Dear friends!
The COVID-19 crisis has taken so much from Floridians in the past year. No family or business has been untouched by the pandemic. Now, help is finally on the way for Americans nationwide in the form of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
The American Rescue Plan is a victory for all Americans. It puts money in American pockets and vaccines in their arms; it safely sends children back to school and workers back to their jobs; and will crush this virus and get Americans back on their feet.
This bill will send direct payments of $1,400 to 85% of American households. It will help lift 27 million children out of poverty. It enhances assistance for unemployed workers and small business owners. It expands ACA healthcare coverage, funds housing assistance and food security programs, and much more.
Congress can help save lives from gun violence, keep guns out of the wrong hands, and prevent mass shootings. But eight years after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, three years after the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and after countless other gun violence tragedies, Congress has waited too long and wasted too much time when we could have saved lives.
We can’t have safe communities until we fix the background check system. The Bipartisan Background Checks Act builds on federal law by ensuring that all gun purchases and transfers require background checks regardless of the vendor. Additionally, the Enhanced Background Checks Act will close the Charleston Loophole that lets individuals with incomplete background checks purchase firearms by allowing more time for the FBI to clear them.
In March, President Biden expanded Temporary Protected Status to roughly 320,000 Venezuelans living in the US after fleeing the humanitarian crisis brought on by Nicolás Maduro’s government. The TPS status offers legal protections for 18 months, alleviating some fears of deportation and allowing Venezuelans to continue living their lives in the United States.
The corrupt Maduro regime has devastated Venezuela, creating dire economic and humanitarian conditions that have made the country unsafe and unlivable for millions of people. Congress and the White House must do more to punish the brutal Maduro regime and stand with the Venezuelan people.
As the pandemic continues to impact our daily lives, I am ready to work with Congress to pass legislation to meet the needs of our community. Please feel free to reach out to my office if we can be of any assistance.
