-issue voting and stop unrelated amendments
• Introduced a 5-year ban on lobbying for retired Members of Congress to end the revolving door
• Consistently cosponsored legislation to create term limits for all Members of Congress
• Cosponsored and voted for the STOCK Act to stop insider trading in Congress
• Passed the Policyholder Protection Act, my bipartisan bill to hold bank regulators accountable and protect consumers from being forced to bail out Wall Street
• Dubbed “Mr. Accountability” by a leading conservative news outlet.

Upon taking office, President Biden went to work repealing successful Trump-era policies to secure and control the border. Biden’s actions sent a clear message to the rest of the world that his administration would not enforce our border laws, thus paving the way for an invasion by nearly ten million illegal immigrants, emboldening drug cartels, terrorists, and human traffickers, and creating a fentanyl crisis which kills tens of thousands of Americans every year.

Refusing to enforce the law and then standing idly by while a dangerous crisis ensues does not constitute a policy difference. It’s reckless endangerment of the American people and is why I have fought to secure our border and hold President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas accountable for their dereliction of duty.

• Voted for the Secure Border Act of 2023
• Consistently voted against spending bills that failed to include border security funding
• Supports building the Wall and restoring President Trump’s border security-first initiatives
• Introduced Articles of Impeachment against Biden for permitting a foreign invasion
• Cosponsored and voted for Articles of Impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas
• Worked with Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to develop legislation allowing state officials to enforce immigration laws when the federal government refuses to act
• Introduced legislation to repeal the controversial VISA lottery program
• Earned the top grade from NumbersUSA for efforts in Congress to secure our border – ranked above 98% of other Members of Congress when it comes to border security.

More and more Americans are waking up to the threat posed by China and our dependence on a foreign adversary for our nation’s critical supply chain needs. China’s stated goal is to achieve global dominance. Hollowing out the U.S. economy and stealing our intellectual property is a key part of their plan. 

Making America more competitive and creating American jobs is a top priority. Last year, President Biden vetoed my bipartisan bill to stop China from violating our trade laws and dumping their cheap solar products – made with forced labor – in our market. Not only does this hurt American manufacturers and workers, but it also makes us more dependent on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for vital energy needs.

• Led a bipartisan effort to force the Biden Administration to abandon their patent reforms which would have benefited China and harmed U.S. inventors
• Successfully led the Biden Administration to reverse course and restore Trump-era restrictions on Chinese components in our energy grid
• Passed bipartisan legislation to support American solar manufacturers and workers and to hold China accountable for breaking our trade laws—unfortunately, this was vetoed by Joe Biden
• Repealed unnecessary, burdensome red tape and fought overregulation
• Introduced the Safe Medicine Act to end our reliance on China for lifesaving drugs
• Drafted a legislative initiative to block American research dollars from benefiting Chinese entities
  Authored legislative efforts to provide tax credits to U.S. companies that bring back manufacturing jobs to our shores
• Introduced bipartisan legislation to create a commission to study U.S. supply chain vulnerabilities
• Introduced the Prepare Act to expose the origins of COVID-19 and hold China accountable
• Received “Republican Leadership Award” from pro-American job creators

I believe getting the federal government’s financial house in order would positively impact our economy, our businesses, our federal budget, and the family budget of millions of Americans. I view the last debt ceiling deal in May 2023 as a HUGE missed opportunity to put our nation on better financial footing. Since then, Washington has added another $2 trillion to our national debt with no plan to control the deficits. In typical fashion, when Washington “comes together” on a budget deal, it’s expensive and a bad deal for the American people. 

A consequence of the trillions in overspending is not only the inflation that’s been created but the resulting hike in interest rates by the Federal Reserve, which impacts lending to businesses, mortgages, rent, auto, and home improvements loans.

I have taken real action that protects your tax dollars, fights inflation, and reins in out-of-control spending.

• Voted against 90 percent of all final spending bills that have come before Congress for a vote
• Cosponsor of the Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment every Congress
• Forced the first and only Balanced Budget Amendment vote in Congress in the past 25 years
• Consistently voted against “Too Big to Read” bills, resolutions, and stimulus plans
• Supported energy reform legislation that focuses on lowering prices and building up American energy
• Named “Taxpayer Hero” by Citizens Against Government Waste

President Biden’s energy policies have been a major driver of inflation. Biden’s policies have locked up U.S. energy sources, made America more dependent on foreign energy, and created market uncertainty and vulnerabilities for Americans. I have an “All of the Above” approach to American energy.

• Supported H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act
• Led the effort to repeal the Biden Administration’s rule that allows Chinese solar panels to evade tariffs and undercut American manufacturers
• Opposed the Green New Deal Agenda
• Voted to repeal Biden regulations limiting consumer choice in automobiles to EVs
• Cosponsored bill to block Biden’s ban on gas stoves
• Fought to protect America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve 

As a former worker at Kennedy Space Center and former Chairman of Space Florida’s predecessor organization, I understand the importance of American leadership in space research, capabilities, and exploration. Not only will our investments in space exploration keep much-needed, high paying jobs here in Brevard County and throughout the Space Coast, but it contributes to American space innovation and leadership as well as our national security. Space is the ultimate military high ground. Free nations worldwide are looking to the U.S. to lead the world in space, and if we fail to do so, others – namely China and Russia – will fill that void, which is not in our economic or national security interest.

• Opposed efforts to make us reliant on the Russians for U.S. astronaut access to the International Space Station (ISS)
• Approved a NASA Authorization bill in 2017 that authorized critical NASA human space flight programs
• Passed the Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015—including key provisions for building a robust commercial space program here on the Space Coast
• Wrote into federal law key policies that have led to the investment of billions of dollars by a host of space companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance among others
• Spearheaded the RACE for Space Act and the Commercial Space Support Vehicle ACT, helping commercial space companies launch at the Cape by eliminating burdensome red tape and permitting Dept. of Defense to benefit from these commercial investments in space
• Introduced the American Space Launch Competitiveness Act to make America more competitive for space launches on American soil.

First and foremost, I oppose making changes to Social Security and Medicare, particularly for those in or near retirement. These are programs that seniors have paid into and are a contract between seniors and the federal government. This promise must be kept. Additionally, inflation and higher prices adversely affect seniors living on fixed incomes. Washington needs to get serious about the root cause of inflation – multi-trillion-dollar deficits and a growing national debt. I refused to be part of the go-along-to-get-along crowd and forced the only floor vote on a Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment in 25 years. I will continue to fight for commonsense fiscal policies in Congress.

• Voted to increase price transparency throughout the healthcare system
• Voted to end surprise medical billing practices
• Passed into law my Seniors Tax Simplification Act to create a new, simple tax filing form for senior citizens
• Voted to expand Medicare coverage for cancer screenings and prioritize Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Menopause research
• Voted against changes to Social Security benefits
• Voted for legislation that would guarantee that Social Security checks are never held hostage to budget negotiations
• Voted against legislation that would have made changes to Medicare for those who are nearing retirement

Many on the left have tried to redefine our freedom by imposing their Woke ideology wherever and whenever they can. Parents, women, our children, military service members, and Christians have all come under attack in an attempt to restrict our liberty. I have a strong and consistent record of supporting our Constitutional Rights, including our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

• Voted for the Parents Bill of Rights
• Cosponsored and voted for legislation supporting Second Amendment rights
• Voted to repeal the controversial ESG investment rule
• Voted to protect women and girls in sports so they are not forced to compete against biological men
• Cosponsored legislation to stop critical race theory (CRT) policies
• Supported effort to prevent President Trump’s removal from the 2024 ballot
• Support free and fair elections
• Support YOUR right to buy the car you want, own a gas stove, or have a ceiling fan
• Fought to stop BLM-backed activists from defunding local police departments
• Voted to create a committee to investigate weaponized government agencies

One of the greatest privileges my wife, Katie, and I have is serving our military veterans and their families. On every occasion, we have been honored to participate in meeting our veterans as they depart on their Honor Flight to our nation’s capital to visit their memorials or greet them in Washington, DC, as they arrive at the National Mall. We owe a great debt of gratitude to our brave servicemembers, past and present. And, it is also our duty to ensure that our nation provides our current servicemembers with the training and equipment they need to defend our nation and to make sure they always have the advantage in times of war.

• Ensuring America’s soldiers have the best equipment and training
• Ending the COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restoring to service those who were dismissed by the Biden Administration
• Supported Blue Water Navy veteran’s benefits
• Fighting for the needs of veterans exposed to burn pits and toxic substances
• Working to modernize the VA, end backlogs, and improve VA access and service while putting an end to Biden policies that diverted VA funds to pay for processing illegal immigrants
• Supporting efforts to clean up chemical contaminants at and around military bases
• Supports Congress’s Constitutional duty to declare war
• Votes against sending our men and women overseas to police the world
• Securing the needs of our own local military bases: Patrick Space Force Base, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and our Navy submarine fleet’s Naval Ordnance Test Unit