The Webster Wire

Listening to Floridians

Dear Friends:

Last week, the House brought up H.Res. 863, a resolution to impeach DHS Secretary Mayorkas up for a full House vote. This is the second time I’ve voted to impeach Secretary Mayorkas. While I voted to impeach Secretary Mayorkas, votes for the resolution were tied, which by rule would have defeated the resolution. Representative Blake Moore (R-UT), who supports impeaching Secretary Mayorkas, switched his vote to a “no” in order to offer a procedure enabling the House to re-vote on the resolution. I look forward to voting to impeach Secretary Mayorkas again when the House brings a vote to the floor.

I remain committed to holding Secretary Mayorkas accountable for lying to Congress, his willful refusal to comply with the law, and for breaching public trust over his failure to uphold his oath of office. Securing the border is one of my top priorities. I am determined as ever to also keep pushing my House colleagues, the U.S. Senate, and White House to embrace policies and legislation that secure our borders and sensibly reforms our immigration laws. 

Protecting Patients from Health Care Discrimination

I voted to pass H.R. 485, the Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act of 2023 last week. This legislation bans what’s known as Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs). QALYs are a metric used by federal health programs, such as Medicaid or the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, to place a dollar value on the life of a patient to determine whether certain treatments are cost-effective. By utilizing QALYs, federal healthcare providers discriminate against Americans with disabilities or chronic illnesses. Currently, Medicare is the only federal healthcare program that bans the use of QALYs. H.R. 485 extends the ban to all federal healthcare programs, ensuring fair and unbiased decision-making in healthcare coverage and reimbursements. Life is our most precious gift and valuable regardless of someone’s disability or chronic illness. Government should not be picking and choosing if someone’s life is worth providing care.

Demanding Answers on LNG Export Ban

Last week, I along with my colleagues on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology sent questions to the Biden Administration regarding their prohibition on exporting U.S. liquified natural gas (LNG). We questioned their stated need for new analyses, pointing out that Department of Energy has commissioned five studies since 2012 to examine impacts of U.S. LNG exports on the U.S. economy and energy markets. This current export ban is political and unscientific as U.S. LNG is key to both global energy security and successful emissions reduction for the foreseeable future.

From wind and solar to clean fossil fuels and nuclear, I believe in an all-of-the-above approach to meeting our nation’s energy needs. An all-of-the-above approach means that we would not only responsibly develop our own stores of oil and natural gas, but also push forward innovation and development of next generation power sources and fuels. I remain committed to embracing innovation and promoting energy made in America with American workers and bringing down prices for consumers.

Supporting Free Speech

I filed a Supreme Court amicus brief last week supporting Americans’ right to free speech in the case Vivek H. Murthy, Surgeon General, Et. Al. v. State of Missouri, Et. Al. The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing in on Murthy v. Missouri on whether federal government officials within the Biden Administration coerced social media companies to censor speech as it relates to controversial subjects such as the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine side effects, and the Hunter Biden laptop story. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees that the federal government will not infringe on the right to free speech for all Americans and remains the most effective protecting of speech in the world. I am committed to holding big tech and the Biden Administration accountable and protecting our constitutional rights.

Standing for Life

I and many of my colleagues are demanding that DOJ halt the disposal of the D.C. five and conduct a comprehensive investigation on the circumstances surrounding the deaths of each preborn baby. In early 2022, remains of 5 preborn babies were recovered from the Washington Surgi-Clinic in Washington, D.C. suggesting the preborn babies underwent partial-birth abortions. The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which Congress passed, and President Bush signed into law in 2002, guarantees that every infant born alive, including an infant who survives an abortion procedure, is considered a person under federal law. In 2022, I called for an investigation, but the Department of Justice hasn’t taken action. The DOJ has reportedly instructed the medical examiner’s office to dispose of those 5 bodies. If this happens, autopsies will no longer be possible, and we may never have answers as to whether there was a violation of federal law.

The right to life is one of three unalienable rights promised to all individuals in the Declaration of Independence. I believe these rights extend to aborted and unborn children as well, and that the right to life is our first God-given right. I’ve fought to defend this right my whole life, and I will not waver in my defense of the sanctity of life.

Fighting to Save Women’s Sports

Last Wednesday marked National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Women and girls who have dedicated their lives to training and discipline to achieve excellence in their sport should be protected. Last year, I voted to pass H.R. 734, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, legislation I co-introduced that prohibits Title IX funds from being used in sports that allow biological men to compete against biological females. I will continue to fight to save women’s sports.

Seeing and Serving You

In Washington last week, I met with the Deans of the Colleges of Engineering at the University of Florida, Florida State University/Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Florida International University, and University of Central Florida. During our meeting we discussed the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) in higher education. For our country to rely less on foreign entities, it is imperative that we continue to invest in research and innovation to further advance our global presence. As an engineer myself and senior member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, I have long been a supporter of STEM and Florida universities’ commitment to progressing in the research sphere.

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Cindy Brown, my Community Relations Representative for Leesburg, recently visited the Leesburg Sunrise Rotary Club. President Amanda McLea and members of the club spoke about their dedicated work in the community, especially with students at local schools. Thank you to the members of Leesburg Sunrise Rotary Club for your work impacting our community.

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Cindy also attended the ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony of OzVee Enterprise Event Center in Leesburg with the Lady Lake Chamber of Commerce. OzVee Event Center is a family-owned small business that will host many events like weddings, receptions, and community events. Small businesses like OzVee are the backbone of America’s economy and are a vital part of our economic prosperity. Congratulations to owners Veneice’ and Ozzie!

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Pam Jones, my Community Relations Representative in South Lake County, attended the South Lake Chamber Ribbon Cutting for Salt Shack on the Lake with Executive Director David Colby last week. Chief Operating Officer Katherine, Operations Director Robin, General Manager Melissa, and owners of the Salt Shack on the Lake welcomed members of the community to celebrate the event with great service and hospitality.

Your servant,

Daniel Webster
Member of Congress