During his bid for the Republican presidential nomination back in 1999 and 2000, George W. Bush called for Social Security reform. On Sunday his brother, former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., pursued the same strategy as he appeared on “Face the Nation” on CBS. 

“I think it needs to be phased in over an extended period of time,” Bush said. 

“We need to look over the horizon and begin to phase in, over an extended period of time, going from 65 to 68 or 70,”  Bush added. “And that, by itself, will help sustain the retirement system for anybody under the age of 40.”

With the Legislature convening early next week for a special session to pass the budget, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) launched a new ad on Friday, urging legislators to stand against Medicaid expansion. While the Senate backs Medicaid expansion, Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida House are against it.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) bashed former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for spending Friday fundraising in Florida with trial lawyer John Morgan, noting his support for medical marijuana.

Florida Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF), introduced its financial team on Friday as it readies for the 2016 elections. The RPOF stressed that the list is only the start of its efforts. 

The already large field of Republican presidential candidates will expand on Thursday as former Gov. George Pataki, R-N.Y., prepares to enter the contest.

On Sunday, U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart kicked off National Hurricane Preparedness Week as the hurricane season starts next Monday.

With the 2015 hurricane season quickly approaching, I encourage Floridians to prepare their homes and families. Southern Florida has been fortunate to have been out of Mother Natures path in recent years, but we must be ready for whatever may happen, Diaz-Balart said on Sunday. If the right steps are taken, we can better prepare our homes and communities to be more resilient against the effects of these natural disasters.

On Friday, Gov. Rick Scott announced the state unemployment rate stood at 5.6 percent in April as 25,800 new jobs were created. The rate had been at 5.6 percent in February before moving up to 5.7 percent in March.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., a leading congressional Republican on foreign policy and the chairwoman of the U.S. House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, thinks the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) should release documents seized during the raid when American forces killed terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.

While Medicaid expansion will be front and center in the special legislative session next month, the Florida Chamber of Commerce offered a reminder on Thursday that legislators should also cut taxes.

U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., who sits on the House Agriculture Committee, backed a bill on Wednesday to end mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) requirements on meat products. The World Trade Organization (WTO) noted earlier this week that COOL requirements violate trade agreements and Canada and Mexico have threatened to retaliate against the U.S., leading to a possible trade war.

The House Agriculture Committee passed the bill on a 38-6 vote on Wednesday and Yoho weighed in afterward.