GUS ON THE ISSUES
Protecting Our Civil Liberties
Situation: Through its unconstitutional vaccine and mask mandates, the Biden Administration has violated the rights of millions of Americans. These mandates have also exacerbated the workplace shortages we are seeing throughout critical industries, including healthcare, child welfare, transportation, and education. Decisions about one’s healthcare are one of the most basic freedoms, and they must be protected from this irresponsible and unacceptable government intrusion. Fortunately, the Court has invalidated most of these mandates; however, Congressman Bilirakis will not stop fighting for all Americans’ medical freedom until every mandate is lifted.
Bilirakis Action:
Bilirakis co-authored the Stopping Mandates And Limiting Large Government Overreach by Valuing Truth (SMALL GOVT) Act with Rep. Cammack to protect medical freedom and prohibit any organization who discriminates on the basis of vaccination status from receiving any federal dollars.
Bilirakis co-sponsored the Health Freedom for All Act (HR 5471) which would prevent Biden vaccine mandates from being implemented.
Bilirakis successfully championed a provision in the National Defense Appropriation Act that requires the DOD to establish uniform procedures under which members of the military can be exempted from the COVID vaccine mandate. He and a group of his colleagues urged the DOD to suspend dismissals for non-compliance until the exemption was in place.
Bilirakis has voted to ensure that no personally-identifiable information regarding vaccination status is stored in state-run databases or shared with the federal government.
Bilirakis has written to the Administration in opposition to the extension of federal mask mandates.
IRS Spying
The Situation: The Biden Administration proposed hiring 90,000 new IRS agents to spy on the bank records of any American who spends an average of $30.00 per day. This is another egregious power grab from the Biden Administration to collect data on millions of Americans and would also pose a tremendous burden on financial institutions.
Bilirakis Action: In addition to speaking against this proposal on the House Floor, writing letters of objection to the Administration with his colleagues, and discussing this matter on local and national news, Bilirakis voted against the budget package that contained this provision.
2nd Amendment
The Situation: President Biden is using recent incidents of violence to justify once again pursuing failed gun control policies. One new proposal targets so-called “ghost guns,” or homemade weapons. Statistics show they were used in just .36% of homicides between 2016 and 2020. There is simply no evidence that encroaching on the rights of law-abiding citizens would have any corresponding decrease in violent crime.
Bilirakis Actions: Bilirakis has a long record of fighting for Americans’ 2nd Amendment Rights. He has spoken out on this latest intrusion and against other radical efforts to enact gun control. He has also been vocal about his opposition to the appointment of a pro-gun control ATF Director. He will always fight against any further erosion of 2nd Amendment rights.
Defending the Right to Life
The Situation: The Supreme Court is currently considering the first major challenge to abortion since Roe vs. Wade. There have been significant advancements in technology and scientific understanding of human development since Roe v. Wade was enacted. For instance, we now know that a baby can feel pain at 15 weeks. Federal laws need to be modernized to align with science.
Bilirakis Action: Gus Bilirakis is unapologetically pro-life. He and his colleagues have sounded the trumpets whenever the left attempts to attack a pro-life protection, including the Hyde Amendment. Bilirakis has voted against any proposals that do not contain these protections. He will not support tax-payer funded abortion or approve of Planned Parenthood receiving tax dollars.