Blog
Today our nation celebrates an incredible milestone: 250 years of American independence. This Independence Day, we come together to celebrate a pivotal moment in history when the future of our nation—and the world—was changed forever.
This day in 1776, our Founding Fathers declared that all men are created equal, and that government derived its power from the consent of the governed. They set forth a declaration that We The People bestow authority upon the government to ensure that it serves the will of the people and preserves the liberties for which so many have fought and sacrificed.
We are blessed to live in the greatest nation on earth - one where we wake up under fifty stars and thirteen red and white stripes, and we get to decide that today will be better than yesterday, and that tomorrow will be better than today.
As we celebrate, let us remember the profound significance of this declaration and renew our commitment to the values of democracy, freedom, and self-governance. Freedom is what has made the United States the best nation in the entire world.
I hope that you are able to spend today with friends and family, enjoying the hard-won rights and liberties that have made our country the envy of the world.
Happy Independence Day and may God bless the USA!
On the Foreign Affairs Committee this week, we debated and advanced legislation that authorizes America’s Foreign Service which oversees all of America’s Foreign Service Officer programs carried out by the Department of State. It’s about restoring authority so that everyone—whether in Washington or across the globe—rows in the same direction. We’re making sure every diplomat and every dollar spent abroad put America first.
I also joined the Everglades Foundation for their annual meeting focused on the fight to restore the Everglades and stop Lake Okeechobee's discharges. During my first congressional campaign, I promised to take this fight to Congress, despite being told that our mission to send the water south was dead on arrival. Thankfully, we proved them all wrong and we keep proving them wrong. Today, the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir is not only under construction — it’s ahead of schedule and I was proud to stand at the construction site earlier this year. We still have work to do but I'm proud of the progress we’ve made on my day-one promise.
Last, and certainly not least, happy two hundred and fifty first birthday to the United States Army. To anyone who has ever worn the uniform: thank you for your service, and I am so proud to call you my brothers- and sisters-in-arms.