GUEST

Buchanan: A bipartisan agenda for 2019

Vern Buchanan, Guest Columnist
Vern Buchanan

As the new session of Congress gets under way, I’m looking forward to working with Democrats and Republicans on addressing the key challenges facing our state and country.

That means making sure Social Security and Medicare stay strong for today’s seniors and future generations, protecting our region’s pristine environment and keeping the economic engine churning.

Accomplishing these goals will require our elected leaders to work together and put aside the toxic politics and gridlock that have become all too common in Washington.

Bipartisanship is absolutely critical to finding solutions for the most challenging issues facing our nation. The sad spectacle of a partial government shutdown is what happens when compromise is abandoned and gridlock becomes acceptable.

We have a tremendous opportunity as the new Congress begins to advance meaningful bipartisan legislation to continue generating economic growth and opportunity for millions of Americans while preserving essential programs that our children, middle-income families and seniors depend on.

No single party has a monopoly on good ideas.

As a co-chair of the bipartisan 29-member Florida delegation that includes both U.S. senators, I’m committed to bringing members together on the issues affecting our state.

My record over the years clearly reflects that – which is why I was ranked one of the most bipartisan and effective members of Congress by two respected non-partisan organizations: the Lugar Center and the Center for Effective Lawmaking.

In fact, working with my colleagues in Florida, tremendous progress was made in confronting the opioid epidemic, which has hit Sarasota and Manatee counties particularly hard. We also provided much-needed relief to Florida’s citrus farmers devastated by citrus greening and Hurricane Irma and fought to keep offshore drilling from threatening our pristine coasts and marine wildlife.

On the first day of the 116th Congress, I introduced a bipartisan bill with Democrat Al Lawson of Tallahassee to protect Florida farmers from Mexico’s unfair trade practices. I also introduced legislation this month with Democrat Kathy Castor of Tampa to protect our shores from another catastrophic oil spill. Both bills are examples of members putting partisan politics aside and working together on behalf of Florida.

As we move forward, I intend to continue a pragmatic and solutions-oriented approach that puts people before politics. One of my key priorities is combating red tide. Harmful algal blooms like red tide are killing our marine life, threatening human health and costing our state millions of dollars in lost revenue.

Representing an area of Southwest Florida with more than 88,000 veterans, I am also hopeful that Congress will find meaningful solutions to treat our nation's veterans with the respect they deserve and provide them with the care they need. Too often the Veterans Administration has failed in this core mission. Reports of neglect at VA nursing homes and the VA’s failure to spend millions of dollars allocated for suicide prevention efforts are unacceptable and unforgivable.

If our elected officials refuse to reach across the aisle, we will only see more dysfunction and gridlock in Washington. I remain hopeful that enough members of Congress will choose instead to see the light and opportunity that bipartisanship offers.

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, represents Congressional District 16, which includes Manatee County and parts of Sarasota and Hillsborough County.