U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., applauded the Trump administration for continuing to sanction Hezbollah. 

This week, the U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions against three individuals connected to Hezbollah which the federal government has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The new sanctions target Hezbollah members Amin Sherri and Muhammad Hasan Ra’d, who both sit in the Parliament of Lebanon, and Wafiq Safa. 

One of the leading Republicans on the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee has introduced a proposal expanding U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) housing grants to the most severely disabled veterans. 

At the end of last month, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., who had been the vice chairman of the committee when the GOP controlled the U.S. House, brought out the “Ryan Kules Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act” which he showcased on Tuesday. 

As chairman of the U.S. Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is championing a proposal to help small businesses with cybersecurity. 

At the end of last month, Rubio teamed up with Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., to bring out the “Small Business Cybersecurity Assistance Act" which would let Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) use grants from the Small Business Administration (SBA) for cybersecurity training, including working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 

Following a visit to the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean,  two Florida congressmen are pushing their proposal to build closer ties with Israel, Greece and Cyprus.

Back in May, U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., the chairman of the U.S. House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, teamed up with U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, D-RI, to bring out the “Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act."

With the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team continuing to shine in the World Cup and scheduled to face The Netherlands in the final on Sunday, two Florida Democrats are taking advantage of the moment to push for the team to be paid more. 

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., one of the cochairs of the Congressional Soccer Caucus, wrote to Carlos Cordeiro, the president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, on the matter. 

Last week, with reports that Iran has violated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by attempting to boost its uranium production, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., came out swinging at that nation and threw his support behind a bill to increase American support for Israel. 

Buchanan weighed in on Wednesday after Iran violated the JCPOA set up by the Obama administration. 

This past week, U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., the dean of the Florida delegation, announced he plans to run for another term in 2020 despite his fight with pancreatic cancer. 

Despite repeated efforts from the newly formed United States, East Florida remained in British hands during the Revolutionary War. Much of the credit for East Florida not being the fourteenth stripe on the flag has to go to Thomas Brown, one of the more intriguing leaders in the southern theater of the war. 

Towards the end of last week, U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, R-Fla., introduced a proposal closing off energy exploration in the South Atlantic and extends the moratorium on energy exploration in the Gulf of Mexico through 2029. 

Rutherford dubbed his proposal the “Bolstering Economies, Anglers, Coastal Habitats, Ecosystems, and Security (BEACHES) in Florida Act” and reeled in the support of much of the Florida delegation in the U.S. House. 

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., is part of a group of congressmen on Capitol Hill pushing the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) to study focused on improving how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) handles lab services, including collecting data and reimbursements. 

Bilirakis joined U.S. Reps. George Holding, R-NC, Richard Hudson, R-NC, Bill Pascrell, D-NJ, Kurt Schrader, D-Oreg. and Scott Peters, D-Calif., in showcasing the “Laboratory Access for Beneficiaries (LAB) Act” on Monday.