Washington Update: Becoming The Party of Ideas and People

I recently reached the milestone of having served in Congress for six months, and looking back, some of the best moments of my life have come from serving as your representative. I am working hard for you by voting to repeal ObamaCare and balance our budget and co-sponsoring legislation that institutes term limits and reforms our tax code. These are promises I made to you and I intend to make good on them.

I promised to have an open door policy and that my number one priority was to serve your needs and listen to you. My office has answered more than 10,000 letters, closed more than 290 cases for Southwest Floridians and hosted Listening Sessions in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Naples and Marco Island.

In the time spent travelling our beautiful district, I am constantly inspired by the stories you share with me. One of the greatest honors was awarding World War II Veteran Roy Kraft with the Purple Heart after he had to wait 71 years to be properly recognized. We live free because of our service men and woman and I will continue to support and recognize their brave sacrifice.

In just six short months, a bill I authored was signed into law, two of my amendments to major bills passed the House, eight bills I co-sponsored passed and we have voted on more than 300 pieces of legislation, including the Path to Prosperity Budget that balances the budget in ten years.

However, there is still more work to be done as we face tough questions on immigration and tax reform.

I made another promise to you to end politics as usual in Washington and to build relationships across the aisle to get something done for Southwest Florida. I am happy to report that I have worked on legislation with each of our Democrat neighbors.

As I have said before, I don’t think that compromise is a dirty word. We compromise every day whether it is with our family or at our jobs. To me, compromise is an opportunity to share my values. Our conservative values aren’t just Republican values. They are American values.

As a Republican, I’m here to find solutions and get something done. Our party aims to make your life easier, from lowering the price at the pump and the grocery store to saving your Social Security and your Medicare.

Overall, I want to make something clear when we talk about reform. It’s not about cutting; it’s about saving – saving the programs you expect from your government.

As I continue to serve you, I want you to know my door is always open. I look forward to listening to you as we work together to ensure the best future for you, our children and grandchildren.