Press Releases
Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Rutherford led a bipartisan letter signed by 93 members of Congress to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross urging that they not allow seismic testing in the Atlantic to move forward. The letter is in response to the administration's announcement last week to issue five Incidental Harassment Authorizations, or IHAs, which advance permit applications for seismic airgun blasting in the Atlantic. This is a major step toward opening areas of the Atlantic off the coast of Florida to energy exploration.
Washington, D.C. - Today, the Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded two Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grants that will provide $25 million in federal funding for important projects in Downtown Jacksonville. Jacksonville Transit Authority (JTA) will receive $12.5 million to fund their Bay Street Innovation Corridor, and the City of Jacksonville will receive $12.5 million to fund the Urban Core Riverfront Revitalization projects.
Jacksonville, FL – Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded $46 million for the Jacksonville Harbor deep draft navigation project in its FY 2019 Work Plan. This comes in addition to the $50 million in federal funding directed to JAXPORT for the project over the past two fiscal years, representing a substantial federal investment in growing commerce and trade in Northeast Florida.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Rutherford (FL-04) recently wrote an op-ed for Military.com highlighting the House's work on improving transition assistance for servicemembers in their return to civilian life. Rutherford currently serves on the House Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee and is a former member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives voted to approve H.R. 6, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, a House-Senate package of bills to combat the opioid crisis. This measure supports ongoing efforts to bolster treatment and recovery, enhance preventative measures, and give law enforcement the tools needed to get drugs off the street.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6157, legislation that allocates funding to the Departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. The measure, which passed the Senate last week, now heads to the President's desk to be signed into law. Upon passage of the bill, Congressman John Rutherford released the following statement:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives voted to approve the House-Senate agreement on H.R. 5895, the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2019. This bill makes key investments in water infrastructure and coastal flood protection, improves care and benefits for our nation's veterans, and strengthens our military assets. The measure, which passed the Senate yesterday, is expected to be signed into law by President Trump in the coming days.
GAINESVILLE, FL/LAKE CITY, FL: Last week, House VA Subcommittee on Health Chairman Neal Dunn (FL-02), Congressmen Ted Yoho (FL-03) and John Rutherford (FL-04), conducted oversight visits of the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System (NF/SGHVS) in Gainesville and Lake City.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Appropriations Committee passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations bill. The bill funds the Department Homeland Security, including aviation security, border and immigration enforcement, customs activities, protection against cyberterrorism, natural disaster response, and efforts to stop the smuggling of drugs and people into the U.S. It also includes funding for the U.S. Coast Guard, including the acquisition of six Fast Response Cutters.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5649, the Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer William "Bill" Mulder (Ret.) Transition Improvement Act, which makes many improvements to the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) that helps members of the Armed Forces transition back to civilian life. Included in this package is Congressman John Rutherford's (FL-04) Veterans Armed for Success Act, which was introduced in October along with fellow Florida Congressman Al Lawson (FL-05).