“The State of our Union is prosperous. Wages are rising, unemployment is dropping, and the economy is booming. In Florida alone, we’ve seen the lowest unemployment rate in our state’s history at 3 percent and new business applications are up 16 percent since President Trump was elected in 2016. The policies proposed by this administration are working for Floridians and Americans and I applaud the president for his steadfast commitment to making America great!”

“As we saw in the recent tragedy in Pensacola, gun free zones are a threat to our safety—even in the most secure environments. Active duty service members, who have extensive firearm training, should be afforded the opportunity to carry a concealed firearm to defend themselves and others. If we trust them on the battlefield with military equipment and firearms, then we should trust them at home on their installations to defend themselves and civilians working with them.”

“Water quality is one of the most important issues facing Florida and it’s important for our leaders to be focused on these projects to ensure that our water resources are protected. These projects serve vital roles in improving our state’s water quality and it is imperative that they are seen through to their completion.”

“When I deployed to Iraq, I took great comfort in my faith in God and my savior Jesus Christ, and I carried scripture and a cross my father had given me on my dog tags. Recent action by the Department of Defense prohibits companies holding lawful trademark licenses for military emblems from producing dog tags that feature religious insignia, such as a bible verse or a cross. This is unacceptable. Our service members fight for our freedom and our Constitution, and one of those freedoms is our freedom of religion. Our service members should have access to dog tags that display that religious freedom and companies should not be penalized from producing those tags.”

“With the House passage of H.R. 5 earlier this Congress, women and girls participating in competitive sports across the country are at risk of losing the equal playing field they were guaranteed by the Education Amendments of 1972. We must protect our female athletes from being forced to compete against biological male athletes in competitive sports.”

“My district is the largest citrus producing district in the United States. These citrus producers, and all the hard-working farmers and growers across my district, rely on commercial agricultural drivers to get their products from point A to point B. Unfortunately, current federal regulations for drivers often create dangerous driving situations and can lead to the expiration of agricultural, horticultural, or floricultural products including fruits and flowers. This bill seeks to remedy these issues to improve safety and service.”

“Today, I voted in favor of the United States Mexico Canada Agreement. Florida relies on trade with Canada and Mexico to survive and thrive. From transportation equipment to machinery, to agricultural products, in 2017 alone, Florida exported $6.7 billion in goods to Canada and Mexico and we aren’t alone. Canada was the leading market for U.S. goods exported followed closely by Mexico in 2017. These allies account for 34 percent of U.S. exports and 35 percent of U.S. imports. They are our strategic partners and an important part of our successful economy. Continuing the long history of our successful trade relationship is essential to bringing the U.S. economy into the 21st century. By implementing the USMCA, we will be creating 176,000 additional American jobs and continuing to grow our economy by over $68 billion. American dairy producers alone will grow their access to up to 3.59 percent of the Canadian Dairy Market. This deal is a good deal for Florida and America. Now that this deal has passed, I am confident that Ambassador Lighthizer and agricultural leaders will continue to work toward a solution to address the issues facing specialty crops in Florida.”

“Tonight, I voted no on the Articles of Impeachment for President Donald J. Trump. This impeachment charade was riddled with procedural failures, denials of due process, and partisan games. The facts are clear, the president has not committed an impeachable offense, and certainly not a high crime or misdemeanor as the Democrats allege. I urge the Senate to quickly evaluate the lack of evidence and acquit the president, so we can all focus on improving the lives of Americans instead of further dividing our nation.”

“For one year, the House has focused on a sham impeachment in lieu of going through with a normal budget process. The Democrats prioritized politics over policy and now we are rushing to fund the government. I could not in good conscience support these spending bills that do nothing to address our growing national debt.”

“I am pleased that Colonel Kelly was able to meet with members of my staff and representatives from Sarasota and Charlotte counties to discuss beach erosion and shoreline protection. My commitment to the preservation projects on Manasota Key is steadfast and I look forward to continuing to work closely with the counties and the Army Corps to ensure the funding needed to protect these beaches is secured.”

“What we witnessed here today will be remembered in American history for generations to come and unfortunately, history will not look kindly on what this committee has done tonight, or in the weeks leading up to this vote. This impeachment inquiry was a partisan attack against a duly elected president, attempting to nullify the votes of 63 million Americans. Many who have served in Congress much longer than I have warned against such a partisan approach to impeachment, including Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Nadler.”

“Reports show that approximately 1.2 million federal government employees are in positions that are commercial in nature. At a time when our annual deficit is nearly $800 billion and our national debt is over $23 trillion, we simply cannot afford to prolong an inefficient bureaucracy and have the government providing goods and services better left to private businesses.”