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Issues
Economy/Jobs
My Congressional
district has been struggling with extremely
high levels of unemployment where, in some
places, the unemployment rate has even reached
30 percent. I
have often remarked that, while everyone is
referring to our nation undergoing a
recession, parts of my district have been
living in a depression for far too long.
As we push
forward with economic recovery, Congress must
focus on job creation, economic stimulus and
bringing an end to our nation’s housing
crisis. As
Co-Chairman of the Democratic Caucus’ Jobs
Task Force, I have urged the Senate to move
forward with the wide array of job creation
legislation that has already passed through
the House of Representatives. Every
moment wasted is keeping Americans from
getting back to work. In
addition to creating jobs, we need to keep the
jobs that we do have. By
rejecting trade agreements that place American
workers at a competitive disadvantage, we can
minimize the number of our jobs that are being
shipped overseas. In
addition to job creation, my Democratic
colleagues and I have taken significant action
to address the sub-prime mortgage crisis,
which has led to home foreclosures
nationwide. It
is also vital that we improve access to
homeownership. We
need to build and revitalize communities in a
way that attracts jobs and encourages
investment.
Furthermore, I
take very seriously the issue of advancing
diversity in the American workforce. If
we are going to lift our economy up and rise
again as a great nation, we need to consider
all of the different innovative opportunities
out there. I am disappointed, though, to
repeatedly observe the significant gender and
racial disparities in American industries. We
need a strong vision and leadership. Our
workforce needs be as diverse as the people
our country is made up of and I will continue
to fight to ensure opportunities are available
to all Americans.
Health Care
It is critically important for the health of
our nation and the recovery of our economy
that we work together to implement
comprehensive, smart, and sustainable
health care reform.
I support health
care reform that
ensures coverage for every child in America,
invests in prevention and wellness, makes sure
that doctors and nurses get the information
they need to provide the best individualized
care, and does not deny coverage based on
pre-existing conditions, age, or gender.
That is why I proudly voted in favor of the Affordable
Health Care for America Act,
which expands health
care coverage to
40 million people, restores competition to the health
care market, fixes longstanding
problems such as the Medicare “doughnut hole,”
and reduces our national deficit. This
legislation lays the foundation for
comprehensive reform, but we must also
continue working with the medical community,
organizations, and everyday people to address
the health
care disparities that
exist across many different communities and to
ensure that all Americans can be as physically
and mentally healthy as possible. Last year,
I voted to provide health care to 11 million
children in Florida by
reauthorizing the State Children’s Health
Insurance Program (SCHIP). As we move forward
with comprehensive
health care reform,
my priorities include developing a long-term
care strategy to ensure that long-term
care services are
accessible and affordable; increasing access
to life-saving drugs and medication by making
them more affordable; reducing the number of
infections and morbidities associated with
HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) by increasing access to
voluntary and routine screening; and much,
much more.
Education
At a time when many teachers in Florida face
pink slips, we should be investing in
education, not cutting it. All students,
regardless of their socio-economic background,
deserve the opportunity to receive an
education that will allow them to go as far as
their talents and dreams will take them. I
have been hard at work making sure that
students in Florida’s 23rd district
and across the nation can access these
opportunities. Furthermore, making higher
education accessible and affordable to all
students remains a priority of mine in
Congress. Last year, Congress passed
legislation that improves federal student
lending, saves taxpayers $87 billion over the
next 10 years, and increases the maximum
annual Pell
Grant scholarship.
In 2008, Congress passed legislation that I
introduced, which encourages partnerships
between community colleges and juvenile
detention centers and provides youth with the
education and tools necessary to successfully
re-enter society.
BP Oil
Spill/Environment
The recent BP
oil spill, also known as the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill, is a sobering
reminder of the need to preserve and protect
our environment. The BP oil spill is the
worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
While the leak has been sealed, the effects of
the spill will be felt for many more years to
come as millions of lives across the Gulf
Coast, as well as marine and
plant life, have been negatively impacted. I
have always believed that offshore
drilling poses
an unacceptable risk to Florida, our nation as
a whole, and the environment. That is why I
will continue to oppose expanded offshore
oil drilling in
Florida and work towards holding the
responsible parties accountable.
Preserving and protecting
our environment remains
one of my top priorities in Congress. The
decisions we make now regarding energy and
environmental policy will shape the future for
generations to come. That is why I have
fought to place greater emphasis on
environmental justice, ensuring that
historically disadvantaged communities do not
suffer disproportionately from poor
decision-making. In addition, I also continue
to support increased fuel
efficiency standards and
investments in research and development of
green sources of energy and technology. As a
fifth-generation Floridian and great grandson
of a Creek Indian, my passion for the Everglades extends
back to my birth. We must continue our
efforts to restore and preserve the
Everglades.
Veterans Affairs
Supporting our troops also means being there
for them when the tour is over. After serving
our country so selflessly, our veterans and
their families deserve the best in health care
and support services. With U.S. military
operations continuing for the foreseeable
future, we must ensure that the Veterans
Administration (VA)
provides the highest level of service to
veterans in a timely manner. I am proud to
have helped bring the Oakland Park VA medical
clinic to Broward County and will continue to
work to improve the quality of care at the VA
hospitals in Florida and across the nation.
In addition, I have introduced several pieces
of legislation in Congress to help veterans
and their families live better lives. They
include providing taxpayers with a way to
assist homeless veterans, increasing benefits
for the surviving spouses of military
personnel, recognizing and supporting assistance
dogs that
help wounded veterans lead more independent
lives and
the organizations that provide them, improving
health care access
and quality for female veterans, and
protecting veterans’ pensions from being cut
or cancelled due to the reimbursement of
expenses related to accidents, theft, loss, or
casualty loss. Our brave servicemen and women
work hard each and every single day to advance
the interests of the United States and to
protect the American
people. Let us honor their
service and sacrifices by making sure that no
veteran is left behind.
Immigration
The United States of
America was
founded upon the principles of hard work and
equal opportunity for all. We are a nation of
immigrants, and it is in our diversity and
unity that our strength lies. Legal
immigration provides many who seek a better
life with a chance to realize the American
dream and to contribute to our nation.
However, our current immigration system has
changed relatively little since 1952. We can
and must do better. Reasonable and
comprehensive reform is necessary to fix our
broken immigration system and to meet the
challenges our growing nation faces in the 21st
century. This means enforcing
those existing laws that work and revising
those that no longer reflect our current
immigration situation. As we move forward in
this endeavor, we must ensure that our
immigration policies are fair, inclusive, and
applied equally to all immigrants regardless
of their national origin. Unfortunately, this
has not always been the case. Long before the
magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti in
January of this year, I had been working to
ensure the fair treatment of Haitian nationals
currently in the United States who seek refuge
by calling for Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
to be granted. Above all, however, we must
secure our borders. By enforcing smart and
efficient immigration policies, we can keep
America safe and reduce the burden on our
public services and institutions, such as our
education, health care, and correctional
systems.
GLBT Equality
The gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT)
community is part of our American family and,
in many cases, our own. They are our friends
and neighbors, and all contribute to this
great nation. The United States can only
truly prosper when all of its citizens are
guaranteed equal protection under the law and
in every state. Laws that deprive GLBT
Americans of these rights are
unconstitutional, discriminatory, and
unconscionable. More than ever before,
however, the fight for GLBT equality is full
of hope and promise. I am proud to say that The Matthew
Shepard and
James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is
now law. But, in this fight, we are also
confronted with indifference, inaction,
outdated ideas, deeply held beliefs, and
hate. We have made great strides in GLBT
equality in recent years, but are reminded of
how far we still have to go. All Americans,
regardless of their sexual orientation, gender
identity, or gender expression, deserve the
same rights, benefits, and protections. This
means finally repealing the discriminatory law
known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” repealing
the Defense
of Marriage Act (DOMA),
passing an inclusive Employment
Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA),
and replacing other archaic laws that keep
GLBT Americans from pursuing happiness,
expressing commitment to each other, raising
families, and living life day-to-day without
fear of discrimination or violence. I stand
resolved in achieving equality for all
Americans and nothing less because it is the
right thing to do.
International
Relations: Israel
I have been a
lifelong friend of Israel and the Jewish
community here in the United States and around
the world. In
fact, I have been to Israel 14 times as a
Member of Congress. Most
recently, I traveled to Israel at the end of a
trip that included Turkey, Syria, Lebanon,
Egypt, Jordan, and the West Bank.
Folks may
disagree about this or that particular aspect
of policy, but at the end of the day both
countries – the United States and Israel –
need to be about the business of pursuing the
policies that will enable Palestinians and
Israelis to peacefully live in the same corner
of the world and to care for Israel’s security
and its character as the Jewish State. We
need to do what is necessary to establish the
peace between Israelis and Palestinians that
will ensure Israel’s security so we can deal
with the single biggest threat to peace in the
entire region, and that is Iran.
Israel deserves
to be secure and prosperous, and to that end I
assure you that I remain absolutely committed
to advancing the peace process in the Middle
East.
International
Relations: Iran
I firmly believe
that the United States needs to take a strong
stance against Iran’s nuclear capacity. With
the lack of stability in Iraq, Iran’s
potential to complicate security and stability
in the region is amplified. I support
President Obama’s belief that a nuclear-armed
Iran is a threat to the United States, its
allies and world peace. Like
the President, I am determined to resolve this
issue via diplomacy, sanctions and
international cooperation. In Congress, I have
emphasized the urgency of this issue. As
Iran’s nuclear capacity grows, our chances for
an effective diplomatic resolution are at
risk. Along
with stronger sanctions, we should encourage
our allies in the Middle East to join us in
placing diplomatic pressure on Iran.
We must also
address the plight of the Iranian people. They
are demanding genuine political
accountability. Daily
events in Iran reflect the systematic use of
violence and intimidation in the place of
dialogue and debate. I
share your concerns that we cannot support
electoral fraud, turn a blind eye to human
rights violations against innocent Iranians,
or permit civil liberties and political rights
to be confiscated. Political,
racial and religious hatred must be addressed
forcefully by the world community. I
will continue to dedicate my efforts to
eradicating all forms of hatred and zealously
defending the fundamental freedoms and rights
of all human beings around this world.
International
Relations: Iraq
Before the start of the Iraq War, I offered an
alternative war resolution in 2002 mandating
President Bush to provide Congress with a
comprehensive plan for the long-term
stabilization of Iraq before going to
war. Today, Iraq remains unstable and the
violence has displaced almost 5 million
people. I continue to support establishing a
definitive timeframe for troop withdrawal from
Iraq. Further, I have introduced comprehensive
legislation to address the Iraqi refugee
humanitarian crisis. The
war in Iraq has caused catastrophic human and
economic damage both domestically and abroad.
Our brave service men and women have been
killed, injured, suffered mentally, and
separated from their family members for far
too long. It
is our obligation to fulfill our commitment to
these brave men and women when they return
home from duty. I strongly support and have
introduced legislation that will provide for
full funding of veterans’ health care and
other benefits. I
am confident that President Obama, with the
support of Congress, will put together a
comprehensive exit strategy that will provide
for cultural, economic and political stability
in Iraq. We
owe this to our troops, their families, and
the American people.
Caribbean/Cuba/Haiti
On January 12,
2010, Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western
Hemisphere, was hit by a devastating magnitude
7.0 earthquake. Haiti
needed our help then and needs our help even
more so today.
Throughout my
tenure in Congress, I have consistently
supported U.S. assistance to Haiti and relief
for Haitians here at home in South Florida. I
have introduced legislation that would give
Haitian nationals living in the United States
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and have led
Congressional efforts in support of increased
funding for Haitians and the alleviation of
Haiti’s debt to international financial
institutions.
We must work to
put Haiti on a sustained path to recovery,
development and growth. In
this vain, I recently introduced legislation
that would call for a White House Conference
on Haiti. The
goal of this conference would be to bring
together all parties who have pledged their
support to Haiti’s recovery effort to ensure
that the funding, natural resources, and
humanitarian labor are used in the most
efficient way possible. Allowing
gaps or redundant waste is both unacceptable
and unconscionable. Therefore,
it is vital that we make every effort to
assure all available resources are used to
their full capacity.
In addition, I
have also worked hard in Congress to
strengthen the broader U.S.-Caribbean
relationship. I regularly advocate for
advancing Caribbean countries’ economic and
political security and have always supported
aid to the region to reduce poverty and combat
the AIDS epidemic.
Finally, I
support a democratic and terror-free Cuba. I
will continue my high level of advocacy for a
democratic Cuba in Congress, supporting
legislative initiatives including sanctions,
human rights, and drug interdiction
cooperation.
Judiciary/Hate
Crimes
We must continue
taking step towards bringing the full
protection of the law to those targeted for
violent, bias-motivated crimes simply because
of who they are. Last
year, I was a proud original cosponsor of H.R.
1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes
Prevention Act of 2009. This
legislation is also known as the Matthew
Shepard Act, in memory of the 21-year old
University of Wyoming student who was brutally
tortured and murdered in 1998 because he was
gay. Passage
of this bill in the House of Representatives
was a vital step in the right direction and
expands the federal hate crimes law to include
protections for crimes directed at individuals
because of their gender, gender identity,
sexual orientation, or disability.
Hate crimes are
destructive and divisive. A
random act of violence resulting in injury or
even death is a tragic event that devastates
the lives of the victim and their family, but
the intentional selection and beating or
murder of an individual because of who they
are can terrorize an entire community and even
the nation. I
have, and always will, advocate for protecting
all human beings from this type of violence. That
you can count on.
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