Press Releases
Over the past six years, there have been multiple instances of individuals rupturing pipelines in the Tampa Bay area. Most recently, in November 2007, a 30-mile-long anhydrous ammonia pipeline in Riverview, Florida, was vandalized which led to the release of a poisonous chemical cloud and the evacuation of 300 local residents. The authorization included a provision Bilirakis authored to clarify federal pipeline safety and security procedures and determine whether additional measures are necessary to protect our nation's critical pipelines.
WASHINGTON (4 June) – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), representing Florida's 9th Congressional District, today issued the following statement amid reports that House and Senate Democrats have reached a tentative deal to include billions in aid for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank in a troop funding bill intended for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan:
"This legislation will improve the educational opportunities, grants and resources available to small business owners who have served in our nation's armed forces," said Bilirakis. "We have over 35,000 wounded warriors that have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan and we must do all we can to ensure they have every opportunity to succeed. Creating incentives for transitioning service members to start their own business is a perfect way to assist with that process."
WASHINGTON (19 May) – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee's Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight, today joined the entire Homeland Security Committee in supporting a resolution that would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detail the process by which an intelligence assessment about "right-wing" extremism was created.
Bilirakis made the following statement at the committee markup of the resolution this morning:
"Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
WASHINGTON (8 May) – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), the only Florida member on the House Homeland Security Committee, today released the following statement in support of the confirmation of former Florida emergency management director Craig Fugate as administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA):
WASHINGTON (29 April) – Today U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), representing Florida's 9th Congressional District, announced that federal disaster assistance is available for eligible farmers in the Tampa Bay Area.
WASHINGTON (15 April) – U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee's Subcommittee on Management, Investigations, and Oversight, today released the following statement regarding a Department of Homeland Security intelligence assessment that singles out our nation's veterans and gun owners:
"I am disturbed and personally offended by the Department of Homeland Security's view that returning military veterans and gun owners are likely to commit terrorist acts.