eNewsletter July 29, 2013

Statement

Dear Friend,

I wanted to update you on some of the issues I'm working on that impact South Florida.

Combatting Sexual Assault in the Military

There are an alarming number of incidents of sexual assault in the US military. The Department of Defense estimates that more than 26,000 troops were victims of sexual assault in the military last year.

I introduced and the House passed my amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act in response to a constituent who was sexually harassed in the Coast Guard by her company commander and the experience of other women harassed and sexually assaulted by this same commander.

Our young men and women are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country and they should not be subjected to this kind of harm, especially from people they work with or their commanders.

Keeping College Affordable

July 1st has come and gone and the federal student loan rates doubled from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent, making college more expensive for millions of American families. I recently held a roundtable with students, parents and college educators to discuss the impact of the student loan rate along with Congressman Ted Deutch and Congressman Patrick Murphy .

It takes a simple fix by Congress to do the right thing and reverse this excessive rate hike and give a boost to one of most important pathways to American economic prosperity, a college education.

Immigration Reform

Now that the Senate has passed comprehensive immigration reform, it's time for the House to follow suit with a similar bipartisan approach that creates a new immigration process reflecting our values. We need a roadmap to citizenship where aspiring Americans can work legally and pay taxes, students who go to school here can continue to contribute to our economy, families can stay together and movement across our borders are both orderly and legal.

Last week, I joined South Florida groups and DREAMERs, and we urged the House to take up the bipartisan Senate bill.

Visiting Our Troops in Afghanistan

I went on a bipartisan congressional mission to visit our troops in Afghanistan. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the trip provided a chance to gather information about terrorist activity and get an up-close assessment of the ongoing transition in Afghanistan from United States and coalition forces to Afghan national forces. This trip also was an important opportunity to stay in touch with our troops, including some from South Florida, and military leaders on the ground to send a message that we care.

Hope you are enjoying your summer and as always don't hesitate to contact our office if we can ever be of assistance.

Always,

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