Congressman Gus M. Bilirakis is a Republican representing Florida’s 12th Congressional District, which includes all of Pasco and northern parts of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. He was first elected to Congress on November 7, 2006. Gus serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee. He is the Ranking Member of Consumer Protection & Commerce Subcommittee and a Member of the Health Subcommittee and Communications and Technology Subcommittee. With 38 bills he authored signed into law since 2015, Congressman Bilirakis was recently designated as the Most Effective Republican Lawmaker in the State of Florida by the Center for Effective Lawmaking at Vanderbilt University.
In the Constitution, Congress is tasked with the responsibility to raise and support our country’s national defense. Congressman Bilirakis is proud to support our nation’s women and men in uniform and understands the important role Congress plays in protecting the freedoms of our democracy.
Despite the budgetary and fiscal climate, it is imperative the security and long-term success of the country is not sacrificed through arbitrary cuts to the military’s budget. Our country is a beacon of liberty and freedom with interests across the globe, and there is no doubt non-state actors and foreign governments have interests that are hostile those of the United States. The United States must stand ready and capable to respond to potential threats.
Representative Bilirakis understands the importance of providing our brave men and women of the Armed Forces with the resources they need, and to ensure the Department of Defense (DOD) has the ability to develop new technologies and maintain existing infrastructures to meet those emerging threats. He is a member of the:
Congressman Bilirakis believes it is his duty to provide the resources that the military and law enforcement experts deem necessary in order to keep our country safe from those who wish to do us harm. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2021 marks the 60th consecutive year in which Congress provided for the support of our nation’s security and defense.
Congressman Bilirakis believes that his constituents send him to Washington to get things done, and he is proud of the fact that his amendments to the NDAA passed with bipartisan support. These amendments focused on helping Veterans with burn pits exposure and increasing safety and stability of the Eastern Mediterranean in the face of the increasingly destabilizing force of Turkey. The NDAA provided vital resources that are needed for readiness and safety. These are integral to our nation’s continued security.