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Charlie Crist Jr.
DTo be claimed
Former Member, Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Financial Services Committee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Space Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Financial Services Committee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Space Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives
Member, Committee on Appropriations
Member, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
Member, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Member, Subcommittee on Defense
Member, Subcommittee on Environment (Science, Space and Technology)
Member, Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
Member, Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics
Date of Wedding Anniversary:
December 12, 2008
— Father's Name:
— Father's Occupation:
Reason for Seeking Public Office:
He is running to create new jobs and better wages, protect our beaches from climate change, honor our military and veterans, make education a priority, and ensure everyone is treated fairly.
1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice
1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes
2. Do you support expanding federal funding to support entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare?
- Yes
1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes
1. Do you support the protection of government officials, including law enforcement officers, from personal liability in civil lawsuits concerning alleged misconduct?
- No
Do you support increasing defense spending?
- Yes
1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes
2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No
3. Do you support providing financial relief to businesses AND/OR corporations negatively impacted by the state of national emergency for COVID-19?
- Yes
1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- Yes
1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, geo-thermal)?
- Yes
2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes
1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes
1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No
2. Do you support requiring businesses to provide paid medical leave during public health crises, such as COVID-19?
- Yes
1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- No
2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No
1. Should the United States use military force to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a weapon of mass destruction (for example: nuclear, biological, chemical)?
- Unknown Position
2. Do you support reducing military intervention in Middle East conflicts?
- Unknown Position
1. Do you generally support removing barriers to international trade (for example: tariffs, quotas, etc.)?
- Yes
1. Abortions should always be legally available.
- No Answer
2. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer
3. Abortions should be legal only when the pregnancy resulted from incest, rape, or when the life of the woman is endangered.
- No Answer
4. Abortions should be legal only when the life of the woman is endangered.
- No Answer
5. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer
6. Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and notification requirements as decided by each state government.
- No Answer
7. Prohibit the late-term abortion procedure known as "partial-birth" abortion.
- X
8. Prohibit public funding of abortions and public funding of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
- No Answer
9. Other
- No Answer
1. AIDS programs
- Slightly Increase
2. Arts funding
- Eliminate
3. Education (K-12)
- Slightly Increase
4. Environmental programs
- Slightly Increase
5. Foreign aid
- Slightly Decrease
6. Housing projects
- Maintain Status
7. Job training programs
- Maintain Status
8. Law enforcement
- Greatly Increase
9. Medicaid
- Slightly Increase
10. Medicare
- No Answer
11. NASA
- Slightly Increase
12. Student loan programs
- Slightly Increase
13. Welfare
- Greatly Decrease
14. Other
- No Answer
15. Armed Forces personnel training
- Slightly Increase
16. CIA appropriations
- Slightly Increase
17. Defense plant conversion
- Maintain Status
18. Development of new weapons
- Slightly Increase
19. Military hardware
- Slightly Increase
20. Military space shuttle missions
- Slightly Increase
21. National Missile Defense Program
- Greatly Increase
22. Pay for active duty personnel
- Greatly Increase
23. Do you support amending the U.S. Constitution to require an annual balanced federal budget?
- Yes
1. Social Security
- X
2. Tax cuts
- X
3. Federal debt reduction
- X
1. Remove all legislative limits on campaign financing.
- No Answer
2. Establish spending limits on congressional campaigns.
- No Answer
3. Provide public funding for federal candidates who comply with campaign spending limits.
- No Answer
4. Support legislation that would increase the federal limits on individual contributions.
- No Answer
5. Strengthen and enforce legislation that encourages full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information.
- No Answer
6. Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office.
- No Answer
7. Provide free or low-cost television advertising to candidates who agree to voluntary campaign spending limits.
- No Answer
8. Ban the unregulated campaign contributions known as soft money.
- No Answer
9. Pass legislation banning issue advocacy commercials by outside groups within 60 days of an election.
- No Answer
10. Prohibit non-U.S. citizens from making contributions to federal campaigns.
- No Answer
11. Other
- X
1. Broaden use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
- X
2. Increase spending to build more federal prisons.
- X
3. Impose "truth in sentencing" for violent criminals so they serve full sentences with no chance of parole.
- X
4. Fund programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X
5. Expand funding for community policing programs.
- X
6. Increase penalties for the possession of any illegal firearms.
- X
7. Prosecute youths accused of a felony as adults.
- X
8. Increase funding for local Boys & Girls Clubs and other independent organizations in communities with at-risk youth.
- X
9. Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes.
- No Answer
10. Deport all permanent resident aliens convicted of a felony.
- X
11. Other
- No Answer
1. Increase penalties for selling illegal drugs.
- X
2. Impose mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
- X
3. Impose capital punishment for convicted international drug traffickers.
- X
4. Strengthen current laws dealing with non-controlled substances, including inhalants and commercially available pills.
- X
5. Increase funding of federally-sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs.
- X
6. Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer
7. Increase funding for border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S.
- X
8. Other
- No Answer
1. Provide tax credits for companies that move job-creating industries into areas with high unemployment.
- X
2. Increase funding for national job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
- X
3. Reduce government regulations on the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- X
4. Establish empowerment zones in areas with large numbers of unemployed people.
- X
5. Eliminate any federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
- No Answer
6. Increase the minimum wage.
- No Answer
7. Pass legislation that encourages employers to offer their employees the options of flex-time scheduling, comp-time and unpaid leave to attend to their family responsibilities.
- X
8. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide on-site child care.
- X
9. The federal government should consider race and sex in making government contracting decisions.
- No Answer
10. The federal government should continue affirmative action programs only if such programs do not include quotas.
- No Answer
11. The federal government should discontinue affirmative action programs.
- X
12. The federal government should prosecute cases of discrimination in the public sector.
- X
13. The federal government should prosecute cases of discrimination in the private sector.
- X
14. The federal government should include sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination laws.
- No Answer
15. Other
- No Answer
1. Support national standards and testing in reading and math.
- X
2. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any publicly funded school.
- X
3. Allow parents to use vouchers to send their children to any participating school: public, private or religious.
- X
4. Allow parents to use tax-free savings accounts to send their children to any publicly funded school.
- X
5. Allow parents to use tax-free savings accounts to send their children to any participating school: public, private or religious.
- X
6. Support creation of more charter schools where teachers and professionals receive authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- X
7. Give all federal education funding to states in the form of block grants and allow them to spend it as they see fit.
- X
8. Support voluntary teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
- X
9. Increase funding for block grants to states to help them hire additional teachers.
- X
10. Other
- No Answer
11. Do you support amending the U.S. Constitution to guarantee the right to religious expression and voluntary prayer in public places, including schools?
- Yes
1. Require the state to fully compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses on privately owned land.
- X
2. Strengthen the Clean Water Act.
- X
3. Change the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to limit the number of habitats eligible to be designated as endangered.
- No Answer
4. Increase fees charged to ranchers who graze cattle on federal lands.
- No Answer
5. Revise the 1872 mining law to increase the fees charged to mining companies using federal lands.
- No Answer
6. Encourage development of alternative fuels to reduce pollution.
- X
7. Strengthen emission controls on all gasoline or diesel powered engines, including cars and trucks.
- X
8. Increase federal taxes on gasoline and diesel fuels to promote conservation and alternative fuel development.
- No Answer
9. Promote the selling of pollution credits between nations to encourage industries to decrease pollution levels.
- No Answer
10. Impose stricter national air quality standards.
- X
11. Adhere to the United Nations treaty regarding global climate change.
- No Answer
12. Strengthen the restrictions on clear-cutting on federal lands.
- No Answer
13. Other
- No Answer
1. Border security
- Federal
2. Civil rights enforcement
- Federal
3. Education
- Local
4. Environmental cleanup
- State
5. Job training
- State
6. Law enforcement
- State
7. Low-income housing
- Federal
8. Medicaid
- Federal
9. Medicare
- Federal
10. Transportation infrastructure (highways, roads, bridges)
- Federal
11. Welfare
- Federal
12. Other
- No Answer
1. The U.S. should lift the arms embargo against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
- No Answer
2. The U.S. should maintain a military presence in Bosnia-Herzegovina with a certain deadline for withdrawal.
- No Answer
3. The U.S. should maintain a military presence in Bosnia-Herzegovina without a certain deadline for withdrawal.
- No Answer
4. Other
- No Answer
5. The U.S. should resolve future disputes with Iraq through diplomatic means.
- No Answer
6. The U.S. should take unilateral military action if Iraq does not comply with all accepted UN resolutions.
- No Answer
7. The U.S. should take military action against Iraq only as part of an international effort.
- No Answer
8. The U.S. should not continue to play a prominent leadership role in the peace process between Israel and Palestine.
- No Answer
9. The U.S. should contribute more funding and troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions.
- No Answer
10. The U.S. should contribute less funding and troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions.
- No Answer
11. The U.S. should participate in UN peacekeeping missions only when vital U.S. interests are involved.
- X
12. The U.S. should not commit military troops to UN peacekeeping missions.
- No Answer
13. The U.S. should withdraw from the UN completely.
- No Answer
14. The U.S. should pay its debt to the United Nations.
- No Answer
15. Should the U.S. have diplomatic and trade relations with Cuba?
- No Answer
16. Should the U.S. recognize and extend full diplomatic relations to Taiwan?
- No Answer
1. Ban the sale or transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons.
- No Answer
2. Increase federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
- No Answer
3. Maintain federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
- No Answer
4. Ease federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
- No Answer
5. Repeal federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms by law-abiding citizens.
- X
6. Favor allowing citizens to carry concealed firearms.
- X
7. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks with firearms.
- No Answer
8. Other
- No Answer
1. The federal government has no responsibility in providing health care.
- No Answer
2. Implement a universal health care program to guarantee coverage to all Americans regardless of income.
- No Answer
3. Implement a government-financed, single-payer national health care system similar to that of Canada.
- No Answer
4. Support health care strategies focused on prevention, including health education and natural medicines and remedies.
- X
5. Support legislation to define and enforce the rights of insured patients, including greater access to specialists and emergency rooms, wider choice of health care providers, and appeal mechanisms when claims are denied.
- X
6. Allow small business owners, the self-employed and workers whose employers do not provide health insurance to have the same deductibility for health costs as corporations and large employers.
- X
7. Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts, which would be taxed if used for any purpose other than medical costs.
- X
8. Establish limits on the amount of damages awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- No Answer
9. Allow states and local communities to use federal funds for needle-exchange programs to combat the spread of HIV.
- No Answer
10. Classify nicotine as a drug and cigarettes as drug delivery devices, which should be regulated by the Federal Food and Drug Administration.
- No Answer
11. Provide citizens age 55-65 the option of purchasing Medicare health coverage.
- X
12. Other
- No Answer
1. Decrease the number of immigrants allowed into the country.
- No Answer
2. Increase the eligibility of legal immigrants for certain social programs (i.e. HUD housing, food stamps).
- No Answer
3. Require the Immigration and Naturalization Service to reduce to six months the time between applying for citizenship and taking the oath of allegiance.
- No Answer
4. Provide extra federal aid to states with higher numbers of immigrants for necessary medical and social services.
- No Answer
5. Prohibit states from passing laws that deny human services (medical care, education) to illegal immigrants or their children.
- No Answer
6. Children of illegal immigrants, born in the United States, should not automatically receive U.S. citizenship.
- No Answer
7. Increase the immigration quota for computer scientists and other information technology workers.
- No Answer
8. Establish English as the official and recognized language of the United States government.
- No Answer
9. Other
- No Answer
The American people have consistently mentioned the decline of morals and ethics in America as a major problem facing the country. On an attached page, in fifty words or less, explain what you will do as a member of Congress to address this concern.
- No Answer
1. Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts which they manage.
- No Answer
2. Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts which are managed by the government.
- No Answer
3. Invest Social Security's assets collectively in stocks and bonds instead of U.S. Treasury securities.
- No Answer
4. Increase the payroll tax to finance the program in its current form.
- No Answer
5. Invest a portion of the budget surplus into the Social Security trust fund.
- X
6. Increase the minimum age that determines when retirees are able to receive full Social Security benefits.
- No Answer
7. Lower Social Security's annual cost-of-living increases.
- No Answer
8. Limit Social Security benefits based on recipients' other income and assets.
- No Answer
9. Require individuals to pay the Social Security tax on income above $68,400, which is currently exempt.
- No Answer
10. Other
- No Answer
1. Retiree income over $40,000
- Greatly Decrease
2. Family income less than $25,000
- Greatly Decrease
3. Family income $25-75,000
- Greatly Decrease
4. Family income $75-150,000
- Greatly Decrease
5. Family income over $150,000
- Greatly Decrease
6. Alcohol Taxes
- Greatly Decrease
7. Capital Gains Taxes
- Eliminate
8. Charitable deductions
- Greatly Increase
9. Child tax credit
- Greatly Increase
10. Cigarette Taxes
- Greatly Decrease
11. Corporate income taxes
- Greatly Decrease
12. Earned Income Tax Credit
- Slightly Increase
13. Estate taxes
- Eliminate
14. Medical expense deductions
- Greatly Increase
15. Mortgage deductions
- Slightly Increase
16. Other
- No Answer
17. Do you support replacing the U.S. income tax structure with a flat income tax?
- Yes
18. Do you support eliminating the Internal Revenue Service?
- Yes
19. Do you support instituting a national sales tax?
- Yes
20. Should a married couple filing jointly pay the same taxes as if they were an unmarried couple filing separately?
- No Answer
21. Do you support requiring a super-majority vote in both houses of Congress to raise taxes?
- Yes
22. Other
- No Answer
1. Do you support amending the Constitution to limit the number of terms which members of Congress can serve?
- Yes
2. 3
- 2
1. Do you support the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?
- No
2. Do you support broadening NAFTA to include other countries in the western hemisphere?
- No
3. Do you support the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)?
- Yes
4. Do you support the World Trade Organization (WTO)?
- Yes
5. Do you support imposing tariffs on products imported from nations that maintain restrictive trade barriers on American products?
- Yes
6. Should a nation's human rights record affect its "most favored nation" trading status with the United States?
- Yes
7. Do you support granting the President "fast-track" authority?
- No
1. Provide tax incentives for companies to hire and train homeless people who want to work.
- No Answer
2. Increase funding of homeless shelters and low income housing projects.
- No Answer
3. Increase funds for housing assistance for welfare recipients who need housing to get or keep a job.
- No Answer
4. Provide homeless families with apartment vouchers they can use to supplement the cost of an apartment.
- No Answer
5. Continue to give states and local governments responsibility for welfare programs through block grants.
- No Answer
6. Eliminate federal funds for welfare programs at the federal, state or local levels.
- No Answer
7. Maintain current welfare-to-work requirements in order for states to qualify for block grants.
- No Answer
8. Convert government-funded low-income housing projects into private housing, managed and owned by the residents.
- No Answer
9. Require that unwed teenage mothers live with a parent or guardian (if possible) and attend school to receive benefits.
- No Answer
10. Other
- No Answer
Please explain what your two main legislative priorities will be if elected. Please explain how you would obtain any additional government funding needed to implement these priorities.
- No Answer
1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice
1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes
2. In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
- Unknown Position
1. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes
1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes
2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No
1. Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- Yes
1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes
2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes
1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes
1. Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No
1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- No
2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- No
Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Yes
1. Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
- No
2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- Unknown Position
Latest Action: House - 06/20/2019 Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Tracker:Latest Action: House - 06/13/2019 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Tracker:Latest Action: House - 06/13/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Tracker:By Charlie Crist The defense bill includes a provision that would fix a problem that has endangered Coasties' retirement benefits, writes Rep. Crist. For the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard, 2019 was an impactful year. From mobilizing for Hurricane Dorian, to conducting a record number of successful search and rescue missions, including keeping $6.2 billion in illegal drugs off our streets, it was a success by many metrics. But last year was memorable for the "Coastie" community for another reason, one that should not be repeated nor forgotten. When Congress and the White House hit an impasse over the budget, a 35-day government shutdown ensued, one that held up pay for active duty Coast Guard members and put the retirement benefits of Coast Guard veterans in jeopardy. Nearly 50,000 Coast Guard retirees were at risk of going without their monthly pension check during the shutdown. That's because unlike every other branch of the U.S. military -- Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force -- Coast Guard retirement is funded by the annual appropriations bills -- which is another way of saying that if Congress can't write the check, Coast Guard veterans don't get paid. That's why I introduced the Coast Guard Retirement Parity Act with Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss. This bipartisan legislation safeguards Coast Guard retirement payments by adding a branch-specific account to the Military Retirement Fund, the same fund that pays retirement benefits for all of the other branches of the military. When the U.S. military, minus the Coast Guard, switched over to the Military Retirement Fund in the 1980s, it improved force size management and better accounted for the total lifetime costs of service members. The Coast Guard would gain similar management and accounting benefits with this change. But the bottom line is this. Coast Guard veterans should be treated the same as the majority of our veterans. They should not have their benefits put at risk by a government shutdown, if, God forbid, we have another one in the future. In a bit of good news, I'm proud to say that our bill protecting Coast Guard veterans' pay has been included in this year's National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the House this month. It's not a done deal, but there's a strong chance it will be enacted into law this year, meaning the new rules would go into effect in 2022. In similar fashion, we still need to secure active duty Coast Guard pay from a future government shutdown. There's another effort underway to try and make that happen, which I strongly support. As a former governor and now U.S. congressman representing some of the largest Coast Guard installations in the country, I have had the great honor of witnessing up close the Coast Guard motto of "Semper Paratus," always ready when duty calls. Coasties lay their lives on the line to protect and serve our country. Their dedicated service, professionalism and unique authorities, in no small part make our national defense as strong as it is today. We can return that blessing by ensuring those who served us are protected from political fights in their Golden Years.
By CHarles Crist We need a permanent moratorium to ensure that offshore oil and gas activities cannot get an inch closer to Florida, write Rep. Charlie Crist and a leading environmentalist. When BP's Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in April 2010, one of us was governor of Florida. The other was a sixth-generation Floridian about to dedicate his career to protecting this state's environment. Both of us were horrified to learn that 11 Americans lost their lives because of an offshore drilling disaster, and for months after oil gushed unchecked into our precious Gulf of Mexico.Six weeks after the initial explosion -- June 4, 2010 -- is another date etched into our memories. It is the day Panhandle beachgoers and swimmers lost their beaches to an unwelcome guest: dirty and dangerous oil. Tar balls began polluting northwest Florida's coast. The disaster's impacts on the Gulf region ballooned, while BP repeatedly tried and failed to stop the oil for 87 days in total. Florida suffered long-term environmental and economic repercussions. Now, a decade later, the tragedy only reinforces something all Floridians can agree on: Offshore drilling cannot come any closer to our coast. Ignoring the lessons Florida learned from this tragedy, President Donald Trump plans to open our state to future drilling and spilling. For those of us that live and work near Florida's coast, we cannot forget the destruction that oily sludge brought to our environment. The 2010 blowout ultimately poured more than 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf. That oil killed tens of thousands of birds, sea turtles, dolphins and fish. Trillions of larval fish and invertebrates, as well as millions of oysters were killed -- imperiling the future success of many Gulf fisheries. Oil also devastated coastal salt marsh habitat. If we lose that habitat, we lose its many benefits. For example, coastal marshes act as an important buffer to storms and flooding, which protects nearby homes and communities. These marshes also provide important feeding and breeding grounds for many fish, crabs and birds. Wildlife cannot survive -- let alone thrive -- without the right habitat to grow and flourish. Vibrant and healthy ocean life is what makes Florida's Gulf Coast such a special place for us, but oil pollution from offshore drilling is toxic and deadly, making it difficult for ocean animals to survive and reproduce. Neither of us can forget the images of Florida's sea creatures coated in slicks that haunted our news streams for months on end. When the environment is hurting, our coastal industries suffer, too. For a state like Florida -- one almost entirely surrounded by warm waters and a beautiful shoreline -- healthy coastal resources are essential to a productive economy. During the summer of 2010, Gulf beaches should have been thrumming with tourists. When oil soaked 1,300 miles of Gulf shoreline, beaches turned sticky with black tar and tourism came to a halt. More than 10 million user-days of beach, fishing and boating activity were lost because of closures following the spill. Coastal real estate values dropped, and the region felt a slump in house prices by as much as 8 percent. Consumers stopped trusting Gulf seafood and seafood industry sales declined by $950 million. If we allow drilling to creep closer, we're inviting more economic hardship to our beautiful beach towns. Before the coronavirus pandemic struck, recreation, tourism and fishing industries along Florida's coasts supported nearly 610,000 jobs and generated roughly $37.4 billion in GDP. The expansion of offshore drilling threatens all of that. Our coastal communities need relief and support right now, not the unnecessary burdens that come with oil and gas development. Florida cannot afford another Deepwater Horizon disaster. This is the Sunshine State, after all. People come here to enjoy our weather, relax on our beaches, boat in our clear waters, see our diverse wildlife and eat the delicious bounty that comes from the waters in our backyard. We locals enjoy fishing and recreating in healthy Gulf waters, too. One of us has a duty in Congress to protect the coast that makes all these outdoor activities and ocean-dependent businesses possible. One of us has a daughter that should not have to grow up with oil rigs or spills on the horizon. We both know what to expect if drilling encroaches on the incredible place we are lucky to call home. We do not want to relive the environmental harm or community impact of a drilling disaster. For now, much of the eastern Gulf of Mexico is protected by a moratorium on oil and gas leasing. But without action, that moratorium will expire in June 2022 -- just two years from now. We cannot stand by and let it expire. Congress needs to maintain Florida's current moratorium, ensuring that offshore oil and gas activities cannot get an inch closer to Florida and our protections become permanent. Florida livelihoods, coastal communities and ocean resources depend on it. Let's get a moratorium that's permanent. U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-St. Petersburg, represents Florida's 13th District and was Florida's 44th governor. Hunter Miller is the Florida Gulf Coast campaign organizer for Oceana, the largest non-profit dedicated solely to protecting the world's oceans.
By Charlie Crist While the news has been consumed with impeachment proceedings, it's understandable many Americans believe Congress hit pause on its legislative work on behalf of the people this year. Fortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. In the House of Representatives, we've passed 275 bipartisan bills that sit waiting for action in the Senate. One of our first acts in 2019 was legislation strengthening gun background checks to help keep guns out of the hands of people who by law shouldn't have them. We raised the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, giving 33 million Americans a raise. We passed legislation to protect Dreamers, young people brought to the U.S. by their parents as kids, who only know America as home. We expanded benefits for Blue Water Navy Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange. We protected the LGBTQ community from discrimination. We restored the Voting Rights Act to protect people's right to the ballot box. On the international front, we recognized the Armenian genocide for what it was. We strengthened Russian sanctions and called China out for its crushing crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong and the imprisonment of over one million Chinese ethnic Uighurs. It's been anything but a do-nothing Congress. And even as the impeachment charges were being drafted, we tackled one of the biggest issues on voters' minds, the high cost of prescription drugs. Last week, the House passed the "Lower Drug Costs Now Act," which would require Medicare to negotiate directly with drug companies -- just like the VA does. A Congressional Budget Office analysis found that over 600,000 Pinellas residents would see their prescription drug costs plummet if this legislation is signed into law. An added bonus -- the bill caps out-of-pocket annual drug costs at $2,000 annually and creates new dental, vision, and hearing coverage for seniors on Medicare. On the trade front, House lawmakers have been working to level the playing field for American workers, successfully negotiating transformational improvements to NAFTA under the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA). These include big wins for Florida farmers and manufacturing workers, enhancing labor protections to stop other countries from undercutting American workers, and a provision that will bring generic biopharmaceutical drugs to market more quickly. The agreement we passed this week also restored important multilateral environmental protections for clean air, healthy oceans, and endangered species. It sets a new, high bar for all future trade agreements to follow. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I was proud to use my position to put the Sunshine State first, doubling the federal budget for red tide research and providing $125 million to harden our schools against gun violence. We provided a record $216 billion for the Veterans Administration, $140 million to eradicate mold in military housing, and $23 million to strengthen and expand Veteran Treatment Courts which provide a hand up to non-violent veterans facing the criminal justice system, instead of jail time -- putting Veterans, active-duty servicemembers, and their families first. My legislation with Republican Sen. Martha McSally to authorize Department of Justice support for Veteran Courts is also on track to be signed into law. Americans are rightly focused on their health, families, and wallets. We've delivered in 2019 on those fronts. In the coming year, it is crucial that the People's House continues to make kitchen table issues Americans care about most, our top priority. Rep. Charlie Crist, a Democrat, represents St. Petersburg in the U.S. Congress.
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