rep gus bilirakis

Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) has reintroduced the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) to protect minors online as concerns of exploitation and harm continue to mount. Rep. Bilirakis initially introduced the bill in April 2024, which places the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in charge of overseeing and bringing enforcement actions against social media companies that fail […]

Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Lois Frankel (D-FL) are introducing bipartisan legislation to assist student veterans in their transition from military to academic life. Specifically, the Veteran Education Empowerment Act reauthorizes the Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success grant program, which helps colleges and universities establish Student Veteran Success Centers. As the name suggests, these […]

Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) is introducing a bipartisan bill protecting seniors from rising Medicare costs. Specifically, the Strengthening Medicare for Patients and Providers Act ensures that Medicare payments accurately reflect current healthcare costs, especially in rural, underserved, and low-income areas. In practice, this prevents doctors from limiting the number of Medicare patients they can see, […]

President Donald Trump has endorsed Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) for reelection in 2026. In a post to Truth Social, Trump described Rep. Bilirakis as "a Tremendous Champion for Florida's 12th Congressional District." "As a Senior Member of the POWERFUL House Energy and Commerce Committee, Gus is working tirelessly to Advance American Energy DOMINANCE, Create GREAT […]

Florida Republicans and Democrats are clashing, blaming each other over the halting of SNAP funding benefits as a result of the government shutdown. Florida Congressman Gus Biliriakis (R) has called on Democrats to “stop holding families hostage” and to reopen the government to allow for SNAP benefits to receive funding. “Seniors, children, and working families […]

Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) has issued a statement in praise of the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, which was brokered by President Donald Trump. The development brings an end to the two-year war as Hamas released the last 20 living hostages taken on October 7th, 2023, in exchange for Israel releasing numerous Palestinian prisoners. […]

Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) is the latest Republican to request that his Congressional salary be withheld during the government shutdown, which began this week. "Government shutdowns are costly, disruptive, and ultimately unproductive," Rep. Bilirakis said in a statement. "It is unacceptable for Members of Congress to receive a paycheck while dedicated federal workers – including […]

Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) is working to pass legislation that would abolish paychecks for all members of Congress during government shutdowns. “If you didn't do your job in business, you didn't get paid. You don't show up and do your job. You don't get paid. Why are we getting paid?" Senator Scott questioned during […]

Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) reiterated the need to deny the Republic of Turkey reentry into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, as President Donald Trump meets with the United Nations this week. Bilirakis argued that "rewarding Erdogan's government without meaningful changes in behavior would set a dangerous precedent and weaken the credibility of U.S. foreign […]

Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) is introducing a bipartisan, bicameral bill to protect seniors' access to laboratory testing for new medications. For additional context, the Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule is the system by which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) pays for clinical diagnostic lab tests, based on the weighted median of private […]

Florida Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R) is pushing a new bill to allow all veterans to collect both retirement and disability benefits, as many are currently unable to do so. The Major Richard Star Act removes restrictions that force veterans with combat-related injuries who served fewer than 20 years to give up a dollar of retirement […]

Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) has introduced a bipartisan bill easing Medicare enrollment as more of America's older population ages into eligibility. As explained in Rep. Bilirakis's press release, current Medicare enrollment rules and inadequate notification systems result in people being slapped with application fines, healthcare coverage gaps, and unexpected costs, with an average premium increase […]

Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) spearheaded a bipartisan letter to the State Department urging them to reject the Republic of Turkey's (Turkiye) readmission into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, citing their friendliness to Russia. The Joint Strike Fighter program is an international partnership between the United States and several countries to develop, test, produce, and […]

President Donald Trump’s signing of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” last month cuts clean energy incentives for corporations and boosts demand for local fossil fuel production. In response, a group of Florida lawmakers, including Rep. Kathy Castor (D), Rep. Vern Buchanan (R), and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R), have introduced the Florida Coastal Protection Act, a […]

Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) is introducing a bill improving the transparency of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) prescription practices. Specifically, Rep. Bilirakis's Written Informed Consent Act requires the VA to inform veterans through writing of the potential side effects of drugs such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, stimulants, anxiolytics, and narcotics prescribed through their system. Additionally, a […]

Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) has reintroduced a bipartisan bill aimed at preventing the phenomenon of "zombie campaigns," which involves the misuse of campaign accounts after an officeholder leaves office as a personal slush fund. Specifically, Rep. Castor's Honest Elections and Campaign, No Gain (HEC No) Act requires all former lawmakers and those no longer seeking […]

Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) is introducing legislation to extend the waiver renewal period on the arms embargo on the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus. For additional context, Cyprus was placed under an arms embargo from 1987 to 2020 due to ethnic tensions on the island between its Hellenic (Greek) and Turkish inhabitants. A breakaway government […]

Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) vowed to continue pushing for passage of his Major Richard Star Act in a recent post to X (formerly Twitter). The post responded to a story from Alternet.org describing the plight of the U.S. Army veteran Dan Nevins, who lost two limbs after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated under his […]