WASHINGTON (1 February) – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), representing Florida’s 9th Congressional District, today issued the following statement after the release of the White House’s record $3.8 trillion FY2011 budget proposal:

“I have been encouraged by President Obama’s recent calls for fiscal responsibility, but unfortunately the budget numbers presented today don’t match the rhetoric.

“Under President Obama's new budget, the deficit soars to a record $1.56 trillion and puts the nation on a course to more than double the national debt held by future generations. The proposal is more of the same out-of-control deficit spending and higher taxes that we have seen from this Administration over the past year.

“While I recognize that the burden of fiscal responsibility falls on the shoulders of both parties, the answer isn’t to combat spending and deficits with even greater spending and increased debt. The President is correct that we need to get Washington’s fiscal house in order to achieve sustainable economic growth, but this budget’s trajectory is simply unsustainable and doesn’t put us on a path to achieve that goal.”

View the President’s FY2011 Budget of the U.S. Government at http://www.budget.gov.

WASHINGTON (27 January) – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), representing Florida’s 9th Congressional District, this evening released the following statement on President Barack Obama's first State of the Union Address:

“Tonight President Obama outlined a welcomed, although small step toward fiscal responsibility. Unfortunately, I fear that freezing 1/6 of the federal budget after a year of enormous spending increases which have already set us on a course to double the size of the $12 trillion national debt is little more than a political ploy.

"Instead of pushing an agenda that burdens the nation with new taxes and crushing deficits, I believe that the best way to encourage job creation is to allow families and small businesses to keep more of what they earn so they can innovate, grow, and create jobs to turn our economy around.

“As Congress begins anew in 2010, I am hopeful that Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats will work to incorporate Republican ideas and put forth proposals that reduce spending and cut taxes to match the President’s lofty rhetoric."

WASHINGTON (21 January) - U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight today, sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano urging prompt action to enhance our nation’s visa screening capabilities overseas to keep terrorists out of the United States.

In the letter, Bilirakis highlighted the need to expand the Visa Security Program, which places highly-trained security officers at overseas posts to thoroughly investigate and scrutinize visa applicants. Currently only 14 of the 220 Department of State posts around the world have Visa Security Units, while 40 have been identified as ‘high priority’.

“I am greatly troubled that expansion of this vital terrorist screening program does not appear to be a priority of the Administration, especially since Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab reportedly received a visa in London, which does not have a Visa Security Unit,” the letter said. “Although Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has a plan for deploying additional Visa Security Units in the coming years, the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2010 budget request only included funding to continue visa security activities at existing high-risk locations, not expand these terrorist detection capabilities.”

In June, Bilirakis sponsored an amendment to H.R. 2892, the Fiscal Year 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations Act, which shifted $1.7 million from administrative functions at the Department to be used solely to open additional Visa Security Units. The House approved this amendment by a vote of 423 to 6 on June 24, 2009. Unfortunately, the final conference agreement on the bill only included $500,000 for this purpose.

“The Visa Security Program is the nation’s first-line of defense against those who want to gain visas to do us harm, and we should be aggressively examining visa applications to identify potential terrorists before they obtain a visa to the United States,” said Bilirakis.

To read the letter in its entirety click here.

WASHINGTON (21 January) - A dispute between the Obama Administration and Republicans on the Committee on Homeland Security over the Congress’ right to conduct independent investigations of the Executive Branch ended when the Administration provided the Committee copies of a security manual it had withheld during Congressional hearings last month.

At issue was whether the Transportation Security Administration had to comply with 49 USC §114(r)(2), which prohibits the TSA from withholding sensitive security documents from the Congress.  The TSA wanted to wait until after the holiday travel season and after its own internal reviews were completed before providing a more recent copy of a security manual that was improperly released in March of last year.  The Members of Congress wanted to compare the most recent version of the document to the March version to identify what security vulnerabilities were created when the TSA identified its mistake in December.

“The fact that this manual was available for nine months on the Internet before TSA realized what it had done is disappointing, and unfortunately, this incident demonstrated a certain level of negligence within the agency.  TSA’s attempts to then keep the Congress from conducting a thorough assessment of the damage was simply inexcusable,” stated Ranking Member Dent of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection.

“I am pleased, however, that the TSA has recognized its necessity to comply with the law and I look forward to fully reviewing the document to better understand the depth of the security breach caused by the manual’s accidental disclosure by TSA.”

“Revealing sensitive information of this nature is a major self-inflicted breach of our nation’s security. Thankfully TSA has stopped stonewalling Congressional oversight so that we can determine just how damaging this leak was and ensure that the Department is taking all the necessary steps to secure the traveling public,” said Bilirakis, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight.

WASHINGTON (15 December) – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia, today issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 2194, the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act, which targets Iran’s dependency on foreign gasoline and other refined petroleum products in an effort to combat the Iranian regime’s illicit pursuit of nuclear weapons:

“The threat represented by a nuclear armed Iran is real and growing. In recent months Iran has shown that it refuses to suspend uranium enrichment and is actively working to develop nuclear weapons in defiance of the international community. Just today there are reports which suggest Iran is in the final stages of priming a key component used to arm a nuclear warhead.

“Given Tehran’s long record of deception and stalling, it is time to impose tough, targeted sanctions on the Iranian regime and send a strong signal that our nation will not stand for escalation of their nuclear arms program.”

NOTE: Bilirakis is a co-sponsor of the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act, which passed the House by a vote of 412 to 12.

WASHINGTON (9 December) – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight, today sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano requesting immediate assurance that mitigating measures are being implemented by the Department after the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) inadvertently revealed sensitive airport passenger screening practices when it posted its “Aviation Security Screening Management Standard Operating Procedures” online.

Bilirakis joined Full committee Ranking Member Peter King (R-N.Y.) and Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection Ranking Member Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) in signing the letter, which can be viewed here.

"There is no question that this is a serious self-inflicted breach of our nation’s security,” said Bilirakis. “Revealing information of this nature is completely unacceptable and will provide terrorists with a guide to circumventing airport security. DHS needs to act to deal with the effects of this sensitive information being made public.”

The 93-page TSA operating guide details various procedures and information ranging from screening passengers and checked baggage to technical settings used by X-ray machines and explosives detectors. It also includes pictures of credentials used by Central Intelligence Agency employees and federal air marshals, and identifies countries whose passport holders are automatically subjected to additional review.

WASHINGTON (8 December) – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation authored by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), which would label certain Middle Eastern satellite providers of incendiary television programming as terrorist organizations, in an effort to prevent radical anti-American propaganda from hitting the airwaves.

“This legislation will provide the United States with critical baseline information to combat media outlets that serve as vehicles for violent anti-American incitement,” said Bilirakis, who is a member of the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security. “Given the danger such incitement and radicalization poses to Americans both at home and aboard, it is crucial that these tools of terror be distinguished from reputable news outlets.”

H.R. 2278 designates satellite providers that knowingly and willingly contract with terrorist entities as Specially Designated Global Terrorists and directs the President to submit a comprehensive annual report to Congress regarding anti-American incitement to violence in the Middle East. The report must include a country-by-country list and description of media outlets that engage in anti-American incitement to violence in the Middle East and a list of satellite companies that carry such media.

“Instead of denouncing such incitement, many countries in the region effectively provide financial, material or technological support to the purveyors of incitement,” Bilirakis added. “The United States in crafting its foreign policy must consider state-sponsorship of anti-American incitement to violence when determining the level of assistance to, and frequency and nature of relations with, regional states. We already spend too much on foreign aid to countries that take our money with one hand and slap us with the other. This legislation will help us ratchet down foreign aid to countries who take this approach.”

WASHINGTON (4 December) – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), representing Florida’s 9th Congressional District, today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor reported the U.S. economy continued to lose jobs, keeping unemployment in double digits. The news comes as President Obama is scheduled to head to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark where it is expected that he will further commit the United States to a job killing national energy tax:

“Today’s unemployment numbers should continue to serve as a harsh reminder of the challenge our nation faces to create jobs and turn our economy around. It should also serve as a warning for President Obama as he heads to Copenhagen, that our economic future cannot include yet another barrier to recovery in the form of a national energy tax.

“While I recognize the need to protect our environment, the priority must be improving the nation’s economic climate and the desperate need for job creation. The “Cap & Trade” proposals in Congress fail to effectively strike that balance and will end up hurting families and small businesses that are desperate for relief. Instead of a heavy handed use of taxes and mandates, Congress should instead incentivize energy efficiency and private investment in renewable energy technologies as part of a comprehensive plan to protect our environment and address our energy needs.

“We simply cannot continue to create an economic environment that stifles job growth and economic opportunity. Instead of taking every opportunity to raise taxes and rob hard working people of what they have earned in an effort to grow the federal government, Congress should pass economic measures that let families and small businesses keep more of what they earn so they can innovate, grow, and create jobs to kick-start our lagging economy.”

WASHINGTON (1 December) – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, tonight issued the following statement after President Barack Obama detailed his new plan for winning the war in Afghanistan:

“I commend President Obama for recognizing the seriousness of the situation in Afghanistan and heeding General McChrystal's call for additional troops. Providing our military with additional troops and resources is critical to our long-term national security and will help achieve the goal of denying the Taliban and Al-Qaeda a staging ground for future attacks. My hope is that the extra forces will be utilized in a manner consistent with the strategy outlined by General McChrystal earlier this year. In addition, it is imperative that the Afghan people have confidence in both their new government and American resolve to stabilize the region.

“While the Administration must set clear benchmarks for the Afghan government to speed up the training of their own forces, we absolutely should not commit ourselves to artificial time lines which have our brave men and women departing Afghanistan independent of the realities on the ground. Telegraphing when our forces will leave the region emboldens our enemies and compromises the diplomatic and military progress which has been made.”

NOTE: Bilirakis met with General Stanley McChrystal when he visited Afghanistan during August as a part of a Congressional Delegation and will take part in a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing about U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan featuring Secretary of State Clinton and Secretary of Defense Gates on Wednesday afternoon.

WASHINGTON (30 November) – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight, today issued the following statement regarding the release of the Department of Homeland Security’s annual financial report:

“The financial management report shows that the Department has a long way to go before Congress can be confident that DHS is properly accounting for how it spends taxpayer money. DHS needs to get its books in order to ensure that scarce homeland security resources are being used as wisely as possible. The Department must consolidate its financial management systems and put in place strong internal controls to provide oversight of its people and processes to provide that confidence.”    

WASHINGTON (17 November) - U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, today delivered the following remarks regarding the Obama Administration's plan to bring terrorists being held at Guantanamo Bay to the United States for trial.

WASHINGTON (7 November) – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), representing Florida’s 9th Congressional District, today announced that he would vote against H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, and support the Republican alternative health care reform bill:

“Speaker Pelosi’s $1.2 trillion health care plan will radically grow the size of government and create crushing new mandates and taxes on individuals and small businesses. The plan will cut Medicare for seniors by $500 billion, and will lead to fewer choices and higher premiums for Florida’s families.

“I believe that there is a better way to reform our nation’s health care system. The Republican health care plan is a responsible and targeted approach that will lower premiums, making coverage more affordable for families and employers, without raising taxes during a recession or cutting Medicare for seniors like the Pelosi plan does."

WASHINGTON (6 November) – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), representing Florida’s 9th Congressional District, today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor reported that the nation’s economy lost 190,000 jobs in the month of October and the unemployment rate rose from 9.8 percent to 10.2 percent, its highest since 1983:

"With more than 1 million Floridians looking for work, Washington needs to put the brakes on inflicting more damage by passing the $1.2 trillion Pelosi health care plan. The Pelosi plan raises taxes on families and small businesses by more than $700 billion and will result in more jobs being lost. Instead of repeatedly saddling our nation with more taxes and more debt, Congress should pass economic solutions that let families and small businesses keep more of what they earn so they can innovate, grow, and create jobs to turn our economy around.

“The Republican health care plan is a responsible approach to reform. It doesn’t raise taxes during a recession and will lower premiums, making coverage more affordable for families and employers while reducing the deficit by $68 billion.”

WASHINGTON (5 November) – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), representing Florida’s 9th Congressional District, today issued the following statement after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirmed that the Republican health care plan will lower premiums by up to 10 percent and reduce the deficit by $68 billion over 10 years without raising taxes or cutting Medicare for seniors:

"The Republican plan lowers health care costs and expands access to quality care without raising taxes, cutting Medicare, killing jobs, or putting federal bureaucrats between patients and their doctors. 

“The trillion dollar Democratic plan raises taxes on individuals and small businesses, raids Medicare to pay for a government takeover of health care, and gives the federal government more power over personal health care decisions. The Republican plan clearly is the preferable approach, especially since it is the only one taxpayers can afford.   

“The GOP plan establishes programs to help people with pre-existing conditions obtain coverage through high-risk insurance pools, prevents insurers from unjustly cancelling policies because people get sick and need costly care, and prohibits insurers from instituting annual or lifetime spending caps for people with high health care costs.

“These consumer protections, coupled with common sense ideas like medical liability reform, strengthening association health plans, and allowing people to purchase health insurance across state lines will make health care more affordable without breaking the bank.”

NOTE: Read the full letter from the CBO here (PDF). Read a summary of the GOP health care plan here (PDF).

PALM HARBOR, Fla. (3 November) - U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), representing Florida’s 9th Congressional District, today announced that he is hosting a Financial Aid Forum and College Fair. The event will offer one-stop shopping for students and parents, providing them with the opportunity to learn more about available financial aid resources, as well as speak with school representatives face-to-face.

The forum will include a presentation from financial aid experts at the Sallie Mae Fund. The College fair will feature representatives from local colleges, career education and technical training schools, and the U.S. Military Service Academies.

Representatives from the University of South Florida, University of Tampa, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, Hillsborough Community College and Technical & Adult Centers are confirmed to attend.

All media inquiries should be directed to David Peluso at (202) 225-5755. To RSVP or to obtain additional information on this event, please contact Congressman Bilirakis's Palm Harbor District Office at (727) 773-2871.

What: Rep. Bilirakis Announces Financial Aid Forum and College Fair

Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Where: Strawberry Crest High School: 4691 Gallagher Road, Dover, FL 33527 (Just off Interstate 4, Exit 14). Get Directions.

Time:  College Fair held in the cafeteria from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Financial Aid Forum held in the auditorium from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.