Summer travel season is here. We in Congress are taking action to ease the burdens that come with travel, from pushing for a passenger’s bill of rights protecting air travelers to working constantly to bring down the sky-high price of gas.

Ending our addiction to oil

Gas prices are hitting new record highs every day, and this is unacceptable. We are working hard to provide both short-term relief – to lower gas prices now – and long-term relief, to move away from our addiction to oil and towards clean, affordable renewable energy.

• Authorizing tougher investigations of market manipulation, which is believed to have led to our skyrocketing fuel costs

• Suspending filling of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve through the end of the year, which puts more oil supply back into the market

• Holding OPEC accountable for fixing oil prices

• Cracking down on price gouging  

Our longer term solutions include: 

• Increasing fuel efficiency standards for the first time in 32 years

• Ending special tax credits for Big Oil while they rake in record profits, and using that money to develop renewable energy

• Sparking American innovation with tax incentives for investment in solar energy, biofuels, wind and marine energy

• Creating hundreds of thousands of “green collar” jobs, many of which we are working to bring to Florida

We are thinking big and passing bold, innovative solutions to end forever our crippling dependence on oil. Some say it will take time to achieve real energy independence, but all that means is that we have no time to waste. Today must be Day One in our move towards clean, affordable renewable energy.

Visiting Washington this summer travel season?

If your family is planning a trip to our nation’s capital this summer travel season, my office may be able to help. We offer a variety of services to make your trip to Washington, D.C. more interesting, educational, and enjoyable. We are always happy to provide an insider’s view of the U.S. Capitol Building on one of our personalized tours, available upon request. To request a tour of the U.S. Capitol, please e-mail fl22tourcoordinator@mail.house.gov or contact the Tour Coordinator by telephone at (202) 225-3026.

My office can also help to arrange tours of other Washington landmarks, including the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the Supreme Court. There are also a wide variety of sites to explore on your own, including monuments and national parks and the Smithsonian Institution, which houses some of our most fascinating national treasures.

I wish you and your family a safe and happy summer. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can be of assistance planning your trip to Washington, and, as always, I look forward to hearing from you.