Blog: The Webster Wire: Reining in Federal Overreach

Statement

Dear Friend,

Over this past week, Christians United for Israel, a grassroots organization with one million members, held their annual summit in Washington, DC. On Wednesday, several Central Floridians participating in the summit took time between workshops to visit my office to discuss the recent initiatives that I have cosponsored to strengthen the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership. We must continue our unwavering support for the security and survival of Israel.

On Wednesday, Florida House Representative Randolph Bracy of Orlando and his legislative aide Kyle dropped by my office during their visit to the United States Capitol. House District 45, which Rep. Bracy represents, overlaps a portion the 10th Congressional District, and his aide Kyle, is a also a constituent from Clermont. Having served in the state legislature, I always enjoy the opportunity to meet with those who represent us in Tallahassee. They serve a key role in helping to guide our state forward.

On Thursday, our select Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation continued with its ongoing review of the national intermodal freight transportation network by traveling via a Norfolk Southern freight train to Oak Island Rail Yard, the national rail network gateway for cargo arriving in New York Harbor. My colleagues and I met with port authority officials and the Army Corps of Engineers at New York Harbor to discuss the issues facing East Coast ports as they prepare for the completion of the Panama Canal expansion in 2015.

A deeper and wider third lane of the Panama Canal will allow ships carrying more than double the cargo of today's vessels to sail toward East Coast harbors. My main focus is working to ensure Florida is properly positioned to take advantage of this widening which will spur economic growth throughout our state. With 15 ports, including deep water cargo ports in several cities, Florida's economy stands to grow tremendously with the increased vessel traffic and cargo tonnage through the Panama Canal. Therefore, I will continue to focus on improving coordination between the Army Corps of Engineers and port authorities to ensure that our harbors are prepared to accommodate larger ships, and that they are connected to national rail, air and road networks in order to maximize job creation and economic growth.

Your servant,
Daniel Webster
Member of Congress

Constituent Corner:

A local mortician contacted our office on behalf of a client to request our assistance in obtaining a reimbursement for a burial expense to which she was entitled through the Department of Veterans' Affairs. My office submitted an inquiry with the Pension Management Center and was able to expedite approval of the constituent's claim. If you ever need assistance cutting through the red tape at a federal agency, contact my office at one of the numbers below. We are here to serve you.

Share Your View:

Next week, the House of Representatives will consider the REINS Act (H.R. 367), a regulatory reform initiative that would require any major regulation--a rule or regulation with an economic impact of $100 million or more as scored by the Office of Management and Budget--from the executive branch to come before Congress for an up-or-down vote before it could be enacted.

Do you agree that regulations from the Executive Branch that have a major impact on jobs and our economy should be approved by your elected representatives prior to enactment?

Response to last week's survey question; "Do you support replacing No Child Left Behind?" No -- 12% Yes -- 86%

Legislative Update:

By an overwhelming majority, respondents to our poll last week supported replacing No Child Left Behind with education reforms that reduce federal intrusion into our nation's classrooms, let our teachers do their jobs and give parents more choices.

I recently supported the Student Success Act's bipartisan passage out of the House of Representatives. It puts education dollars and decision-making in the hands of those who know students best: parents and teachers. It replaces the No Child Left Behind Act with K-12 reforms that give state and local leaders' flexibility to improve student learning and empower parents to ensure their student is getting the best education possible. Most importantly, it gets Washington out of our community's classrooms and allows our teachers to focus less on bureaucratic paperwork and more on educating our students.

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