Pages
Members
Categories
Quicklinks
Events

Message from Congressman Matt Gaetz - 09/12/2020

September 14, 2020

Hello, Friends —

Click for video!

I will never forget the morning of September 11, 2001. I’m sure that you remember it, too. Even though it was 19 years ago, it is seared into our collective memory as Americans.

Yesterday, we honored the memory of the men and women whose lives were cut short on that fateful day of tragedy and loss — the day when the world as we knew it changed.

Yet the tragedy and the heavy sorrow of the day also revealed great bravery and heroism. First responders saw the face of evil, and did not blink. They came to the aid of their fellow countrymen without hesitation and without complaint, and they exemplified the spirit of America.

We will always remember.

SECURING FLORIDA’S FUTURE

Click for video!

Despite the disaster of the Deepwater Horizon spill — which we in Northwest Florida remember all too well — big oil has been hungrily eyeing our beautiful coastline for years.

One of the main reasons I came to Congress was to fight against oil and gas exploration off our shores. On Tuesday, President Trump signed an executive order extending a ban on drilling off Florida’s coasts (both Gulf and Atlantic) for the next 10 years.

President Trump has secured Florida’s future for another generation.

This monumental decision to ban drilling off Florida’s coast demonstrates his deep and abiding commitment to our state’s military mission, our environment, and our economy.

For more, see:

Northwest Florida Daily News — September 8, 2020

Trump announces extension of oil and gas moratorium in eastern Gulf of Mexico

VIRTUAL ACADEMY NIGHT

Click to play video!

Thank you to everybody who attended this week’s Virtual Academy Night! It was great to see so many of our youth interested in dedicating their careers to public service. Please continue to monitor updates and deadline information from our office for the academy nomination process.

FLAG DELIVERIES

Our office has resumed flag deliveries. If you are interested in purchasing a flag flown over the Capitol, please visit my website.

ARE YOU LISTENING?

Listen to my podcast, “Hot Takes with Matt Gaetz,” for daily updates about what’s going on in Washington. The House is back to work next week, with a busy schedule — there’s a lot to discuss!

CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION

As Florida continues reopening its economy, click for further information on the status of Escambia, Okaloosa, Holmes, Santa Rosa, and Walton Counties:

Additionally, all of our local military installations are regularly updating their websites with details about base access (and more) due to the pandemic. For more information, visit:

Finally, my staff and I have received several queries about unemployment during the pandemic. Below are some helpful resources:

Please visit here to file an unemployment claim.
Please visit here for a video tutorial on applying for reemployment assistance.
Please visit here for a COVID-19 Reemployment Resource Guide.
Click here for more information on PEUC applications.
Click here for answers to frequently asked questions.
Click here for information on available benefits.

GAETZ IN THE NEWS

Newsweek — September 8, 2020

Rep. Gaetz: I Personally Know How President Trump Pays Respect to Our Fallen Heroes

"I will never forget standing with President Trump on the tarmac as those caskets draped in American flags were unloaded, under pouring rain, as he saluted and grieved with their beloved ones."

The Federalist — September 9, 2020

100 Orthodox Jewish Rabbis Demand Bezos Cut Ties With SPLC

"We’re trying to make it possible for people to donate to any number of, from millions of different charities, and we need to have some sort of data to use,” Bezos said when pressed on Amazon’s reliance with the SPLC by Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz during congressional testimony. “And, while I accept what you’re saying, that the Southern Poverty Law Center … [is] not perfect — and I would like a better source if we could get it — that is what we use today…I would love suggestions."

Newsweek — September 8, 2020

Newsweek: Snowden to Extend Russia Stay Amid Rumors of Pre-Election Trump Pardon

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz — a staunch Trump supporter whose public displays of loyalty have won him the president’s ear — said last week after the U.S. Court of Appeals decision that he hoped the commander in chief would pardon Snowden. “If it were not for Snowden, we might not know today that our own government was engaged in an activity that now a federal appellate court has deemed illegal,” Gaetz said. In 2013, then-National Intelligence Director James Clapper told Congress that the U.S. did not “wittingly” collect data on Americans. “Clearly, Clapper wasn’t telling the truth. But you know who did tell the American people the truth? Edward Snowden,” Gaetz said.

Fox News — September 8, 2020

On Capitol Hill, two sets of elections loom large

Some House conservatives and members of the Freedom Caucus lashed out at her earlier in the summer. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., argued that Cheney “worked behind the scenes” against President Trump. And Donald Trump Jr. issued this haymaker on Twitter: “We already have one Mitt Romney. We don’t need another."